College football odds, lines, top predictions for bowl season, 2021-22: Proven model picks Oklahoma, Auburn

With matchups between teams that are largely unfamiliar with one another, just about anything can happen during college football bowl season, but savvy bettors can still find advantages by working the matchups. The 2021-22 college football bowl schedule begins on Dec. 17 with the 2021 Bahamas Bowl between Toledo and MTSU and ends on Jan. 10 with the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. In between, you’ll have over 40 college football bowl games between teams of contrasting styles.

No. 3 Michigan plays No. 2 Georgia in one of the two CFP semifinals at the 2021 Orange Bowl, and the Wolverines have been one of the best teams in the nation against the spread with an 11-2 record against the number. The latest college football bowl odds from Caesar Sportsbook lists Georgia as the 7.5-point favorite, so which side should you be backing in your college football bowl bets? Before making any college football picks for the 2021-22 bowl schedule, be sure to see the latest college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-29 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest bowl season college football odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for bowl season

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for the 2021-22 bowl season: No. 16 Oklahoma (-3) covers against No. 14 Oregon in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 at 9:15 p.m. ET. The game will be a bittersweet experience for Sooners players and fans alike, as Bob Stoops will step in at head coach for Lincoln Riley, who is left the program to coach USC. The emotion for Oklahoma takes center stage after Oregon has looked like a shell of itself in two recent losses to Utah.

Ducks quarterback Anthony Brown looked slow and befuddled by Utah’s defense in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and gave the Sooners two games worth of tape on how to gameplan against him. Meanwhile, the Ducks will be coached by Bryan McClendon, as former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal is off to Miami.

Oregon’s secondary has played well this season, but the model predicts the Sooners will get things done on the ground to keep the offense moving. Running back Kennedy Brooks and dual-threat QB Caleb Williams are projected to combine for 100 rushing yards, and Oklahoma covers as 4.5-point favorites in nearly 60 percent of simulations. 

Another one of the college football predictions from the model: Auburn (-3) covers against No. 23 Houston in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 28 at noon ET. Dana Holgorsen finally appears to have Houston back on track after finishing under .500 the last two seasons, but there will still be a clear talent disparity here with an SEC school taking on an AAC opponent.

Auburn got off to a great start under new head coach Bryan Harsin, racing out to a 6-2 record with wins over ranked opponents like Arkansas and Ole Miss. And while the Tigers went on to lose their last four games to fall to 6-6, the first-year head coach’s team showed incredible fight in a game it should have won against Alabama in the Iron Bowl.

The Auburn defense held a loaded Alabama offense to just 4.3 yards per play in the overtime defeat, and Holgorsen’s offense could have a tough time after putting up just 333 yards and scoring just 20 points against Cincinnati in the AAC title game. That’s a big reason why the model is predicting that Auburn covers the spread in well over 50 percent of simulations.

How to make college football bowl picks 

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game during bowl season, and it’s projecting multiple shocking upsets. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which underdogs do you need to jump on now? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,700 in profit over the past five-plus seasons, and find out.

College football odds for bowl season (via Caesars)

Here are the college football lines for bowl season:

Dec. 17:

Bahamas Bowl: Toledo vs. MTSU (+9.5, 53.5)

Cure Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois (+10, 62.5)

Dec. 18:

New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Marshall (+6, 51.5)

L.A. Bowl: Oregon State vs. Utah State (+7.5, 64.5)

LendingTree Bowl: Liberty vs. Eastern Michigan (+8.5, 57)

Independence Bowl: BYU vs. UAB (+7, 54.5)

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. UTEP (+12.5, 52)

Boca Raton Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky (+2.5, 67.5)

Dec. 20:

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Tulsa vs. Old Dominion (+9.5, 51.5)

Dec. 21:

Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. UTSA (-2.5, 49)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming vs. Kent State (+3, 58.5)

Dec. 22: 

Armed Force Bowl: Army vs. Missouri (+3.5, 59.5)

Dec. 23: 

Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. UCF (+7.5, 56.5)

Frisco Football Classic Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. North Texas (+3.5)

Dec. 24:

Hawaii Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawaii (+3, 60)

Dec. 25:

Camellia Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State (-3.5, 49.5)

Dec. 27:

Military Bowl: Boston College vs. East Carolina (+3.5, 49.5)

Quick Lane Bowl: Nevada vs. Western Michigan (+2.5, 63)

Dec. 28:

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. West Virginia (+4.5, 44.5)

Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech (+8, 60)

Holiday Bowl: UCLA vs. NC State (-1, 60)

First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville (-1.5, 54.5)

Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Houston (+3, 52)

Dec. 29:

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon (+3, 61.5)

Cheez-It Bowl: Iowa State vs. Clemson (-1, 45.5)

Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Maryland (+1.5, 54)

Fenway Bowl: SMU vs. Virginia (-1, 72.5)

Dec. 30:

Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State (+7, 43)

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Purdue (+3, 61)

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: South Carolina vs. UNC (-7.5, 58.5)

Peach Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State (+3.5, 63)

Dec. 31

Tony the Tiger Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami (Fla.) (-2.5, 59)

Arizona Bowl: Boise State vs. Central Michigan (+9.5, 53)

TaxSlayer Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest (+6.5, 58.5)

College Football Playoff semifinal: Alabama vs. Cincinnati (+13.5, 58)

College Football Playoff semifinal: Georgia vs. Michigan (+7.5, 43.5)

Jan. 1:

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame (-1.5, 45.5)

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Utah (+6.5, 67)

Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Baylor (-1, 52.5)

Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky (-2.5, 45)

Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. Arkansas (+3, 46)

Jan. 4: 

Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. LSU (-2.5, 46.5)

Jan. 10:

CFP National Championship Game: Matchup TBD