College football betting: Which coaches are bowl season moneymakers?

Handicapping college football bowl season is nearly impossible. There's also nothing better than watching and betting on college football bowl games with the cozy backdrop of the holidays. Both statements can be true and that's part of the magic. Lines for all 41 bowl games are currently posted at BetMGM as bowl season gets underway on Friday.

With the transfer portal, the coaching carousel and players opting out to prepare for the NFL draft, getting a completely accurate handicap on these bowl games is nearly impossible. In addition to all of that, you have to account for the motivation level and preparedness of teams who haven't played in a month. That's where coaching plays a large role.

Some coaches have clearly proven to thrive in bowl season while others have struggled mightily. History is the best indicator of the future, so let's take a look at which coaches are performing best and worst against the spread during bowl season.

Which coaches are worth backing?

The lone issue with bowl season is that we don't have a large sample size to deal with. Ten coaches are coaching in their first ever bowl game this year. A bunch of schools like Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Louisville, Purdue, UAB and Liberty are transitioning to new coaching staffs. Twelve other coaches have coached in just one bowl game.

With all of that being said, let's take a look at coaches who have coached in at least three bowl games and have performed well against the spread.

Craig Bohl: Bohl has been at Wyoming since 2014. This is the Cowboys' fifth bowl game during his tenure. So far, Bohl is 3-1 straight up and 4-0 against the spread in those games. Last year, Wyoming beat Kent State by a score of 52-38 as just a 3-point favorite. Wyoming is a 1.5-point underdog against Ohio.

Chuck Martin: Martin is just 1-2 straight up in bowl games as the head coach of Miami Ohio, but the Redhawks have covered in all three bowl games. Last season, Miami beat North Texas by a score of 27-14 as a 2.5-point favorite. This year, the Redhawks are 10.5-point underdogs against UAB.

Kirby Smart: The College Football Playoff and national championship game technically count as bowl games, and Kirby Smart has been money to bettors in recent years. The Georgia head coach is 6-2 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games, including a 2-0 record in both categories last year en route to the national title. In the CFP semifinal, Georgia is a 6.5-point favorite over Ohio State.

Willie Fritz: Fritz is 3-1 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games during his coaching career with Georgia Southern and Tulane. This year, the Green Wave are just 1.5-point underdogs against USC in the Cotton Bowl.

Dave Doeren: Doeren has been at NC State since 2013 after a previous stint with Northern Illinois. His teams are 4-3 straight up and 5-2 against the spread in bowl games. They had a bowl game canceled last year, but this year, the Wolfpack are 1.5-point underdogs against Maryland.

Mike Gundy: Gundy has been at Oklahoma State since 2005 and he's been great to bettors in bowl games throughout his tenure. The Pokes are 11-5 both straight up and against the spread under Gundy. Last year, they beat Notre Dame as a short betting underdog. This year, Oklahoma State is a 3-point underdog against Wisconsin.

P.J. Fleck: During stints with Western Michigan and now Minnesota, P.J. Fleck is 4-2 in bowl games and has that same record against the spread. Last year, Minnesota beat West Virginia by 12 as a 5.5-point favorite. This year, Minnesota is a 7-point favorite over Syracuse.

Dabo Swinney: Dabo has been at Clemson since 2008 and has two national championships to his name. Overall, he's 11-7 straight up in bowl games and has a solid 12-6 record against the spread. Clemson is favored by 6.5-points over Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

Kirk Ferentz: Ferentz's teams might be setting football back 20 years, but there's no denying he performs well against the spread in bowl games. Ferentz has been at Iowa since 1999 and he's 11-6-1 against the spread in bowl games. Iowa is a 2.5-point favorite against a Kentucky team who will be without Will Levis due to an opt out.

Kyle Whittingham: Whittingham has been at Utah since 2005 and the Utes are 11-4 straight up in bowl games during that time. He's also 10-5 against the spread, including last year's cover as a 4-point underdog in the epic Rose Bowl with Ohio State. Utah is a 2.5-point favorite against Penn State this year.

Troy Calhoun: Calhoun has been at Air Force since 2007 and his teams are 7-4 against the spread in bowl games. Last year, they beat Louisville by a field goal as a 1-point favorite. Air Force is a 6.5-point underdog against Baylor on the Thursday before Christmas.

Which coaches are fade material?

While the above coaches have been good to bettors, what about the other side of the equation? These coaches have failed to get their teams to meet expectations come bowl season.

Mike Norvell: Norvell has gotten Florida State bowl-eligible for the first time in his tenure. However, if we look back at his Memphis days, Norvell struggled come bowl season. Memphis went 0-4 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games under Norvell. The Seminoles are 7.5-point favorites over Oklahoma.

Billy Napier: Napier has the Florida Gators in a bowl game in his first season. However, when at Louisiana, Napier went 0-3 against the spread in bowl games. The Ragin Cajuns did go 2-1 straight up in those games, but couldn't cover the spread in their victories. Florida is a 10.5-point underdog against Oregon State as Anthony Richardson is opting out to prepare for the NFL draft.

Pat Narduzzi: Under Narduzzi, Pitt is 1-4 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games. Pittsburgh is a 6.5-point underdog against UCLA this year.

Clay Helton: Helton is in his first year with Georgia Southern, leading them to a 6-6 record and a bowl game. With USC, Helton was just 2-3 straight up and 1-4 against the spread in bowl games. Georgia Southern is a 3.5-point favorite over Buffalo.

Jerry Kill: Jerry Kill is 0-5 straight up and just 1-4 against the spread in bowl games, though all of that came almost a decade ago with Minnesota and Northern Illinois. Fast forward to 2022, and Kill's New Mexico State team is a 3-point underdog against Bowling Green. Maybe Kill figured out how to win bowl games during his hiatus.

Jason Candle: Under Candle, Toledo is just 1-4 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games. Last year, Toledo lost by a touchdown as a 10.5-point favorite against Middle Tennessee State. The MAC champions are 4.5-point favorites against Liberty this year.

Dana Holgorsen: Last season, Holgorsen's Houston Cougars defeated Auburn and covered the spread in the process. Both outcomes have been rather rare during Holgorsen's coaching career between West Virginia and Houston. Overall, Holgorsen is just 3-6 straight up and 2-7 against the spread in bowl games. Houston is a 6.5-point favorite over Louisiana this year.

Ryan Day: Under Ryan Day, Ohio State is 2-2 in bowl games and just 1-3 against the spread. They failed to cover as a 4-point favorite in the Rose Bowl last year, defeating Utah by a score of 48-45. This year, Ohio State is a 6.5-point underdog against Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Josh Heupel: Heupel is now at Tennessee after a previous stint with UCF. He's just 1-3 both straight up and against the spread in bowl games. Last year, Tennessee lost to Purdue by a score of 48-45 as a 7.5-point favorite in one of the more wild games of bowl season. This year, the Vols are 6.5-point underdogs against Clemson. Tennessee will obviously be without Hendon Hooker.