Spread Options: College football bowl game best bets, part 1

We’ve officially reached bowl season.

When the Bahamas Bowl kicks off on Friday morning, it will be the first of 42 postseason games played in college football through the national championship on Jan. 9.

Handicapping these games is a tough task. You’ve got to sort through transfers, opt-outs and NFL draft entrants while also doing your best to gauge which teams are motivated and which teams are ready for the offseason.

Since the betting lines first dropped, many have moved significantly as news has come in. So if you’re going to place a few holiday bowl wagers, make sure you have as much information as possible. That may require some patience and waiting until the day of the game.

With that said, we’re going to focus on the first batch of eight games on Friday and Saturday to get these bowl picks going.

(All times ET, odds from BetMGM)

Cure Bowl: No. 25 UTSA vs. No. 24 Troy

Time: 3 p.m. (Friday) | Line: Troy -1.5 | Total: 55.5

Nick Bromberg: Troy averaged just 26 points per game this season but has scored at least 34 in each of its last three games. A couple of defensive scores helped those numbers, though this is also a UTSA team that’s allowed 26 points per game. Throw in a Roadrunner offense that’s 12th in the country in scoring and hasn’t scored less than 34 in any of its last five games and I think this could be a fun shootout.

Pick: Over 55.5

Sam Cooper: I know the Sun Belt is a better conference than Conference USA, but I still think the wrong team is favored here. Troy has a tremendous defense, but it doesn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up with the Roadrunners for 60 minutes. I disregard what Troy displayed offensively in the Sun Belt title game. It was a complete outlier compared to what the Trojans did all year long. That Coastal Carolina team was already overrated, and then it was distracted by Jamey Chadwell’s impending departure and had Grayson McCall nowhere near 100% healthy. With Frank Harris returning and UTSA headed to the AAC, there is a lot of motivation for the Roadrunners to win a bowl game for the first time in program history.

Pick: UTSA +1.5

Las Vegas Bowl: Florida vs. No. 14 Oregon State

Time: 2:30 p.m. (Saturday) | Line: Oregon State -10.5 | Total: 52.5

Sam Cooper: With Anthony Richardson moving on to the NFL and not playing, money has been pouring in on Oregon State. But now that the number has entered double digits, I’m going to take a shot with Florida here. I have confidence in Billy Napier to put together a plan to keep this game competitive even with the level of attrition on the UF roster. Oregon State is one-dimensional on offense and I think UF is good enough along the lines of scrimmage to match the Beavers physically. Jack Miller is getting the start at quarterback for Florida. Miller was slated to be the backup to Richardson, but he had early-season thumb surgery and slid down the depth chart. This is a big opportunity for the Ohio State transfer, as well as a bunch of the other young talent on the Florida roster.

Pick: Florida +10.5

LA Bowl: Washington State vs. Fresno State

Time: 3:30 p.m. (Saturday) | Line: Fresno State -3.5 | Total: 52.5

Nick Bromberg: It’s impossible to overstate the heater that Fresno State has been on since the return of quarterback Jake Haener. The Bulldogs are 9-4 after a 1-4 start and easily beat Boise State in the Mountain West title game. Washington State is a solid team and capable of winning this game, but Fresno’s recent run makes me lean toward the Bulldogs.

Pick: Fresno State -3.5

Sam Cooper: Though I obviously preferred it when Fresno State was favored by less than a field goal, it’s hard not to back the Bulldogs here. It’s Haener’s last college game and Fresno State is always motivated to face off with a Pac-12 opponent. I like the job Jake Dickert has done at Washington State, but the Cougs will be without their three best receivers, three linebackers and both coordinators. WSU has faced much better competition than Fresno this season, but being so limited at receiver is really going to hurt in this one.

Pick: Fresno State -3.5

Frisco Bowl: North Texas vs. Boise State

Time: 9:15 p.m. (Saturday) | Line: Boise State -10.5 | Total: 59.5

Nick Bromberg: It’s hard to get excited about taking such a large favorite in a bowl game, but there are some reasons why I like Boise State. The Bronco offense has been very good since an early-season offensive coordinator change to Dirk Koetter and the defense has allowed fewer than 20 points per game. North Texas enters this game with an interim coach after Seth Littrell’s firing and the Mean Green won just one game against a team with a winning record all season.

Pick: Boise State -10.5