We’re approaching the climax of bowl season where we’ll see the most anticipated matchups.
The Cotton Bowl will feature Michigan State and Alabama, the No. 3 and No. 2 seeds in the College Football Playoff. The Tide are a 9.5-point favorite in this spot, which makes them the second-biggest remaining favorite left in bowl season.
The Tide enter on a 10-game winning streak and have allowed just 11.7 points per game over that span. They’re posted as the favorite to win the College Football Playoff.
In the Orange Bowl, the No. 1 Clemson Tigers will take on the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners. Although Clemson has been rated the top team in the country, the odds reflect otherwise. They’re a 3.5-point dog in the Orange Bowl. That’s partially because Oklahoma beat three teams ranked 18th or better to end the season.
There will be an intriguing ACC-AAC matchup in the Peach Bowl where Florida State and Houston square off. It’ll be interesting to see how interested Florida State is in this postseason affair considering they played in bigger bowl games over the last two seasons. They are a seven-point favorite.
Speaking of motivation, Ohio State’s interest level in the Fiesta Bowl will be questioned after winning the national championship last season. They’re a 6.5-point favorite versus Notre Dame on New Year’s Day. The Fighting Irish have had a banner season, going 10-2 while losing only to Stanford and Clemson – two teams that rank in the top six.
There could be a shootout in the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day where Ole Miss is a seven-point favorite over Oklahoma State. The Cowboys started 10-0 and looked like they could be heading to the College Football Playoff. However, they lost their final two games while giving up 103 points in the process. They could have problems with the nation’s 12th-highest scoring offense as the Rebels averaged 40.3 points per game. Oklahoma State’s offense came in at ninth with 41.2 points per game.
While the Sugar Bowl should be sweet for points, the Rose Bowl is expected to be more of a grinding type of contest between Stanford and Iowa. Both teams love to dominate the line of scrimmage, run the ball and play defense. The Hawkeyes average 192 rushing yards per game (40th) and Stanford averages 225.1 (18th). The team that’s able to impose their will should get the job done. Stanford is a six-point favorite