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College Football: Picking 40 bowl games against the spread

By Brad Rowland

The Clemson Tigers celebrate after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 45-37 in the ACC football championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
The Clemson Tigers celebrate after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 45-37 in the ACC football championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh leads his team onto the field before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh leads his team onto the field before the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Citrus Bowl – Michigan (-4) over Florida

Michigan is the public side and I don’t even care.

To clarify, Florida is a team that I’m blindly fading right now, as Treon Harris and the Gators offense have been absolutely brutal in recent weeks. To make matters worse for Florida, Michigan’s defense should be healthier and well-rested for this game, and the Wolverines were a top-5 defense nationally for much of the 2015 season.

Jim Harbaugh is a master motivator, Michigan has the better quarterback and I simply can’t trust Florida’s offense enough to take them in this spot.

Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State (-6.5) over Notre Dame

Ohio State might (still) be the best team in the country, and they showed that against Michigan. Make no mistake, the Buckeyes “earned” their trip to the Fiesta Bowl instead of a berth in the College Football Playoff, as they slept through most of the year. However, Urban Meyer’s team finally decided to lean heavily on the ground game against the Wolverines and that should happen again here.

If there is a rationale for taking Notre Dame, it is that Ohio State won’t be “amped up” to play in this game. Still, with less than a touchdown to work with, I have to give out the Buckeyes against an Irish squad that remains banged up even after a few weeks off.

Rose Bowl – Iowa (+7) over Stanford

Everyone is sleeping on Iowa, and they could easily have a “happy to be there” feel when playing in Pasadena. On the field, though, the Hawkeyes are a very tough team that defends and runs the ball, and the 7-point cushion gives me license to back them without being locked in to an outright win.

Stanford is more talented and Christian McCaffrey will get his, but I can’t imagine laying nearly a touchdown. Take the points and stay #B1G.

Sugar Bowl – Ole Miss (-7) over Oklahoma State

I hate this line and I don’t advocate putting anything on the Sugar Bowl this year.

With that said, I’ll take the lesser of two evils with Ole Miss, as the Rebels have incredible talent on the field. The off-field saga of Robert Nkemdiche scares me a bit in advance of this particular game, but Oklahoma State overachieved in a big way to earn their lofty status in the rankings, and I don’t think the Cowboys can stay within a single score of Ole Miss on a neutral field.

Next: TaxSlayer, Liberty, Alamo, Cactus

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