National Funding Holiday Bowl Odds And Prediction

Nov 12, 2016; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars fans hold up a school flag during a game against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars won 56-21. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports /

National Funding Holiday Bowl Odds And Prediction

Now that the holiday is over, we kick into bowl week in earnest! There are four games on Tuesday. Next up is the National Funding Holiday Bowl!

More from College Football Odds

You will still get my picks against the spread and point wagers just like I did all season long. I didn’t have a great regular season, but I can make it look a whole lot better with a strong bowl season! It was a decent start on Saturday, but just in case you missed any:
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Geico Las Vegas Bowl
Raycom Camellia Bowl
AutoNation Cure Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Miami Beach Bowl
Boca Raton Bowl
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
St. Petersburg Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl
Camping World Independence Bowl
Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl
Northrup Grumman Military Bowl

Nov 26, 2016; Madison, WI, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) rushes with the football during the first quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

Minnesota vs. Washington State(-8.5) at San Diego, CA(5):

Minnesota(8-4, 5-4 Big Ten(14):

Wins: vs. Oregon State(30-23), vs. Indiana State(58-28), vs. Colorado State(31-24), at Maryland(31-10), vs. Rutgers(34-32), at Illinois(40-17), vs. Purdue(44-31), vs. Northwestern(29-12)

Losses: at Penn State(26-29), vs. Iowa(7-14), at Nebraska(17-24), at Wisconsin(17-31)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-4

This has been a tumultuous bowl season for the Gophers before a snap has even been taken. The players left boycotted the suspensions of ten players stemming from a sexual assault case, but dropped the boycott once they read the report. I think everyone involved would have preferred they read the report beforehand, and I do understand sticking up for your teammates, but they ultimately came to the right decision. On a lighter note, this will be the last game for QB Mitch Leidner, who has turned out to be one of the better Gopher quarterbacks of the last few decades. Can he hang with high-powered Washington State?

Washington State(8-4, 7-2 Pac 12):

Wins: vs. Idaho(56-6), vs. Oregon(51-33), at Stanford(42-16), vs. UCLA(27-21), at Arizona State(37-32), at Oregon State(35-31), vs. Arizona(69-7), vs. California(56-21)

Losses: vs. Eastern Washington(42-45), at Boise State(28-31), at Colorado(24-38), vs. Washington(17-45)

Record vs. bowl teams: 2-3

Washington State started the season with two disappointing losses and ended the season the same way Sandwiched in between were eight straight wins. This team isn’t quite there yet, but this is a better running team than Mike Leach has had in quite some time. Ditto for the defense. We will say goodbye to senior WR Gabe Marks, who will leave Washington State as the Pac 12’s all time leading receiver. Will the Cougars send him out in style?

Prediction:

Minnesota has a nasty defense, and that isn’t always a good thing. The Gophers were flagged for targeting more than any other team in the country this year. That could be a problem with even more limited depth than usual. Minnesota has also not faced an offense with this type of ability this year. Minnesota beat Oregon State by a touchdown at home. The Cougars beat them by four in Corvallis. When you add in the suspensions, I just think Minnesota runs out of gas.

Pick: Washington State

Next: 2016 Capital One Bowl Mania Picks

Stay tuned for the rest of the bowl picks against the spread, and our DFS picks for the NBA, NFL, and even some NHLThey action! We have something for everyone.