Capital One Orange Bowl Odds And Prediction

Bowl season is more than half over, but we are really kicking it into high gear now! Friday is the single heaviest day of bowl season this year with five games taking place! The last one up is the Capital One Orange 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
National Funding Holiday Bowl
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Russell Athletic Bowl
Foster Farms Bowl
AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Belk Bowl
Valero Alamo Bowl
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl

(11)Florida State vs. (6)Michigan(-6.5) at Miami, FL(4):

Florida State(9-3, 5-3 ACC):

Wins: vs. Mississippi(45-34), vs. Charleston Southern(52-8), at South Florida(55-35), at Miami(FL)(20-19), vs. Wake Forest(17-6), at North Carolina State(24-20), vs. Boston College(45-7), at Syracuse(45-14), vs. Florida(31-13)

Losses: at Louisville(20-63), vs. North Carolina(35-37), vs. Clemson(34-37)

Record vs. bowl teams: 6-3

The defense had some issues this year. All you have to do is watch a replay of the Louisville game to realize that. However, the Seminoles played better down the stretch. Running back Dalvin Cook may very well be the best back in the country, and Deondre Francois isn’t as plagued by mistakes as he was early on. Cook lamented that Florida State is hitting their peak right now. That may be the case, but the schedule eased up considerably down the stretch.

Michigan(10-2, 7-2 Big Ten(14):

Wins: vs. Hawaii(63-3), vs. Central Florida(51-14), vs. Colorado(45-28), vs. Penn State(49-10), vs. Wisconsin(14-7), at Rutgers(78-0), vs. Illinois(41-8), at Michigan State(32-23), vs. Maryland(59-3), vs. Indiana(20-10)

Losses: at Iowa(13-14), at Ohio State(27-30)

Record vs. bowl teams: 7-2

We saw just how important Wilton Speight is to this team down the stretch when he was battling injuries. Michigan has strong receivers, and De’Veon Smith had a solid year running the ball. What stood out most about Michigan this year though was the defense. They only gave up 30 points once. They only gave up more than 20 twice more. And it’s not like they played junk teams. Michigan played nine bowl teams.

Prediction:

The only offense that Michigan faced that is close to as explosive as Florida State is Colorado, and maybe Ohio State. Those were the two teams that scored the most on Michigan. Colorado likely would have scored more if Sefo Liufau could have returned to the game.

Florida State’s secondary is going to be the key to this game. It seems as though Wilton Speight is at least close to 100%, and that Michigan receiving corps is good. TE Jake Butt is a matchup nightmare, even for the athletic Seminoles, but the ability to contain Amara Darboh will decide whether the Seminoles can win this or not. Regardless, they keep it close because of Dalvin Cook.

Pick: Florida 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 NHL action! We have something for everyone.