College Football: Outback Bowl Odds And Prediction

Oct 29, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Antonio Callaway (81) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at EverBank Field. Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Outback Bowl Odds And Prediction

Bowl season winds down with four games today. Then we only have the championship game left on January 9th. It has been a wild ride during bowl season so far. What does today have in store for us? First up is the Outback 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
Capital One Orange Bowl
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Chick Fil A Peach Bowl
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Oct 8, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes running back Akrum Wadley (25) rushes for a touchdown in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. The Hawkeyes won 14-7. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

(17)Florida(-2.5) vs. Iowa at Tampa, FL(2):

Florida(8-4, 6-3 SEC):

Wins: vs. Massachusetts(24-7), vs. Kentucky(45-7), vs. North Texas(32-0), at Vanderbilt(13-6), vs. Missouri(40-14), vs. Georgia(24-10), vs. South Carolina(20-7), at LSU(16-10)

Losses: at Tennessee(28-38), at Arkansas(10-31), at Florida State(13-31), vs. Alabama(16-54)

Record vs. bowl teams: 6-4

It took a bit for the Florida offense to get going. This is likely a better team with Luke Del Rio under center, but I don’t really feel like either one of them did a good enough job of finding WR Antonio Callaway. With Del Rio out again, the big think is getting Purdue transfer Austin Appleby to take better care of the ball.

The Florida defense was one of the best in a conference full of good defenses. You wouldn’t know it by the way the Gators closed the season, but if they can limit the turnovers, they can play with anyone. Limiting the turnovers has been the issue though.

Iowa(8-4, 6-3 Big Ten(14):

Wins: vs. Miami(OH)(45-21), vs. Iowa State(42-3), at Rutgers(14-7), at Minnesota(14-7), at Purdue(49-35), vs. Michigan(14-13), at Illinois(28-0), vs. Nebraska(40-10)

Losses: vs. North Dakota State(21-23), vs. Northwestern(31-38), vs. Wisconsin(9-17), at Penn State(14-41)

Record vs. bowl teams: 4-3

Iowa’s defense has been mostly solid all season, but it took the offense a while to catch up. However, since the Penn State loss, the Hawkeyes rededicated themselves to running the ball, and why not? They have two very talented backs and a good running quarterback!

The Iowa defense is right up there with Florida. They gave up just 23 points combined in the last three games of the year, which included games against Michigan and Nebraska, both of whom have solid offenses.

Prediction:

Iowa is coming in here riding the momentum. That said, Iowa hasn’t really played a defense like Florida. Wisconsin and Penn State have good defenses. So does Michigan, but I would still take Florida over all three. All three of those held Iowa to under 14 points. The good news for Iowa? The Gators haven’t hit 20 points since November 12.

I feel much better taking the under at 40.5 than trying to pick against the spread. Just throwing that out there. That said, I’m going with the hot team.

Pick: Iowa

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.