College Football: 2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Odds And Prediction

ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 02: Corey Clement #6 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks at the trophy after a 24-16 win against the Western Michigan Broncos during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on January 2, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2017 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Odds And Prediction

Bowl season is really ramping up with nine games between Friday and Saturday. I will be here giving you all of the info you need to make an educated pick against the spread if you so choose. Bowl season got off to a tough start, but I have improved lately. Next up is the the first of our New Year’s Six Bowls, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl

More from College Football Odds

For the rest of the bowl season, you will get my picks against the spread and point wagers just like I did all season long. I had a solid regular season, but I can make it look a whole lot better with a strong bowl season!

Just in case you missed any:
R+L Carriers New Mexico Bowl
Autonation Cure Bowl
Las Vegas Bowl
Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Raycom Camellia Bowl
Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
Hawaii Bowl
Zaxby’s Heart Of Dallas Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl
Cactus Bowl
Walk On’s Independence Bowl
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Foster Farms Bowl
Academy Sports And Outdoors Texas Bowl
Northrup Grumman Military Bowl
Camping World Bowl
Valero Alamo Bowl
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Belk Bowl
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Running back J.K. Dobbins INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Running back J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

(8)USC vs. (5)Ohio State(-7.5) at Jerry World(4):

USC 11-2, 9-1 (1st Pac 12):

Wins: vs. Western Michigan(49-31), vs. (14)Stanford(42-24), vs. Texas(27-24), at California(30-20), vs. Oregon State(38-10), vs. Utah(28-27), at Arizona State(48-17), vs. (22)Arizona(49-35), at Colorado(38-24), vs. UCLA(28-23), vs. (12)Stanford(31-28)

Losses: at (16)Washington State(27-30), at (13)Notre Dame(14-49)

Record vs. bowl teams: 8-2

Sam Darnold limited turnovers in the second half of the season with the notable exception of the Notre Dame game. That will be the key for the Trojans here too. This offense has a lot of playmakers on it, but Ohio State may have the best defense the Trojans have faced this year. That said, USC’s defense is not a terrible unit. They beat Bryce Love not once, but twice. And in one of those games he was completely healthy. You can’t have a bad defense and to that.

Ohio State 11-2, 9-1 (1st Big Ten(14):

Wins: at Indiana(49-21), vs. Army(38-7), vs. UNLV(54-21), at Rutgers(56-0), vs. Maryland(62-14), at Nebraska(56-14), vs. (2)Penn State(39-38), vs. (12)Michigan State(48-3), vs. Illinois(52-14), at Michigan(31-20), vs. (4)Wisconsin(27-21)

Losses: vs. (5)Oklahoma(16-31), at Iowa(24-55)

Record vs. bowl teams: 5-2

I am only going to say this once: I have no issue with Ohio State being left out, just as I had no issue with them being included last year. The ultimate goal of the committee is to get the four best teams. They take into account that conferences are not in a vacuum. The bottom of the Big Ten(14) was pretty bad this year. And, well, one of the four best teams in the country would not get blown out by an unranked team no matter where they play.

The emergence of J.K.Dobbins made this offense look unstoppable early in the conference season, but they had trouble when Iowa keyed on the run. For as much as Darnold gets hounded about mistakes, J.T. Barrett arguably makes more. He just isn’t as highly ranked of a prospect. This defensive line was impressive in all but one game, and the secondary came around after taking a few games to get comfortable with one another.

Prediction:

I think this game will either live up to the hype, or Ohio State will get blown out. Ohio State has been one of those teams that doesn’t get to where they want to be, then lays an egg in a bowl. I haven’t seen USC do that. For that reason, there is no way the Buckeyes cover. If they win, it will be by a touchdown or less. Ohio State has the better defense, but I will take USC’s offensive playmakers over Ohio State’s. Again, that isn’t a slight on Ohio State. It’s a testament to just how good and underrated Ronald Jones really is.

Pick: USC

Next: 2017 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