College Bowl Mania: 2018 Cheez-It Bowl Odds And Prediction

BRISTOL, TN – AUGUST 21: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Cheez-It Ford, practices for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 21, 2015 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2018 Cheez-It Bowl Odds And Prediction

Bowl season is finally upon us! We are right in the middle of this. After the Christmas break, we have at least three games per day through Saturday. The last one for Wednesday is the Cheez-It Bowl

More from College Football Odds

I finally lost a couple of picks over the week, but overall, I’m still doing pretty well.

For the rest of the bowls, 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:
Autonation Cure Bowl
Progressive New Mexico Bowl
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
DXL Frisco Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Jared Birmingham Bowl
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Dollar General Bowl
So-Fi Hawaii Bowl
ServPro First Responder Bowl
Quick Lane Bowl

BERKELEY, CA – SEPTEMBER 01: Patrick Laird #28 of the California Golden Bears dives past Jonathan Smith #7 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a touchdown at California Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

California(-1.5) vs. TCU at Phoenix, AZ(3):

California 7-5, 4-5(5th Pac 12 North):

Wins: vs. North Carolina(24-17), at BYU(21-18), vs. Idaho State(45-23), at Oregon State(49-7), vs. Washington(12-10), at USC(15-14), vs. Colorado(33-21)

Losses: vs. Oregon(24-42), at Arizona(17-24), vs. UCLA(7-37), at Washington State(13-19), vs. Stanford(13-23)

Record vs. bowl teams: 2-4

Cal started strong on the back of their defense, but faded a little while trying to decide on a quarterback. Cal still uses a rotation of Chase Garbers and Brandon McIlwain, and there is no reason to believe that will change. To me, Patrick Laird is the key to this game for Cal. He is what can keep the offense going.

TCU 6-6, 4-5(t-5th Big 12(10))

Wins: vs. Southern(55-7), at SMU(42-12), vs. Iowa State(17-14), vs. Kansas State(14-13), at Baylor(16-9), vs. Oklahoma State(31-24)

Losses: vs. Ohio State(28-40), at Texas(16-31), vs. Texas Tech(14-17), vs. Oklahoma(27-52), at Kansas(26-27), at West Virginia(10-47)

Record vs. bowl teams: 3-4

TCU is almost a mirror image of Cal. Injuries and inconsistency ruined the offense. Kevontae Turpin getting booted from the team didn’t help either. Jalen Reagor is an elite athlete, but whoever has been under center hasn’t been able to get him the ball enough. Grayson Muehlstein is likely on track to start the bowl game with Michael Collins out, but he will likely have a short leash.

TCU’s defense borders on elite. Half of the opponents were held under 20 points. How many defenses can say that, especially in a conference like this?

Prediction:

If it comes down to defense vs. defense, TCU’s is miles ahead. However, Cal’s offense is enough better than TCU’s to make this a problem. On paper, TCU is a lot better. On the field I would argue that Cal hasn’t seen athletes like this all season long. This is going to be an ugly game, and probably a low scoring one. I would be more comfortable taking the under than betting the spread, but I’m taking TCU.

Pick: TCU

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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!