College football odds, lines, predictions for bowl season, 2021-22: Proven simulation picks Oklahoma, Auburn

Whenever bowl season rolls around, you usually expect high-scoring games where coaches open up the playbooks. But not every game will end in the 60s and 70s, and one game on the college football bowl schedule projects both teams to barely combine for 40 points. Wisconsin vs. Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl has one of the lowest totals as Caesars Sportsbook has set the bar at 42.5 points in the latest college football lines. You could understand the low over-under as both schools finished second in scoring defense in their respective conferences.

The Badgers are seven-point favorites in the latest college football bowl odds as the schools meet for the first time since 2013. The Las Vegas Bowl is just one of three bowl games in which the over-under comes in below 45, but which side of the line should you favor when making your college football predictions? Before making any college football picks for the 2021-22 bowl schedule, be sure to see the latest college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,700 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-29 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest bowl season college football odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for bowl season

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for the 2021-22 bowl season: No. 16 Oklahoma (-3) covers against No. 14 Oregon on Dec. 29 at 9:15 p.m. ET. The Sooners and Ducks had College Football Playoff aspirations this season, but they will settle for a meeting in the Alamo Bowl instead. Oregon was lifeless in its most recent game, getting blown out by Utah in the Pac-12 Championship. The Ducks were also blown out by the Utes two weeks earlier and will be without their head coach in this bowl game.

Oklahoma narrowly missed out on the Big 12 Championship Game when it lost a thriller at Oklahoma State to close the regular season. The Sooners are led by freshman quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for 1,673 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. SportsLine’s model expects Willams to pass for more than 260 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon, which is one reason why the Sooners are covering the spread in almost 60 percent of simulations. 

Another one of the college football predictions from the model: Auburn (-3) covers against No. 23 Houston in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 28 at noon ET. The Tigers were ranked No. 12 at one point but then lost starting QB Bo Nix (ankle) and dropped four straight to end the year. Houston lost its first game and its last game, but won 10 straight in between.

Auburn has leaned on its run game since Nix exited the lineup and the Tigers have one of the SEC’s best backs in Tank Bigsby. He had over 1,000 yards on the ground, while his backup, freshman Jarquez Hunter, finished ninth in FBS with 6.9 yards per carry. Houston was gashed on the ground at times, including giving up over 200 yards on 7.5 yards per attempt in its last game.

The model sees Auburn dominating the possession with its run game as the difference in this one. The Tigers are projected to rush for over 150 yards and average 4.5 yard per carry, while Houston barely cracks 100 rushing yards and averages just 3.1 yards per attempt. With that vast contrast, Auburn (-3) is projected to win by seven points and to cover in well over 50 percent of simulations.

How to make college football bowl picks 

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game during bowl season, and it’s projecting multiple shocking upsets. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which underdogs do you need to jump on now? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,700 in profit over the past five-plus seasons, and find out.

College football odds for bowl season (via Caesars)

Here are the college football lines for bowl season:

Dec. 17:

Bahamas Bowl: Toledo vs. MTSU (+9.5, 53.5)

Cure Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois (+10, 62.5)

Dec. 18:

New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Marshall (+6, 51.5)

L.A. Bowl: Oregon State vs. Utah State (+7.5, 64.5)

LendingTree Bowl: Liberty vs. Eastern Michigan (+8.5, 57)

Independence Bowl: BYU vs. UAB (+7, 54.5)

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. UTEP (+12.5, 52)

Boca Raton Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Western Kentucky (+2.5, 67.5)

Dec. 20:

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Tulsa vs. Old Dominion (+9.5, 51.5)

Dec. 21:

Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. UTSA (-2.5, 49)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Wyoming vs. Kent State (+3, 58.5)

Dec. 22: 

Armed Force Bowl: Army vs. Missouri (+3.5, 59.5)

Dec. 23: 

Gasparilla Bowl: Florida vs. UCF (+7.5, 56.5)

Frisco Football Classic Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. North Texas (+3.5)

Dec. 24:

Hawaii Bowl: Memphis vs. Hawaii (+3, 60)

Dec. 25:

Camellia Bowl: Ball State vs. Georgia State (-3.5, 49.5)

Dec. 27:

Military Bowl: Boston College vs. East Carolina (+3.5, 49.5)

Quick Lane Bowl: Nevada vs. Western Michigan (-3.5, 59)

Dec. 28:

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Minnesota vs. West Virginia (+4.5, 44.5)

Liberty Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech (+8, 60)

Holiday Bowl: UCLA vs. NC State (-1, 60)

First Responder Bowl: Air Force vs. Louisville (-1.5, 54.5)

Birmingham Bowl: Auburn vs. Houston (+3, 52)

Dec. 29:

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Oregon (+3, 61.5)

Cheez-It Bowl: Iowa State vs. Clemson (-1, 45.5)

Pinstripe Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Maryland (+1.5, 54)

Fenway Bowl: SMU vs. Virginia (-1, 72.5)

Dec. 30:

Las Vegas Bowl: Wisconsin vs. Arizona State (+7, 43)

Music City Bowl: Tennessee vs. Purdue (+3, 61)

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: South Carolina vs. UNC (-7.5, 58.5)

Peach Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State (+3.5, 63)

Dec. 31

Tony the Tiger Bowl: Washington State vs. Miami (Fla.) (-2.5, 59)

Arizona Bowl: Boise State vs. Central Michigan (+9.5, 53)

TaxSlayer Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest (+6.5, 58.5)

College Football Playoff semifinal: Alabama vs. Cincinnati (+13.5, 58)

College Football Playoff semifinal: Georgia vs. Michigan (+7.5, 43.5)

Jan. 1:

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame (-1.5, 45.5)

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Utah (+6.5, 67)

Sugar Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Baylor (-1, 52.5)

Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky (-2.5, 45)

Outback Bowl: Penn State vs. Arkansas (+3, 46)

Jan. 4: 

Texas Bowl: Kansas State vs. LSU (-2.5, 46.5)

Jan. 10:

CFP National Championship Game: Matchup TBD