With two straight weeks of college football parlay winners you can officially say I’m on a heater. And I’ll take that hot streak into the opening day of bowl season with six games on the schedule for Saturday. There’s a sort of build up in bowl season with the lower level games taking place earlier and increasing in notoriety and brand recognition until the New Year’s Six and College Football Playoff. There is one Power 5 matchup on the docket with the Cal Bears playing their final game as a Pac-12 member as a 2.5-point underdog against Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl. And if you’re going to bet on CFB using bitcoin you better have the best odds.
Now, getting back to last week with only the Army-Navy game on the schedule my same-game parlay hit in dramatic fashion leaving me without fingernails. First off I backed Army -2.5, which was a lock after the Cadets went up 17-3 on a defensive touchdown with less than five minutes to play in the fourth. At that point, though, I was worried about the game going OVER the total of 27.5. The Middies scored a quick touchdown but failed on the 2-point conversion leaving most who bet the OVER looking at a losing ticket. But on the last play Army took an intentional safety making the final score 17-11. And no team had three consecutive scores making me a winner.
With college football bowl games upon us we have several more weeks and over 40 games remaining before we call it a season. There have been fluctuations in the lines due to player movement and coaching changes, though that likely won’t affect Saturday’s games. The spreads are close with five of six games at four points or lower. The largest spread has Appalachian State laying 6.5-points to Miami, Ohio in the Cure Bowl. In terms of brand name recognition the LA Bowl between UCLA and Boise State stands out with the Broncos catching 4-points.
College Football Betting Lines
Saturday College Football Bowl Game Parlay Wagers
Jacksonville State / Louisiana UNDER 60
Fresno State +3.5
Texas Tech -2.5
$100 bet to win $644
Jacksonville State wasn’t even eligible for a bowl game as the program continues its transition to the FBS. But, with too many spots and not enough qualified teams the NCAA made an exception allowing the Gamecocks and James Madison an opportunity to compete. And never underestimate what it means for some programs to play in a bowl with JSU ecstatic to be here. That’s why I’m staying away from the spread and instead playing the UNDER on the total of 60. And in case you were wondering like I was, Jacksonville State is located in Alabama.
JSU can run the ball averaging 232.2 yards per game and stopping the run has been a problem for the Ragin Cajuns. This actually plays into my line of thinking with a fast clock preventing teams from racking up points. Louisiana has better balance in its offense with Chandler Fields doing a nice job since taking over for Zeon Chriss a few weeks ago. Fields completed 18 of 20 with two TDs in a season-ending 52-21 romp over UL Monroe. That kind of production is the exception and not the norm, though.
Bowl games give teams a chance to finish on a high note and that’s what the Fresno State Bulldogs are looking to do. They were 8-1 at one point with two wins over P5 schools then the roof caved in. Mikey Keane was hurt in a loss to San Jose State starting a closing three-game losing streak. And there’s a definite ‘win one for the Gipper’ vibe around the program after coach Jeff Tedford stepped away due to health issues.
Lastly, I’m backing Texas Tech minus the points in its Independence Bowl matchup with Cal. The Bears needed closing wins over Wazzou, Stanford and UCLA to become eligible and their inconsistency bothers me. Tech has an above average offense that should take advantage of a Cal defense that concedes on average 416 yards and 32.7 points.
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