2025-26 College Football Bowl Season Overview

The FBS bowl season got started a bit earlier this year with the LA Bowl kicking things off this past Saturday and the Salute to Veterans Bowl unfolding on Tuesday. There is still the Xbox Bowl to come on Thursday, leading into first-round College Football Playoff action that begins on Friday. That is when No. 9 Alabama heads to No. 8 Oklahoma in a game where the Sooners are 1.5-point favorites, according to the latest college football odds.

Saturday brings a CFP tripleheader with the latest lines showing No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. No. 10 Miami, No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5) vs. No. 11 Tulane and No. 5 Oregon (-21) vs. No. 12 James Madison.

Bruce Marshall’s Background and Recent Performance

For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famous sports betting newsletter. He has also won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football betting picks, going 64-43 and returning more than 16 units, finishing the season as SportsLine's top expert. He enters this week on a 8-3 run on his official SportsLine college football over/under picks as well. Anyone following could have seen strong returns.

Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for every bowl and CFP game and evaluated each matchup.

Top College Football Bowl Predictions

One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for the remaining 2025-26 bowl schedule: He is backing Memphis (+4.5) to cover against NC State in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday, Dec. 19 at 2:30 p.m. ET. Memphis will be without coach Ryan Silverfield, who took the Arkansas job. NC State, however, has more potential opt-outs in this game.

The Tigers struggled down the stretch, but they beat their only Power 4 opponent -- Arkansas -- this season and also have a win over a USF squad that was ranked at the time. The Tigers only had one loss that was by more than one score, so Marshall likes their chances of keeping this one within the number against an NC State squad that has not been great in the postseason.

"NC State coach Dave Doeren is 3-6 SU and 4-5 vs. the spread in bowls for NC State, losing last five outright and just 1-4 vs. spread in those five," Marshall told SportsLine.

How to Approach the Rest of the Bowl and CFP Slate

Marshall has evaluated every other matchup, and he is backing a team on an 8-2 spread run. He has analyzed the full board of bowl games and College Football Playoff contests using his Tech Corner method, focusing on trends, matchup edges and historical performance in postseason settings.

So what college football picks can bettors make with confidence, and what alarming trends do they need to know about this week? The latest college football odds provide the framework for identifying value sides and totals across the schedule.

2025-26 College Football Bowl Odds (Through Dec. 24)

The following are the listed matchups and point spreads for the 2025-26 bowl schedule through Dec. 24, with odds subject to change:

  • Xbox Bowl: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State (-1.5, 54.5) on Thursday, Dec. 18
  • Myrtle Beach Bowl: Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan (-3, 47.5) on Friday, Dec. 19
  • Gasparilla Bowl: Memphis vs. NC State (-4.5, 57.5) on Friday, Dec. 19
  • CFP First Round: Alabama at Oklahoma (-1.5, 39.5) on Friday, Dec. 19
  • CFP First Round: Miami at Texas A&M (-3.5, 48.5) on Saturday, Dec. 20
  • CFP First Round: Tulane at Ole Miss (-17.5, 56.5) on Saturday, Dec. 20
  • CFP First Round: James Madison at Oregon (-20.5, 47.5) on Saturday, Dec. 20
  • Potato Bowl: Washington State vs. Utah State (-2.5, 50.5) on Monday, Dec. 22
  • Boca Raton Bowl: Toledo vs. Louisville (-6.5, 44.5) on Tuesday, Dec. 23
  • New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss (+5.5, 57.5) on Tuesday, Dec. 23
  • Frisco Bowl: UNLV vs. Ohio (+5.5, 65) on Tuesday, Dec. 23
  • Hawaii Bowl: Cal vs. Hawaii (+1.5, 54.5) on Wednesday, Dec. 24

These lines frame the betting landscape for the early portion of bowl season and the opening round of the expanded College Football Playoff, giving bettors a clear snapshot of how oddsmakers view each matchup.