College Football Bowl Picks Against The Spread
By Ty Duffy
December 19
New Mexico [Arizona (-9.5) vs. New Mexico]
Duffy: New Mexico. Two explosive offenses. Take the points in a shootout.
Koster: New Mexico. Between New Mexico and Arizona, which team is more excited to be playing in The New Mexico Bowl? Rest my case.
Las Vegas [BYU vs. Utah (-2.5)]
Duffy: BYU. Bad matchup for Utah’s pass defense.
Koster: BYU. The Utes ran out of steam toward the end of the season while the Cougars averaged 41.2 points per contest in their last five. Plus, you know, the fan base should be more lucid.
Camellia [Ohio vs. Appalachian State(-8)]
Duffy: Ohio
Koster: Ohio. The Bobcats would never take a team like Appalachian State lightly after what happened to that team up north.
Cure [San Jose State (-3.5) vs. Georgia State]
Duffy: San Jose State. One dimensional passing offense meets good pass defense.
Koster: Georgia State. Kudos to Duffy for bothering to analyze this one. Truly a degenerates-only watch.
New Orleans [Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech (-2)]
Duffy: Arkansas State
Koster: Arkansas State.
December 21-24
Miami Beach [Western Kentucky (-2.5) vs. South Florida]
Duffy: South Florida. I’m back on Willie Taggart’s bus.
Koster: South Florida. Is there any more room on that bus? Only loss since Oct. 10 was to Army and the Bulls destroyed Temple.
Potato [Akron vs. Utah State (-6.5)]
Duffy: Akron. Two strong run defenses. Two not very good passing teams. Take the points.
Koster: Utah State. Chuckie Keeton goes out in style. Akron may not score. Hammer the under.
Boca Raton [Temple (-1.5) vs. Toledo]
Duffy: Toledo. Public too high on Temple. Two good defenses. Toledo has a better offense.
Koster: Toledo. The Rockets are as good as the public thought Temple was for most of the year.
Poinsettia [Boise State (-8) vs. Northern Illinois]
Duffy: Northern Illinois. That’s way too many points.
Koster: Boise State. NIU doesn’t have a quarterback, which is bad.
GoDaddy [Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green(-7.5)]
Duffy: Bowling Green. Georgia Southern can’t pass or stop the pass.
Koster: Bowling Green is the Oregon of the Midwest. Points will be plentiful.
Bahamas [Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan(-3)]
Duffy: Western Michigan.
Koster: Western Michigan. P.J. Fleck needs to push his stock to a high point before the offeseason.
Hawaii [San Diego State vs. Cincinnati(-1.5)]
Duffy: San Diego State. Why is Cincinnati favored here?
Koster: San Diego State.
December 26
St. Petersburg [Connecticut vs. Marshall(-4)]
Duffy: UConn
Koster: UConn. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out this is the worst of all the bowls. It’s so bad I’ll probably only watch 90 percent of it.
Sun [Miami vs. Washington State(-3)]
Duffy: Miami. The Hurricanes’ weakness is run defense. Washington State…yeah.
Koster: Miami. This is an oddly attractive game. Too bad Uncle Verne won’t be there.
Heart of Dallas [Washington(-8.5) vs. Southern Miss]
Duffy: Washington. Great defense. Petersen with time to prepare. Lay the points.
Koster: Washington. The Huskies have held opponents to 12 points or less in 5 out of 12 games this year.
Pinstripe [Indiana(-2) vs. Duke]
Duffy: Duke.
Koster: Indiana. Take the over. You’ll win in three quarters.
Independence [Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech(-13.5)]
Duffy: Tulsa. That’s too many points to lay with VT against a good offense.
Koster: Tulsa. Same reason as above.
Foster Farms [UCLA(-6.5) vs. Nebraska]
Duffy: Nebraska. Hate rolling with Tommy Arm-Punt, but that’s too many points.
Koster: Nebraska. This is the team that beat Michigan State after all.
December 28-29
Military [Pitt vs. Navy(-4)]
Duffy: Pitt. Good run defense. Line is a bit too high.
Koster: Navy. Keenan Reynolds poised to rebound after lackluster game. Excited to see Pat Narduzzi vs. Triple Option.
Quick Lane [Central Mich. vs. Minnesota(-5.5)]
Duffy: Central Michigan.
Koster: Central Michigan. Cooper Rush is a legit talent and it’s hard to imagine the Gophers getting up for this one.
Armed Forces [Cal(-7) vs. Air Force]
Duffy: Cal.
Koster: Cal. It would be in Jared Goff’s best financial interest to play well in this one — and I believe he will.
Russell Athletic [North Carolina vs. Baylor(-2)]
Duffy: North Carolina. These teams are about even. One has its starting QB.
Koster: North Carolina. Hope there aren’t any fights.
Arizona [Nevada vs. Colorado State(-3)]
Duffy: Nevada
Koster: Nevada.
Texas [LSU(-7) vs. Texas Tech]
Duffy: Texas Tech. Handsome Kliff runs tempo and gives LSU some problems.
Koster: LSU. All is well with Les Miles now, right?
December 30-31
Birmingham [Auburn(-2.5) vs. Memphis]
Duffy: Memphis. Auburn is favored because…?
Koster: Memphis. Paxton Lynch $$$ game vs. Whatever Auburn’s motivation exists
Belk [N.C. State vs. Mississippi State (-5)]
Duffy: N.C. State. Mississippi State can’t stop the run. Too many points.
Koster: Mississippi State. Dak Prescott is the SEC’s best quarterback and he’ll prove it once again.
Music City [Texas A&M (-1) vs. Louisville]
Duffy: Louisville. Bobby P with some time to regroup.
Koster: Louisville. The Aggies may need the 12th Man to play quarterback the way things are going.
Holiday [USC(-3) vs. Wisconsin]
Duffy: Wisconsin. Don’t trust the Trojans against a legit defense.
Koster: USC. The Trojans are playing close to home and have about 10 times the firepower.
Peach [Houston vs. Florida State(-7)]
Duffy: Houston. This game will come down to FSU quarterback play.
Koster: Houston. Doubt Tom Herman at your own peril. Think this one may be a classic.
January 1
Outback [Northwestern vs. Tennessee (-8.5)]
Duffy: Northwestern. Tennessee’s best win was…Georgia, Bowling Green? Don’t trust their coaching staff against a tough, well-drilled Northwestern.
Koster: Northwestern. Straight up, too.
Citrus [Michigan (-4) vs. Florida]
Duffy: Michigan. Defenses cancel out. Wolverines have more going for them on offense.
Koster: Michigan. The Gators will have had a month-plus to figure out something on offense. That’s not enough time.
Fiesta [Notre Dame vs. Ohio State (-6.5)]
Duffy: Notre Dame. Shootout. Line a bit too strong in Ohio State’s favor. Take the points.
Koster: Notre Dame. Are these two of the top four teams in the country? Wonder what Brady Quinn’s sister is up to these days.
Rose [Stanford(-6) vs. Iowa]
Duffy: Iowa. The Hawkeyes can slow Stanford’s offense. Stanford doesn’t play great defense.
Koster: Iowa. Good old-fashioned football. Rooting for 7-6 final.
Sugar [Oklahoma St. vs. Ole Miss(-7)]
Duffy: Oklahoma State. Cowboys regroup, can score, and have an effective defensive front.
Koster: Oklahoma State. Robert Nkemdiche or not, believe Oklahoma State is more consistent.
January 2
Taxslayer [Penn State vs. Georgia(-6.5)]
Duffy: Penn State. Two great defenses. PSU has a head coach and a better QB. Take the points.
Koster: Georgia. Calling James Franklin a “head coach” may be too kind.
Liberty [Kansas State vs. Arkansas(-11)]
Duffy: Kansas State. The Wildcats spring a couple big plays in the pass game. That’s too many points against the wizard with time to prepare.
Koster: Kansas State. The Wildcats can’t score and the Razorbacks played well down the stretch. But have to take free 11 points on principle.
Alamo [Oregon (PK) vs. TCU]
Duffy: TCU. Offenses are a wash. TCU has a better coach and a better defense.
Koster: TCU. Should be a significant homefield advantage for a pick ’em.
Cactus [West Virginia (PK) vs. Arizona State]
Duffy: West Virginia. Country roads, take me home.
Koster: Arizona State. Same as above. Home cooking.