The bowl season in college football starts this weekend, as Saturday will feature six different bowl games alone, with more to follow in the coming week. We already previewed two of Saturday’s bowl games (the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl and the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl) as well as next Thursday’s Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in an article last week, but we have three more solid college football bowl betting picks from the opening round of bowl games for you to peruse.

Top College Football Bowl Betting Picks of the Week – December 11th

College football’s bowl game gift guide: Details on player swag for every matchup: https://t.co/PO2c91pdpj pic.twitter.com/IXHaXEc4yj

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Saturday, December 15

Middle Tennessee (+9) vs Appalachian State (9:00pm ET, ESPN)

• R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Appalachian State enters with a 10-2 record, but they also lost head coach Scott Satterfield, who took the vacancy at Louisville. Mark Ivey, the former assistant head coach and defensive line coach, is the interim head coach, and one lesson I’ve learned from the trends in bowl games since the change in signing dates is that teams that lose their head coaches before bowl season tend to fall off the table. Can Middle Tennessee take advantage of this situation? Quarterback Brent Stockstill has provided solid and steady leadership for the team’s offense under his dad, head coach Rick Stockstill. They did fall to UAB in the conference title game, but they also picked up impressive wins against Marshall and FAU, and they have covered in five of their last seven games against Sun Belt Conference teams. College Football Bowl Betting Pick: Middle Tennessee 31, Appalachian State 20

Wednesday, December 19

San Diego State (+4.5) vs Ohio (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

• DXL Frisco Bowl

San Diego State won just one of their last five games to squeak into bowl eligibility, and they have lost three of five away from home. Quarterback Ryan Agnew, expected to start next Wednesday, has a completion rate of just 52.3% and has 10 touchdowns against five interceptions. Tailback Juwan Washington has led the team in rushing with 870 yards and 10 scores. The strength of the Aztecs is their defense, as they have permitted just under 22 points per contest. Ohio enters trending the other way, winners of five of six (although just winners of two games in their last six away from home). Quarterback Nathan Rourke has a 22:7 TD:INT ratio and a 61.1% completion rate. A.J. Ouellette has had a terrific season, running for 1,142 yards and 12 scores. The Bobcats’ defense allows almost 27 points per game. Given that San Diego State has covered just once in their last seven games, while Ohio has covered in five of their last seven, and given that the weather in Texas will be closer to what you find in Ohio than in Southern California at this time of year, I like the Bobcats. College Football Bowl Betting Pick: Ohio 27, San Diego State 20

Friday, December 21

Florida International (+4.5) vs Toledo (12:30pm ET, ESPN)

• Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl

Toledo scored at least 45 points in four of their last five games (winning all four of those). They are in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive season, and their offense has been a big reason as they average over 41 points per game. Florida International averages just under 35 points per game. They went 8-4 (6-2 C-USA) but missed the conference championship after losing to Marshall in their regular season finale. While they can be explosive, they shouldn’t be able to keep up with Toledo. College Football Bowl Betting Pick: Toledo 44, Florida International 30