Top 2017 College Football Bowl Picks for the First Round

Now that the Army-Navy game has come and gone, the 2017 college football regular season is in the books. Now it’s time for bowl season, beginning with Troy and North Texas squaring off in the R+I Carriers New Orleans Bowl on Saturday afternoon and culminating with the national championship game on January 8, 2018. We already put together an article about our College Football betting suggestions for the first week of bowl games, but now we’ve gone back and put together a list of our top bowl picks for the entire bowl season. Enjoy!

Top 2017 College Football Bowl Picks for the First Round

The “Foul Territory” gang discuss #CollegeFootball bowls, w @chris_manzo , @GreggSussman , @mariacmarino & @themarkuskuhn ! They also talk Fantasy Football and #UFC! https://t.co/mqouHaPxly

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Saturday, December 16

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

Middle Tennessee (+4) vs Arkansas State

Keep your eye on the Red Wolves’ passing attack in this game. Justice Hansen threw for at least three touchdowns in six games this season. However, he threw at least three interceptions in three games this season. Middle Tennessee only has four interceptions for the entire season, so we’re thinking that Arkansas State will be able to move the ball fairly easily. Score Prediction: Arkansas State 34, Middle Tennessee 24

Thursday, December 21

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

Temple (-7.5) vs Florida International

This game takes place at Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. So the crowd should be largely in support of FIU. What we have here is the matchup of two first-year coaches (Geoff Collins for the Owls and Butch Davis for FIU) who got their programs to a bowl game in their debut seasons. Temple has put up the better defensive numbers on the season, but I like Davis’ coaching pedigree more, especially given the long preparation window teams get for bowl games. Score Prediction: FIU 27, Temple 24

Friday, December 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (4:00pm ET, ESPN)

Wyoming (-1) vs Central Michigan

You’ll want to see whether Wyoming’s Josh Allen will return for this game or simply wait to enter the NFL draft. Wyoming did not play nearly as well without him down the stretch, and given what other notable players have done the past few years, I don’t expect to see Allen. The Cowboys have to face a Central Michigan team that won five in a row to close out the season and runs a terrific offense behind quarterback Shane Morris. Score Prediction: Central Michigan 31, Wyoming 23

Saturday, December 23

Birmingham Bowl (12:00pm ET, ESPN)

Texas Tech (+2.5) vs South Florida

Two teams, two dynamic offenses, zero strong defenses. That’s right, even the solid coaching of Charlie Strong, in his first year at South Florida, has failed to help the Bulls shore up the defensive side of the ball. Quinton Flowers is a terrific quarterback with both his arm and his feet, and I see him carving up the Red Raiders’ defense. However, I don’t see Texas Tech having much problem with the Bulls’ defense either. Score Prediction: South Florida 48, Texas Tech 44

Thursday, December 28

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl (9:00pm ET, FOX)

Washington State (-2.5) vs Michigan State

Michigan State pulled off some big wins at home this year — but they struggled when they had to away from their own friendly confines. Both programs will be far from home in sunny Southern California. I am a big fan of the way that Mike Leach coaches his teams to outlandish offensive performances, but if the chips are down, I like Mark Dantonio to make the adjustments that he needs in order to deliver wins in games that he is expected to lose. The Spartans bounced back nicely after a dreadful 2016 to take down Michigan and end up with the #16 rank in the country. Luke Falk is a tremendous talent at quarterback for Washington State, but the Michigan State defense has shown the speed and physicality to take down talented offenses when they need to. Score Prediction: Michigan State 31, Washington State 27