Top College Football Bowl Betting Picks of the Week – December 18th Edition

The first day of the 2018-19 college football bowl season has come and gone. North Carolina A&T knocked off Alcorn State in the bowl game opener to win the HBCU national championship, which we picked. Appalachian State routed Middle Tennessee State (which we didn’t pick). Utah State demolished North Texas, as the Mean Green’s roller coaster ride that saw its peak come in a laugher over Arkansas on the road finish with an anticlimax, to say the least. Georgia Southern also edged out Eastern Michigan by two. Now as we move closer to the bigger bowl games, we’ve put together three NCAAF betting picks for you to consider.

Top College Football Bowl Betting Picks of the Week – December 18th Edition

The college football bowl season starts … NOW! pic.twitter.com/7Dg5HeTy8T

— ESPN (@espn) December 15, 2018

Tuesday, December 18

2018 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl

• UAB (+2.5) vs Northern Illinois (7:00pm ET, ESPN)

UAB has won 18 games over the past two seasons, including 10 this year. They have never won a bowl game; last year, they took a 41-6 shellacking at the hands of Ohio University in the Bahamas Bowl. They  may not have starting quarterback A.J. Erdely, who is questionable due to a shoulder injury, but the numbers he has posted are not that different from bcakup Tyler Johnston III, as both have thrown for seven touchdowns apiece, and Erdely has seven picks, while Johnston has eight. Tailback Spencer Brown has paced the Blazers’ offense, running for 1,152 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Blazers have scored 29.3 points per game this year. Northern Illinois finished with an 8-5 record and upset Buffalo in the MAC title game, 30-29. Quarterback Marcus Childers is a dual threat, as he threw for 15 touchdowns and ran for six more, picking up almost 500 yards on the ground this season. Tailbacks Tre Harbison and Marcus Jones have combined for more than 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns. Northern Illinois only averages 20.7 points per game but come in on the momentum of that upset. Northern Illinois has not covered in five straight bowl games, so I like the Blazers to make it six. College Football Bowl Prediction: UAB 27, Northern Illinois 23

Wednesday, December 19

2018 DXL Frisco Bowl

• San Diego State (+3) vs Ohio University (8:00pm ET, ESPN)

San Diego State enters the bowl season on a major downturn, having dropped their last three games. They only scored 22.3 points per game during the season and ranked just 75th in the nation in the running game, averaging just 162 yards per contest. When things went well for the Aztecs, it usually did so in defense, as they only permitted 21.8 points per game. Their running defense limited opponents to just 95 yards a game, third best in the nation. When San Diego State wins, they do so by playing the game at a slow, grinding pace that is physical on both sides of the ball. Ohio University won five of six to finish out the regular season but did not make the MAC championship. The Bobcats are all about offense, as they scored 41 points per game and ranked eighth in the nation in rushing, with 262 yards per game. Their defense was almost nonexistent in the first half of the season, but then they figured things out the rest of the way. Quarterback Nathan Rourke can beat you with his arm (22 touchdown passes) as well as with his feet (816 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns). Tailback A.J. Ouellette also ran for 12 touchdown passes. We have a run-heavy offense against a stout run defense…but I see Ohio edging out the win. College Football Bowl Prediction: Ohio 20, San Diego State 16

Saturday, December 22

2018 Jared Birmingham Bowl

• Memphis (-2.5) vs Wake Forest (12:00pm ET, ESPN)

Memphis limped into the bowl season having won just three of their last eight games and just two of their last six games away from home. Quarterback Brady White has put up decent numbers with 25 touchdown passes against just eight picks, and the running game has been phenomenal, with tailback Darrell Henderson rumbling for 1,909 yards and 20 scores. The issues for the Tigers come on defense, as they permit 31.5 points per contest. Wake Forest just made into bowl season with a 6-6 record, but they have won three consecutive games on the road. Quarterback Sam Hartman has 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions on the year, as Greg Dortch and Sage Surratt have caught over 1,600 combined receiving yards, scoring 11 times. Tailback Cade Carney leads the rushing attack with 954 yards and eight scores. Wake Forest also has some issues on defense, permitting 33.3 points per game. Both teams come in hot, although Wake Forest comes in hotter having routed Duke, 59-7, in their season finale, while Memphis lost in the AAC title game to a UCF team with a backup quarterback. Memphis has shown more consistency over the season, which is why I’m going with them. College Football Bowl Prediction: Memphis 27, Wake Forest 20