Friday/Saturday Bowl Games Betting Preview

College football bowl season continues this weekend starting with three games on tap Friday.

First up is the Music City Bowl between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Auburn Tigers. Auburn is a 3-point favorite at the Bovada Sportsbook but this season they were only 6-4 SU and 5-5 ATS when favored. In their last five bowl games the Tigers are 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. Purdue was 3-0 ATS as an underdog this season, but in their last seven bowl games they are 3-4 SU and 2-5 ATS.

Next up is the Camping World Bowl between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Syracuse Orange. Syracuse is a 2-point favorite. West Virginia has struggled in bowl season lately going 1-4 straight up and 0-5 against the spread in their last five. In the Camping World Bowl, and its previous incarnations, the Mountaineers are 0-4 SU in four appearances. Syracuse has won their last three bowl games SU and ATS and they’re 5-1 SU and ATS in their last six.

And last is the Alamo Bowl between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars are a 3-point favorite and went 7-2 ATS when favored this season. In their last six bowl games they are 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS. Iowa State finished the regular season with four straight losses ATS, and in their last six bowls as an underdog they’re 3-3 SU and 4-2 ATS.

Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl highlight Saturday slate

On Saturday the College Football Playoff begins with the Cotton Bowl and the Orange Bowl.

In the Cotton Bowl the Clemson Tigers face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a 12.5-point favorite. Clemson has won 13 straight at 7-6 ATS and they’re 7-1 ATS in their last eight bowl games. However, the Tigers are also 1-4 SU and ATS in their last five bowl games as a favorite. Notre Dame has also won 13 in a row at 7-6 ATS, and they’re 3-3 SU and 2-4 ATS in their last six bowl games. In their last 14 bowl games as an underdog the Irish are only 3-11 SU and 4-10 ATS.

In the Orange Bowl the Alabama Crimson Tide face the Oklahoma Sooners as a 14-point favorite. The Crimson Tide are on a 15-game winning streak at 9-5-1 ATS. They’re 5-1 SU and 3-2-1 ATS in their last six bowl games, all as the favorite. Oklahoma is 6-2 SU and ATS in their last eight games as an underdog. They’re only 2-4 SU and ATS in their last six bowl games, but the last time they faced Alabama in the 2014 Sugar Bowl they pulled off a 45-31 upset win as a 17-point underdog.

Also on the Saturday schedule, the Michigan Wolverines face the Florida Gators in the Peach Bowl as a 6-point favorite. Michigan lost their last three games ATS all as a favorite, and in their last 12 bowl games they’re a disappointing 3-9 SU and 4-7-1 ATS. Florida is 2-5 SU and ATS in their last seven bowl games as an underdog, and versus Michigan they’ve lost four straight SU and ATS.