Vegas's Top Six & Bowl Game Picks

Published|Updated

By Todd Fuhrman

This is an unusual version of our piece but given it’s an unusual week for college football bettors we must adjust.  Below you’ll find the  Bet the Board Top 6 teams (who would be favored on a neutral field), a very quick peak at the College Football playoff, New Year’s Day Odds, and the current Heisman prices.  We will of course be doing a deeper dive into these bowl games as they approach however we would strongly recommend monitoring coaching changes and players who may opt to sit out these games due to their future earning potential in the NFL.

Bet the Board: The “Real” Top 6

1.) Alabama

2.) Clemson

3.) Georgia

4.) Michigan

5.) Ohio State

6.) Oklahoma

With the absence of high profile games this week before the bowls get started, we’ll share a couple tidbits on one of the most iconic and historic game in college football history, Army vs Navy.  The Midshipmen lead the all-time series, 60-51-7, but Army has won the last two meetings after falling short from 2002 to 2015.  Army is now out to a 7-point favorite for this Saturday’s showdown (first time installed as a favorite since 2001).  Maybe the even better discussion point on this game is the movement on the total and the logic behind it.  We saw this total open at 44 and fall to 40 or even 39.5 at some shops.  The under has hit every year since 2006 and no game has gone over 44 since 2011.  How low can this total go before we see some resistance?


New Year’s Day Bowl Games and College Football Playoff Odds:

Oklahoma/Alabama-14, 79: Alabama opened -13.5 and has reached 14 at some shops.  Figuring out the health of Crimson Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa is imperative here.

Notre Dame/Clemson-11, 55: Clemson is out to an 11-point favorite, and there should be an awesome match in the trenches when Notre Dame has the ball on offense.

Outback Bowl:

Iowa/Mississippi State-6, 44.5:  A contest between two elite defensive units.  This line has virtually remained at the opening numbers.

Citrus Bowl:

Kentucky/Penn State-6, 48:  Another line that has had minimal movement thus far; can the Kentucky pass game step up here if need be?

Fiesta Bowl:

LSU/UCF+7.5, 54.5:  The market on this game opened 8 and we’ve seen a little money come in on the UCF side.  Can the Knights take down another SEC program for the second straight year?

Rose Bowl:

Washington/Ohio State-6, 58:  In Urban Meyer’s last game coaching (apparently) can the Buckeyes do enough here an give him a Rose Bowl victory?  This line has moved from 5 to 6 since the open amid his announcement

Sugar Bowl:

Texas/Georgia-10.5, 58:  Will there be any letdown from the Bulldogs for missing out on the playoffs after a rough 4th quarter in the SEC Championship game?  This line has remained stagnant for both the side and the total.

Currant Heisman Odds from BetOnline.ag

Kyler Murray (-275)

Tua Tagovailoa (+175)

Dwayne Haskins (+6600)

There has been major movement in these numbers after the Saturday games concluded with Kyler Murray continuing his stellar performance this year and Tua looking human in his finale.  Tua was a favorite for the entire season, depending on the book, until Sunday morning and our guess Murray is the one taking home the hardware Saturday night.

BEST BET: 124 San Francisco +4

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Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.