Estimated read time: 15-16 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — The 15-week season of college football is complete and conference champions have been crowned. Now, teams will fight for bowl game rights in their respective games, and that means it is time for the KSL.com Sports' College Football Pick'em: Bowl edition.
Points are worth double and the first game is on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. MST, so make sure to get your picks in before then.
LA Bowl: No. 24 UNLV vs California
Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. MST on ESPN (SoFi Field, Los Angeles, California)
Cal is back in a bowl game for the second consecutive year, and they were rewarded with the Mountain West Conference's runner-up UNLV, who lost their head coach, Barry Odom, to Purdue.
Why UNLV will win:
After Odom declared he was heading to Indiana to coach the Boilermakers, various Rebels flooded the transfer portal to either head to Purdue with Odom or look for opportunities elsewhere.
Still, the Rebels kept quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams who has been efficient for UNLV, totaling over 2600 yards both through the air and on the ground, as well as 26 touchdowns to five turnovers. The sixth year Campbell transfer rushed for a career-bet 824 yards with a 5.5 yard per carry average. The Rebels also kept its recieving corps in-tact, giving Williams various options through the air.
The nationally ranked Rebels kept most of its team, and they will use their talent in what will be close to a road game in Los Angeles.
Why Cal will win:
Cal opened the year 3-0 with a win at Auburn while losing two close games versus nationally ranked Miami and Pitt in back-to-back weeks. The Golden Bears will be without starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza who announced he was entering the transfer portal. Mendoza threw for over 3,000 yards. Senior quarterback Chandler Rogers is expected to get the starting nod.
Rogers, though, is an experienced college football quarterback finishing his fifth season. Last year, Rogers threw for 3,382 yards and 29 touchdowns at North Texas.
Cal has had five players enter the transfer portal, notably Rogers and leading reciever Nyziah Hunter who hauled in 40 passes for nearly 600 yards.
Still, the Golden Bears have plenty of offensive firepower in Jack Endries and running back Javian Thomas. UNLV's defense has shown consistency this season, but often finds themselves in close games.
Cal will be the home team as they play just 40 minutes from SoFi which will give them an edge in a great game to kick off Bowl Week.
Line: UNLV -3
Over/Under: 47.5
College Football Playoff First Round - No. 9 Indiana at No. 3 Notre Dame
Friday, Dec. 20 at 6 p.m. MST on ABC/ESPN (Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, Indiana)
The Battle of Indiana will kick off the first ever 12-team College Football Playoff. Indiana's magical season was capped off with a 66-0 routing of Purdue, while Notre Dame's early season loss to Northern Illinois likely did not affect their seeding much.
Why Indiana will win:
The Hooisers did what every good team should do and that is beat everyone and beat them by a lot. Indiana had one game that was one possession or less and it was a 20-15 victory versus Michigan.
The Hoosiers' play caller, Kurtis Rourke, has been as advertised for Indiana, throwing for 2,827 yards at a 70% clip with just four turnovers, the second best quarterback turnover total in college football behind Boise State's Maddux Madsen.
In addition to Rourke's heroics, Indiana's running back duo – Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton – have combined for 22 touchdowns and 1,400 yards.
It will be a defensive line test as Indiana, who ranks in the top 15 for sacks, will go head-to-head with one of the least sacked quarterbacks in college football in Riley Leonard.
Why Notre Dame will win:
Aside from the week two blunder versus Northern Illinois, the Fighting Irish have been essentially flawless. With ranked wins over Texas A&M, Louisville, Navy and Army, Notre Dame has seen plenty of talent this year.
Notre Dame has given up 24 points or less in 11 of 12 games this year, and have held three teams to one score or less.
The key for the Fighting Irish is going to be establishing a run game as Indiana has given up just 850 rushing yards this season, with a 70 yard per game average which is the best in college football.
On the contrary, Notre Dame is one of the best running teams in the country, with the 10th best yard-per-game average at 224 rushing yards per contest. Any sort of solid rushing performance may be enough for the home team Fighting Irish.
Line: ND -7
Over/Under: 51.5
College Football Playoff First Round - No. 12 SMU at No. 6 Penn State
Saturday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. MST on TNT (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)
A storybook season for SMU gets them into the College Football Playoff for the first time. The Mustangs two losses came by a combined six points, both to ranked teams. They will be tasked with heading to Happy Valley to take on Penn State.
Why SMU will win:
The Mustangs offense has been exceptional since the week three loss to BYU. Since that game, SMU has averaged almost 37 points per game while giving up just 22.
Kevin Jennings has thrown for 3,050 yards in just 10 starts and rushed for 379. His 27 total touchdowns has set up a ground game dominance for Brashard Smith who has 1,270 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns which leads the team.
The Mustangs offense is not to be reckoned with. Penn State's defense is the sole reason they failed to upset Oregon in the Big Ten10 Championship where they gave up 45 points to the No. 1 Ducks. Though it's been good most of the season, SMU will have a real shot to upset the Nittany Lions.
Why Penn State will win:
Penn State's ground game, similar to SMU, is as efficient as it gets. Nicholas Singleton's 838 rushing yards leads the team, but his running mate Kaytron Allen is right behind him at 822. The duo has combined for 13 touchdowns which sets up a solid passing attack from Drew Allar.
Allar, whose name has floated around in 2025 Heisman talks, threw for nearly 3,000 yards on the season, all white being one of the least sacked quarterbacks in college football. His favorite target is senior tight end Tyler Warren who is being mocked in the top three rounds of the NFL draft.
Warren's 1,062 yards on 88 receptions is second amongst all tight ends and second in all of the Big Ten.
Happy Valley will be rocking as Penn State will play in its first ever college football playoff game.
Line: PSU -8.5
Over/Under: 53.5
College Football Playoff First Round - No. 16 Clemson at No. 3 Texas
Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. MST on TNT (DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)
Despite losing the SEC Championship to Georgia, the Longhorns were rewarded with the best first-round seed possible. They will take on Clemson who won the ACC Championship over SMU to clinch the final spot.
Why Clemson will win:
Head coach Dabo Swinney has been here before. In fact, he's won the thing – twice. Clemson's seventh CFP appearance will give them an edge over royally any opponent as they have more appearances than anyone in the field.
The Tigers are manned by Cade Klubnik who's 3,303 passing yards are 11th nationally, and his 33 touchdowns are third.
Clemson's offense is for real. The Tigers have rushed for 2,351 yards as a team while piling on 3,563 through the air. The team's 57 touchdowns is amongst the best nationally and they will get to show that against a Texas defense who has been stout thus far.
Though the underdog, the Tigers offensive prowess will be one to monitor.
Why Texas will win:
Texas was looking like the early season favorite to win the CP after they started 6-0 with wins over nationally ranked Michigan and Oklahoma. Before a loss to Georgia the first time, Texas looked unstoppable.
Starting quarterback Quinn Ewers has dealt with injuries a lot of the season which has let legacy quarterback Arch Manning get some playing time. Ewers is expected to go for Texas who had a career-best 25 touchdowns.
The Longhorns defense has been its saving grace this season, holding five opponents to one score or less. In addition, the Longhorns went 6-1 at home this year, 6-0 at home in 2023, and 5-2 the year prior.
After a heartbreaking loss to Washington in the CFP last year, the Longhorns will have an early edge as some people think they have the easiest path to the semi-final.
The winner of the game will face No. 4 Arizona State in the Peach Bowl.
Line: TEX -12
Over/Under: 51.5
College Football Playoff First Round - No. 7 Tennessee at No. 6 Ohio State
Saturday, Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. MST on ABC/ESPN (Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio)
Neither Tennessee or Ohio State made their conference championships, but both had good enough resumes in the regular season to get them bids into the CFP.
Why Tennessee will win:
If it weren't for a 19-14 loss to Arkansas in the fifth game of the season, the Vols may have been in the SEC Championship. Tennessee's resume surprised many as they beat No. 7 Alabama, No. 15 Oklahoma, and No. 24 NC State. Though only one of those wins ended up being a ranked win, the Vols just kept winning.
Nico Iamaleava's consistency at quarterback has been key for the Vols, which has allowed running back Dylan Sampson to go off. Sampson has rushed for nearly 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns, which are both in the top 10 nationally.
In addition to Tennessee's stellar offense, the defense has been exceptional for them this year, holding teams to 13.9 points per game which is fifth nationally.
Ohio State's loss to Michigan in the last week of the season kept them out of the Big Ten Championship and put them against a tough Vols team.
Why Ohio State will win:
While Tennessee has given up 13.9 points per game, Ohio State topped it with 10.9 which is the best in the country. They also stop the run game well, giving up less than 100 yards per contest.
It feels like the loss to Michigan was a fluke, considering they outgained the Wolverines, had fewer penalties, and held Michigan to 62 yards. Still, Ohio State was unsuccessful.
Ohio State has one of the best running back tandems in college football in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. While the numbers didn't tilt their way, the Buckeyes duo is hard to stop.
In addition to the running backs, Ohio State has a solid wide receiving crew in Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate. Almost 70% of quarterback Will Howard's completions are to those three, and they have totaled over 2,200 yards.
Ohio State's home field advantage, and the eagerness to avenge the loss against Michigan, will be hard to overcome for the Vols.
Line: OSU -7
Over/Under: 46.5
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl - Texas A&M vs USC
Friday, Dec. 27 at 8:30 p.m. MST on ESPN (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada)
An up-and-down first year in the Big Ten left the Trojans at 6-6 while the Aggies had SEC Championship hopes before losing their last three conference games.
Why Texas A&M will win:
USC lost over 20 players to the transfer portal, including quarterback Miller Moss. It will be a gutted Trojan team who went 6-6 under Lincoln Riley.
The Aggies had quarterback insecurities this year between Marcel Reed and Conner Weigman. Weigman was more of a pocket passer while Reed was a dual-threat. Eventually. Reed edged out Weigman thanks to his 501 rushing yards.
The run game is the Aggies bread and butter. Texas A&M has rushed for 2,394 yards as a team and 26 touchdowns which doesn't bode well for USC as they give up 140 yards on the ground per game.
However, similar to USC, Texas A&M also lost a solid amount of talent to the transfer portal.
Weigman went to Houston and Cyrus Allen to CIncinnati are the two big ones, but the depth is gutted. Not many key-players went to the portal, but still notable for the Aggies.
Why USC will win:
As mentioned, USC was gutted via the transfer portal but still has plenty of talent left.
Sophomore transfer Jayden Maiava showed plenty of promise in his short time with the Trojans. He threw for 906 yards and seven touchdowns in his three starts where he went 2-1 with a loss to Notre Dame.
Woody Marks has been the offensive workhorse for USC, nearing almost 200 carries for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns.
Despite losing two of their two of their top three wideouts, the Trojans receiving depth is very solid and will be able to easily replace those who left.
It will be an offensive showing in the Las Vegas bowl as the Aggies will look for their first bowl win since 2020.
Line: TA&M -3.5
Over/Under: 51.5
Pop-Tarts Bowl - No. 18 Iowa State vs No. 15 Miami
Saturday, Dec. 28 at 1:30 p.m. MST on ABC (Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida)
The Hurricanes missed out on the ACC Championship and the CFP, but were placed in one of the better bowl games that has become a meme of sorts, with this year's champion being crowned with a trophy that has a working toaster in it.
Pop-Tarts Bowl 🤝 GE Appliances = the NEW Pop-Tarts Bowl trophy with a built-in WORKING (!!!) toaster #PopTartsBowlpic.twitter.com/hl1f3dU5Qg
— Pop-Tarts Bowl (@PopTartsBowl) December 15, 2024
It will be a battle of the Tropical Storms in one of the best non-CFP matchups of the year.
Why Iowa State will win:
Iowa State got demolished in the Big 12 Championship by Arizona State, but still put together an impressive season despite that.
Sophomore quarterback Rocco Becht is looking like the next big thing in Ames after putting together back-to-back 3,000+ yard seasons. Becht also took a leap in rushing, totaling seven touchdowns and 300 yards.
It helps to have a great receiving corps. Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both totaled over 1,000 receiving yards and totaled 16 touchdowns together.
The Cyclones also have a solid running group. Four players with 300 yards rushing or more and have 24 touchdowns on the ground this season.
Miami has a solid defense. They rank top 25 in the country in yards allowed but have given up a lot of points in a few games this year. Notably the 42-38 loss to Syracuse which kept them out of the ACC Championship.
The Cyclones have a real chance to take advantage of defensive inconsistencies and use it against the Hurricanes.
Why Miami will win:
Cam Ward.
Ward finished fourth in heisman voting this year and is a strong favorite to go in the top-10 of the upcoming NFL Draft.
The former Washington State star transferred to Miami and had the best season of his career by putting up over 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Ward's favorite target is senior wideout Xavier Restrepo who put up back-to-back seasons of 1,000+ yards and had 11 touchdowns this year.
Miami also hit the lottery in the running back transfer portal last year, bringing in Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez. Martinez numbers dropped, but ever so slightly. Martinez rushed for 823 yards and nine touchdowns which tied his career high.
The Hurricanes and Cyclones will battle it out in Orlando in what is a highly anticipated bowl game.
Line: MIA -3
Over/Under: 55.5
Valero Alamo Bowl - No. 17 BYU vs No. 23 Colorado
Saturday, Dec. 28 at 5:30 p.m. MST on ABC (Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas)
Similar to the Pop-Tart Bowl, the Alamo Bowl is also expected to get high views in a battle between two Big 12 teams. Due to a Pac-12 contracting agreement, former Pac-12 teams were put in Pac-12 affiliated bowls when applicable despite being in new conferences.
Why Colorado will win:
The Buffaloes will have two NFL first round picks in this game in Shedeur Sanders and Heisman winner, Travis Hunter.
Sanders is third in the country in passing yards, leads the country in completion percentage, and was second in passing touchdowns.
His two exceptional seasons will reward him with likely a top 10 draft pick in June, just a matter of where.
Now for Hunter. The Heisman hauled in 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns which was second to the triple-crown winner Nick Nash. Hunter also leads the team in interceptions, pass deflections, and second in forced fumbles.
Those two alone are worth points, but it's about the team as a whole. LaJohntay Wester has put up 880 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns himself, giving Sanders another receiving option. The high-powered offense will take on a BYU defense that has shown promise, but also vulnerable.
Why BYU will win:
The Cougars historic year ended with a 10-2 season. Despite falling short and not eligible to make the Big 12 title game due to tiebreaker, there is still plenty to play for if you're a Cougar fan.
While BYU hasn't lost a ton of starting players to the transfer portal, they still lost Crew Wakley and Micah Harper in the secondary which thinned out with those departures. But they didn't lose much else.
Jake Retzlaff has a chance to hit the 3,000 yard mark – which would be the fourth time for a BYU QB since 2010 — and just needs to pass for 204 yards to do so. The Cougars are also going to have a hot receiving corps of their own in Chase Roberts, Darius Lassiter, and Keelan Marion.
The key for the Cougars will be getting to Sanders. Sanders is one of the most sacked quarterbacks in college football and BYU doesn't get to the backfield all that often. Linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker account for eight of the team's 16 sacks which is the 10th worst in college football.
The best part about BYU's defense though is the ability to pick off balls. The Cougars tied for first nationally in interceptions with 20. The Cougars have a defensive pass rating of 102.7 which is third nationally, which will give them an edge over a high-powered passing offense in Colorado.
Line: COLO -3
Over/Under: 54.5
