Oh, baby, sportsbook bettors. Regardless of what holiday you celebrate – Christmas? Hanukah? Festivus? – the college football gods give us gifts in December every year. We'll see two ranked teams battle it out in the Las Vegas Bowl tonight and another intriguing matchup in the Poinsettia Bowl tomorrow. Let's make some picks.
Las Vegas Bowl
(16) Oregon State vs (15) BYU
Tonight, 8:00 p.m. ET
College football odds favorite: Oregon State -2.5
One team had its heart broken by its state rival and missed a shot a BCS bowl. The other team is playing in its fifth straight Las Vegas Bowl. Can you guess which team will have the chip on its shoulder?
Clearly, Oregon State will have something to prove tonight. It suffered heartbreaking losses to Arizona, USC and, worst of all, Oregon in the Civil War. There's no question that Oregon State can score; the Rodgers brothers are downright dynamic. Jacquizz ran for 20 scores this season and James caught 87 passes for five scores. Max Hall and Harvey Unga give BYU a potent offense – ranked 10 spots ahead of Oregon at 18th in the nation. We'll clearly see a barn burner tonight so you should bet over the total, even though it's set high at 58 points. Oregon State has more to prove and, for you number lovers, the Beavers are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games. Go with Oregon State.
Free pick: Oregon State -2.5
Poinsettia Bowl
(23) Utah vs California
Wednesday, December 23, 8:00 p.m. ET
College football odds favorite: California -3
Tough choice here as both teams have won four straight bowl games. The Utah Utes are the easier team to understand. They won the games they were supposed to win this year but fell a bit short talent-wise when matched up in close battles with solid schools like BYU. Utah plays top-20 defense and freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn flashed clutch ability.
California is the enigma, as the Golden Bears arguably have more talent than the Utes but play inconsistent football, as they showed when Washington pummeled them to close out the season. Some football handicappers are scared off by that performance but I'm not. California has several seniors in action, including stud NFL prospect Tyson Alalau at defensive tackle. They'll want to end their careers on high notes and their running game could give Utah trouble. Also, we never know how Wynn will handle his first bowl game despite the poise he's shown so far this season. Pick Cal.
Free pick: California -3
