College football bowl and CFP picks, predictions: Legendary Vegas expert reveals best bets

Legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall reveals the best betting values for the 2025-26 bowl and College Football Playoff schedule

By Daniel Lewis

Dec 23, 2025 at 11:56 am ET • 3 min read

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A dozen bowl games are already in the books, including the CFP first round, with the College Football Playoff quarterfinals then starting on Dec. 31. In the meantime, there is still plenty of other college football bowl action, especially on Saturday, Dec. 27. Contests that day include Penn State vs. Clemson (-3), BYU vs. Georgia Tech (+4.5), Missouri vs. Virginia (+4) and LSU vs. Houston (-3).

The final college football bowl game of the year will head to the Cotton Bowl and Ohio State vs. Miami. The Dec. 31 CFP quarterfinal matchup has the reigning champion Buckeyes favored by 9.5 points, per the latest college football bowl odds. Before locking in any college football picks on those games or any others during bowl season, be sure to see the college football betting guide from legendary Vegas handicapper Bruce Marshall.

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For years Vegas-based Marshall was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famous sports betting newsletter. He has also won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Marshall crushed his 2024 college football betting picks, going 64-43 and returning more than 16 units, finishing the season as SportsLine's top expert. He enters this week on a 9-3 run on his official SportsLine college football over/under picks as well. Anyone following could have seen strong returns.

Now, using his Tech Corner technique that evaluates all the trends, Marshall has turned his attention to the latest college football odds for every bowl and CFP game and evaluated each matchup. You can head to SportsLine to see every pick.

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Top college football bowl predictions

One of the top college football picks Marshall is recommending for the remaining 2025-26 bowl schedule: He is backing Illinois (+2.5) to cover against Tennessee in the 2025 Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. The line opened at Tennessee -8.5, but has fallen significantly with Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer deciding to play. Tennessee receiver Chris Brazzell II and linebacker Arion Carter have already opted out, and there could be more opt-outs coming for the Vols.

Marshall has looked closely at the trends for this one and found that Tennessee only covered two times in its last nine games this season. Illinois, meanwhile, is on an 11-4-1 ATS streak dating back to last season, making the Illini the value side in Nashville. Go to SportsLine to see all of Marshall's picks, and bet that pick right here:

How to make college football conference championship picks

Marshall has evaluated every other matchup, and he's backing a coach who has covered in 17 of the past 23 times when he has been the underdog. Get betting analysis for each matchup at SportsLine, and use promo code CHAMPIONSHIP to get your first month at SportsLine for $1.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and what alarming trends do you need to know about this week? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams to back, all from the legendary Vegas expert who has won multiple handicapping titles, and find out.