This article is part of our Bowl Game Pick 'Em series.
College Football Bowl Picks: Staff Picks for the 2024-25 Bowl Season
'Tis the season for college football bowl games, and the RotoWire's team of writers hopes to bring you some holiday cheer with correct picks during bowl season. Before we get into the picks, let's check out some of the odds, favorites and underdogs, spreads (as of Dec. 10) and a breakdown of the writers' picks for the upcoming bowl season.
- All picks are against the spread
Losing picks are noted as such- Pushes are italicized
- All odds as of 12/10
2024-25 Leaderboard
| Standings | W | L | Push |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Morgan | 18 | 11 | 1 |
| Ed Kensik | 18 | 11 | 1 |
| Sam Klein | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| Daniel Dobish | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| Luke Nemoir | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| Nick Grays | 17 | 12 | 1 |
| Greg Vara | 16 | 13 | 1 |
| Jake Blanchard | 16 | 13 | 1 |
| Henry Bredemeier | 16 | 13 | 1 |
| Steven Borodkin | 15 | 14 | 1 |
| Chris Benzine | 14 | 15 | 1 |
| Jeff Edgerton | 14 | 15 | 1 |
| Chris Bennett | 14 | 15 | 1 |
| John McKechnie | 13 | 16 | 1 |
2023-24 Leaderboard
| Writer | Total Correct | Total Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Bennett | 24 | 17 |
| Ryan Wollersheim | 23 | 18 |
| Jake Blanchard | 23 | 18 |
| Chris Morgan | 22 | 19 |
| Henry Bredemeier | 22 | 19 |
| Jesse Siegel | 22 | 19 |
| Daniel E. Dobish | 21 | 20 |
| Sam Klein | 20 | 21 |
| Nick Grays | 20 | 21 |
| Greg Vara | 20 | 21 |
| Ed Kensik | 19 | 22 |
| Se Ho Park | 19 | 22 |
| Chris Benzine | 18 | 23 |
| John McKechnie | 18 | 23 |
| Jeff Edgerton | 17 | 24 |
I had a request of who to follow among all of the picks we submit, so here is a leaderboard from last year if you would like a reference for how our writers did and would like to follow one or two.
College Football Bowl Odds
As of Tuesday, Dec. 10
| Bowl Game | Favorite | Spread | Underdog | Correct Pick | FV Pick Ct | UD Pick Ct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans Bowl | South Alabama | 7 | Western Michigan | Push | 11 | 3 |
| Frisco Bowl | Memphis | 2.5 | WVU | Memphis | 11 | 3 |
| Boca Raton Bowl | JMU | 7.5 | Western Kentucky | JMU | 12 | 2 |
| LA Bowl | California | 4 | UNLV | UNLV | 3 | 11 |
| New Orleans Bowl | Georgia Southern | 6.5 | Sam Houston | Sam Houston | 7 | 7 |
| Cure Bowl | Ohio | 2.5 | Jax State | Ohio | 12 | 2 |
| Gasparilla Bowl | Florida | 12.5 | Tulane | Florida | 12 | 2 |
| Myrtle Beach Bowl | UTSA | 7.5 | Coastal Carolina | UTSA | 9 | 5 |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Northern Illinois | 3 | Fresno State | Northern Illinois | 6 | 8 |
| Hawai'i Bowl | San Jose State | 2.5 | USF | USF | 7 | 7 |
| Gameabove Sports Bowl | Pittsburgh | 8.5 | Toledo | Toledo | 9 | 5 |
| Rate Bowl | Kansas State | 7 | Rutgers | Rutgers | 8 | 6 |
| 68 Ventures Bowl | Bowling Green | 6.5 | Arkansas State | Arkansas State | 8 | 6 |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Oklahoma | 8.5 | Navy | Navy | 8 | 6 |
| Birmingham Bowl | Georgia Tech | 2.5 | Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | 8 | 6 |
| Liberty Bowl | Arkansas | 3 | Texas Tech | Arkansas | 9 | 5 |
| Holiday Bowl | Syracuse | 6.5 | Washington St. | Syracuse | 10 | 4 |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Texas A&M | 2.5 | USC | USC | 14 | 0 |
| Fenway Bowl | North Carolina | 4.5 | UConn | UConn | 9 | 5 |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Nebraska | 3 | Boston College | Nebraska | 7 | 7 |
| New Mexico Bowl | TCU | 10 | Louisiana | TCU | 8 | 6 |
| Pop-Tarts Bowl | Miami | 3.5 | Iowa State | Iowa State | 6 | 8 |
| Arizona Bowl | Miami (OH) | 3 | Colorado State | Miami (OH) | 8 | 6 |
| Military Bowl | NC State | 5.5 | East Carolina | East Carolina | 6 | 8 |
| Alamo Bowl | Colorado | 3 | BYU | BYU | 8 | 6 |
| Music City Bowl | Missouri | 3.5 | Iowa | Iowa | 4 | 10 |
| Reliaquest Bowl | Alabama | 11.5 | Michigan | Michigan | 8 | 6 |
| Sun Bowl | Louisville | 5.5 | Washington | Washington | 10 | 4 |
| Citrus Bowl | South Carolina | 10.5 | Illinois | Illinois | 7 | 7 |
| Texas Bowl | LSU | 2.5 | Baylor | LSU | 10 | 4 |
| Gator Bowl | Ole Miss | 14.5 | Duke | 7 | 7 | |
| First Responder Bowl | Texas State | 9.5 | North Texas | 5 | 9 | |
| Duke's Mayo Bowl | Minnesota | 4.5 | Virginia Tech | 8 | 6 | |
| Bahamas Bowl | Liberty | 2.5 | Buffalo | 5 | 9 | |
| CFP First Round | Notre Dame | 7.5 | Indiana | 10 | 4 | |
| CFP First Round | Penn State | 8.5 | SMU | 6 | 8 | |
| CFP First Round | Texas | 11 | Clemson | 6 | 8 | |
| CFP First Round | Ohio State | 7.5 | Tennessee | 6 | 8 | |
| National Champion |
While most of the bowls have significant dispersal among the picks, there are a chunk of games that have a heavy lean one way or the other. Some of that may have been due to line shifts after the odds were posted for the writers to put the picks in, but it may also be the result of a heavy lean by our writers. Three games have 12 or more picks on one side, and one (Texas A&M-USC) has a unanimous A&M selection. We'll inevitably all be eating crow when USC pulls it out. For a detailed list of the picks, see below.
College Football Bowl Picks
Writers' most confident pick is bolded
| Chris Benzine | Jake Blanchard | Chris Morgan | Jeff Edgerton | Chris Bennett |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | South Alabama | South Alabama | Western Michigan | South Alabama |
| Memphis | Memphis | Memphis | Memphis | Memphis |
| JMU | JMU | JMU | JMU | |
| UNLV | UNLV | UNLV | UNLV | UNLV |
| Sam Houston | Sam Houston | |||
| Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | |
| Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida |
| UTSA | UTSA | |||
| Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | Fresno State | ||
| USF | USF | |||
| Rutgers | Rutgers | Rutgers | ||
| Arkansas State | Arkansas State | Arkansas State | ||
| Navy | Navy | Navy | Navy | |
| Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | ||
| Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | ||
| Syracuse | Syracuse | Syracuse | Syracuse | |
| Nebraska | Nebraska | |||
| Louisiana | Louisiana | TCU | Louisiana | TCU |
| Iowa State | Iowa State | Iowa State | Iowa State | |
| Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | |||
| East Carolina | East Carolina | East Carolina | ||
| BYU | BYU | BYU | ||
| Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | ||
| Michigan | ||||
| Washington | ||||
| Illinois | ||||
| LSU | LSU | LSU | ||
| Ole Miss | Duke | Duke | Ole Miss | Duke |
| Texas State | Texas State | North Texas | North Texas | North Texas |
| Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech | Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo | Buffalo |
| Notre Dame | Indiana | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| SMU | SMU | Penn State | Penn State | SMU |
| Texas | Clemson | Texas | Clemson | Clemson |
| Ohio State | Ohio State | Tennessee | Tennessee | Ohio State |
| Georgia | Texas | Georgia | Clemson | Notre Dame |
| Henry Bredemeier | Daniel Dobish | Sam Klein | Ed Kensik | Steven Borodkin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan | South Alabama | South Alabama | Western Michigan | South Alabama |
| Memphis | Memphis | Memphis | ||
| JMU | JMU | JMU | JMU | JMU |
| UNLV | UNLV | UNLV | ||
| Sam Houston | Sam Houston | |||
| Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | |
| Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida | Florida |
| UTSA | UTSA | UTSA | UTSA | UTSA |
| Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | Northern Illinois | ||
| USF | USF | |||
| Toledo | Toledo | |||
| Rutgers | Rutgers | |||
| Arkansas State | Arkansas State | |||
| Navy | Navy | |||
| Vanderbilt | Vanderbilt | |||
| Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | ||
| Syracuse | Syracuse | Syracuse | Washington St. | Syracuse |
| UConn | UConn | UConn | ||
| Nebraska | Nebraska | Nebraska | ||
| TCU | TCU | TCU | TCU | |
| Iowa State | Iowa State | Iowa State | ||
| Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | ||
| East Carolina | East Carolina | East Carolina | ||
| BYU | ||||
| Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | ||
| Michigan | Michigan | |||
| Washington | Washington | |||
| Illinois | Illinois | Illinois | ||
| LSU | Baylor | LSU | LSU | LSU |
| Duke | Duke | Duke | Ole Miss | Ole Miss |
| North Texas | North Texas | Texas State | North Texas | Texas State |
| Minnesota | Virginia Tech | Minnesota | Minnesota | Virginia Tech |
| Liberty | Buffalo | Liberty | Buffalo | Liberty |
| Indiana | Indiana | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| SMU | SMU | SMU | Penn State | Penn State |
| Clemson | Clemson | Clemson | Texas | Texas |
| Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Ohio State | Ohio State |
| Ohio State | Oregon | Oregon | Notre Dame | Georgia |
| Greg Vara | Luke Nemoir | Nick Grays | John McKechnie |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Alabama | South Alabama | South Alabama | South Alabama |
| Memphis | Memphis | Memphis | |
| JMU | JMU | JMU | |
| UNLV | UNLV | UNLV | |
| Sam Houston | Sam Houston | Sam Houston | |
| Ohio | Ohio | Ohio | Ohio |
| Florida | Florida | ||
| UTSA | UTSA | ||
| Northern Illinois | |||
| USF | USF | USF | |
| Toledo | Toledo | Toledo | |
| Rutgers | |||
| Arkansas State | |||
| Vanderbilt | |||
| Arkansas | Arkansas | Arkansas | |
| Syracuse | Syracuse | ||
| UConn | UConn | ||
| Nebraska | Nebraska | ||
| TCU | TCU | ||
| Iowa State | |||
| Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | |
| East Carolina | East Carolina | ||
| BYU | BYU | ||
| Iowa | Iowa | Iowa | Iowa |
| Michigan | Michigan | Michigan | |
| Washington | |||
| Illinois | Illinois | Illinois | |
| LSU | LSU | LSU | |
| Ole Miss | Ole Miss | Duke | Ole Miss |
| North Texas | North Texas | North Texas | Texas State |
| Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | Virginia Tech |
| Liberty | Buffalo | Buffalo | Liberty |
| Indiana | Notre Dame | Notre Dame | Notre Dame |
| SMU | Penn State | Penn State | SMU |
| Clemson | Texas | Clemson | Texas |
| Tennessee | Tennessee | Ohio State | Tennessee |
| Oregon | Oregon | Oregon | Georgia |
