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Bookies.com New Year’s Six & College Bowl Projections 2019

Dan Kilbridge for Bookies.com

Dan Kilbridge  | 7 mins

Bookies.com New Year’s Six & College Bowl Projections 2019
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Ohio State, LSU and Clemson are locked into the College Football Playoff. The betting odds suggest any of the three could lose its conference championship game and still slide into the playoff. The debate for the fourth spot continues to rage under the assumption that LSU beats Georgia in the SEC Championship.

Will it be Utah or Oklahoma? Or could Baylor even sneak in there should the Utes and Sooners disappoint? Betting odds have Utah and Oklahoma even at +3300 to win the national title, but the Bears aren’t dead yet at +25000.

The Bulldogs still have the fourth-best odds at +1200 and could make things a lot easier on the CFP committee by upsetting the Tigers in Atlanta.

Given the current CFP title odds, which you can check out on our NCAA football futures page, this is what the New Year’s Six games would look like, plus a complete list of 2019 bowl projections.

2019 New Year’s Six Bowl Projections

Bowl Projection
Peach Bowl: CFP Semi 1Ohio State (+150) vs. Georgia (+1200)
Fiesta Bowl: CFP Semi 2Clemson (+225) vs. LSU (+275)
Sugar BowlOklahoma (+3300) vs. Florida (N/A)
Rose BowlUtah (+3300) vs. Wisconsin (+50000)
Orange BowlVirginia (N/A) vs. Auburn (N/A)
Cotton BowlBaylor (+25000) vs. Memphis (N/A)

CFP Semifinal 1: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Georgia

The Buckeyes are in. Done deal. And they’re by far the most complete team when you compare resumes with Clemson and LSU. Those +150 odds aren’t bad considering they’ll be a significant favorite in the CFP semifinal matchup against the No. 4 seed and would likely be favored again in the title game should they advance. Beating Penn State and destroying Michigan on the road answered any lingering questions about a weak schedule.


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Georgia is a 7-point underdog against LSU in Atlanta and needs to win to get in. The Bulldogs are without receiver George Pickens in the first half after he was ejected for fighting last week against Georgia Tech. But they were an even bigger underdog against Alabama in last year’s title game and nearly pulled off the upset. They’re still +1200 to win it all because they need three more wins while the other contenders need two, which creates good value if you think the Bulldogs have a shot to run the table.

CFP Semifinal 2: No. 2. LSU vs. No. 3 Clemson

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Clemson coach Dabo Swinney believes his team is being treated unfairly by analysts and the playoff committee. But the strength of schedule for the Tigers leaves a lot to be desired.

Dabo Swinney has been going nuts of late, rallying the tin-foil crowd with ridiculous claims that the CFP committee doesn’t want them in a playoff and continues to treat the Tigers unfairly. Who cares? They’re still a shoo-in for the postseason, where they can prove they belong in the field. UCF never got that chance two years ago when it ran the table against a weak schedule. The ACC is awful this year. Florida and Auburn are probably 12-0 with Clemson’s schedule. And Clemson is respected by bookmakers with the second-best odds to win it all at +225. So where’s the disrespect?

On the flip side, LSU continues to bathe in praise and will be well-served by facing a defense as good as Georgia’s before the CFP gets going. The Tigers’ defense isn’t elite, but the offense is good enough to carry them against anyone in the nation. And those +250 odds might get a bit shorter if LSU rolls Georgia, so it’s not a bad time to buy in.

Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Florida

The Sooners have new life at +3300 now that Alabama’s out of the picture. But a team that’s escaped with several too-close-for-comfort wins needs to do a little more against Baylor to impress the committee and jump Utah in the rankings.


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Florida took care of business and covered again in a blowout win over the Seminoles. The Gators finished the regular season 8-4 against the spread and should be right back in the mix for 2020 coming off an impressive, tough-luck 2019 season.

Rose Bowl: Utah vs. Wisconsin

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The defense of Utah is ranked No. 3 in the country but will be tested Friday night by Oregon.

The Utes need to beat Oregon and hope that’s good enough to sneak into the fourth spot as a one-loss team. They’re favored by 6.5 points and have covered eight in a row, so it’s hard to see a Ducks upset here. Those +3300 odds are tempting as a long shot because the committee has them ranked above Oklahoma for now. It’s easy to point to a weak schedule, but watch a game or two and it’s clear the No. 3-ranked defense in the country is no joke.

As for the Badgers, they’re 16-point underdogs against the Buckeyes in Indianapolis after beating Minnesota to claim the Big Ten West. They still have National Championship odds listed at +50000. Those are roughly the odds of Wisconsin beating OSU by enough that the committee has no choice but to put them in.

Orange Bowl: Virginia vs. Auburn

The Cavs came through over the weekend, knocking off Virginia Tech to get a spot against Clemson in the ACC Championship game. They’re +28 underdogs in Charlotte and, at No. 23 in the CFP rankings, the conference’s last shot at finishing with more than one ranked team. If they fall out, the Orange Bowl gets to pick its ACC representative instead of deferring to the highest-ranked team behind Clemson.

Auburn took it home with a classic Iron Bowl win and shook up the CFP picture. Utah or Oklahoma would have Auburn to thank if it gets in at No. 4.

Cotton Bowl: Baylor vs. Memphis

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Memphis could have been undefeated entering the bowl game, but the Tigers lost to Temple on a replay reversal.

The Bears (+25000) still have an outside shot to get in with a win over Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. They just need a little help from LSU and Oregon. Crazier things have happened. And it’ll be fascinating to see how Baylor comes out after blowing a 25-point lead against the Sooners just a few weeks ago.

Memphis is set to host Cincinnati for the second week in a row. It won by 10 but failed to cover the spread last week and enters the rematch as a -9.5 favorite. And we still think the Tigers got a raw deal on an inexplicable replay reversal against Temple, which took a 4th-down catch off the board and ruined Memphis’ perfect season.


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Complete 2019 Bowl Projections

  • BAHAMAS BOWL (Dec. 20): Western Michigan vs Charlotte
  • FRISCO BOWL (Dec. 20): SMU vs Buffalo
  • NEW MEXICO BOWL (Dec. 21): San Diego State vs Marshall
  • CURE BOWL (Dec. 21): Temple vs Georgia Southern
  • BOCA RATON BOWL (Dec. 21): Tulane vs Central Michigan
  • CAMELLIA BOWL (Dec. 21): Ohio vs Louisiana
  • LAS VEGAS BOWL (Dec. 21): Arizona State vs Boise State
  • NEW ORLEANS BOWL (Dec. 21): Appalachian State vs UAB
  • GASPARILLA BOWL (Dec. 23): UCF vs Louisiana Tech
  • HAWAI’I BOWL (Dec. 24): BYU vs Hawaii
  • INDEPENDENCE BOWL (Dec. 26): North Carolina vs Western Kentucky
  • QUICK LANE BOWL (Dec. 26): Illinois vs Florida State
  • MILITARY BOWL (Dec. 27): Miami vs Navy
  • PINSTRIPE BOWL (Dec. 27): Michigan State vs Louisville
  • TEXAS BOWL (Dec. 27): Iowa State vs Mississippi State
  • HOLIDAY BOWL (Dec. 27): USC vs Michigan
  • CHEEZ-IT BOWL (Dec. 27): Utah State vs Kent State
  • CAMPING WORLD BOWL (Dec. 28): Kansas State vs Notre Dame
  • REDBOX BOWL (Dec. 30): Indiana vs Washington
  • SERVPRO FIRST RESPONDER BOWL (Dec. 30): Nevada vs Southern Mississippi
  • MUSIC CITY BOWL (Dec. 30): Kentucky vs Virginia Tech
  • BELK BOWL (Dec. 31): Tennessee vs Wake Forest
  • SUN BOWL (Dec. 31): California vs Pittsburgh
  • LIBERTY BOWL (Dec. 31): Texas vs Florida Atlantic
  • ARIZONA BOWL (Dec. 31): Eastern Michigan vs Arkansas State
  • ALAMO BOWL (Dec. 31): Oklahoma State vs Oregon
  • OUTBACK BOWL (Jan. 1): Minnesota vs Texas A&M
  • CITRUS BOWL (Jan. 1): Penn State vs Alabama
  • BIRMINGHAM BOWL (Jan. 2): Cincinnati vs Boston College
  • GATOR BOWL (Jan. 2): Iowa vs Missouri
  • FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL (Jan. 3): Liberty vs Wyoming
  • ARMED FORCES BOWL (Jan. 4): Air Force vs Washington State
  • MOBILE ALABAMA BOWL (Jan. 6): Miami (Ohio) vs Georgia State

About the Author

Dan Kilbridge for Bookies.com
Dan Kilbridge
Handicapper Dan Kilbridge writes about college football, MLB and other sports for Bookies.com after spending three years covering Tiger Woods’ comeback and the PGA for Golfweek.