RADIO
Mike's season breakdown of every college football betting pick of the 2022 season.
It's hard to believe that the 2022 college football season is already over. It went so fast! I'm already looking forward to 2023 because, well, this was an awful season for my spread picks. I'm not looking forward to 2023 because it will be the last truly great college football season. The Big 12 becomes a Big 14 (another one???) for one season before becoming an also-ran with Oklahoma and Texas bolting for the SEC Benjamins. I'm an Oklahoma fan, but they're morons for doing this.
2022 ushered in a new age of college football with teams adding huge pieces via transfer and USC putting together the best team money could buy. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the time (coming soon) when players, specifically running backs, will stay in college because they can make more on NIL deals than on a rookie contract in the NFL. I embraced the delightful chaos of 2022, but it doesn't mean I was good at picking it.
We're going to go over the bowl picks and take a look at my final tallies for the season. I'm scared, and I should be. I guess the silver lining is that I did win the RotoBaller Bowl Mania challenge by one point.
Want some CFB DFS tools? If you like what you see here, don't forget to sign up for your RotoBaller CFB DFS Premium Pass. Use code MARTENY and receive 10% off your purchase! You'll love the College Football DFS Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheets, and Premium Slack Chatrooms to help you out in real time.
CFB Betting Picks - 2022 Bowl Results
I promised transparency and you will get it, warts and all. I don't like to be wrong, but I will admit when I am. Why listen to someone when they won't admit the good or the bad? Here are the results from the regular season. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My result will follow.
Army vs. Navy(-2.5) at Philadelphia: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
I started the unofficial start of Bowl Season off right, with an Army victory!
Hometown Lenders Bahamas Bowl: Miami (OH) vs. UAB(-10.5) at Nassau, Bahamas: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The loss of DeWayne McBride was big for UAB, but he doesn't play defense. Jermaine Brown did just fine in his absence. The Miami defense stepped up enough for the Redhawks to have a lead entering the fourth quarter.
Duluth Trading Cure Bowl: (25)UTSA(-1.5) vs. (24)Troy at Orlando, FL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This was a great game for the Troy defense. They forced Frank Harris into mistakes that he doesn't usually make.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati vs. Louisville(-1.5) at Boston, MA: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I'm glad that the spread stayed low enough so I didn't flip once I found out that Malik Cunningham wasn't going to play.
Cricket Celebration Bowl: Jackson State(-13.5) vs. North Carolina Central: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I don't usually do this, but we now have a finite number of college football games left and I'm already feeling the depression setting in. I'm going to enjoy – and bet – everything that's left! I think Coach Prime and the Tigers finish what they started. Give me Jackson State.
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Florida vs. (14)Oregon State(-10.5) at Las Vegas, NV: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was a big win for the Beavers, then they go land a high-profile transfer. Things are happening in Corvallis.
Jimmy Kimmel Bowl: Washington State vs. Fresno State(-3.5) at Inglewood, CA: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Forget for a second how well Jake Haener played. How about the way that Jordan Mims closed the season?
Lending Tree Bowl: Rice vs. Southern Mississippi(-6.5) at Mobile, AL: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Frank Gore Jr. had a game for the ages in this one. 329 rushing yards AND he threw a touchdown? Is there anything this guy can't do?
New Mexico Bowl: SMU(-3.5) vs. BYU at Albuquerque, NM: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
The SMU defense didn't hold up their end of the bargain and the BYU defense played possibly their best game of the season.
Frisco Bowl: North Texas vs. Boise State(-10.5) at Frisco, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It wasn't an outright win for Austin Aune and the Mean Green, but it wasn't for lack of trying. A rough third quarter for UNT and their inability to stop Austin Jeanty in the second half cost them the win.
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Marshall(-10.5) vs. Connecticut at Conway, SC: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It was a rough game for Zion Turner and the Huskies. They are still far ahead of schedule, but that Marshall defense did what they've done all season.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State(-3.5) at Boise, ID: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I've missed on Eastern Michigan all season. Why should bowl season be any different? In all fairness, I was 2-9 with the Spartans too, so this one was doomed from the beginning.
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty vs. Toledo(-4.5) at Boca Raton, FL: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
There's a reason that I went light on this. This was one of the better games of bowl season, but it took a furious fourth-quarter fight from the Flames to keep from getting covered.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama(-4.5) at New Orleans, LA: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I thought about flipping this once I found out that Austin Reed had withdrawn from the portal, but I still thought that the Jaguars would be able to log some stops. Not so much. Reed threw for 497 yards and four touchdowns and gave us a glimpse of what steps he could take next year with another season in this offense.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Baylor(-5.5) vs. Air Force at Fort Worth, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
It was another ho-hum game for Blake Shapen. The Baylor defense shored up the run defense a little. Brad Roberts only ran for 116 yards on a staggering 37 carries, but the Air Force took to the air and completed a 68-yard catch. See? They can throw if they have to! I can't say the same for Baylor...
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Louisiana vs. Houston(-6.5) at Shreveport, LA: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Tank Dell went out with a win, but the Cajuns did a good job on him. Clayton Tune did a bit of everything here, but the real story was the Louisiana defense...and the Houston defense pitching a shutout in the second half. I didn't see either one of those coming. I was sweating this one the whole time!
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Wake Forest(-1.5) vs. Missouri at Tampa, FL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This was vintage Sam Hartman putting on a show for his new school (which turned out to be Notre Dame). The Wake defense did a bang-up job as well as the Sam Hartman era in Winston-Salem came to an end.
EasyPost Hawaii Bowl: Middle Tennessee State vs. San Diego State(-6.5) at Honolulu, HI: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Jalen Mayden threw for 300 yards, but he was inefficient and threw three costly interceptions. The Blue Raider defense came up huge in this one.
Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green(-3.5) vs. New Mexico State at Detroit, MI: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was a rough game for Bowling Green. How about the job that Jerry Kill did with the Aggies? This is going to be an interesting team next year.
Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern(-4.5) vs. Buffalo at Montgomery, AL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Kyle Vantrease did well against his former team, but his current team couldn't stop the run...or Justin Marshall.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Memphis(-7.5) vs. Utah State at Dallas, TX: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
There was no inconsistency from the Memphis offense here. Seith Henigan and Eddie Lewis had perhaps their best game of the year.
TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina(-7.5) at Birmingham, AL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I knew better. Holton Ahlers set a Birmingham Bowl record with five touchdown passes and Keaton Mitchell put on another show. Will ECU bring everyone back for another go-round? If they do, the Pirates are going to be a very dangerous team.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Wisconsin(-3.5) vs. Oklahoma State at Phoenix, AZ: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
It's a good thing I jumped on this one early because the spread ended up closing at -7.5 in most places and was -8 in others. Oklahoma State closed strong, but Wisconsin was able to hold them off.
Military Bowl: Central Florida vs. Duke(-3.5) at Annapolis, MD: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I wonder what UCF is going to do going into 2023. John Rhys Plumlee struggled down the stretch and in the bowl. Will they enter the portal again looking for more help? As far as Duke goes, they improved a lot over the course of the season. What will they look like next year?
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: Kansas vs. Arkansas(-2.5) at Memphis, TN: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was the best game of Bowl season and it wasn't really close. The game itself really shouldn't have been close. The Hogs scored 24 in the first quarter and were up 31-13 at the half. Kansas scored 18 unanswered in the fourth quarter alone to shove this into overtime. The Hogs were lucky to win this game. Jalon Daniels is going to be a hell of a lot of fun to watch in 2023. He closed out 2022 with 544 passing yards and five touchdowns!
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: (15)Oregon(-14.5) vs. North Carolina: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I figured Carolina would stay close in this one, but I never would have guessed that Oregon would need two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull this one out or that Carolina would hold the Ducks to 28 points. The Tarheels' defense saved their best performance of the season for last.
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi(-3.5) at Houston, TX: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I was afraid this might happen and I should have bet like it. Ole Miss was fine on offense, but they couldn't stop the run. Tyler Shough fan for 242 yards. Tahj Brooks had another 90. Meanwhile, the Texas Tech defense came up huge by picking off Jaxson Dart three times.
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse vs. Minnesota(-9.5) at Bronx, NY: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Syracuse decided early on that it would not be Mohamed Ibrahim that beat them. He was held to 71 yards on just 16 carries and Tanner Morgan had to come off the bench and lead the Gophers to victory. It was a win to end Ibrahim's tenure at Minnesota, but they still couldn't cover for me.
Cheez-It Bowl: (13)Florida State(-9.5) vs. Oklahoma at Orlando, FL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I came away from this game feeling like Oklahoma played the best game that they possibly could and they still lost. Not only did they lose, but they blew a solid lead, which has been an issue for a few years now. I really liked the look of Javontae Barnes and the defense did well for a while, but Jordan Travis, as I expected, was just too much. The inability of the secondary to cover Johnny Wilson was a massive problem (shocker!) as well.
Valero Alamo Bowl: (12)Washington vs. (20)Texas(-3.5) at San Antonio, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
I should have maxed this out. I needed the points and even before Bijan Robinson opted out, I was picking the Huskies to win. Michael Penix should have been in New York. He'll get another chance in 2023. However, there was a silver lining for Texas fans. This was the game they have been waiting for all season from Quinn Ewers.
Duke's Mayo Bowl: Maryland(-1.5) vs. (23)North Carolina State at Charlotte, NC: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
As expected, this was a tough game. Perhaps a bit unexpected was Ben Finley not throwing a touchdown and the teams only scoring 28 points combined.
Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. (18)UCLA(-5.5) at El Paso, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
When in doubt, don't trust the UCLA defense... However, I will say that UCLA still wins this if DTR weren't knocked out of the game.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: (21)Notre Dame(-2.5) vs. (19)South Carolina: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
South Carolina jumped out early, but couldn't hold on as Tyler Buchner threw for three touchdown passes. Now move over, kid. Nice job there, but say hello to Sam Hartman. Did anyone else have this going down in history as the highest-scoring Gator Bowl in history? Liar!
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl: Ohio(-1.5) vs. Wyoming at Tucson, AZ: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Kurtis Rourke didn't play, but unfortunately for the Cowboys, Sieh Bangura did. This was quite a performance by the Wyoming offense, but Ohio won the battle of the kickers in overtime.
Capital One Orange Bowl: (6)Tennessee vs. (7)Clemson(-4.5) at Miami, FL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
We were wondering when Cade Klubnik was going to look like a freshman. He did here. A suspect Tennessee defense dominated from the start and Joe Milton showed why he was such a highly-touted recruit. Hendon Hooker may be gone, but the Vols still have something cooking (besides rabbit stew) up there on Rocky Top.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: (5)Alabama(-6.5) vs. (9)Kansas State at New Orleans, LA: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
K-State jumped up 10-0 and started celebrating their victory, at least in their minds. Lapses on defense and offense had cost them that lead by early in the second. Bryce Young threw five touchdowns and the Tide rolled with a roster full of players that could have opted out. That speaks volumes about the culture around Alabama. Ohio State had a guy opt out and they were in the playoff!
TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Iowa(-2.5) vs. Kentucky at Nashville, TN: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
In true Iowa fashion, the defense scored more points than the offense and pitched a shutout. This might have been one of the worst offensive games I have ever watched, but at least Kentucky had a valid excuse for facing a good Iowa defense.
VRBO Fiesta Bowl: (3)TCU vs. (2)Michigan(-7.5) at Glendale, AZ: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was the biggest win in TCU history. And for those of you saying TCU didn't deserve to be in the Championship because of how badly they lost to Georgia, they beat the only other undefeated team in the nation. What more do you want them to do? They just ran into a much better team.
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: (4)Ohio State vs. (1)Georgia(-6.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Ohio State has a legit argument in saying that they would have won the game if Marvin Harrison Jr. weren't forced to leave the game. I think that was a legal hit, but it still hurt losing him. That last pass would have undoubtedly been caught by Harrison. If not that, what if Jaxon Smith-Njigba had played in this game? Again, Ohio State likely would have won. Does that mean they would have beaten TCU? Don't be so sure. Georgia had been on that stage before and watched the film of the Michigan-TCU game. The Bulldogs knew exactly what to do to neutralize the Toadies and had the talent to do it.
ReliaQuest Bowl: (22)Mississippi State(-1.5) vs. Illinois at Tampa, FL: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
I wasn't one of the ones that would have been burned had the Bulldogs not scored on the last play because I pounded the Bulldogs early when the spread was still -2 or lower. That was one of the craziest endings to a football game that we have seen. It's the only fitting way to end a game that was a tribute to the great Mike Leach. He will be greatly missed.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: (16)Tulane vs. (10)USC(-2.5) at Jerry World: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
Wow, it's like we all knew what was going to happen, isn't it? Caleb Williams has a monster game, USC goes up big, and still finds a way to blow it. I've seen this movie too many times to count, and not just from this staff's showings in Hollywood.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: (17)LSU(-14.5) vs. Purdue at Orlando, FL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I earned this L. Purdue had no business on that field with LSU.
Prudential Rose Bowl: (11)Penn State vs. (8)Utah(-2.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Big Ten(14) bashers were having a heyday until Penn State came out and smacked the Pac-12 Champs.
CFP National Championship: (1)Georgia(-12.5) vs. (3)TCU at Los Angeles: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
Yes, I thought TCU would show up. I'm not the only one. Georgia heard all the buzzing about how they should have lost to the Buckeyes and about how TCU was a team of destiny. They used that as fuel and came up with the perfect game plan for beating the Toadies and they had the talent to execute it. Ohio State testing Georgia was exactly what the Bulldogs needed. If they had rolled over the Buckeyes, this would have been a very different game.
College Football Betting Season Results
I usually do better during bowl season, but it should come as no surprise that this year was the exception. I did fine in the first week, but then the wheels fell off at about the same time that Oklahoma showed up. I went 19-25 in the bowls to finish the season at 365-412 for a win percentage of 46.9%. I know I lost points again because I maxed out a lot of these...
The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.
1. 2-0 (55-33) = 22
2. 6-4 (145-166) = -38
3. 4-13 (107-127) = -60
4. 4-4 (35-53) = -72
5. 3-4 (18-27) = -45
I lost another 26 points in the bowls. I only had four winning weeks in the entire season and three of those were in the first five weeks. I lost a staggering 201 points this season, which puts me down 111 points heading into 2023. I need to build that bank back up. It really hurts to look at that sheet and see how poorly I did this season, my first losing season since 2019. I'll come back better, and I hope you'll still be there. I'm not sure it could get any worse...
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
More College Football Analysis
[jiffyNews category_include='21032' post_limit='8' headline='More Betting Picks'
