RADIO
How did RotoBaller's resident college football betting expert fare for the 2025 season? Get the results of the bowl games and of every game against the spread this season.
It seems like bowl season took as long as the regular season itself. The 2025 season is over, and we have the first 16-0 team since 1894. It is a brand new world in college football.
In case you didn't follow along this year, I picked every single college football game against the spread. I kept track of the bets, wins, and losses on a spreadsheet. I'll share with you how I did so you can see who you're listening to. In a world where nearly everyone lies, I feel that transparency is important.
You'll see which teams I had a good read on, and which ones kept burning me. I made the most on UNLV and lost the most on Minnesota. I didn't really have a nemesis this year as I did with Eastern Michigan last year. Let's take a look at my bowl picks and the final season totals.
CFB Betting Picks - Bowl Game 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 if they won't admit the good or the bad? The bowls started well enough that I should have come out ahead on the season.
You can track my wins and losses on this sheet. I have everything updated from 2014-18 and 2023-present. I'm still looking for missing articles from 2019 and 2020 to get a running total of all of my picks. Winners against the spread will be in bold. My result will follow.
Army vs. Navy (-6.5) at Baltimore: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Navy was lucky to win this at all. Army did a great job of holding Blake Horvath in check. Just ask Cincinnati how tough that was.
Boise State vs. Washington (-9.5) at Los Angeles: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Remember Washington before all the drama? We'll always remember the Huskies for what might have been. The Demond Williams Jr. saga involving LSU feels like it's going to fracture team chemistry. Adam Mohammed's transfer doesn't help, either.
For now, we'll focus on the shipping they put on Boise State to send Jonah Coleman out on top. That's what many people miss with these "meaningless" bowl games. Many seniors are playing their last games in college, or their last games period. They can still go out as winners.
Troy (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville State at Montgomery, AL: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Cam Cook opted out of this game only to follow Rich Rod to West Virginia anyway. The Gamecocks were good enough to win without him, but the loss of Cook is going to leave a big hole in that backfield.
Old Dominion vs. South Florida (-3.5) at Orlando: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
There was a reason that I left this one alone. Gaston Moore played well enough with Byrum Brown in his ear, but that's different than Brown being on the field.
Louisiana (-3.5) vs. Delaware at Mobile, AL: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The one time that I don't pick Delaware, it goes and wins outright. The Cajuns couldn't get the run game going at all.
Missouri State (-1.5) vs. Arkansas State at Frisco, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Missouri State wasn't plagued by opt-outs. Jacob Clark, Shomari Lawrence, and Dash Luke all played and played well. Fumbles hurt the Bears, and they couldn't stop Jaylen Raynor in the first half.
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan (-3.5) at Conway, SC: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Western Michigan’s Jalen Buckley the past two games has been UNBELIEVABLE.
Today at half: 174 rushing yards, TD, 21.7 YPC
MAC title game: 193 rushing yards, 2TDs, 10.2 YPC, 2 50+ yard TDs
2nd 1,000+ yard rushing season of his career. Baller.
pic.twitter.com/BNeosGEgtn— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) December 19, 2025
This was complete domination by the Broncos. Jalen Buckley got all his work done before the half. The Broncos scored twice in the first minute, and led 41-0 by the first play of the second half.
Western Michigan finished with its second 10-win season, topped only by P.J. Fleck's 2016 team that went 13-1.
Memphis vs. North Carolina State (-4.5) at Tampa: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This was one of those games where it was hard to get any information before kickoff. Jayden Scott filled in nicely for Hollywood Smothers, and CJ Bailey showed that the Pack could be a player in the ACC in 2026.
(9) Alabama at (8) Oklahoma (-1.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Oklahoma is 0-2 in the CFP in games where they held a 17-point lead.
All other teams who’ve had a 17+ point lead in the CFP are 28-0. pic.twitter.com/OzT4ywqZMk
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) December 20, 2025
This one hurt more than most. Oklahoma blew a 17-point lead to lose to a team whose quarterback reportedly couldn't throw more than 10 yards in the air.
Who knew that one dropped pass could derail an entire season? Oklahoma's continued failures in the CFP are not lost on me, but this was somehow worse than all but the Florida game since that was one we were also in control of. No ... wait ... this is worse since it was at home.
I guess I should be thanking Alabama for saving us from getting smashed by Indiana. Oklahoma may have kept it closer, but not by much.
(10) Miami (FL) at (7) Texas A&M (-3.5): MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I should have picked differently on this one. I discussed at length my questions about A&M going into the playoff, and I didn't listen. Miami deserved to be in, and everyone knew it. The strange part is that Miami would have been left out if Virginia won the ACC title. We need a new system...
(11) Tulane at (6) Mississippi (-17.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
This is Exhibit A as to why rematches in the playoffs are a bad idea. We all knew how this would end because it already ended this way once. It is also a good exhibit for why we don't need a 12-team playoff, but I think even the ones who were in favor of this are starting to question it by now.
The thing is that the CFP has total autonomy to move teams as it sees fit. It doesn't even need a reason anymore. How hard is it have Tulane play Oregon and James Madison play Ole Miss?
(12) James Madison at (5) Oregon (-20.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
We all knew that JMU was going to lose this game by the end of the first quarter. That didn't stop the Dukes from fighting and gaining the respect of the Oregon players, coaches, and fans. The only ones hating on this were ESPN mouthpieces.
That’s the first time Oregon has allowed 500 yards at Autzen since Stanford in 2016, a season Oregon finished 4–8. What JMU did tonight was impressive and deserves praise. Miss me with the garbage time discourse bc other teams could have done the same but never did this
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) December 21, 2025
Blowouts happen no matter who is involved. Why? Because we don't need a 12-team playoff at the end of a 12-game regular season, that's why.
Washington State vs. Utah State (-1.5) at Boise: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Once again, Washington State is in turmoil because someone stole its coach and half the team. This iteration of the Cougars at least went out with a bang.
Toledo vs. Louisville (-6.5) at Boca Raton: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
This was one of the uglier bowl games that you could find. Louisville was missing most of the offense due to injury. Toledo was affected because of opt-outs. The Cardinals blew a big lead to let Toledo back into this and get us the win.
Western Kentucky (-5.5) vs. Southern Mississippi at New Orleans: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
To the surprise of many, Braylon Braxton played for Southern Miss. To the surprise of no one, Maverick McIvor came off the bench at halftime to end his career the right way after losing his job in the middle of the season. He went out as the MVP of the New Orleans Bowl.
What a way to go out for Maverick McIvor.
Transferred to WKU, was named the starter, played well, got injured, lost his job....
And in his final collegiate game, he gets his shot and leads the Tops to a come from behind victory pic.twitter.com/ufCFrb8CaO
— Barstool Western (@BarstoolWestern) December 24, 2025
UNLV (-6.5) vs. Ohio at Frisco, TX: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Anthony Colandrea played so poorly that he ended up transferring anyway. We know that the words of most players mean nothing right now. I didn't expect an outright win for Ohio, but Parker Navarro and Sieh Bangura deserved it. It's how they should have gone out.
Ohio Bobcats last 7 bowl games:
2025 Frisco - W vs. UNLV
2024 Cure - W vs. Jax State
2023 Myrtle Beach - W vs. Georgia Southern
2022 Arizona - W vs. Wyoming
2019 Famous Idaho Potato - W vs. Nevada
2018 Frisco - W vs. San Diego State
2017 Bahamas - W vs. UAB7-0
— Steve Helwick (@s_helwick) December 24, 2025
Navarro led Ohio to four of those wins. You don't want to be the team to play the Bobcats in a bowl game, that's for sure.
California (-1.5) at Hawaii: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
A big fourth-quarter comeback by the home team was straight out of a Disney script. The brawl that happened after the game was not.
After the conclusion of the first Cal & Hawaii brawl on TV, a second fight sparked when Cal OL Jordan Spasojevic-Moko sucker punched helmetless Hawaii DB Justin Sinclair. Moko had previously been dismissed from Texas A&M for violating a restraining order. Bad look for the Bears. pic.twitter.com/T1SIZ23QgE
— Avinash Kunnath (@avinashkunnath) December 25, 2025
Do you want to know the hilarious part about all of this? Hawaii, a team that is not a member of the ACC, beat more ACC teams (Cal, Stanford) than Boston College and Syracuse did (one each). Hawaii's two ACC wins tied the ACC win total of North Carolina, Florida State, and Virginia Tech.
The ACC may have had a great bowl season, but the bottom of this conference was bad. The same can be said of the Big Ten. The SEC wasn't as good at the top as the Big Ten, but the bottom of the conference is well above the other three power conferences.
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern (-10.5) at Detroit: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Northwestern played its best game of the season in the bowl game. Preston Stone went out in style with three touchdown passes in his final collegiate game.
New Mexico vs. Minnesota (-2.5) at Phoenix: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I still stand behind my pick. It took a touchdown in overtime to cover this for the Gophers. However, if I had known that Darius Taylor was going to play, I would have gone heavy on the Gophers.
Florida International vs. UTSA (-9.5) at Dallas: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
UTSA was another team that played very well in the bowl. Jeff Traylor is sticking around in San Antonio. So is Owen McCown. The Roadrunners have to be the prohibitive Group of 6 favorite right now.
Pittsburgh (-10.5) vs. East Carolina at Annapolis, MD: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
There was more than just cautious optimism heading into 2026 for Pittsburgh. Mason Heintschel was going to have a full season and offseason under his belt. Ja'Kyrian Turner was going to turn into a star.
Those things may still happen, but a loss to East Carolina without its star quarterback is a sobering experience, especially when the rest of the conference performed well in bowl games.
There are few fan bases more trauma-bonded than Pitt fans. They're used to this. What they aren't used to is the offense playing fairly well and the defense getting obliterated by backups. None of ECU's three key offensive players played in the game, and Pitt still lost.
Penn State vs. Clemson (-3.5) at New York City: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I should have had more confidence in this game. The two teams appeared to be heading in different directions. By the time this game was over, you would swear that Clemson was the team in shambles. The confidence of Cade Klubnik sure was.
That's the part of this whole coming back for money thing that needs to be weighed. Sure, Drew Allar, Klubnik, and Garrett Nussmeier made great money for one more year of college, but how much did they lose in the long run?
All three would have been picked in the top half of the first round last year. Now, I don't feel like any of the three are first-round picks. Not only that, but their confidence is shaken, not stirred. Can they come back from a disastrous last year of college?
Connecticut vs. Army (-9.5) at Boston: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The whole Skyler Bell getting guys to come back thing? It was largely a bust. Bell didn't play. Joe Fagnano didn't play. The only one who did was Cam Edwards. He played well, but the rest of his star teammates abandoned him. Weak!
(22) Georgia Tech vs. (12) BYU (-3.5) at Orlando: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This was one of the more entertaining games of bowl season, so thanks to Notre Dame for refusing to play this one. BYU was down 11 heading into the fourth quarter. That two-point conversion on the first drive of the fourth quarter saved the cover.
Freshman Bear Bachmeier netted his third 300-yard passing game of the season in leading BYU to the comeback win. The Cougars won 12 games for the first time since 2001. What more do they have to do to prove that they deserve a shot?
It was a bit of a disappointing end for Haynes King, but he did set a new school record for career completions (676), breaking Reggie Ball's mark of 662. King also became the second Tech player to account for 10,000 total yards in his career. Only Joe Hamilton has more.
King's interception on the final drive brought a bitter end to his illustrious career in Atlanta.
Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State (-5.5) at Tucson, AZ: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
The Miami defense was fine. The offense was a total disaster.
(25) North Texas (-5.5) vs. San Diego State at Albuquerque: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
North Texas’s Caleb Hawkins tonight:
198 rushing yards, 2TDs, 6.6 YPC + 25 receiving yards & TD.
1,434 rushing yards, 29 total TDs, & 6.2 YPC on runs this season
All as a true FR that only had D2 offers before Patrick Cobbs (RB coach) offered him.
He also had more 150+… https://t.co/PNlyHCd7Rl
— Garrett Armbrust (@4thandsaturday) December 28, 2025
This was a tough one. The North Texas defense was a problem all year, and it showed in the fourth quarter of this game. San Diego State scored 27 of its 47 points in the final frame, including a touchdown with one second left to bust the cover. That's a REALLY bad beat...
(19) Virginia vs. Missouri (-4.5) at Jacksonville: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The ACC beat the SEC again. Huh. That's strange. I thought the SEC was God's gift to football, and the ACC was closer to a Go6 conference. That's what ESECPN keeps telling me.
The reality of it is that the ACC has a whole bunch of the same team. Virginia, North Carolina State, Duke, Clemson, Louisville, Georgia Tech. All are solid teams, but they are basically the same. They are also all better than the middle of the SEC, which is something that no one wants to admit.
LSU at (21) Houston (-2.5): HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
Wow, am I glad this line fell. Dean Connors did well in his final collegiate game. The loser in all of this madness is Michael Van Buren Jr. He was lured to LSU to take over for Garrett Nussmeier in 2026 when he likely would have been a starter for Mississippi State again.
Lane Kiffin shows up and courts every major QB in the portal. The reality is that Sam Leavitt may not be that much better than Van Buren, but he's the guy looking for a job after essentially wasting a year in Red Stick.
Georgia Southern (-7.5) vs. Appalachian State at Birmingham: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Hey guys, that quarterback (JC French IV) who carved up App State is in the portal. He's going to Cincinnati to take over for Brendan Sorsby. Honestly, Cincinnati fans may not see a huge difference. French is smaller than Sorsby, but he is in the same vein as him.
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech (-9.5) at Shreveport: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
It took the Bulldogs a bit to get going in this one, which is why they didn't cover.
Tennessee (-2.5) vs. Illinois at Nashville: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
It's pretty safe to call Tennessee a disappointment now. It lost basically a home bowl game, and it didn't beat an FBS team with a winning record.
(16) USC (-6.5) vs. TCU at San Antonio: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 1
I'm mad that I chickened out on this one. I knew that USC would find a way to blow it. In all seriousness, the game-winner by Jeremy Payne was an incredibly athletic play.
No idea how Jeremy Payne stayed in bounds here.
He broke 3 tackles and keeps his balance, ripping off the game winning touchdown when hope seemed slim.
What a performance from the #TCU rb
— J.D. Andress (@Jdandress11) December 31, 2025
It is also the perfect end for a Lincoln Riley defense. It sums up his career as a head coach.
(23) Iowa vs. (14) Vanderbilt (-4.5) at Tampa: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
Diego Pavia's descent from feel-good story to the most hated player in college football took less than a month. Is he kind of a jerk? Yes. Many players are. Not all of them are public about it. To act like Pavia is the only one is just dumb.
Many are happy that Iowa "silenced" Pavia. Look at his stat line. Pavia threw for 347 yards, ran for 43 yards, and scored three times on one of the best defenses in college football. Whatever you think about his attitude, his play on the field is legit.
Arizona State vs. Duke (-6.5) at El Paso: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I should have known that a team coached by Kenny Dillingham would show up. With all due respect to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, this one was the most fun.
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) December 31, 2025
Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl Frosted Flakes Bath pic.twitter.com/OuI0SM7VLz
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) December 31, 2025
The best part is that the officials let this happen without penalty. Both teams got in on the action, including Duke on the game-winner. I dare you to find players having more fun at a bowl game.
The world would be a better place if more teams just fully committed to the bowl game bits.
Well done, Duke & Arizona State.pic.twitter.com/9lkhjC7VlC
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) January 1, 2026
(18) Michigan vs. (13) Texas (-7.5) at Orlando: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
I knew better. With the way that Arch Manning finished the season, the result wasn't surprising.
Nebraska vs. (15) Utah (-14.5) at Las Vegas: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 2
The expected opt-outs for Utah didn't happen. In true Nebraska fashion, it showed up early, then went off the rails in the second half.
(10) Miami (FL) vs. (2) Ohio State (-9.5) at Jerry World: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
Miami got revenge for the 2002 title game. Well ... kind of. Ohio State ended the nearly 20-year reign of terror of the Hurricanes. This just ended Ohio State after the Buckeyes beat Michigan.
(5) Oregon (-2.5) vs. (4) Texas Tech at Miami: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
I never thought I would see a defense that would shut out Texas Tech. Oregon's defense, especially after the way it looked against James Madison, stepped up in a big way in this one.
(9) Alabama vs. (1) Indiana (-6.5) at Pasadena, CA: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 5
I slammed this, and I hope you did, too. It was the easiest money of bowl season.
(6) Mississippi vs. (3) Georgia (-6.5) at New Orleans: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
If Ole Miss wins this game, these two plays from Trinidad Chambliss will live in Rebel Football lore forever.
Video game stuff.
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) January 2, 2026
This is why I want to see Trinidad Chambliss play in Oxford one more year. I want to see him play against LSU. We have guys who signed NBA contracts playing in college. Let Chambliss play in 2026!
Rice vs. Texas State (-14.5) at Fort Worth: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 3
I'm not surprised at the result of the game. I am surprised that Brad Jackson is returning to San Marcos. Texas State could be a very dangerous team in 2026.
Navy (-7.5) vs. Cincinnati at Memphis: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
We all knew that Blake Horvath was going out on top. The only question was by how much.
(17) Arizona (-2.5) vs. SMU at San Diego: MISS!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
This was Exhibit A of how SMU upset Miami. Arizona had zero success running the ball with its talented backs. It was total second-half domination by the Mustangs.
(16) Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State (-3.5) at Charlotte: HIT!
Betting Pick Confidence Factor: 4
These were two teams heading in different directions. Once again, this was an easy pick.
(10) Miami (FL) (-3.5) vs. (6) Mississippi at Glendale, AZ: MISS!
Betting Confidence Factor: 4
We deserved better. Mississippi definitely deserved better. One of the worst pieces of officiating EVER occurred in this game. This HAS to be called no matter what time of the game!
This is defensive pass interference. Everything up until the ball comes in is just mutual contact between two players tracking the ball.
But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.
Best angle: pic.twitter.com/AaWTHtMEz7
— Terry McAulay (@tjmcaulay) January 9, 2026
Ole Miss should have gotten one more chance. Miami is not allowed to complain about the officials ever again after the gifts it was given throughout the CFP.
I don't know that Mississippi would have put up the fight that Miami did, but that's not the point. What's the point of rules if you aren't going to enforce them?
(5) Oregon vs. (1) Indiana (-3.5) at Atlanta: HIT!
Betting Confidence Factor: 5
Fernando Mendoza had his fifth game of the season with more touchdowns than incompletions. No other quarterback has done that more than twice this century. Mendoza had five incompletions to eight touchdowns in the first two games of the CFP.
FBS (or equivalent) teams to score 55+ points & win by 30+ points in seven different games in a season:
2025 Indiana
1886 Yale
1885 Princeton pic.twitter.com/mMtlNzR4p8— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) January 10, 2026
The level of dominance from Indiana this season, mostly without ballyhooed recruits, is something that coaches will study for decades.
(1) Indiana (-8.5) at (10) Miami (FL): MISS!
Betting Confidence Factor: 5
What Miami did to keep this game close in front of a mostly hostile crowd in its home stadium was impressive. The Hurricanes showed up for this game more than any team did against Indiana since Ohio State.
The Hoosiers have six bowl wins in 126 years. Half of those came this year. The Hoosiers were 6-116-1 against AP top-10 teams in their first 125 years of football. They were 6-0 against the AP top 10 in 2025.
How often has Indiana trailed in games under Curt Cignetti?
2024 | 107.4 minutes (13.8% of 780 total mins)
2025 | 59.4 minutes (6.2% of 960 total mins)
Total | 166.8 minutes (9.6% of 1740 total mins)
90.4% of all game time under Cignetti has seen #iufb ahead/tied
Ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/FqUtDZpX1U
— Ian Plaskoff (@ian_plaskoff) January 22, 2026
Thus ends the career of Carson Beck. He only lost six games in his entire collegiate career. Four of them were lost on interceptions thrown by Beck with a chance to win the game.
College Football Betting Season Results
The bowl season did not end as well as it started. In the 46 games plus the Army-Navy game, I ended up 20-27. That put my season record at 406-402. Four games over .500. Any time I finish over .500 picking every game, I'm happy. The points help define how good or bad the actual record is.
The weekly totals follow the bet. Season totals are in parentheses.
1. 1-1 (50-40) = 10
2. 3-8 (131-156) = -50
3. 10-11 (146-129) = 51
4. 4-6 (54-59) = -20
5. 2-1 (25-18) = 35
I only lost six points, so I head into the bowls up 42 betting points on the season. I ended the season 26 points in the black. That's a success. I'll work on getting my 11-year totals up during the offseason.
Until then, stay tuned for some fun college football long-form articles that we have planned this spring and summer!
