College football bowl and CFP picks, top 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 20, 2025 at 10:15 am ET • 3 min read

Imagn Images

Several bowl games are already in the books, but the college football postseason action really heats up this weekend. Alabama was the first team to advance to the quarterfinals, beating Oklahoma on the road on Friday night. Alabama closed as a slight underdog in that game, making it the first upset of the CFP. Could more be on the way Saturday?

Saturday brings a CFP tripleheader with the latest college football odds showing No. 7 Texas A&M (-3.5) vs. No. 10 Miami, No. 6 Ole Miss (-17.5) vs. No. 11 Tulane and No. 5 Oregon (-20.5) vs. No. 12 James Madison. 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.

iNew users can also target the latest Underdog promo code, good for $75 in site credits when you play $5 with the promo code CBSSPORTS2 in select states.

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 8-3 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.

New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins:

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 Toledo (+6.5) to cover against Louisville in the Boca Raton Bowl on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

The Rockets won their last four in the regular season, all by at least 18 points. Louisville, meanwhile, struggled down the stretch, losing three of its last four.

"The Rockets are on a 10-3 spread uptick (2-0 as an underdog in that span) since late last season," Marshall told SportsLine. "Louisville's Jeff Brohm is 4-3 straight-up and vs. the spread in bowls. The Cardinals dropped three of the last four both straight up and vs. the line this season, though Louisville did thump Kentucky 41-0 in finale, as Louisville was just 4-8 vs. spread in 2025." 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 on an 7-1-1 spread run in bowl games dating back to his former school. 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.