The bowl schedule for the 2025-26 college football season has kicked off following the completion of the CFP’s first-round matches. This Friday, fans can enjoy three highlight games: Northwestern faces off against Central Michigan at -10.5 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl, New Mexico takes on Minnesota with New Mexico as the -2.5 favorite in the Rate Bowl, and FIU will come up against UTSA with the latter favored by -5.5 in the First Responder Bowl.

The quarterfinals of the CFP are scheduled to commence on New Year’s Eve, featuring the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes who are expected to win by 9.5 points over No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl. Before placing any bets or finalizing picks for these games, it’s advisable to check out the thorough analysis from SportsLine’s established model, which has run 10,000 simulations per game.

Noteworthy Predictions

1. Penn State (+3) faces off against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. Each team ends the season on a conservative note with a 3-1 ATS finish, despite Clemson’s coach, Dabo Swinney, facing a troubling history with four losses in his last six bowl games, often by 14 points or more. Penn State’s performance, contrastingly stronger in a tougher conference, could play a decisive role.
2. Missouri (-4) is projected to cover vs. Virginia in the Gator Bowl. With Virginia’s recent struggle after losing the ACC Title Game, motivation could be their biggest hurdle. Missouri has shown commendable performance under Eli Drinkwitz, winning back-to-back bowl games.

For more accurate projections, visit SportsLine, where you can access detailed analysis of all bowl games, including underdogs predicted to secure victories.