College Football Odds: Wisconsin, USC, Oklahoma Favored In New Year’s Six Bowls
The undefeated No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos will look to become the first Football Bowl Subdivision team in three years to record a perfect season when they battle the No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers on Monday in the Cotton Bowl as eight-point underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Western Michigan extended its straight-up winning streak to 15 games with its 29-23 win over Ohio in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game. The 13-0 Broncos have remained a strong bet during their undefeated run, going 11-4 against the spread, and recorded outright wins in their past two games as underdogs, while covering in 11 of 13.
Wisconsin saw a six-game SU win streak halted with a 38-31 loss to Penn State as 2 1/2-point favorites in the Big Ten Championship Game. Penn State’s 38 points are the most points surrendered in two years by the Badgers, who rank fifth in the nation in points per game allowed at 15.5.
Despite the stingy defense, Wisconsin closed the regular season as an uneven bet, going 3-3 ATS over its past six games, and just 4-7 ATS when favored by fewer than 10 points.
Later in the day, the No. 5 Nittany Lions aim for a 10th straight ATS win when they take on the No. 9 USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl as seven-point underdogs. Penn State has dominated at times during its current surge, claiming victory by an average margin of 21 points en route to eight straight ATS wins.
USC makes a record 34th appearance at the Rose Bowl after closing its schedule with eight straight SU victories, capped by a 45-27 rout of Notre Dame as 17 1/2-point chalk in its regular-season finale.
The Trojans are 24-9 SU in their 33 previous Rose Bowl appearances and unbeaten in their past three, most recently knocking off Penn State 38-24 as 10-point favorites on New Year’s Day in 2009.
On Monday night, No. 7 Oklahoma is pegged as a three-point betting favorite in its Sugar Bowl matchup with the No. 14 Auburn Tigers. The high-scoring Sooners have scored 45 or more points six times during a nine-game winning streak, and are 8-1 SU in their last nine games when favored by three or fewer points, going 7-2 ATS.
Auburn held opponents to 16 or fewer points five times during a mid-season six-game winning streak, but is winless in its past two games away from Jordan-Hare Stadium, tallying just 19 total points in outright losses at Georgia and Alabama.
Thumbnail photo via Thomas J. Russo/USA TODAY Sports Images
