2014-15 College Football Bowl Staff Picks

The staff at theScore put on their prognosticator hats and made selections against the spread for each of the 38 scheduled bowl games, highlighting several notable matchups.

Unanimous selections: Louisiana-Lafayette +1, Miami -3.5, Auburn -6.5, Washington -5.5, East Carolina +7

Unanimous selections went 27-48-1 ATS during the regular season.

Best Bet

Gino Bottero: The list of teams Texas A&M lost to during the regular season is impressive. Meanwhile, West Virginia relies heavily on its home field advantage in Morgantown. The Mountaineers took a big hit to their psyche with that disappointing loss to TCU, and may have trouble getting up for the Liberty Bowl. Kevin Sumlin's squad does some of its best work away from home. Texas A&M +3.5

George Halim: To put it politely, Wisconsin doesn't have a quarterback. Besides Melvin Gordon, the Badgers have nothing. Auburn has had an off year that would be classified as enormously successful by anyone else's standards.  Given that this will be Gordon's final collegiate game, expect him to be force-fed, but expect the defense to be ready. The Tigers will be far too much for Wisconsin to handle. Auburn -6.5

Sean Tepper: Trevone Boykin and Co. are peeved that they were left out of the College Football Playoff. They will be looking to prove to the selection committee that it made the wrong choice in slotting Ohio State and Florida State ahead of them. Ole Miss's Landshark Defense may be able to contain TCU's offense, but even so, Bo Wallace is unlikely to must up enough offense to keep the Rebels in the game. Maybe Good Bo will prove me wrong - but don't count on it. TCU -3.5

Biggest Upset

Bottero: Marshall enjoyed an impressive run this season, but they did it on the back of a cushy schedule. The Herd will face their toughest opponent yet in the Boca Raton Bowl, where they will take on a Northern Illinois squad that is coming off a rout of a good Bowling Green team in the MAC title game. Northern Illinois over Marshall

Halim: Don't get me wrong, Arizona is a very talented team. But anyone that watched the Pac-12 Championship Game saw the glaring flaws in the Wildcats' defense. Granted, Boise State hasn't had an overly difficult schedule so this may come as a shock. After losing in Week 1 to Ole Miss, the Broncos took 11 of their next 12 games. It won't be by a large margin, but the Mountain West squad will come out on top. Boise State over Arizona

Tepper: Michigan State has a really good defense, and, while it's not as good as Baylor's, the Spartans offense is nothing to scoff at. Sure, quarterback Bryce Petty can light up the scoreboard, but we've seen how the Bears have played without him and it's not pretty. Considering that he has suffered a concussion and a nasty back injury this season, he's no lock to play a full 60 minutes. Michigan State over Baylor

Biggest Blowout

Bottero: The Georgia Tech offense is effective, but predictable. With a month to prepare, Dan Mullen's Bulldogs will be ready to smother that spread attack. A year ago, an unranked Ole Miss squad stifled the Yellow Jackets in a 25-17 win in the Music City Bowl. Mississippi State has the weapons on offense to run up the score. Mississippi State over Georgia Tech

Halim: So this is a bit of a long-shot, based solely on the fact that you never know which LSU you're going to get. But this is more so about how predictable Notre Dame has been. Everett Golson was, at one point, a Heisman candidate. That now seems like centuries ago. Golson is not an elite quarterback and as long as he continues his trend of throwing picks, expect the Tigers to make a statement in the final game of the season. LSU over Notre Dame

Tepper: Trevor Knight has been cleared to play in the Russell Athletic Bowl, The Tigers will be without Deshaun Watson, one of the best young quarterbacks in college football. Clemson may only allow opponents to score an average of 17.6 points per game, but scoring points themselves will be difficult with Cole Stoudt under center. Oklahoma over Clemson

National Champion

Bottero: Each of the semifinal games has a spread near double-digits, so we have a pretty good idea of who will be playing for the national title on Jan. 12. Alabama's offense really seemed to find another gear down the stretch, and with a major defensive edge on Oregon, that matchup has the potential to get ugly. Alabama

Halim: It goes without saying that Alabama has been, aside from Oregon, the most deserving No. 1 this season. Unlike the Ducks, though, the Crimson Tide get Ohio State, a team that marched with J.T. Barrett and tip-toed with Cardale Jones. The road to national glory is paved for the Crimson Tide and the only thing that can stop them is implosion. Alabama

Tepper: Alabama is the No. 1 team in the nation, and after they knock off the No. 2 Oregon Ducks in a hard fought title game, they will be national champions. The Tide have the best receiver in college football, they play in the toughest conference in the nation, they have  a coach that can game plan for any opponent and, most importantly, they have a ton of big game experience to draw on. It's championship or bust in Tuscaloosa. Alabama

More College Football Betting Resources

College Football Playoff Staff Picks
College Football Playoff Betting Preview 
National Championship Game Staff Picks (Friday Jan. 9)
National Championship Game Betting Preview (Monday Jan. 12)

Lines courtesy Scoresandodds.com.