Bowl Season is officially here, and we've got college football betting lines for every game, including the much-anticipated College Football Playoff first round. Bowl games kick off on December 13, 2025, and the first round of the College Football Playoff begins on December 19, with No. 9 Alabama heading to Norman to take on No. 8 Oklahoma.
Here are the college football lines for the College Football Playoff first round games and the first wave of bowl games featuring top-25 teams. We've included spreads, over/unders, storylines to watch, and our relevant betting facts for each game.
College Football Lines for CFP First Round, Bowl Games
CFB Betting Lines for Bowl Season and CFP First Round: Odds, Storylines & Betting Tips
The college football season was filled with upsets, drama, and twists and turns that continued up to Selection Day when the committee shockingly left the Notre Dame Fighting Irish out of the College Football Playoff in favor of the Miami Hurricanes. Let's break down the college football lines for the first round of the CFP and the intial wave of bowl games.
On Friday, December 19, the CFP begins with the first round matchup between No. 9 Alabama and No. 8 Oklahoma, perhaps the most controversial matchup given that the Crimson Tide remained at No. 9 despite suffering a third loss in an ugly fashion to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. But maybe it'll be a short stay for Alabama after already losing 23-21 at home to the Sooners last month.
On Saturday, December 20, there's a triple header to finish the first round of the CFP. At noon, you'll see No. 10 Miami taking on No. 7 Texas A&M after the Aggies failed to close out their perfect season with a loss to Texas. Miami will try to secure its biggest win of the season on the road. At 3:30 PM, it's No. 11 seed Tulane (11-2) trying to show it can hang with SEC giant Ole Miss (11-1), who only lost in a 43-35 stunner against Georgia this year. In the evening, it's the biggest mismatch on paper, as No. 12 James Madison is a 21.5-point underdog against Oregon, an 11-1 team that has only lost to No. 1 Indiana this year.
The winners of those four games will advance to the quarterfinals, which will take place on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. That's when we'll see the top four seeds who had a bye in action in the following matchups:
- Dec. 31, 7:30 PM: No. 2 Ohio State vs. the winner of Miami/Texas A&M
- Jan. 1, 12:00 PM: No. 4 Texas Tech vs. the winner of James Madison/Oregon
- Jan. 1, 4:00 PM: No. 1 Indiana vs. the winner of Alabama/Oklahoma
- Jan. 1, 8:00 PM: No. 3 Georgia vs. the winner of Ole Miss/Tulane
As for the rest of Bowl season, there are several interesting matchups to come, starting on December 13. Just don't expect to see Notre Dame taking part after the Irish opted out following their failure to qualify for the CFP. But here are some notable bowl games to keep an eye on.
On Tuesday, December 30, the Valero Alamo Bowl will feature No. 16 USC taking on TCU in what could be a high-scoring affair with Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava leading the way.
But the best action should be on New Year's Eve, on December 31. Get up at noon to see Iowa's defense try to slow down Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Vanderbilt (10-2) was undoubtedly one of the best teams that just missed the CFP cut, with Pavia having a Heisman Trophy finalist season.
At 3:00 PM on New Year's Eve, you'll see two proud schools in the Citrus Bowl when No. 18 Michigan takes on No. 13 Texas with one more chance to see Arch Manning and his development this season after he had that big upset of Texas A&M. It is unclear if he'll return to Texas for the 2026 season or go to the NFL draft. But you can catch him in action before the CFP matchups get going again with the quarterfinals.
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Friday, Dec. 19 |8:00 PM ET | Alabama vs. Oklahoma (CFP First Round)
- Spread: ALA -1.5
- Total: 40.5
- Moneyline: Alabama (-108); Oklahoma (-111)
Saturday, Dec. 20| 12:00 PM ET | Miami FL vs. Texas A&M (CFP First Round)
- Spread: TA&M -3.5
- Total: 51.5
- Moneyline: Miami FL (+146); Texas A&M (-178)
Saturday, Dec. 20| 3:30 PM ET | Tulane vs. Ole Miss (CFP First Round)
- Spread: MISS -17.5
- Total: 56.5
- Moneyline: Tulane (+660); Ole Miss (-1050)
Saturday, Dec. 20| 7:30 PM ET | James Madison vs. Oregon (CFP First Round)
- Spread: ORE -21.5
- Total: 50.5
- Moneyline: James Madison (+1060); Oregon (-2300)
Saturday, Dec. 27| 3:30 PM ET | Georgia Tech vs. BYU (Pop-Tarts Bowl)
- Spread: BYU -4.5
- Total: 56.5
- Moneyline: Georgia Tech (+158); BYU (-192)
Saturday, Dec. 27| 5:45 PM ET | North Texas vs. San Diego State (New Mexico Bowl)
- Spread: UNT -3.5
- Total: 55.5
- Moneyline: North Texas (-160); San Diego State (+132)
Saturday, Dec. 27 | 7:30 PM ET | Virginia vs. Missouri (Gator Bowl)
- Spread: MIZ -7
- Total: 48.5
- Moneyline: Virginia (+190); Missouri (-235)
Saturday, Dec. 27 | 9:15 PM ET | LSU vs. Houston (Texas Bowl)
- Spread: HOU -3
- Total: 41.5
- Moneyline: LSU (+122); Houston (-146)
Tuesday, Dec. 30| 9:00 PM ET | USC vs. TCU (Alamo Bowl)
- Spread: USC -6
- Total: 59.5
- Moneyline: USC (-210); TCU (+172)
Wednesday, Dec. 31| 12:00 PM ET | Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (ReliaQuest Bowl)
- Spread: VAN -6
- Total: 49.5
- Moneyline: Iowa (+180); Vanderbilt (-220)
Wednesday, Dec. 31| 3:00 PM ET | Michigan vs. Texas (Citrus Bowl)
- Spread: TEX -4.5
- Total: 45.5
- Moneyline: Michigan (+158); Texas (-192)
Wednesday, Dec. 31| 3:30 PM ET | Nebraska vs. Utah (Las Vegas Bowl)
- Spread: UTAH -15.5
- Total: 50.5
- Moneyline: Nebraska (+540); Utah (-800)
Friday, Jan. 2| 8:00 PM ET | Arizona vs. SMU (Holiday Bowl)
- Spread: ARI -3
- Total: 51.5
- Moneyline: Arizona (-142); SMU (+118)
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