The Student Section’s Staff Bowl Picks – Straight Up

Admit it: you’re waiting until the last minute to fill out your bowl picks. While you’ve figured out whom to pick in most of them, there are still a few where you’re prepared to flip a coin.

Don’t worry, the Student Section is here to help. Although the staff doesn’t always agree, we’ve all listed our picks below. The number in parentheses is the confidence rating assigned to each game. A “38” pick is essentially a lock, while a “1” is essentially a toss-up. “Confidence points” will be tallied at the end of the bowl season (which does not include the College Football Playoff’s title game on Jan. 12).

Here’s a list of our distinguished panelists, along with their respective Twitter handles if you’d like to discuss some of the games:

Matt ZemekManaging Editor (@SectionMZ)
Ryan PalencerStaff Writer (@RyanPalencer)
Bart DoanAssociate Editor (@TheCoachBart)
Kevin CauseyContributor (@CFBZ)
Scott KingContributor (@BearcatsBlog)
Terry JohnsonAssociate Editor (@SectionTPJ)

Note: Please keep in mind that these picks are simply “who’s going to win.” If you’re playing against the spread, be sure to check out who the staff picked in those games as well.

Bowl Matt Ryan Bart Kevin Scott Terry
New Orleans Bowl
Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
LL (7) LL (4) NV (9) LL (17) NV (1) NV (28)
New Mexico Bowl
Utah State vs. UTEP
US (35) US (9) US (35) US (24) US (2) US (12)
Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Colorado State
UT (8) UT (11) UT (18) UT (12) UT (3) UT (29)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Western Michigan vs. Air Force
AF (34) AF (10) AF (25) AF (13) WM (4) AF (11)
Camellia Bowl
Bowling Green vs. South Alabama
SA (9) BG (3) BG (19) BG (14) BG (5) BG (6)
Miami Beach Bowl
Memphis vs. BYU
BY (10) BY (5) ME (20) BY (15) ME (6) ME (4)
Boca Raton Bowl
Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
NI (11) MA (31) MA (38) NI (11) NI (7) MA (8)
Poinsettia Bowl
Navy vs. San Diego State
NV (1) NV (30) NV (17) SD (10) SD (8) NV (9)
Bahamas Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan
WK (2) WK (8) WK (30) WK (9) CM (9) WK (10)
Hawaii Bowl
Fresno State vs. Rice
RI (3) FS (7) FS (16) RI (8) FS (10) FS (5)
Heart of Dallas Bowl
Louisiana Tech vs. Illinois
LT (4) LT (13) IL (15) LT (7) IL (11) IL (7)
Quick Lane Bowl
North Carolina vs. Rutgers
NC (21) RU (29) RU (7) RU (6) RU (12) RU (13)
St. Petersburg Bowl
Central Florida vs. NC State
CF (6) NS (28) CF (21) CF (25) NS (13) CF (14)
Military Bowl
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
CI (20) CI (2) CI (8) CI (31) CI (14) VT (15)
Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
AS (36) AS (38) AS (22) AS (30) AS (15) AS (38)
Independence Bowl
Miami vs. South Carolina
MI (5) MI (27) SC (34) MI (16) MI (16) SC (16)
Pinstripe Bowl
Boston College vs. Penn State
BC (26) PS (26) PS (29) BC (18) BC (17) BC (17)
Holiday Bowl
USC vs. Nebraska
SC (22) SC (25) SC (33) SC (32) SC (18) SC (18)
Liberty Bowl
West Virginia vs. Texas A&M
WV (19) WV (12) WV (5) WV (26) WV (19) AM (19)
Russell Athletic Bowl
Clemson vs. Oklahoma
OU (18) CL (24) OU (6) OU (33) CL (20) CL (20)
Texas Bowl
Arkansas vs. Texas
AR (24) AR (23) TX (4) AR (27) AR (21) TX (21)
Music City Bowl
LSU vs. Notre Dame
LS (23) LS (37) LS (32) LS (34) LS (23) LS (37)
Belk Bowl
Georgia vs. Louisville
LO (12) GA (36) GA (27) GA (28) LO (22) GA (22)
Foster Farms Bowl
Stanford vs. Maryland
ST (38) ST (22) ST (26) ST (19) ST (24) ST (23)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
TCU vs. Ole Miss
TC (25) TC (35) TC (28) TC (35) TC (25) TC (24)
Fiesta Bowl
Arizona vs. Boise State
AZ (32) AZ (21) AZ (36) AZ (4) BS (26) AZ (25)
Orange Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech
GT (14) GT (20) MS (11) MS (3) MS (27) MS (26)
Outback Bowl
Auburn vs. Wisconsin
AU (17) AU (19) WI (3) AU (20) AU (28) AU (36)
Cotton Bowl
Baylor vs. Michigan State
MS (31) BA (34) MS (10) BA (36) MS (29) BA (27)
Citrus Bowl
Missouri vs. Minnesota
MN (13) MI (1) MI (31) MI (5) MI (30) MI (35)
Rose Bowl
Oregon vs. Florida State
FS (27) OR (18) OR (1) OR (37) OR (31) FS (2)
Sugar Bowl
Alabama vs. Ohio State
AL (33) AL (33) OS (2) AL (38) AL (32) OS (1)
Armed Forces Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. Houston
PI (28) PI (15) UH (23) PI (1) PI (37) PI (30)
TaxSlayer Bowl
Tennessee vs. Iowa
IO (16) IO (16) IO (12) TN (21) TN (33) TN (31)
Alamo Bowl
Kansas State vs. UCLA
KS (29) UC (17) UC (13) KS (22) KS (34) KS (32)
Cactus Bowl
Washington vs. Oklahoma State
UW (37) UW (14) UW (37) UW (29) OS (35) UW (33)
Birmingham Bowl
Florida vs. East Carolina
FL (30) FL (32) EC (14) FL (23) FL (38) EC (34)
GoDaddy Bowl
Toledo vs. Arkansas State
TO (15) TO (6) AS (24) TO (2) TO (36) TO (3)

About Terry P. Johnson

Terry Johnson is the Associate Editor for The Student Section. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America and the National Football Foundation.

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