Confidence Pool Picks and Predictions for Every College Football Bowl Game
Thor Nystrom picks a winner and gives a confidence score for all of college football's bowl games
If you’re looking for help with your bowl confidence pool entry, look no further. I got you.
Below are my picks for standard straight-up confidence pools. I’m picking the 40 scheduled bowl games. (And not including the second round and beyond in the CFP with pending opponents, as some pools do).
You’ll also notice the Vegas spread at the time of publishing against my system’s number ("Adjusted Thor Line" or “ATL”) on each game. The latter takes into account injuries and opt-outs as of the original publish date (Dec. 12, 2024).
I went over all of the bowl game picks with my partner in crime, Claudia Bellofatto, in our show below, which I embedded here for your enjoyment. And I'll have my Bowl Game best bets throughout the rest of this month on Fantasy Life. For those of you already in NFL Draft mode, check out all our coverage here.
You cannot win a confidence pool like this without picking some upsets — but choose your calculated risks wisely. Good luck! (Picks are in bold)
| Confidence | Team | Team | Vegas line | ATL | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Jackson St. | South Carolina St. | 1.5 | -- | Sat 12/14 |
| 32 | South Alabama | Western Michigan | 7 | 10.9 | Sat 12/14 |
| 1 | Memphis | West Virginia | 3 | -0.7 | Tue 12/17 |
| 25 | Western Kentucky | James Madison | -8.5 | -8.3 | Wed 12/18 |
| 2 | California | UNLV | 2 | -0.8 | Wed 12/18 |
| 11 | Georgia Southern | Sam Houston | 6 | 1.7 | Thu 12/19 |
| 26 | Indiana | Notre Dame | -7.5 | -7.3 | Fri 12/20 |
| 3 | Ohio | Jacksonville St. | 2.5 | -1.8 | Fri 12/20 |
| 24 | Tulane | Florida | -13 | -5.5 | Fri 12/20 |
| 29 | SMU | Penn St. | -8.5 | -7.9 | Sat 12/21 |
| 31 | Clemson | Texas | -11 | -11.9 | Sat 12/21 |
| 7 | Tennessee | Ohio St. | -7.5 | -3 | Sat 12/21 |
| 5 | Northern Illinois | Fresno St. | 3 | 1.9 | Mon 12/23 |
| 4 | Coastal Carolina | UTSA | -7.5 | -2.3 | Mon 12/23 |
| 8 | South Florida | San Jose St. | -3 | -2.5 | Tue 12/24 |
| 10 | Arkansas St. | Bowling Green | -6.5 | -5.8 | Thu 12/26 |
| 28 | Pittsburgh | Toledo | 9.5 | 7.4 | Thu 12/26 |
| 37 | Rutgers | Kansas St. | -7 | -11.3 | Thu 12/26 |
| 16 | Texas A&M | USC | 3 | 5.2 | Fri 12/27 |
| 30 | Syracuse | Washington St. | 6.5 | 7 | Fri 12/27 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | Arkansas | -2 | -3.9 | Fri 12/27 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | Navy | 8.5 | 6.9 | Fri 12/27 |
| 21 | Georgia Tech | Vanderbilt | 2.5 | -3.8 | Fri 12/27 |
| 36 | Louisiana | TCU | -12.5 | -13.1 | Sat 12/28 |
| 23 | Boston College | Nebraska | -2.5 | -4.6 | Sat 12/28 |
| 15 | Connecticut | North Carolina | -4 | -3.3 | Sat 12/28 |
| 19 | Brigham Young | Colorado | -3 | -4.6 | Sat 12/28 |
| 33 | Iowa St. | Miami (FL) | -3.5 | -6.8 | Sat 12/28 |
| 17 | Miami (OH) | Colorado St. | 3 | 4.5 | Sat 12/28 |
| 20 | East Carolina | North Carolina St. | -5.5 | -5 | Sat 12/28 |
| 40 | Marshall | Army | -14 | -15.1 | Sat 12/28 |
| 14 | Iowa | Missouri | -3 | 1.3 | Mon 12/30 |
| 27 | Louisville | Washington | 4 | 4.6 | Tue 12/31 |
| 38 | Alabama | Michigan | 10 | 13.8 | Tue 12/31 |
| 35 | South Carolina | Illinois | 10.5 | 11.5 | Tue 12/31 |
| 12 | Baylor | LSU | -1.5 | -3.1 | Tue 12/31 |
| 39 | Duke | Ole Miss | -14.5 | -17.2 | Tue 1/2 |
| 34 | North Texas | Texas St. | -10 | -7.3 | Wed 1/3 |
| 18 | Minnesota | Virginia Tech | 5.5 | 3.1 | Wed 1/3 |
| 22 | Buffalo | Liberty | -2 | 2.5 | Thu 1/4 |