As somebody who loves college football more than is probably healthy, even I can admit that bowl season can prove to be a monotonous slog through less-than-exciting games. Still, they're college football games, you don't have all that many left to watch before the season ends and you have to wait seven long months for it to begin again.

So you need to enjoy the college football you do have, and the one way that's guaranteed to make a bowl game between two teams you don't really care about interesting is to bet on it. No, my friend, there's nothing quite like sweating the under on the Flex Seal Begonia Bowl between Southeastern Tech and Northwest Nevada State on a Tuesday night.

As fun as it is, it's more fun when you're actually winning, and that's why I'm here. To help you win. This week's Pick Six will focus on the first week of bowl games (Saturday, Dec. 17 to Wednesday, Dec. 21).

Let's get to it.

Games of the Week

Houston (-3) vs. San Diego State -- Las Vegas Bowl | Saturday, Dec. 17: Picking bowl games is always a little harder than regular-season games because you're never entirely sure what to expect. Sometimes teams are really excited about playing in a bowl game, and other times there are teams that would rather be anywhere else in the world at the moment.

That latter phenomenon is one reason why I tend to be a little scared of teams that are playing under an interim coach, but even if that's the case for Houston, I'm still rolling with the Coogs here. I don't have any truly scientific reasoning. It's partially due to the fact that Houston will be coached by Major Applewhite, who isn't an interim, but it's mostly just that Houston is a team with more talent than San Diego State .

Also, while San Diego State is a good team and has a great running back in Donnel Pumphrey, it's also a team that benefited from its schedule a bit this year. The Aztecs play in the Mountain West's West Division, and do you know how many teams finished with a winning record in the West Division this year? One: San Diego State. Houston just might be the best team the Aztecs have faced all season. Houston 31, San Diego State 24

Twitter Pick: Houston -3 (61 percent)

Memphis (+4.5) vs. Western Kentucky -- Boca Raton Bowl | Tuesday, Dec. 20: Here's the game where the interim coach worry comes into play! Had Jeff Brohm still been at Western Kentucky, I would be rolling with the Hilltoppers here. He's not -- he's gone and wearing gold and black now. Meanwhile, on the other sideline is a Memphis team that has been very good on offense this year and played in the tougher conference.

It's not that I don't think Western Kentucky is good, it's just I don't want to give it too much credit for stomping on Conference USA teams. I expect this one to be a bit of a back-and-forth affair, likely with a lot of points. It's just that even if Western Kentucky does win the game, I don't think it's going to pull away from Memphis while doing so. You can't not take the points when that's the case. Memphis 38, Western Kentucky 34

Twitter Pick: Memphis +4.5 (53 percent)

Lock of the Week

Central Florida (-5.5) vs. Arkansas State -- Cure Bowl | Saturday, Dec. 17: Honestly, this one seems almost too easy to me, and while that's scary, I'm still rolling with the Knights here. UCF might only be 6-6 overall, but it went 8-4 against the spread and 5-2 ATS as a favorite. Arkansas State is 7-5 on the season, but it's 7-1 in conference play. In four nonconference games, it went 0-4 straight up and 0-4 ATS. I just can't trust the Red Wolves outside of the Sun Belt. UCF 27, Arkansas State 17

Underdog of the Week

Wyoming (+8.5) vs. BYU -- Poinsettia Bowl | Wednesday, Dec. 21: I have a pretty simple philosophy when it comes to picking BYU games. When the Cougars are an underdog, I take them. They were 5-0 ATS this season in such situations. When BYU is a favorite, I tend to lean against them simply because BYU loves to play close and exciting games. So when I see a spread that's over a touchdown, I have to take the points. Now, that's not to say there isn't some hesitancy here. Wyoming's defense is particularly bad, but the fact that the Cowboys are 6-1 ATS as a dog alleviates some of those fears. BYU 37, Wyoming 30

Over/Under of the Week

Southern Mississippi vs. UL-Lafayette (Under 58) -- New Orleans Bowl | Saturday, Dec. 17: It just wouldn't be the New Orleans Bowl without the Ragin' Cajuns. This should be a fun matchup in that the two teams are relatively equal, and with both schools being so close to New Orleans, the atmosphere in the Superdome should be good. That said, I just don't expect a lot of points. I wouldn't call either of these offenses prolific, and I wouldn't call either defense a sieve. Southern Mississippi 28, UL-Lafayette 24

Hail Mary Parlay of the Week

If you aren't familiar with the HMP, a quick refresher: It's essentially a three-game parlay, but you only bet one game at a time. If the first game wins, you use the winnings on the next game, and so on. It's a play that won't come through most of the time (though it has twice this season, including last week), but when it does, it pays off nicely.

Saturday, Dec. 17 -- New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico (-7.5) vs. UTSA

Saturday, Dec. 17 -- Camellia Bowl: Toledo (-1) vs. Appalachian State

Monday, Dec. 19 -- Miami Beach Bowl: Tulsa vs. Central Michigan (Over 69)

Last Week 2016 Overall
Games of the Week 2-0 16-12
Lock of the Week 1-0 7-7
Underdog of the Week 1-0 10-4
Over/Under of the Week 1-0 8-6
Hail Mary Parlay 0-1 3-11
Overall 5-1 44-40
Twitter Picks 0-2 12-16