College football odds, picks, spreads, predictions for bowl season, 2021-22: Simulation backs Iowa, Ole Miss

SportsLine's advanced computer model has revealed its top college football picks and bets for the 2021-22 bowl season

By CBS Sports Staff

Jan 1, 2022 at 8:57 am ET • 3 min read

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The 2021-22 college football bowl schedule heads for a conclusion with the last full slate of action on New Year's Day. There are five games on Saturday's slate with No. 21 Arkansas vs. Penn State kick off the action at noon ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Razorbacks as three-point favorites in the latest college football odds for bowl season. No. 5 Notre Dame vs No. 9 Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl at 1 p.m. ET is listed as a pick'em, while No. 22 Kentucky is -3 against No. 15 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET.

In later action, the latest college football lines show No. 6 Ohio State at -4 against No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl (5 p.m. ET) and No. 7 Baylor vs. No. 8 Ole Miss (-1.5) concludes the day at 8:45 p.m. ET in the Sugar Bowl. Which college football spreads and totals should you target? Before making any college football bowl picks or bets, be sure to see the latest college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the third week of the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-30 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest bowl season college football odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top college football predictions for bowl season

One of the top college football picks the model is recommending for the 2021-22 bowl season: No. 15 Iowa stays within the spread against No. 22 Kentucky as a three-point underdog in the 2022 Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. Iowa comes off one of its best seasons in recent memory, a 10-3 campaign that saw the Hawkeyes reach the Big Ten Championship Game on the strength of one of the best defenses in the nation -- and in spite of one of an unusually plodding offense, even by Iowa standards.

Against a Kentucky team that also had its best season in recent memory, Iowa's defense could be the clincher. The Hawkeyes only allowed 19.2 points per game, and shut down the Big Ten West opponents they play who have a similar playing style to the team they're about to face in the Citrus Bowl. In simulations from SportsLine's model, Iowa covers the spread well over 50 percent of the time, making the Hawkeyes a top pick against the spread.

Another one of the college football predictions from the model: No. 8 Ole Miss covers as a 1.5-point favorite against No. 7 Baylor in the Sugar Bowl on Saturday at 8:45 p.m. ET. Many of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks opted out of bowl games this year, but Ole Miss will have Matt Corral, a potential first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He threw for 3,339 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season. He added 11 touchdown on the ground.

SportsLine's model is projecting him to throw for around 270 yards in this matchup, helping the Rebels hit the 30-point plateau against a tough Baylor defense. Ole Miss covers well over 60 percent of the time, while the under (58) also hits in more than 60 percent of simulations.

How to make college football bowl picks

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game during bowl season, and it's projecting multiple shocking upsets. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence? And which underdogs do you need to jump on now? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,600 in profit over the past five-plus seasons, and find out.