The college football bowl season finally gets underway on Saturday afternoon with matchups at four venues: University Stadium in Albuquerque, Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Bronco Stadium in Boise, and the Superdome in New Orleans. Here is a preview of those four games and their betting lines, starting with the meeting of two ranked teams as Fresno State battles Southern Cal.

Fresno State takes on Southern Cal in Las Vegas Bowl

The only ranked teams in action on Saturday will both be hitting the same gridiron, as Fresno State takes on Southern Cal at Sam Boyd Stadium. Fresno State ended up at No. 20 in the final BCS rankings, while Southern Cal was No. 25 on that list. On the college football betting lines at Bovada the Trojans sit as 6-point chalk for the contest, but they haven't exactly been a great option for bettors so far this season with a 6-7 ATS mark to go along with their 9-4 SU record. Southern Cal had won five games in a row before losing 35-14 vs. UCLA in their season finale. Offensive coordinator Clay Helton will be the interim coach for Southern Cal in their bowl game.

The Bulldogs went 11-1 straight up on the season, but were also a weak wager at 5-7 ATS. Fresno State won its first 10 games of the year before getting upset 62-52 on the road at San Jose State on November 29. The Bulldogs then topped Utah State 24-17 in the Mountain West Championship Game, but their loss to San Jose State prevented them from getting a berth in a bigger bowl. Southern Cal topped Fresno State 50-42 as a 23-point favorite when they met in November 2005.

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Washington State, Colorado State kick off bowl season

Kickoff for the Fresno State vs. Southern Cal game is set for 3:30pm ET on Saturday, while bowl season begins at 2:00pm ET with Washington State taking on Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque. And while the Bulldogs and Trojans had weak ATS records this season, the Cougars and Rams have both been solid options on the college football betting lines ? Washington State comes into the contest at 9-3 ATS (6-6 SU), while Colorado State was 9-4 ATS (7-6 SU) during the season. The schools also combined to go 15-8-2 on the OVER/UNDER for totals bettors. At Bovada the Cougars sit as 4-point chalk on the betting lines for the New Mexico Bowl, although they come into the contest with five losses in their past eight games ? albeit against some tough Pac-12 competition. The Rams have more momentum on their side with wins in five of their last seven games, including a 58-13 thrashing of Air Force in their most recent contest. Saturday bowl slate closes out in Boise and New Orleans Saturday's 5:30pm ET bowl kickoff has Buffalo matchng up with San Diego State in the Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, with the Bulls a slim 1-point favorite on the latest college football odds at Bovada for the game at Bronco Stadium. The Bulls went 8-4 both SU and ATS on the season, but enter bowl season with two losses in their past three games. The Aztecs have records of 7-5 SU and 6-6 ATS on the season, with their four-game win streak ending with a 45-19 loss at UNLV last time out. Finally, Tulane and Louisiana-Lafayette will meet in the New Orleans Bowl at the Superdome on Saturday in a 9:00pm ET kickoff. with the Green Wave one of the most profitable teams in college football this season at 9-3 against the spread (7-5 SU). Tulane has lost three of its past four games. The Ragin' Cajuns, who have lost two games in a row since tearing off an eight-game win streak, went 8-4 SU but just 4-8 ATS on the year; they are 2-0 both SU and ATS in the past two New Orleans Bowls. Visit Bovada.lv for more information.
 

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