College football bowl season is underway, with initial games starting to ramp up before the College Football Playoff's first round this weekend.
We're tracking results from the closing line data in Bet Labs, with both overall records/trends in bowl season and records by conference.
Both the first two bowl games came down to the wire against the spread, with Memphis covering as a 4.5-point favorite in a 5-point win. Same goes for South Alabama, which was -9.5 before QB Gio Lopez was ruled out with an injury. The Jaguars closed -6.5 and covered in a 30-23 win over Western Michigan.
2024-25 Bowl Results by Game
Odds via our college football lines page. Bold means the game is finished and that team covered the closing line.
Bowl Record by Conference
| Conference | Straight-Up | ATS |
|---|---|---|
| Conference USA | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| MAC | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| AAC | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Independent | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Mountain West | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Sun Belt | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Pac-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Big Ten | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Big 12 | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| SEC | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| ACC | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Results for Favorites / Underdogs
Again, we're measuring these results by the closing line. In the tranfser portal era, bowl markets move all over the place based on availability and news. For example, Memphis opened +3.5, got to -6, then closed -4.5. Syracuse opened -2.5 and is now a double-digit favorite. Cal opened -1.5, got to -3.5, and then their quarterback who gave an emotional postgame speech after reaching bowl eligibility in dramatic fashion entered the portal, and they became a 3.5-point dog. It's a mess.
So while you may have won your bet depending on the number you got, we're tracking against the closing line to keep things consistent.
| Straight-Up | ATS | |
|---|---|---|
| Favorites | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Underdogs | 0-2 | 0-2 |
| Overs/Unders | 1-1 | N/A |
Betting Records Over the Last 5 & 20 Years
Have any conferences been more successful than others in bowl season? Over the last 20 years (since 2005), the SEC has the highest ROI, but is just 25-27-1 in the last five years.
The MAC has historically been a doormat in bowl play, but is a surprising 17-10-2 in the last five years.
Data via Bet Labs prior to 2024-25 bowl season.
| Conference | Last 20 Years | Last 5 Years |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 28-19-0 | 12-4-0 |
| SEC | 104-87-2 | 25-27-1 |
| MWC | 56-50-1 | 15-14-1 |
| Big Ten | 82-75-2 | 24-18-1 |
| ACC | 84-85-3 | 17-25-0 |
| Sun Belt | 37-38-2 | 14-19-0 |
| CUSA | 56-58-1 | 12-19-1 |
| Big 12 | 66-76-0 | 19-16-0 |
| WAC | 13-15-1 | N/A |
| Pac-12 | 59-70-0 | 13-17-0 |
| AAC | 32-39-0 | 16-15-0 |
| MAC | 42-52-5 | 17-10-2 |
