One of the intriguing things about bowl season is how various conferences match up. Some bowl series have specific conference vs. conference matchups lined up each year, while others vary. The specific matchups, which bowl games mean more to each conference, and how each conference is perceived by the oddsmakers are just a few of the things that can influence potential results.
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For instance, lower-level leagues may get more motivation from playing a power conference opponent. Alternatively, they may be overmatched in talent, and the bigger the bowl game, the more this point tends to be magnified. I personally believe that however a team perceives its respect level, not only for itself but for the conference it is representing in its bowl, plays a big role in how that game eventually winds up going.
I’ve separated all of the various conferences in college football and determined their performance records in all kinds of varied situations in bowl games. Among these situations are line and total ranges, level of bowl game, where the bowl game is being played, and perhaps most importantly, how they fare against all of the other conferences.
Here’s the 2023-24 bowl game outlook for each conference. Note that lines utilized for this article were taken as of Monday, December 11th, and may differ from eventual closing lines, so be particular when applying those that take into account specific line/total benchmarks.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Heading into the 2022-23 bowl season, the ACC had only gone 2-14 SU and 4-12 ATS in its last 16 bowl games overall. They were able to turn things around a bit last year in going 5-4 SU and 6-3 ATS. There are 11 teams from the conference in play for 2023, with five of them being favored.
BOSTON COLLEGE vs. SMU (AMERICAN ATHLETIC), +11 / 51 – Fenway
CLEMSON vs. KENTUCKY (SEC), -6.5 / 46.5 – Gator
DUKE vs. TROY (SUN BELT), +7.5 / 44 – Birmingham
FLORIDA ST vs. GEORGIA (SEC), +14 / 45 – Orange
GEORGIA TECH vs. UCF (BIG 12), +4.5 / 64.5 – UGasparilla
LOUISVILLE vs. USC (PAC 12), -8 / 57.5 – Holiday
MIAMI FL vs. RUTGERS (BIG TEN), -2.5 / 41.5 – Pinstripe
NC STATE vs. KANSAS ST (BIG 12), +3 / 47 – Pop Tarts
NORTH CAROLINA vs. WEST VIRGINIA (BIG 12), +3.5 / 56.5 – Duke’s Mayo
SYRACUSE vs. SOUTH FLORIDA (AMERICAN ATHLETIC), -3 / 61 – Boca Raton
VIRGINIA TECH vs. TULANE (AMERICAN ATHLETIC), -7.5 / 46 – Military
Key ACC Bowl Game Trends: