College football's bowl games get under way in earnest, starting with Boise State vs. Washington at the Los Angeles Bowl on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. Washington is favored by 8.5 points against Boise State according to the latest college football odds. The action only intensifies from there, including the 12-team College Football Playoff kicking off on Dec. 19 (see college football odds here). 

Before making any college football bowl game or playoff picks, be sure to check out the bowl game confidence rankings from our proven CFB expert Thomas Casale.

A frequent guest on national radio and TV shows to discuss college sports, Casale has been betting -- and winning -- for more than 30 years. 

Over the past two college football seasons, Casale is 122-92-5 (57%) overall and 26-8 (76.4%) in bowl games. Now, he's turned his attention to the 2025-26 bowl game schedule (see the latest college football lines for each game this week on our college football odds page) and is revealing his confidence rankings.

One thing we can tell you -- he's expecting seventh-ranked Texas A&M, a 3-5-point favorite, to defeat Miami (Fla.) in a first-round College Football Playoff on Dec. 20. 

"Texas A&M and Miami is the toughest first round playoff game to predict in my opinion. While I do expect the Canes to put up a fight, Texas A&M has a big edge with the game being played at Kyle Field. Give me the Aggies to advance," Casale said.

Casale is also going BIG on an underdog that he is confident will pull an upset against what he believes will be an unmotivated opponent. This pick can you give you an edge in your bowl confidence pools!

What do Casale's confidence rankings for the 2025-26 bowl games look like, and which underdog is he going BIG on? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Thomas Casale's rankings, all from the handicapper who has gone 26-8 on bowl games the past two seasons!