Generally speaking, most college football bowl games are between two evenly matched teams as teams have to have at least a .500 record to make it. That isn't always the case, though, since there are times when a clearly superior team ends up with a fairly easy matchup.
There doesn't seem to be a ton of evidence of that this bowl season, but there are undoubtedly a few games that have blowout written all over them. Here are three significant bowl favorites that should have no problem winning easily and covering the spread in their respective games.
Texas A&M Aggies (-10)
In what should be a pretty interesting matchup, the 6-6 Texas A&M Aggies will take on the 6-6 Northwestern Wildcats in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on New Year's Eve.
While the matching records would make it seem as though it should be an even game, it is quite apparent that the Aggies have the better team. Not only do they own a win over Baylor this season, but they narrowly lost to top teams like Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Kansas State.
Northwestern needed a late-season surge against the Big Ten bottom feeders to even qualify for a bowl and isn't particularly adept on either side of the ball. Texas A&M has one of the more explosive and efficient offenses in the college game, led by quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Cyrus Gray.
The Wildcats simply don't have the horses to keep up with an Aggie team that is going to put up some points.
Oklahoma Sooners (-14)
The Oklahoma Sooners didn't quite live up to expectations this season as they finished 9-3 and fell short of winning the Big 12, but they are still a very dangerous team as evidenced by the 14-point line in their game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Insight Bowl on Dec. 30.
The Sooners have suffered major offensive injuries in running back Dominique Whaley and wide receiver Ryan Broyles, but they still boast a large allotment of weapons.
Quarterback Landry Jones may decide to declare for the NFL Draft, so he will certainly want to have a big performance against Iowa if it is, in fact, his final collegiate game. Iowa is a very up-and-down team, although it does have some offensive talent in the form of running back Marcus Coker and wide receiver Marvin McNutt.
Even so, the Sooners have had a bit of a disappointing year, so I anticipate them ending it on a high note.
Baylor Bears (-9.5)
While they may be best known for the fact that quarterback Robert Griffin III was awarded the Heisman Trophy this season, the Baylor Bears have had a great year as a team. They finished with a 9-3 regular-season record, are currently ranked No. 12 in the polls and were able to beat perennial Big 12 powers Oklahoma and Texas.
The Bears will be significant 9.5-point favorites in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29 against the 7-5 Washington Huskies.
Washington held up well in its first season since quarterback Jake Locker departed for the NFL, but the Huskies are clearly a flawed team. Quarterback Keith Price and running back Chris Polk lead a strong offense, but the defense was a mess against elite offenses like Stanford, Oregon and USC.
Baylor fits in that category and should easily outpace Washington.
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