Are 40 bowl games too many? Not in the sports books

It never has been easier to reach a bowl game, which is not a good thing. After a bad coaching hire and a dumpster fire of a season, Nebraska is taking a losing record to the postseason. It's not going to earn Mike Riley a contract extension, but somehow he's going bowling.

It's easy to say there are too many bowls. After all, Georgia Southern and Georgia State are both in bowls, and who thought that would ever happen? There is something called the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., and it sounds so depressing, it should be where the winner of the AFC South meets the winner of the NFC East. But it's actually Appalachian State against Ohio.

Duke and Indiana are playing at Yankee Stadium, but it's not an outdoor basketball game, it's the prestigious Pinstripe Bowl.

There probably are too many bowls, yet it's all a matter of perspective. Bettors and bookmakers are just fine with 40 bowl games, because each one means something when there is money on the line.

"That's a lot of bowls, but I like it," Sunset Station sports book director Chuck Esposito said. "It does get a little bit diluted, but it's good because there's always bowl games going on. From our perspective, there are so many games going on that it creates a buzz this time of year."

At 9 a.m. on a Thursday, would you rather watch Joy Behar and Whoopi Goldberg on "The View" or Middle Tennessee and Western Michigan in the Bahamas Bowl? So that settles it. Forty might not be enough bowls.

The Brigham Young-Utah matchup Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl is as good as it gets before Christmas. Two teams full of hatred. A packed Sam Boyd Stadium, something that rarely happens. Brent Musburger, who probably knows the betting lines on all 40 bowls, calling the action on ABC. This is good.

Bronco Mendenhall is coaching his final game for the Cougars before ditching the bright lights and wild nightlife of Provo, Utah, for a big-money contract at Virginia. Kyle Whittingham is coaching the Utes this week and is being mentioned as a candidate to replace Mendenhall next week.

"I heard Utah didn't really want this matchup, but it fell that way," The Gold Sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall said. "I don't know how this thing is going to work for BYU because it's an awkward situation with Mendenhall."

The first signs of sharp money showed on the Cougars, who are 2½-point underdogs. The Gold Sheet is forecasting a six-point win for the Utes, who are 7-1 straight up in bowls under Whittingham. Marshall said his opinion on the game is "not that strong."

Marshall (Goldsheet.com) is touting Georgia State as a 2½-point underdog to San Jose State in the Cure Bowl, one of five games on the bowl season's opening day. It's hard to imagine the Spartans bringing more than 100 fans to the traditional classic bowl in Orlando.

"I can't believe Georgia State is an underdog in that game," Marshall said with the amazement of a man who has spent way too many hours in his office handicapping minor bowls.

But that's what is great about the bowl season. As bettors, we care about a lot of these pathetic bowls, not just Michigan State-Alabama (Cotton) and Oklahoma-Clemson (Orange) in the big four-team College Football Playoff.

My favorite thing to do on Christmas Eve each year is not to go shopping or gather with family around a fireplace and trade old stories. I always watch the Hawaii Bowl, and it features a pretty good matchup this year with Cincinnati and San Diego State in a pick 'em game.

On the day after Christmas, Nebraska (5-7) is a 6½-point underdog to UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif. I'll go with the Bruins, who had much higher hopes in September, when freshman quarterback Josh Rosen appeared to be a phenom.

Bowls are full of question marks and typically difficult to handicap. Aside from the usual player injuries and suspensions, there are strange matchups in odd locales, a lot of time off between games for most teams, and motivation can be a mystery. Coaching changes can be a factor, too.

My best bet is Southern California as a 3-point favorite over Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30. Clay Helton is now the Trojans' permanent coach, he wants to win and end the season on a high note, and his team has too much speed for the Badgers.

Are 40 bowl games too many?

"It has never bothered me," South Point oddsmaker Jimmy Vaccaro said. "If I thought it had some ill effect, I probably would say something about it."

For those who enjoy handicapping the bowls, the South Point and William Hill sports books are offering bowl contests with small entry fees and large jackpots. That is a good thing.

* CLOSING NUMBERS — I finished the regular season in a slump, and my college football record is 42-40-2 going into the bowl season. I'll add more plays next week, but here are the bowl bets I'm on for now:

Georgia State (+2½) over San Jose State; Arkansas State-Louisiana Tech (Over 68); Temple (-1½) over Toledo; UCLA (-6½) over Nebraska; Colorado State (-3) over UNR; USC (-3) over Wisconsin; Oregon (Pick) over Texas Christian.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports betting columnist Matt Youmans can be reached at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. He co-hosts "The Las Vegas Sportsline" weekdays at 2 p.m. on ESPN Radio (1100 AM). Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247