Saturday, December 17th
Celebration Bowl (11 AM CT on ABC)
North Carolina Central v. Grambling. It's the MEAC versus the SWAC and let's be brutally honest here, I know absolutely nothing about either of these non-FBS teams and therefor, I am picking solely based on schedule thus far plus gut feeling.
My Pick: Grambling.
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| (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri) Get your Saturday morning started off right by watching former Ole Miss backup QB Devante Kincade lead the Grambling State Tigers to a Celebration Bowl victory. |
New Mexico Bowl (1 PM CT on ESPN)
New Mexico v. Texas-San Antonio. The New Mexico Lobos are the #1 rushing team in America.and UTSA has one of the most balanced mediocre teams in America. As is the case with a majority of college games, it's a matchup between one team dedicated to a specific scheme (New Mexico) and one that has no real identity at all besides a poor o-line (UTSA). The Lobos went 8-4 with close wins over a majority of their schedule while UTSA put up a dud versus Texas A&M and has no professional prospects.
My Pick: New Mexico.
Las Vegas Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ABC)
Houston v. San Diego State. For as hot of a start to the season as San Diego State had at 9-1, the Aztecs sure tapped out in November. Despite splitting games with Wyoming, the game that is freshest in my mind involving this team is their 31-63 loss to Colorado State, a team that only shows up when faced with a tough opponent (The Milwaukee Bucks of college football). Colorado State stacked the box and shut down 2,000-yard rusher Donnel Pumphrey, thus showcasing a scheme to render him below-average despite being in sleeper Heisman discussions at the end of the year. SDSU isn't just Pumphrey and a bunch of phonies though, as their run defense was one of the more successful units in the nation and they won't let Greg Ward Jr. scramble around with as much ease as he's used to. Once Houston lost to Navy (40-46), their season went from being the talk of the country to a distant memory quickly. The Cougar defense never truly recovered outside of one 36-10 beat-down of Louisville. Tom Herman may have left to coach Texas next year but, this is still the same team that lost a shootout to Memphis a few weeks ago and they should be fired up to show coach Herman what potential he left with interim coach Todd Orlando.
My Pick: Houston.
Camellia Bowl (4:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Appalachian State v. Toledo. Toledo Rocket QB Logan Woodside threw for 43 touchdowns this season and you might be reading his name for the first time right now. They needed him to throw most of those as their defense could not handle bigger challenges like the undefeated Broncos of Western Michigan (35-55) or even BYU (53-55). Their opponent, Appalachian State, is one of the better rushing teams outside of a power five conference and they hold the ability to get away with passing when necessary (think of the Denver Broncos with Trevor Siemian). Toledo's defense doesn't stand a chance and the Mountaineer defense is not to be dismissed either with a great showing back in week one in Tennessee (13-20).
My Pick: Appalachian State.
Cure Bowl (4:30 PM CT on CBS Sports Network)
Central Florida v. Arkansas State. One of two bowl games that does not take place on any of the ESPN family of networks or another major network (CBS, Fox, etc.), the UCF Knights have worked their way back to semi-relevancy in the post-Bortles era and Arkansas State pops up in a bowl game despite my lack of awareness that they aren't just another sub-.500 team (they actually went 7-5!). It's a good thing this isn't on any network that I get because yuck... I don't care for either team as they both have weaknesses all over. This is the type of game that will come down to turnovers (most do but in this case, it could be five turnovers to four).
My Pick: Arkansas State.
New Orleans Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
Southern Mississippi v. Louisiana-Lafayette. In another matchup of two .500 teams, there is no clear answer as to who should or will win the New Orleans Bowl. All I know is that the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss went 9-3 last season and lost the Heart of Dallas Bowl so, that loss may just motivate the elder players on the team like senior QB Nick Mullens to end the season on a positive note for once against a very mediocre team in the Ragin Cajuns. Former LSU QB Anthony Jennings was supposed to look more promising in a red and black jersey but instead, he's more turnover prone than ever and Lousiana-Lafayette has had to rely on their defense for wins over their cupcake schedule.
My Pick: Southern Mississippi.
Monday, December 19th
Miami Beach Bowl (1:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Central Michigan v. Tulsa. The Miami Beach Bowl has only been in existence for two seasons and is already one of my top five favorite bowl games. Both previous iterations of this game have been major shootouts and all four head coaches to coach in the Miami Beach Bowl have been hired to universities of higher respect in football (Bronco Mendenhall, Justin Fuente, Jeff Brohm, Willie Taggert). The inaugural game saw a 55-48 game end in double overtime and a post-game brawl thanks to the classy individuals playing for BYU at the time and last year saw Western Kentucky score four times in the third quarter in a 45-35 win over South Florida. These two teams will continue that trend as neither of them are afraid to put up points. Central Michigan has become more widely known as a sleeper school for NFL prospects with Thomas Rawls, Antonio Brown and J.J. Watt all once playing for the Chippewas and Tulsa went 9-3 while only scoring less than 40 thrice in 2016. Bonus points for the Chippewas' QB Cooper Rush on having one of the best quarterback names ever and playing in his final game after starting two of the most memorable bowl games in school history (2014 Bahamas Bowl & 2015 Quick Lane Bowl).
My Pick: Central Michigan.
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| Is Philip Montgomery the next coach to get a better job after a Beach Bowl appearance? |
Boca Raton Bowl (6 PM CT on ESPN)
Memphis v. Western Kentucky. Coming off of their 48-44 upset win over Houston, it's tough to envision the Memphis Tigers losing to a team whose only challenge was Alabama and they still finished with three losses. Wide receiver Anthony Miller is the only star on Memphis and he should have a field day against the unit Western Kentucky insists on calling a "secondary" (they lost a majority of their defense including CB Prince Charles Iworah last offseason). The Hilltoppers were much more trusting in their run game this season but, will be without recently-departed head coach Jeff Brohm, making their gameplan less clear and potentially catching the mediocre Memphis defense off guard. Expect a shootout.
My Pick: Memphis.
Wednesday, December 21st
Poinsettia Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
BYU v. Wyoming. After pulling off a major upset over then 13th-ranked Boise State, Wyoming has had some tough luck this past month with their miserable defensive play and possibly being the least clutch team in the nation. If a 66-69 loss to UNLV is supposed to instill confidence in fans of the Cowboys, then I no longer recognize the sport they are playing (seems like a basketball score, no?). BYU QB Taysom Hill is ending his career as a Cougar by sitting on the bench since a left elbow strain was discovered in him at the end of November, thus paving the path for Tanner Mangum to start this game. Mangum was fun and the definition of clutch last season with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and as long as their offensive line doesn't get him killed the way Hill was through all five of his seasons in the backfield, they should move the ball with ease.
My Pick: BYU.
Thursday, December 22nd
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (6 PM CT on ESPN)
Idaho v. Colorado State. Confession Time: I always stupidly confuse Colorado State with North Dakota State because of their color schemes and the fact that they end in "State". It's the dumbest two teams I constantly mix up in my head (Virginia-Virginia Tech, a close second). The reason I bring this up is because when I first saw this matchup I thought... "Wait... Colorado State is bowl eligible and only went 6-6 because they lost Carson Wentz???" when in reality, this just another 7-5 team with defensive troubles and an offense that was dinged up all year long. Thankfully for the Rams, they are mostly all healed up to face the Idaho Vandals in a bowl game that I can only assume was specifically created for them and their locally-sponsored potatoes. Idaho's last four games have started a hot streak for the Vandals to end the year on a high note led by TE Deon Watson and DE Aikeem Coleman and they have one of the best special teams in the country so, this won't be a cakewalk for the Rams.
My Pick: Colorado State.
Friday, December 23rd
Bahamas Bowl (12 PM CT on ESPN)
Eastern Michigan v. Old Dominion. For the first time in school history, the Monarchs of Old Dominion are bowl-eligible. After losing a bunch of players to injury, the Eastern Michigan Eagles were lucky to finish the season 7-5 as every one of their wins after week 3 was decided by one score. There really isn't a way to properly compare these two teams based on the seasons they had and the only thing each team seems to have going for themselves is that Old Dominion's coach Bobby Wilder is doing a great job and Eastern Michigan has a solid passing attack. It's a tricky pick and a trickier watch but, I'll take the better coach over the decent QB in a game this important to Old Dominion's school history.
My Pick: Old Dominion.
Armed Forces Bowl (3:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Louisiana Tech v. #25 Navy. The fast-paced running game of Navy takes on the Conference-USA runners up in a must-watch mid-afternoon game the Friday before Christmas. Recently, the Temple Owls embarrassed Navy by stopping QB Will Worth (injuring him in the process) and their stacked offensive line/entire running attack. If Temple can erase Navy's hype and churn out 34-10 victory over the Midshipmen, then Louisiana Tech's high-powered offense should at least be able to keep up with their mediocre defense attempting and probably failing to tackle the Toneo Gulley's and Dishan Romine's of the world. The deciding factor of this game is whichever version of the Navy defense shows up. Will it be the defense that gave up 52 to South Florida or the one that gave up 28 to Memphis?
My Pick: Louisiana Tech.
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| Michael Hickey/Getty Images Navy's defensive backs can not match the athleticism of LT WR Carlos Henderson. |
Ohio v. Troy. Ohio's defense has not given up 30 points since week one. For a team in as inconsistent a conference as the MAC, that is incredible. The Troy Trojans looked like a team that could have beaten the Bobcats until they lost two of their last three. Luckily enough for them, Ohio also ended the regular season on some rough notes by rotating quarterbacks and losing close, respectable matches to Central and Western Michigan.
My Pick: Ohio.
Saturday, December 24th
Hawaii Bowl (7 PM CT on ESPN)
Hawaii v. Middle Tennessee. Hawaii is a sub-.500 team and Middle Tennessee's starting quarterback is hurt. This Christmas Eve showdown is anything but a must-see which is why this is the perfect game to put on what is now an NFL Saturday. There will be 12 professional games taking place since the NFL only got four teams to agree to play on the day OF Christmas and at least one of those will be better than whatever this game turns into.
My Pick: Middle Tennessee.
Monday, December 26th
St. Petersburg Bowl (10 AM CT on ESPN)
Miami (Ohio) v. Mississippi State. Another sub-.500 team (5-7 Mississippi State) versus a team that began the season 0-6, only to win six consecutive for the first time in FBS history (Miami of Ohio). Sophomore RedHawks QB Gus Ragland is on the hottest hot streak for any quarterback in America (woah) with 15 TDs and not a single INT after taking over the starting job in week 7. Ragland rushed his way back from a Torn ACL and now he seems to have completely harvested Ben Roethlisberger's powers. It's crazy. Mississippi State's defense has been crazy bad and only made it here by pulling one upset over an over-hyped #4-at-the-time Texas A&M Aggie team. The Bulldogs' offense is fun to watch even in a post-Dak world but, they were unable to overcome their losses on defense this season and might even make the RedHawks' poor ground game look decent as one team is bound to have a post-Christmas hangover.
My Pick: Miami (Ohio).
Quick Lane Bowl (1:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Maryland v. Boston College. The Maryland Terrapins are heading into bowl season without their two strongest NFL prospects in RB Trey Edmunds and CB William Likely III. With first-year head coach D.J. Durkin, Maryland's defense was still no match for any of their Big Ten foes and the offense still refuses to show any life in big rivalry games (3 points @ Michigan, 3 vs. Ohio State & 7 @ Nebraska). Boston College is similarly inadequate compared to the rest of the Eagles' conference (ACC). UConn transfer QB Patrick Towles is nothing to brag about and the Eagles are still heavily reliant on a running game featuring RBs Jon Hilliman, Davon Jones and Myles Willis. This is another duel between .500 teams and a meeting of the minds between two highly-respected head coaches (Durkin and Steve Adazzio).
My Pick: Maryland.
Independence Bowl (5 PM CT on ESPN 2)
NC State v. Vanderbilt. For the first time since James Franklin left for Penn State, the Vanderbilt Commodores are bowl eligible and will play the resilient Wolfpack after NC State dropped four in a row only to come back and in two out of three over Syracuse and North Carolina. I really didn't think Boise State-transfer QB Ryan Finley would be able to lead NC State to any bowl games after their cold stretch but alas, the Wolfpack defense and RB Matthew Dayes turned their games up a notch and now, here they are. The Commodores managed to go an entire season with only one downright blowout loss to Georgia Tech (7-38) strangely enough. Vandy's offense was one of the least explosive in the nation among bowl teams this season but, they ended the regular season with 608 total yards of offense against the #17-at-the-time Tennessee Volunteers in an upset 45-34 victory. Ending the season on a high note is better than only having recently escaped from a 4-game losing skid.
My Pick: Vanderbilt.
Tuesday, December 27th
Heart of Dallas Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN)
Army v. North Texas. The North Texas Mean Green went 5-7, barely won the five games they won and are just nowhere near disciplined enough on either side of the ball to take on Army. The Black Knights just run and never stop running and it varies in success from week-to-week. The Mean Green defense could prepare all year for this game and their run defense doesn't stand much of a chance.
My Pick: Army.
Military Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ESPN)
#24 Temple v. Wake Forest. Here we have the AAC champion Temple Owls against a mediocre-at-best ACC team that hasn't topped 30 points since September. Yeah, the ACC is greater than the AAC but come on... really? How did these two get matched up in a bowl game that's supposed to be a fairly even matchup? The Owls have given up 33 points in their last five games and will likely hold on to that 6.6 points allowed per game average against the Demon Deacons, who have averaged 19.3 points per game all year. Their defense might hold up against an interim coach but, Wake Forest MUST keep this game low-scoring for any realistic odds at victory.
My Pick: Temple.
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| Tommy Gilligan - USA TODAY Sports Phillip Walker (formerly known as P.J. Walker), finishes off his career with 8 consecutive wins IF he can come out on top in the Military Bowl. |
Minnesota v. Washington State. Finally on Tuesday night, the return of a decently entertaining matchup of two solid college football teams, the first in days. The Cougars and Golden Gophers share the distinction of being the cute team in their conferences that nobody has taken seriously in a decade because something always goes wrong for them along a full regular season whether it's the result of poor coaching or inability to grab the best of the best recruits. Mike Leach is still running the Air Raid offense and had wild success with that strategy this season until the Cougs ran into the powerhouses of the Pac-12 (see: consecutive losses to Colorado and Washington). Minnesota was one of the more underrated teams in the country at 8-3, with no losses by double digits until they ran into the Badgers and had a predictable 4th quarter demise (L 17-31). Minnesota's defense is good enough to stop WSU QB Luke Falk from looking like the second-coming of Drew Bledsoe but, can they prevent themselves from being caught off-guard by the occasional draw play? It won't matter if Mitch Leidner goes 9-for-26 with 4 interceptions again.
My Pick: Washington State.
Cactus Bowl (9:15 PM CT on ESPN)
Boise State v. Baylor. Amazingly enough, despite Miami of Ohio being the first football team to start 0-6 and finish 6-6, the Baylor Bears are NOT the first team to begin a season 6-0 and finish 6-6 (see: 2011 Illinois Fighting Illini as most recent example). Boise State may have been the lesser school at any point in both programs' histories but for this first ever matchup between the two, the Bears are ice cold and QB Seth Russell has been out for the year since the beginning of the losing streak so, the Broncos should win as long as they wake themselves up in time for the game.
My Pick: Boise State.
Wednesday, December 28th
Pinstripe Bowl (1 PM CT on ESPN)
#23 Pittsburgh v. Northwestern. From the very beginning of the season, it was clear that this would not be Northwestern's year. After losses to an unknown-at-the-time Western Michigan team and Illinois State, I didn't think Northwestern would get anywhere close to bowl eligible but, they rallied. Finishing at .500 shouldn't have been a major accomplishment for the Wildcats based on how they played last season but, here we are. Their opponents are the 8-4 Pitt Panthers whose last game was a 76-61 shootout of ridiculous proportions against Syracuse. It's safe to say that the Panther defense does not pose such a strong threat for Northwestern's conservative offense and that RB James Conner will be heavily relied upon to keep the ball out of their opponent's hands.
My Pick: Pittsburgh.
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| Duane Burleson/Getty Images Northwestern WR Austin Carr is one of the most reliable targets in college football and should have a fun day versus Pittsburgh's shoddy defense. |
#16 West Virginia v. Miami (Florida). Two former rivals, the Miami Hurricanes have won 16 out of 19 all-time meetings versus the Mountaineers. This season was supposed to be Miami QB Brad Kaaya's breakout season, where he looked like the #1 pick in next year's draft and led Miami to a top-25 finish. Instead, Kaaya looked like a decent quarterback with a future that is unlikely to include a top-10 NFL draft pick and the 'Canes dropped four losses right in the middle of the season when casual fans would have bought in had the results gone differently. The Miami offense is there but, the defense is not what it once was. West Virginia was very underrated when they started out 6-0 and easily disposed of the flashy Texas Big-12 opponents and then they lost to Oklahoma State and everyone refused to acknowledge their existence the rest of the year. A 28-56 loss to Oklahoma exposed how mediocre WVU QB Skyler Howard is and just how heavily reliant the team is on their running game. The Mountaineer running game, by the way, has been rotating starting running backs from week-to-week recently and still finished 18th in the nation in rushing despite running a fairly even offense.
My Pick: West Virginia.
Foster Farms Bowl (7:30 PM CT on FOX)
Indiana v. #19 Utah. All of the pressure is on Indiana Hoosier defensive coordinator Tom Allen as he attempts to turn his "interim coach" label into a full-time gig after the controversial resignation of head coach Kevin Wilson. Maybe if he had an easier matchup than a ranked team that is still fairly healthy in the Utes of Utah, I'd give his team some hope and say that their running game is a true Big Ten rushing attack and should succeed no matter the opponent but, Utah's defense is too good to just get trampled over. They've had somewhere around seven or eight running backs get injured and have shown the resiliency to finish a respectable 8-4 and in comparison to Indiana's 6-6 season, this seems like a match tilted in favor of the Pac-12 for once.
My Pick: Utah.
Texas Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
Texas A&M v. Kansas State. Remember when everybody was freaking out that a 7-1 Texas A&M team was at #4 in the first rankings sent out by the playoff committee? LOL. After a 1-3 finish, the Aggies have entirely dropped from the Top 25 and America's radar due to a season-ending injury to QB Trevor Knight and a bunch of poor performances from a defense starring future top-5 pick DE Myles Garrett. Kansas State is still under control of head coach Bill Snyder and as is the case for many years under Snyder, the Wildcats a run-heavy offense featuring a quarterback that is more likely to scramble than do anything through the air. The Wildcat defense tends to come through in games against the big scary offenses of the Big 12 and a big scary offense from the SEC should not phase them much.
My Pick: Kansas State.
Thursday, December 29th
Birmingham Bowl (1 PM CT on ESPN)
South Florida v. South Carolina. The Gamecocks of South Carolina fell off of everyone's radar the moment Steve Spurrier announced his retirement last season. Their anonymity seems well deserved as the SEC was far weaker this season than any other year in the past decade and the team swapped players in and out of the lineup all year long, just to finish 6-6 including a week 13 low-point 7-56 loss in Clemson. It's a miracle the Gamecocks are bowl eligible. Also a miracle, the fact that the South Florida Bulls sadly lost Willie Taggart to Oregon and had a well renowned head coach like Charlie Strong (of Louisville fame and Texas infamy) fall into their laps with a 5-year contract. Now, Strong can't coach this game but, that sure as hell shouldn't matter against South Carolina when the Bulls went 10-2 with high-scoring losses to Florida State and Temple. The Bulls are a super fun team to watch and should have a super fun time against the Gamecocks rough defense.
My Pick: South Florida.
Belk Bowl (4:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Arkansas v. #22 Virginia Tech. Out of all the years that Arkansas has been under Brett Bielema, this should have been the year that the Razorbacks broke out of their shells and actually posed a threat in the mediocre SEC. Instead, the Hogs got destroyed by Auburn 3-56 and the losses of their 2015 graduates like QB Brandon Allen, both of the team's top two running backs and TE Hunter Henry. None of this excuses their defense choking time and time again versus their conference rivals. Virginia Tech overperformed much of the season, riding the arms and legs of Junior QB Jerod Evans. The first season in Blacksburg worked out magically for first-year head coach Justin Fuente and a coaching staff and roster full of newer personalities. VA Tech shut down North Carolina just as the Tar Heels were starting to feel themselves, shut out Boston College, kept things very close against Clemson and managed to win close shootouts versus Pitt and Notre Dame. Arkansas might be able to get into a shootout but, win? That'd be a challenge.
My Pick: Virginia Tech.
Alamo Bowl (8 PM CT on ESPN)
#12 Oklahoma State v. #10 Colorado. THIS game right here is why we have so many bowl games. There shouldn't be 42 bowl games but, 10? That seems like just enough if it can get us this specific, intriguing as hell matchup. Oklahoma State's offense is very dynamic but, struggled against fellow Big 12 teams and Colorado's offense was similar in it's own slow development versus their inter-conference rivals. At the end of the day, the Oklahoma State Cowboys' defense is one of the more overrated in the nation and the Buffaloes' offense stunk up fields across America versus Stanford,Washington, USC and even UCLA (who was a disaster on defense). Does Colorado go back to QB Steven Montex or do they stick with Sefo Liufau after his horrendous showing in the Pac-12 Championship. With Phillip Lindsay in the backfield and one of the better defensive backfields, the quarterback might not even matter.
My Pick: Oklahoma State.
Friday, December 30th
Liberty Bowl (11 AM CT on ESPN)
Georgia v. TCU. In 2015, TCU could have tricked me into believing they could have won the national championship with how many injuries they survived through, how great a coach Gary Patterson is and how flashy QB Trevone Boykin was before moving on to Seattle. The times have changed for the 6-6 Horned Frogs as their offense has gotten quiet the last month of the season and their defense sort of just blends in with the rest of the Big 12 now (which is not good). It doesn't appear to be a coaching problem but, I doubt they're losing out on too many prospects with how much success the team has had in recent years. Georgia had an average first season under Kirby Smart and managed to do it without RB Nick Chubb turning into the second-coming of Todd Gurley, like everybody had hoped. The Bulldogs are still just as mediocre (if not then more so) as they were under Mark Richt last season and will try to at least redeem the season with a bowl win, just like they did last season over Penn State.
My Pick: Georgia.
Sun Bowl (1 PM CT on CBS)
North Carolina v. Stanford. I am very intrigued by this game because Stanford fell off my radar back in week 4 when Washington annihilated the Cardinal 42-6 and the California-based school of band controversies somehow managed to end the season at a respectable 9-3 record. Former Heisman-favorite RB Christian McCaffery managed to run for 1,603 yards despite missing the Notre Dame game. He is the singularly most valuable player in college football not named Lamar Jackson, in that the team could not afford an injury to him without playing significantly worse. The Tar Heels are coming off of a loss to rival NC State and have a decent argument that QB Mitch Trubisky is right on McCaffery's tier in terms of value to the team. The Tar Heel defense has seen better days and if there are the right amount of holes, McCaffery will singularly define this game by whether or not he can find them.
My Pick: Stanford.
Music City Bowl (2:30 PM CT on ESPN)
Nebraska v. #21 Tennessee. Is Tommy Armstrong Jr. healthy? Even though the Cornhuskers' quarterback isn't very good, the other options on Nebraska's roster are so much worse that the team looked like a slightly-better Rutgers without him. If Armstrong Jr. isn't healthy, they won't be able to take advantage of one of the SEC's weakest defenses, that recently lost to Vanderbilt, and will fall victim to the Clemson-light offense. Honestly, I don't see them competing either way.
My Pick: Tennessee.
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| Jerome Miron - USA TODAY Sports Joshua Dobbs is Patrick Mahomes in a balanced offense. |
South Alabama v. Air Force. W...what? You got me. I'm stumped on this one.
My Pick: Air Force.
Orange Bowl (7 PM CT on ESPN)
#6 Michigan v. #11 Florida State. In what could be (it won't be) Jim Harbaugh's final game as the Wolverines' head coach, Michigan has to face the always-dangerous 9-3 Florida State Seminoles. Florida State has been riding DE DeMarcus Walker all season long as the loss of DB Derwin James proved to be too much to overcome in their attempt to return to the 4-team playoff and the team's pass defense has struggled mightily against out-of-conference opponents. Deondre Francois is a nice QB but, he's no Jameis Winston and RB Dalvin Cook will be relied on again versus one of the nation's toughest run defenses. Michigan is all defense all the time and will need to be as Florida State may be decimated but, has just enough to stop an offense with little star-power.
My Pick: Florida State.
Citrus Bowl (10 AM CT on ABC)
#20 LSU v. #13 Louisville. Heisman winner QB Lamar Jackson takes on preseason Heisman favorite RB Leonard Fournette (who is questionable with an injury) in what will be the Tigers' star's final game in purple and yellow... unless the Vikings draft him. Nobody outside of Alabama has been able to contain either Fournette or his backup, Derrius Guice and it's not as if the Cardinals' defense has been stopping anyone outside of the bottom of the ACC. On the other hand, LSU's defense was able to stop everyone besides Texas A&M in their final game of the regular season. Expect a bounceback from the Tiger defense despite the continued absence of senior Linebacker Kendell Beckwith and Jackson's presence on the field and his ability compared to LSU's passing game.
My Pick: LSU.
Taxslayer Bowl (10 AM CT on ESPN)
Georgia Tech v. Kentucky. Georgia Tech's triple option offense is still working on occasion in 2016 but, the Yellow Jackets continue to shrivel up in big games. Thankfully for them, the Tacslayer Bowl is the least important game taking place on New Years' Eve and Kentucky is not a "BIG" opponent. The last anyone saw of Kentucky, they were playing such good offense that they won a 41-38 shootout over the Heisman winner (who just happens to be on ABC at the same time). Kentucky is one team with no obvious strengths and a bad defense that the Yellow Jackets could carve up on the ground.
My Pick: Georgia Tech.
Orange Bowl (2 PM CT on ESPN)
#4 Washington v. #1 Alabama. Alabama is the best team in the nation and it's not even close. The only reason we're even having a playoff this year (other than money) is to see if there one single hole in the Death Star that another team can take advantage of. If it's the Crimson Tide's passing defense, the Huskies are a prime suspect for exploiting that weakness. If the weakness is Alabama's running game, it might not even matter because for as good as the Huskies' defense was this season, they don't seem to match up to LSU's or even Florida's and 'Bama took care of both teams with ease. Add all of that to the fact that this games takes place in the Georgia Dome and everything leans in favor of Nick Saban making his 6th National Championship Game.
My Pick: Alabama.
Fiesta Bowl (6 PM CT on ESPN)
#3 Ohio State v. #2 Clemson. As much as the world needs a Clemson-Alabama rematch in the championship game, I just don't see the Tigers going through the season unscathed (minus a 1-point loss to Pitt) with so many close calls. This Clemson team reminds me a lot of the 2014 Florida State team as both teams lost just enough defensive players from the previous season to not be as complete as a championship team should be. 2014 was also the year when Urban Meyer's Ohio State Buckeyes won the championship. Being the only team in the final four that did not win their conference puts some additional pressure on the Buckeyes but, I'm sure they'll just use that as extra motivation behind the scenes for a statement win and a second trip to the finals of the College Football Playoff.
My Pick: Ohio State.
Monday, January 2nd
Cotton Bowl (12 PM CT on ESPN)
#15 Western Michigan v. #8 Wisconsin. Two midwestern team of varying degrees of national respect travel to Texas in a matchup of the criminally underrated Western Michigan Broncos and the nation's greatest 3-loss team, the Wisconsin Badgers. It's a great story that the Broncos are 13-0 but, I'm not doubting this Badger team anymore with how well they've outplayed expectations.
My Pick: Wisconsin.
Outback Bowl (12 PM CT on ABC)
#17 Florida v. Iowa. Two offenses with little hope and two defenses with higher aspirations than the results we've seen from them. The Hawkeyes at least have a consistent running game whereas the Florida Gators just have a consistently abysmal offense ever since Urban Meyer left. This should be a classic matchup of two defensive-minded teams but, it will not be an easy watch compared to the Cotton Bowl.
My Pick: Iowa.
Rose Bowl (4 PM CT on ESPN)
#9 USC v. #5 Penn State. Technically speaking, this is the strongest bowl game between two non-playoff teams and it should live up to the hype with two teams that many experts argued should have made the playoffs based on how mightily they finished the season. USC rode a strong, healthier defense along with freshman QB Sam Darnold from a 1-3 record to a 9-3 record while Penn State rode their enormous receiving corps to save them anytime the legs of RB Saquon Barkley just weren't enough to win. The Nittany Lions of Penn State finished 11-2 with a Big Ten Championship win over Wisconsin and USC missed out on the Pac-12 'ship due to their early season losses to Stanford and Utah. Both teams were on hot enough streaks to finish the year in the top ten and this game will determine whether or not the Trojans are more deserving of their rank than Penn State.
My Pick: USC.
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| Nick Entin - Daily Trojan USC QB Sam Darnold is on an 8-game winning streak headed into the Rose Bowl. |
#14 Auburn v. #7 Oklahoma. The Auburn Tigers are supposedly the best 4-loss team in the country but, they are also the beneficiaries of being a team in the SEC who nobody will ever question until they are within grasp of falling to a .500 record. Oklahoma is a legitimate team with two Heisman candidates (QB Baker Mayfield & WR Dede Westbrook) and a suspect defense in big games. Give me two losses over four.
My Pick: Oklahoma.
Monday, January 9th
National Championship Game (7 PM CT on ESPN)
Alabama/Washington v. Ohio State/Clemson. The only ways I see Nick Saban leaving Alabama are as follows...
1. He passes up Bear Bryant's 6 Championship wins (able to tie that in this game).
2. He ties Bryant with 6 wins at Alabama (needs two more).
3. He beats his only comrade as the "best to do it this century" Urban Meyer in a National Championship (Could do that this season).
4. Death (which is impossible, because he is a robot who did not even realize there was an election this year).
Urban Meyer will go anywhere as long as they offer him an unbelievable amount of money. I think that Alabama's defense feels snubbed out of the Heisman ceremony, not to mention the fact that NOBODY on the #1 team in America was nominated and Ohio State had some troubles against Wisconsin, Michigan, Northwestern and even Michigan State. The Buckeyes one loss came to a respectable Penn State squad but, compared to Alabama (who only had trouble putting away Ole Miss all the way back in September) well... there is no comparison right now.
My Pick: Alabama defeats Ohio State 41-10.
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| Getty Images NOTHING is getting through this version of the Alabama defense. NOTHING. |
So enjoy this wonderful time of year and even if your bowl team gets destroyed by the University of Duhhh, tomorrow will be better.
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