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D.J. Boyer gives you predictions and a guide to all of the Bowl Games and the Draft prospects to watch for.
Dec. 19th at 12:00 PM - Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
Alcorn State (9-3) vs. North Carolina A&T (9-2)
A pair of teams here trying to reach the magical 10-win plateau for the season. This is the inaugural Celebration Bowl and both teams will be very motivated to to come out on top. In the end I feel this comes down to quarterback play, and this is where Alcorn State has the decisive advantage.
Prediction: Alcorn State 31 North Carolina A&T 23
Final:North Carolina A&T 41 Alcorn State 34 0-1
Prospects to Watch:
Alcorn State
John Gibbs Jr. - QB Sr. UFA
Isaac Sampson - OG Sr. UFA
North Carolina A&T
Marquis Ragland - DE Jr. UFA
Tony McRae - CB Sr. UFA
Dec. 19th at 2:00 PM - Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Arizona (6-6) vs. New Mexico (7-5)
The Wildcats have scored 37 or more points in all six of their wins this season while giving up 45 or more during five games. Arizona lost four of their last five but are instilled as 10 point favorites with the early line. New Mexico comes in hot registering wins against Utah State, Boise State and Air Force during the final month of the campaign. Arizona looks like they will have quarterback Anu Soloman and linebacker Scooby Wright healthy so I give them the edge.
Prediction: Arizona 41 New Mexico 35
Final:Arizona 45 New Mexico 37 1-1
Prospects to Watch:
Arizona
Reggie Gilbert - DE Sr. 6th Round
Scooby Wright - LB Jr. 2nd Round
New Mexico
Dakota Cox - LB Jr. UFA
Ryan Santos - S Jr. UFA
Dec. 19th at 3:30 PM - Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
BYU (9-3) vs. Utah (9-3)
Utah has been decimated by injuries after early in the season looking like a team that had a shot at the Playoff. Both teams have underrated defenses and terrific special teams play. The best draft prospect for this game, Utah running back Devontae Booker, will not be active. BYU wins the Battle for Utah here.
Prediction: BYU 21 Utah 20
Final:Utah 35 BYU 28 1-2
Prospects to Watch:
BYU
Ryker Mathews - OT Sr. 4th Round
Bronson Kaufusi - DE Sr. 5th Round
Utah
Tom Hackett - P Sr. 7th Round
Jason Fanaika - DE Sr. 5th Round
Dec. 19th at 5:30 PM - Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Appalachian State (10-2) vs. Ohio (8-4)
Hard to believe just a few seasons ago Appalachian State was still playing FCS football. App State only lost two games and one was against Clemson. Ohio now has seven straight winning seasons under their belt so these programs have been doing quite well under the radar. I like the Appalachian State running attack against the Ohio defensive line.
Prediction: Appalachian State 34 Ohio 24
Final:Appalachian State 31 Ohio 29 2-2
Prospects to Watch:
Appalachian State
Ronald Blair - DE Sr. 6th Round
Doug Middleton - S Sr. 7th Round
Ohio
Devin Bass - CB Sr. 7th Round/UFA
Quentin Poling - LB Soph. 4th Round
Dec. 19th at 7:00 PM - Cure Bowl
San Jose State (5-7) vs. Georgia State (6-6)
Combine these teams records and you wind up at 11-13...yikes. Can San Jose State stop quarterback Nick Arbuckle? Arbuckle quietly passed for 4,160 yards and my hunch is that yes, San Jose State can put the clamps on Georgia State.
Prediction: San Jose State State 27 Georgia State 10
Final:San Jose State 27 Georgia State 16 3-2
Prospects to Watch:
San Jose State
Tyler Ervin - RB Jr. 6th Round
Billy Freeman - TE Jr. 4th Round
Georgia State
Joseph Peterson - S Sr. UFA
Joel Ruiz - TE Sr. UFA
Dec. 19th at 9:00 PM - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Arkansas State (9-3) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)
This should be the most explosive of the opening day Bowl games we see. Arkansas State has won eight in a row and should continue that streak. Louisiana Tech has 3-4 legitimate pro prospects on their roster.
Prediction: Arkansas State 41 Louisiana Tech 37
Final:Louisiana Tech 47 Arkansas State 28 3-3
Prospects to Watch:
Arkansas State
Rocky Hayes - CB Sr. UFA
Darrion Griswold - TE Sr. 5th Round
Louisiana Tech
Kenneth Dixon - RB Sr. 2nd Round
Vernon Butler - DT Sr. 3rd Round
Dec. 21st at 2:30 PM - Miami Beach Bowl
Western Kentucky (11-2) vs. South Florida (8-4)
Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty enters this game needing 406 yards to hit 5,000 yards passing on the season and he already leads the nation in touchdown passes. Doughty hits the mark against a red-hot South Florida team.
Prediction: Western Kentucky 47 South Florida 30
Final:Western Kentucky 45 South Florida 35 4-3
Prospects to Watch:
Western Kentucky
Brandon Doughty - QB Sr. 4th Round
Taylor Higbee- TE Sr. 5th Round
South Florida
Marlon Mack - RB Soph. 4th Round
Sean Price - TE Sr. 7th Round
Dec. 22nd at 3:30 PM - Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Akron (7-5) vs. Utah State (6-6)
The last time Akron won a bowl game was....ahhh...errr.....Akron has never won a bowl game. Utah State will try to ensure Chuckie Keeton goes out a winner but they have been wildly inconsistent. Akron gets a Christmas present.
Prediction: Akron 23 Utah State 17
Final:Akron 23 Utah State 21 5-3
Prospects to Watch:
Utah State
Kyler Fackrell - LB Sr. 4th Round
Nick Vigil - LB Jr. 6th Round
Akron
Jatavis Brown - LB/S Sr. 7th Round
Se'Von Pittman - DE Jr. 6th Round
Dec. 22nd at 4:30 PM - Marmot Boca Raton Bowl
Toledo (9-2) vs. Temple (10-3)
If you are a fan of a good defensive struggle then we have the game for you. Temple wins in a game that could go either way and will have a distinct pro feel with the quality of players on the field.
Prediction: Temple 20 Toledo 16
Final:Toledo 32 Temple 17 5-4
Prospects to Watch:
Temple
Tyler Matakevich - LB Sr. 2nd Round
Kyle Friend - C Sr. 5th Round
Toledo
Storm Norton - OT Jr. 5th Round
Orion Jones - DT Sr. 7th Round
Dec. 23rd at 4:30 PM - San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Northern Illinois (8-5) vs. Boise State (8-4)
Brett Rypien is starting to emerge as a solid quarterback that may have a future pro career down the road and Boise State will get the benefits over the next few seasons. Northern Illinois is just a pesky team to play, they always seem to make a big upset every year and usually score 10 win seasons with ease. This is a bit of a down year for both programs but Boise State emerges victorious and keeps their impressive bowl record moving in the right direction.
Prediction: Boise State 31 Northern Illinois 23
Final:Boise State 55 Northern Illinois 7 6-4
Prospects to Watch:
Northern Illinois
Aidan Conlon - OG Sr. UFA
Marlon Moore - S Sr. UFA
Boise State
Darian Thompson - S Sr. 2nd Round
Rees Odhiambo - OG Sr. 5th Round
Dec. 23rd at 8:00 PM - Go Daddy Bowl
Georgia Southern (8-4) vs. Bowling Green (10-3)
Matt Johnson continues his banner year as MAC Champions Bowling Green aim for their 11th win. With Georgia Southern you know what you get. The team is 1st in the nation in rushing offense and dead last in passing.
Prediction: Bowling Green 51 Georgia Southern 30
Final:Georgia Southern 58 Bowling Green 27 6-5
Prospects to Watch:
Georgia Southern
Antwion Williams - LB Sr. UFA
Jay Ellison - DT Jr. UFA
Bowling Green
Roger Lewis - WR Soph. 3rd Round
Matt Johnson - QB Sr. 7th Round
Dec. 24th at 12:00 PM - Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Middle Tennessee State (7-5)
We are predicting that Western Michigan will boldly go where no Western Michigan team has gone before it....winning a bowl game. Western Michigan is 0-6 all-time but we think this is the year they stop the bleeding.
Prediction: Western Michigan 28 Middle Tennessee State 27
Final:Western Michigan 45 Middle Tennessee State 31 7-5
Prospects to Watch:
Western Michigan
Ronald Zamort - CB Sr. 6th Round
Willie Beavers - OT Sr. 4th Round
Middle Tennessee State
Kevin Byard - S Sr. 3rd Round
Darius Johnson - OG Sr. 7th Round
Dec. 24th at 8:00 PM - Hawaii Bowl
Cincinnati (7-5) vs. San Diego State (10-3)
San Diego State has quietly put up an impressive year on defense where they rank #9 overall. Gunner Kiel of Cincinnati is one of the best quarterbacks at the FBS level when healthy but he isn't so expect San Diego State to keep rolling.
Prediction: San Diego State 35 Cincinnati 14
Final:San Diego State 42 Cincinnati 7 8-5
Prospects to Watch:
Cincinnati
Gunner Kiel - QB Jr. 1st Round
Parker Ehringer - OT/OG Sr. 4th Round
San Diego State
Donnel Pumphrey - RB Jr. 5th Round
Damontae Kazee - CB Jr. 5th Round
Dec. 26th at 11:00 AM - St. Peterburg Bowl
Connecticut (6-6) vs. Marshall (9-3)
Marshall is going for another 10-win season, something they seem to do with regularity. Connecticut has a strong defense and we think they will give Marshall fits all day long, enough to get them a victory in another upset. Although he is just a sophomore, Connecticut cornerback Jamar Summers may have future 1st round talent. The last Huskies cornerbacker to go in the first round...just this past year with Byron Jones going to Dallas.
Prediction: Connecticut 17 Marshall 14
Final:Marshall 16 Connecticut 10 8-6
Prospects to Watch:
Connecticut
Jamar Summers - CB Soph. 1st Round
Andrew Adams - S Sr. UFA
Marshall
Clint Van Horn - OT Sr. 6th Round
A.J. Leggett - S Jr. 5th Round
Dec. 26th at 2:00 PM - Hyundai Sun Bowl
Washington State (8-4) vs. Miami (8-4)
The Sun Bowl has consistently been one of the best bowl games to watch every year...this should be no different. A couple of sophomore gunslingers under center lead the way in Luke Falk and Brad Kayaa. Both programs should be excited about the direction they are going in the future.
Prediction: Washington State 50 Miami 38
Final:Washington State 20 Miami 14 9-6
Prospects to Watch:
Washington State
Joe Dahl - OG Sr. 5th Round
Luke Falk - QB Soph. 4th Round
Miami
Brad Kayaa - QB Soph. 3rd Round
Deon Bush - S Sr. 4th Round
Dec. 26th at 2:20 PM - Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl
Washington (6-6) vs. Southern Miss (9-4)
Todd Monken had our vote for Coach of the Year as he took Southern Miss from 1 win to 9 in just one season. We think Monken raises that to 10 in another very intriguing bowl matchup.
Prediction: Southern Miss 34 Washington 23
Final:Washington 44 Southern Miss 31 9-7
Prospects to Watch:
Washington
Travis Feeney - LB Sr. 3rd Round
Myles Gaskin - RB Fr. 2nd Round
Southern Miss
Cameron Tom - C Jr. 5th Round
Adarrius Perkins - S Jr. UFA
Dec. 26th at 3:30 PM - New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Indiana (6-6) vs. Duke (7-5)
This game seems to hinge on the health of Indiana transfer running back Jordan Howard. If Howard plays we like Indiana against a suddenly weak Duke defense. If Howard misses the game look for Duke to get their first bowl win since 1961.
Prediction: Indiana 34 Duke 30
Final:Duke 44 Indiana 41 OT 9-8
Prospects to Watch:
Indiana
Jason Spriggs - OT Sr. 1st/2nd Round
Jordan Howard - RB Jr.. 4th Round
Duke
Jeremy Cash - S Sr. 2nd Round
Braxton Deaver - TE Sr. 6th Round
Dec. 26th at 5:45 PM - Camping World Independence Bowl
Tulsa (6-6) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)
This is all about FBS active coaching victories leader Frank Beamer coaching his last game for the Hokies. We feel the Hokies won't let Frank go out on a losing note.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 27 Tulsa 18
Final:Virginia Tech 55 Tulsa 52 10-8
Prospects to Watch:
Tulsa
Michael Mudoh - S Sr. UFA
Keyarris Garrett - WR Sr. UFA
Virginia Tech
Kendall Fuller - CB Jr. 2nd Round
Isaiah Ford - WR Soph. 2nd Round
Dec. 26th at 9:15 PM - Foster Farms Bowl
Nebraska (5-7) vs. UCLA (8-4)
Don't let that 5-7 record fool you, Nebraska can ball and lost a lot of heartbreakers. Nebraska also handed Michigan State their only loss of the season (so far?). UCLA nearly found their way back to the Pac 12 Championship game but they are a team that is beat up and we don't think they will be entirely motovated to play this game. We are going with the 5-7 Cornhuskers here.
Prediction: Nebraska 34 UCLA 24
Final:Nebraska 37 UCLA 29 11-8
Prospects to Watch:
Nebraska
Maliek Collins - DT Jr. 3rd Round
Alex Lewis - OT Sr. 6th Round
UCLA
Myles Jack - LB Jr. 1st Round
Kenny Clark - DT Jr. 1st Round
Dec. 28th at 2:30 PM - Military Bowl
Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. Navy (10-2)
Interesting matchup as Pittsburgh has a stout running defense that ranks #20 in the nation. Pittsburgh will be tasked with slowing down the #3 rushing offense led by FBS leading scorer Keenan Reynolds. Pittsburgh will make a dent in the rushing attack but the problem is the Panther offense hasn't been consistent. Navy opens up a close game late with a few 4th quarter TD's after wearing down the Panthers defense.
Prediction: Navy 37 Pittsburgh 28
Final:Navy 44 Pittsburgh 28 12-8
Prospects to Watch:
Pittsburgh
Tyler Boyd - WR Jr. 2nd Round
Adam Bisnowaty - OT Jr. 3rd Round
Navy
Keenan Reynolds - RB Sr. 6th Round
Chris Swain - FB Sr. 7th Round
Dec. 28th at 5:00 PM - Quick Lane Bowl
Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Minnesota (5-7)
Minnesota has lost seven consecutive bowl games and have a new coach...this seems like a bad combination. Look for Central Michigan to prevail.
Prediction: Central Michigan 26 Minnesota 20
Final:Minnesota 21 Central Michigan 14 12-9
Prospects to Watch:
Central Michigan
Nick Beamish - C Sr. UFA
Kavon Frazier - S Sr. 6th Round
Minnesota
Brien Boddy-Calhoun - CB Sr. 3rd Round
Eric Murray - CB Sr. 5th Round
Dec. 29th at 2:00 PM - Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
California (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-5)
Jared Goff will likely be playing his final college game before opting to forgo his final year of eligibility. This is a favorable matchup for California but the defense is battling through key injuries and Air Force could make this a close game.
Prediction: California 35 Air Force 28
Final: California 55 Air Force 36 13-9
Prospects to Watch:
California
Jared Goff - QB Jr. 1st Round
Hardy Nickerson - LB Jr. 3rd Round
Air Force
Weston Steelhammer - S Jr. 4th Round
Alex Hansen - DE Sr. 7th Round/UFA
Dec. 29th at 5:30 PM - Russell Athletic Bowl
North Carolina (11-2) vs. Baylor (9-3)
A pair of very talented offenses here but we are robbed of a marquee matchup with Baylor on their 3rd string quarterback. This will be the difference as North Carolina prevails with experienced quarterback play.
Prediction: North Carolina 45 Baylor 33
Final:Baylor 49 North Carolina 38 13-10
Prospects to Watch:
North Carolina
Landon Turner - OG Sr. 3rd Round
Bentley Spain - OT Soph. 2nd Round
Baylor
Andrew Billings - DT Jr. 1st Round
Shawn Oakman - DE Sr. 1st Round
Dec. 29th at 7:30 PM - NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Nevada (6-6) vs. Colorado State (7-5)
Colorado State rides a 5 game winning streak where they are averaging 35 PPG coming into this bowl matchup. Rashard Higgins may be playing his final college game for Colorado State and should have a huge night.
Prediction: Colorado State 30 Nevada 14
Final:Nevada 28 Colorado State 23 13-11
Prospects to Watch:
Nevada
Asauni Rufus - S Fr. 4th Round
Ian Seau- DE Sr. 6th Round
Colorado State
Rashard Higgins - WR Jr. 2nd Round
Trent Matthews - S Sr. 4th/5th Round
Dec. 29th at 7:30 PM - ADVOCare V100 Texas Bowl
LSU (8-3) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)
So the Texas Tech defense is tasked with stopping Leonard Fournette. The Red Raiders ranked 126th in rushing defense....I think that's all we need to know.
Prediction: LSU 37 Texas Tech 24
Final:LSU 56 Texas Tech 27 14-11
Prospects to Watch:
LSU
Leonard Fournette - RB Soph. 1st Round
Vadal Alexander - OG Sr. 1st Round
Texas Tech
Le'Raven Clark - OT Sr. 2nd Round
DeAndre Washington - RB Sr. 6th Round
Dec. 30th at 12:00 PM - Birmingham Bowl
Auburn (6-6) vs. Memphis (9-3)
Auburn may win the title for "Most Disappointing Team of the Season". Auburn needs a win here to avoid having a losing record. Chances are Memphis wins the "Battle of the Tigers". Memphis is 1-0 against the SEC this season after their impressive 37-24 defeat of Ole Miss, why not make it 2-0.
Prediction: Memphis 34 Auburn 21
Final:Auburn 31 Memphis 10 14-12
Prospects to Watch:
Auburn
Johnathan Ford - S Jr. 2nd Round
Montravius Adams- DT Sr. 4th Round
Memphis
Paxton Lynch - QB Jr. 1st Round
Jake Elliot - K Jr. 6th Round
Dec. 30th at 3:30 PM - Belk Bowl
Mississippi State (8-4) vs. NC State (7-5)
A pair of teams led by senior quarterbacks who will hear their names called on draft day. Conventional wisdom says to take Mississippi State and we are listening. An NC State upset here would not surprise us and if so we will be kicking ourselves for not picking it.
Prediction: Mississippi State 40 NC State 34
Final:Mississippi State 51 NC State 28 15-12
Prospects to Watch:
Mississippi State
Dak Prescott - QB Sr. 3rd/4th Round
Chris Jones - DT Jr. 3rd/4th Round
NC State
Jacoby Brissett- QB Sr. 5th Round
Kentavius Street - DT Soph 4th Round
Dec. 30th at 7:00 PM - Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Texas A&M (8-4) vs. Louisville (7-5)
With the rate Texas A&M quarterbacks are leaving the program there is no telling who will be under center. Louisville is another team that had a very disappointing season but they close out the campaign with a solid victory.
Prediction: Louisville 24 Texas A&M 20
Final:Louisville 27 Texas A&M 21 16-12
Prospects to Watch:
Texas A&M
Myles Garrett - DE Soph. 1st Round
Germain Ifedi - OT/OG Jr. 2nd/3rd Round
Louisville
Sheldon Rankins- DT Sr. 2nd/3rd Round
Devonte Fields - DE Jr. 2nd Round
Dec. 30th at 10:30 PM - National Funding Holiday Bowl
USC (8-5) vs. Wisconsin (9-3)
Lots of turmoil for USC this season and Wisconsin failed to score any big wins against quality opponents. We take the quarterback play of Cody Kessler in this one.
Prediction: USC 28 Wisconsin 25
Final:Wisconsin 23 USC 21 16-13
Prospects to Watch:
USC
Adoree Jackson- CB Soph. 1st Round
JuJu Smith-Schuster - WR Soph. 1st Round
Wisconsin
Joe Schobert- LB Sr. 4th Round
Tyler Marz - OT Sr. 3rd Round
Dec. 31st at 12:00 PM - Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Houston (12-1) vs. Florida State (10-2)
It will take a magnificant game from quarterback Greg Ward Jr. to beat the Seminoles but I think this team can get it done. If Ward didn't miss any time due to injury near the end of the season, there is a good chance that Houston would have went undefeated.
Prediction: Houston 38 Florida State 35
Final:Houston 38 Florida State 24 17-13
Prospects to Watch:
Houston
William Jackson III - CB Sr. 2nd Round
Greg Ward Jr. - RB Jr. 4th Round
Florida State
Jalen Ramsey- CB Jr. 1st Round
Dalvin Cook - RB Soph. 1st Round
Dec. 31st at 4:00 PM - College Football Playoff Semi-Final Capital One Orange Bowl
Clemson (13-0) vs. Oklahoma (11-1)
This seems to be the toughest game to call of all the bowl games. Oklahoma has seen their defense make a huge turnaround but the mobility of Deshaun Watson and the inconsistency of the Oklahoma secondary leads us to call this in favor of Clemson by the slimmest of margins. Oklahoma will have last years game in mind as revenge after getting embarrassed 40-6.
Prediction: Clemson 30 Oklahoma 29
Final:Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17 18-13
Prospects to Watch:
Clemson
Mackenzie Alexander - CB Soph. 1st Round
Shaq Lawson - DE Jr. 1st Round
Oklahoma
Samaje Perine - RB Soph. 2nd Round
Sterling Shepard - WR Sr. 3rd Round
Dec. 31st at 4:00 PM - College Football Playoff Semi-Final Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Michigan State (12-1) vs. Alabama (12-1)
Seems like we can't lose here. Alabama is the team we had #1 in our Fierce 40 poll at the end of the season. Michigan State was our preseason pick to win the National Championship. Going to go with the hot hand now as the Tide looks to roll behind Derrick Henry. Talk about a collection of talent, we count 10 players in this game carrying 1st round grades for their draft class.
Prediction: Alabama 27 Michigan State 17
Final:Alabama 38 Michigan State 0 19-13
Prospects to Watch:
Michigan State
Connor Cook - QB Sr. 1st Round
Jack Conklin - OT Jr. 1st Round
Alabama
Reggie Ragland - LB Sr. 1st Round
Cam Robinson - OT Soph. 1st Round
Jan. 1st at 12:00 PM - Outback Bowl
Northwestern (10-2) vs. Tennessee (8-4)
We can't say enough about the job the Northwestern coaching staff has done on the season. Tennessee was very close to having at least 10 wins themselves and we feel they will have just enough offense in this game to previal. This is a game that should come down to who can protect the ball and who can force turnovers.
Prediction: Tennessee 22 Northwestern 13
Final:Tennessee 45 Northwestern 6 20-13
Prospects to Watch:
Northwestern
Anthony Walker - LB Soph. 2nd Round
Justin Jackson - RB Soph. 5th Round
Tennessee
Derek Barnett - DE Soph. 4th Round
Cameron Sutton - CB Jr. 2nd/3rd Round
Jan. 1st at 1:00 PM - Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
Florida (10-3) vs. Michigan (9-3)
Michigan is 2-0 since the year 2000 against Florida in bowl games.....things tend to happen in 3's.
Prediction: Michigan 27 Florida 21
Final:Michigan 41 Florida 7 21-13
Prospects to Watch:
Florida
Vernon Hargreaves III - CB Jr. 1st Round
Jonathan Bullard - DE Sr. 2nd Round
Michigan
Jabrill Peppers - S Fr. 1st Round
Jake Butt - TE Jr. 2nd Round
Jan. 1st at 1:00 PM - BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl
Notre Dame (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1)
With a win against Notre Dame Ohio State can hit the 12 win plateau for the 4th consecutive season, a feat that has only been accomplished on two other occasions in FBS history.
Prediction: Ohio State 41 Notre Dame 24
Final:Ohio State 44 Notre Dame 28 22-13
Prospects to Watch:
Notre Dame
Ronnie Stanley - OT Jr. 1st Round
Jaylon Smith - LB Sr. 1st Round
Ohio State
Joey Bosa - DE Jr. 1st Round
Taylor Decker - OT Sr. 1st Round
Jan. 1st at 5:00 PM - Northwestern Mutual Rose Bowl
Stanford (11-2) vs. Iowa (12-1)
Stanford and the Rose Bowl are starting to go hand-in-hand. Iowa was so close to making the playoffs in what would have been one of the biggest Cinderella stories of the year. Stanford uses their vast experience to come out victorius here but it won't take away what the Hawkeyes have accomplished this season.
Prediction: Stanford 23 Iowa 17
Final:Stanford 45 Iowa 16 23-13
Prospects to Watch:
Stanford
Christian McCaffrey - RB Soph. 2nd Round
Kyle Murphy - OT Sr. 2rd Round
Iowa
Desmond King - CB Jr. 1st Round
Jordan Walsh- OG Sr. 4th Round
Jan. 1st at 8:30 PM - Allstate Sugar Bowl
Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Ole Miss (9-3)
This should be a great game on paper but Ole Miss should have a ton of players leaving early for the NFL and Oklahoma State fell flat late in the year. We will take Ole Miss since they don't want to lay an egg like they did last year when they were destroyed 42-3 by TCU in the Peach Bowl.
Prediction: Ole Miss 33 Oklahoma State 21
Final:Ole Miss 48 Oklahoma State 20 24-13
Prospects to Watch:
Oklahoma State
Emmanuel Ogbah - DE Jr. 1st Round
Mason Rudolph - QB Soph. 1st Round
Ole Miss
Laremy Tunsil - OT Jr. 1st Round
Robert Nkemdiche- DT Jr. 1st Round
Jan. 2nd at 12:00 PM - TaxSlayer Bowl
Penn State (7-5) vs. Georgia (9-3)
There doesn't seem to be anybody left at Georgia whether it be a loss due to injury or coaching attrition. Penn State wins what looks like a decent bowl game on paper but probably won't live up to the hype.
Prediction: Penn State 24 Georgia 22
Final:Georgia 24 Penn State 17 24-14
Prospects to Watch:
Penn State
Anthony Zettel - DE Sr. 2nd Round
Carl Nassib - DE Sr. 2nd Round
Georgia
Leonard Floyd - LB Jr. 1st Round
Jordan Jenkins - LB Sr. 3rd Round
Jan. 2nd at 3:20 PM - AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Kansas State (6-6) vs. Arkansas (7-5)
Remarkable for Kansas State to get in after opening with 3 wins then losing 6 in a row before finishing with 3 more wins. Arkansas is a fun team to watch that should roll the Wildcats in this game.
Prediction: Arkansas 34 Kansas State 18
Final:Arkansas 45 Kansas State 23 25-14
Prospects to Watch:
Kansas State
Cody Whitehair - OG Sr. 2nd Round
Dante Barnett - S Sr. 6th Round
Arkansas
Hunter Henry - TE Jr. 2nd Round
Alex Collins - RB Jr. 3rd Round
Jan. 2nd at 6:45 PM - Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon (9-3) vs. TCU (10-2)
This has an opportunity to be the highest scoring bowl game of the season. TCU has been decimated by injuries while Oregon is playing their best football of the year.
Prediction: Oregon 61 TCU 44
Final:TCU 47 Oregon 41 3OT 25-15
Prospects to Watch:
Oregon
DeForest Buckner - DE Sr. 1st Round
Royce Freeman - RB Soph. 2nd Round
TCU
Josh Doctson - WR Sr. 2nd Round
Halapoulivaati Vaitai - OT Sr. 3rd Round
Jan. 2nd at 10:15 PM - Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
West Virginia (7-5) vs. Arizona State (6-6)
A pair of teams not exactly coming into the bowl season riding momentum. While you may see better quality matchups you will be hard pressed finding a game with two teams as evenly matched as we have here.
Prediction: West Virginia 31 Arizona State 30 26-15
Final:
Prospects to Watch:
West Virginia
Karl Joseph - S Sr. 2nd Round
Daryl Worley - CB Jr. 3rd Round
Arizona State
Christian Westerman - OG Sr. 3rd Round
D.J. Foster - WR/RB Sr. 4th Round
Jan. 11th at 8:30 PM - College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T
Clemson (14-0) vs. Alabama (13-1)
Alabama absolutely laid the wood to Michigan State but where they have their problems is with mobile quarterbacks. We still think the Crimson Tide prevails as we predicted at the start of the Playoff but this will not be the cakewalk like they experienced against the Spartans.
Prediction: Alabama 34 Clemson 27
Final:Alabama 45 Clemson 40 27-15
DJ Boyer
