The countdown to kickoff is underway as 80 teams have something to look forward to. This year’s playoff matchups offer plenty of intrigue but there are also a handful of non-playoff games that are very intriguing. We’ve circled the best one that you won’t want to miss:
Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl: (11-1) Ohio State vs. Notre Dame (10-2)
Friday January 1, 2016 – 1:00 PM ET
The defending national champions Ohio State failed to make it back to the playoff based on a last-second loss to the rival Michigan State Spartans. That ultimately sent Michigan State to the CFP and Ohio State to the Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes will feel like they have some unfinished business heading into this matchup, so don’t expect a letdown. They trounced Michigan in their regular season finale and Ezekiel Elliott and company will look to make one final statement to remind the college football world how good they truly are. This is a team that played uninspired football throughout most of the season but a loss to Michigan State seems to have woken them up.
The Fighting Irish played well this season despite a myriad of key injuries. They played one of the toughest schedules in the country and were undefeated outside of losses to Stanford and Clemson. A lot of people are overlooking this team but they have a much more impressive resume than Ohio State. We’ll see how they match up in the Fiesta Bowl.
Rose Bowl: (11-1) Stanford vs. Iowa (12-1)
Friday January 1, 2016 – 5:00 PM ET
A lot of people expected it to be the Buckeyes battling Stanford in this year’s Rose Bowl but splitting those teams up has actually created two very intriguing matchups. In the Rose Bowl, the Cardinal are set to clash with Iowa to set up a showdown of two teams that narrowly missed the College Football Playoff. Running back Jordan Canzeri hurt his ankle again in the Big Ten title game versus Michigan State but he should have enough time to rest up and be ready for this contest.
This is a matchup of two teams with very similar styles. Both teams rely on strong play on the line of scrimmage (on both sides of the ball), they run the football well and grind out wins. It won’t be the highest scoring game of the bowl season but it will be an even, entertaining matchup.
Valero Alamo Bowl: (10-2) TCU vs. Oregon (9-3)
Saturday January 2, 2016 – 6:45 PM ET
There is a strong case that playoff or not, this will be the most entertaining matchup of the entire bowl season. On paper, the quarterback matchup of Trevone Boykin and Vernon Adams is worth the price of admission. Both teams have explosive offenses that can score points in bunches, so if you’re looking for that high-scoring, back-and-forth shootout where the offenses put on a show, this will be it. It wouldn’t be a surprise if both teams topped the 60-point mark in a thrilling offensive display.
Russell Athletic Bowl: (11-2) North Carolina vs. Baylor (9-3)
Tuesday December 29, 2015 – 5:30 PM ET
Baylor leads the nation with an average of 48.0 points per game and they’ll go up against an offense that’s averaging more than 40 over its last five games and has scored 45 points or more seven times this season. Baylor will need a healthy quarterback that can step up and deliver a quality performance as Seth Russell is out and Jarret Stidham is also expected to miss this game. Third-stringer Chris Johnson is also banged up but should be healthy in time for this contest.
North Carolina didn’t get a lot of respect this season based in big part on their relatively weak schedule but they get the opportunity to show the world how good they are in this game. They pushed No. 1 Clemson to the limit in the ACC Championship Game and while many still doubt them, they could earn the respect they’re craving with a win here.
