After a couple of non-descript weeks of the college football bowl season, it’s time to get to the fun stuff. We have an action-packed week of bowl games, including the all-exciting New Year’s Eve and Day bowls. If you’re tight on time and can’t watch them all, make sure you tune in for these games.
No. 4 Washington Huskies vs No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
It’s no secret that everyone expects the Alabama Crimson Tide to roll in this game but is it possible that we’re overlooking the Washington Huskies? After all, the Huskies went 12-1 this season with multiple wins over ranked teams like No. 23 Washington State (on the road), No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Colorado and No. 17 Utah (on the road). Yes, it’s become clear that Stanford isn’t the No. 7 team in the nation and that the Cougars are barely a Top 25 team, but Colorado was pretty good. The Huskies have strong special teams, a quality defense and a good quarterback. They’re well-coached and disciplined. The challenge is that they’re young and haven’t been in this position before. Can they really thwart the experienced Tide? That’s what makes this matchup so compelling. There’s almost no pressure on them as nobody expects them to win.
No. 20 LSU Tigers vs No. 13 Louisville Cardinals
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
There are some great storylines to look forward to in this contest. The LSU Tigers kept Coach O on board, so we’ll see how the team responds to that in his first game now that he’s officially the coach of the future. Speaking of coaching, this will be the first time we see the Cardinals in action after the report that they were leaked some of Wake Forest’s play calls – something that head coach Bobby Petrino knew nothing about (of course!). Then there’s the fact that LSU’s top running back, Leonard Fournette, has bowed out of this game because he doesn’t want to risk an injury before the NFL Draft.
On the field, though, Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson versus an SEC defense will be worth the price of admission. We’ll see if he’s ready for the next level or needs another year of seasoning. Make sure you tune into this game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
The Vols entered the season in the Top 10 and had been hoping to play in the College Football Playoff. Instead, they lost four times – just 3-4 in their last seven games. This was supposed to be a team on the rise that had finally arrived…but they weren’t expecting to arrive in the Music City Bowl.
On the other side, there will be a Cornhuskers program that is on the rise. They weren’t expected to be in this position as they won nine games this season. Yes, they got smoked by Ohio State (62-3) in a letdown game and they definitely didn’t show up at Iowa (40-10) in the finale, but this was a team that was otherwise spotless. This is an even matchup of two teams that are trying to prove they are on the come up, so it should make for an entertaining affair.
No. 12 Oklahoma State Cowboys vs No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes
Valero Alama Bowl
The Buffaloes were one of the biggest surprises in the college football season as they finished the year ranked No. 10. It’s hard to believe that they were one of the top teams in the Pac-12, finishing better than Oregon, USC and Stanford. They’re legit, though, as they’re only losses were to No. 4 Washington, USC and No. 4 Michigan. They’re built around a sturdy defense, which is what should make their affair with the Pokes so entertaining.
Oklahoma State also enters the game with three losses with two of them coming on the road to quality teams (No. 16 Baylor and No. 9 Oklahoma) and one of them being a clunker (at home to Central Michigan). Even so, this is a team with an exciting offense. They scored at least 31 points in each of their nine wins this season, topping 36 in all but one contest. Colorado will want to take note of that; the Cowboys scored 27 points or less in each of their three losses.
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