The latest is… not the latest, as that will update as this post goes live. It’s fair to say this snuck up on me, but we’ll get this machine righted and ready to go.
As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.
Saturday, December 28
11:00: North Carolina vs. Connecticut (Fenway Bowl @ Boston, MA; ESPN): As the title mentions, this is almost a college football Saturday. I say “almost” because it may feel like one, but 8 games in one day is much less than a typical fall Saturday. However, we like the fact that there’ll be multiple games on throughout the day. And this “basketball special” is as good of a place to start as any. I favor UNC here just on paper, but the Huskies are the ones with any momentum. This could be a fun one, even before considering this one of the two games today that are being played in baseball stadiums.
SP+ line: UNC by 6.8
Vegas line: UNC by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Suffice it to say, this basketball special hasn’t seen a lot of action on the gridiron. UNC won 38-12 in 2008, and then again 12-10 in 2009.
Last bowl game: UNC’s current six game streak dates to the 2019 Military Bowl, a 55-13 win over Temple. The lost last season’s Mayo Bowl 30-10 to West Virginia. The Huskies last’s bowl game was a 28-14 loss to Marshall in the 2022 Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, and Coley Harvey
Noon: Boston College vs. Nebraska (Pinstripe Bowl @ New York, NY; ABC): The math favors the Huskers, but BC really just has a way of sneaking up on teams. I don’t trust them to do that as much as past versions of BC, so I’ll stick with the Corn to win a bowl game finally.
SP+ line: Corn by 1.7
Vegas line: Corn by 3.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: BC beat SMU 23-14 in last season’s Fenway Bowl. The Cornhuskers, meanwhile, are finally back in the postseason. Their last appearance before this year was a 38-24 loss to Tennessee in the 2016 Music City Bowl.
Announcers: Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport
2:15: Texas Christian vs. Louisiana (New Mexico Bowl @ Albuquerque, NM; ESPN): I’ve only been to Albuquerque once, and that really more of I’ve been through Albuquerque, but it seemed like a perfectly cromulent place to visit. And, and Frogs I suppose.
SP+ line: TCU by 1.5
Vegas line: TCU by 9.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: “They’ve met nine times, the first a 3-0 TCU win in 1931. The played fairly often before 1969, but most of them didn’t involve a lot of points either. The tied 3-3 in 1932, and then in the 1935-36 Sugar Bowl TCU won 3-2. The next three meetings were LSU shutouts, including a 5-0 special in 1962. After 1968, they’ve only played once: a Jerryworld special in 2013 that LSU won 37-27. LSU leads the overall series 6-2-1.”
Last bowl game: “TCU’s last postseason appearance was their run to the title game in 2022-23. They beat Michigan 51-45 in the Fiesta Bowl before losing 65-7 to Georgia in the title game. The Cajuns have raged their way to seven bowls in a row, dating to a 41-24 loss to Tulane in the 2018 Cure Bowl. Last season they lost to Jax State 34-31 in the New Orleans Bowl.”
Announcers: Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler
3:30: Miami vs. Iowa State (Pop-Tarts Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): The perhaps most meme-worthy bowl of all is back it again, with fans having choice of one of three Pop-Tarts flavors to be consumed by the winning team after the game. The question, of course, is who that team will be. Iowa State had a great season by any measure, which was an all-timer by Iowa State standards, but they stumbled down the stretch. Of course, the Canes also fumbled the bag, blowing a chance at the playoff by losing to Syracuse in the last week of the season. Bowl games are all about motivation these days, and this one will be no exception. I like the Canes, but I think this could b a coin flip (and a fun game).
SP+ line: Da U by 12.8
Vegas line: Da U by 3.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: The Canes lost 31-24 to Rutgers in last season’s Pinstripe Bowl. Iowa State lost 36-26 to Memphis in last season’s Liberty Bowl.
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic
4:30: Colorado State vs. Miami (Arizona Bowl @ Tuscon, AZ; The CW): The Arizona bowl makes it to actual television, but there may not be a lot of reason to notice this other than that both Miamis will be playing at the same time. I actually like Colorado State here, however. The Rams had a decent season in a tougher conference.
SP+ line: Miami by 2
Vegas line: Miami by 2.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Two: a 41-21 Miami win in 2003, and a 31-10 Miami win in 2010.
Last bowl game: The Rams last bowled in the 2017 New Mexico Bowl, a 31-28 loss to Marshall. Miami would have a six game streak dating to 2019, but they didn’t play in a bowl in 2020, so they’ll just have to settle for four in a row. They beat North Texas 27-14 in the 2021 Frisco Football Classic, and lost 13-9 to Appalachian State in last season’s Cure Bowl.
Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Max Brown
5:45: North Carolina State vs. East Carolina (Military Bowl @ Annapolis, MD; ESPN): NC State should run away with this on paper, so the only thing to really watch here is if ECU can make a game of this at all.
SP+ line: NCSU by 6.7
Vegas line: NC State by 6.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: These in-state rivals have played often, with 32 overall meetings and not as lopsided as you’d think. The first was a 23-6 NC State win in 1970. They actually met in the 1991-92 Peach Bowl, a 37-34 NC State loss. The most recent was a 21-20 NC State win in 2022.
Last bowl game: NCSU would have a five game streak dating to the 2020 Gator Bowl, but the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled. So instead, it’s three in a row. In 2022 they lost 16-12 to Maryland in the Mayo Bowl, and last season they lost 28-19 to K-State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. ECU’s last bowl game was a 53-29 win over Coastal Carolina in the 2022 Birmingham Bowl.
Announcers: Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, and Alex Chappell
7:30: Brigham Young vs. Colorado (Alamo Bowl @ San Antonio, TX; ABC): This one could definitely be fun. Both teams will have their guys, and that includes the Buffs: apparently the Sanders boys and Travis Hunter will play. BYU didn’t play Colorado in the Big 12 regular season, so while this is technically an inter-conference matchup we haven’t seen this yet. BYU is famous for always “bringing it”, so that combined with Colorado’s star power should keep this entertaining.
SP+ line: BYU by 3.2
Vegas line: Colorado by 3.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: They’ve met 12 times. The first was a 1923 41-0 Colorado win. The most recent was in the 1988 Freedom Bowl, a 20-17 BYU win. Overall, the Buffs hold a 8-3-1 advantage.
Last bowl game: BYU’s last postseason appearance was a 24-23 win over SMU in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl. Colorado’s last bowl game was a 55-23 loss to Texas in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor
9:15: Army vs. Louisiana Tech (Independence Bowl @ Shreveport, LA; ESPN): Army’s original opponent in this game was Marshall, and they backed out due to having too many players in the transfer portal. It’s an unfortunate situation and one that definitely needs to be fixed, but the issue is that the powers that be in college football… aren’t really. We’re in the midst of a generational change in college sports, and unfortunately until that shakes out things are going to feel relatively lawless. Oh, and if the Knights are at all motivated here they’ll blow LaTech out of the water.
SP+ line: Army by 22.1
Vegas line: Army by 13.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Two: a 14-7 Army win in 2008, and a 35-16 Army win in 2013.
Last bowl game: Army’s last bowl game was a 24-22 win over Mizzou in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl. For the Bulldogs, this is their first bowl game since the 2020 New Orleans Bowl, where they lost 38-3 to Georgia Southern.
Announcers: Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker, and Tori Petry
Monday, December 30
2:30: Iowa vs. Missouri (Music City Bowl @ Nashville, TN; ESPN): This is a match-up of teams that occupy a similiar niche in their conference, which is fitting. (You’d also think they had played more often, but, well, see below.) That niche is being obviously not quite as talented as the top teams, but being a sort of plucky team that gets by with good defense. In that role, though, Mizzou never really figured out the offense thing this year, where as the Hawkeyes did.
SP+ line: Iowa by 2.5
Vegas line: Mizzou by 2.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: Different sources have different records for this game, though overall for teams from states that border each other they still haven’t really met a lot. They played consistently starting in 1892, a Mizzou win. Before the modern era, they last met in 1910, a 5-0 Mizzou win. The most recent was a 27-24 Iowa win in the 2010 Insight Bowl. Overall, Mizzou holds a 7-6 lead.
Last bowl game: Iowa would have a 12 game streak dating to the 2013-14 Outback Bowl, but they did not play in a bowl game in 2020. So instead this is their fourth in a row, dating to the 2021-22 Citrus Bowl, a 20-17 loss to Kentucky. Last season they also lost in the Citrus Bowl, 35-0 to Tennessee. Mizzou has a four game streak now, dating to a 24-22 loss to Army in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl. They beat Ohio State 14-3 in last season’s Cotton Bowl.
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang