As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, January 11
8:30: Clemson vs. Alabama (College Football Playoff Championship Game @ Glendale, AZ; ESPN): Well, here we are. This was definitely the predicted matchup, with neither of the semifinals presenting much of a challenge. If this were still the BCS era, there wouldn’t have been a controversey over the title game matchup. Fortunately, it isn’t the BCS era, but still.
You likely know the narratives coming into this one, but I find the usual stories probably don’t give Clemson enough credit. I suspect that, “Clemsoning” aside, the Tigers like it that way. The disarmament starts with their head coach. I was there, by sheer coincidence, for Dabo Swinney’s first game as head coach, as they played (and lost to) Georgia Tech. At the time, me and probably most observers figured that the interim tag would be as far as he’d get. However, the hire has turned out to be shrewd. Dabo doesn’t call the plays, heck, with the best paid assistants and coordinators this side of the SEC, who knows how much gameplanning he really does? But he recruits like hell, and as a gameday coach and motivator he’s proven himself to be one of the best. And now it’s showing. Clemson has long had skilled, er, skill players, but what has vaulted this Clemson squad into the elite is their defensive line play. That will be something to watch.
I don’t think I need to say that much about the Crimson Tide. They, too, have elite coaches directing elite talent. However, this Alabama team is not invulnerable, particularly their secondary can be beat. I also don’t think they have much on offense outside of Derrick “El Tractorito” Henry, but that’s a hell of a piece to have.
Well, it’s time for my last prediction until September. I’m picking the Tigers in a slight upset. I think both these teams are great, but I think the Tigers have a slight edge on the offensive side of the ball.
Previous Meetings: It’s not great for the Tigers, as they’re 3-12 all-time against Alabama. Even worse, those three wins came in the first three meetings in 1900, 1904, and 1905. They’ve met intermittently since, with 20-30 year gaps not uncommon. Their last meeting was in 2008, when the Tide won 34-10.
Announcers: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit

Seriously, folks, it’s starting to become an epidemic. Maybe, just maybe, one of these four games will be close.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday, January 2 
Noon: Pennsylvania State vs. Georgia (Taxslayer Bowl @ Jacksonville, FL; ESPN): Georgia is one of three teams I’ve actually seen in person this year, but if anything, that almost makes me biased against them. Their offense is predictable and stagnant, yet, better than Penn State’s, which is just kind of bad (and sack-prone, to boot). UGA should, unfortunately, have no trouble at all.
Confidence: 33
Previous Meetings: Just one, all the way back in the 1982-1983 Sugar Bowl, which had national title implications. UGA, however, flubbed their shot at grabbing the title, losing 27-23.
Last bowl game: Penn State won last year’s Pinstripe 31-30 over Boston College. This is Georgia’s nineteenth straight bowl game, dating back to the 1997-1998 Outback Bowl, where they beat Wisconsin 33-6. They beat Louisville 37-14 in last season’s Belk Bowl.
Announcers: Allen Bestwick and Dan Hawkins

3:20: Kansas State vs. Arkansas (Liberty Bowl @ Memphis, TN; ESPN): The Razorbacks had one of the worst starts to this season you can imagine outside of Washington State, losing to Toledo 16-12 in Week 2. It didn’t look to get much better from there, as they then lost to old SWC foes Texas Tech and Texas A&M. But then there was a win over a resurgent Tennessee squad, and then staying in the game against Alabama. They then went off, scoring at least 50 points in four of their remaining six games. K-State failed to find any such moments of clarity as they suffered massive struggles on offense. They lost six in a row in the middle of the season, but recovered to close out their last three against Iowa State, Kansas, and West Virginia. This allowed them to go 6-6 to get their bowl bid, though they would’ve been eligible at 5-7 this season. Suffice it to say, I’m going with Arkansas.
Confidence: 35
Previous Meetings: In the battle of the correct way to pronounce “Arkansas”, there have been five previous meetings. The first two where enthralling 5-0 and 3-0 K-State victories back in 1910 and 1911. K-State won again in 1926, but the fun stops there for the folks from the Little Apple. Arkansas won in 1967, and most recently in the 2011-2012 Cotton Bowl by a 29-16 score.
Last bowl game: This is K-State’s sixth straight bowl game, dating back to the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl, where they lost 36-34 to Syracuse. Last season saw a 40-35 defeat to UCLA in the Alamo Bowl. Arkansas defeated Texas 31-7 in last season’s Texas Bowl.
Announcers: Anish Shroff and Ahmad Brooks

6:45: Texas Christian vs. Oregon (Alamo Bowl @ San Antonio, TX; ESPN): Well, this looked like it was going to be a close game. After a sloppy start to the season and injuries to their quarterback, Oregon got a healthy Vernon Adams back and then started looking like their previous selves, winning their last six in a row and upsetting Stanford and Southern Cal in the process. TCU was in the Big 12 mix once again, but their losses to the Oklahoma schools put them here. I picked Oregon anyway, but as I said earlier, I thought this would be close. Instead, TCU’s all-everything quarterback, Trevone Boykin, punched a cop the other night. Suffice it to say, I now really think it’s going to be Oregon.
Confidence: 32
Previous Meetings: Just two. Oregon won 29-24 in 1977, and then TCU returned the favor the next year, 14-10.
Last bowl game: As previously stated, TCU walloped Mississippi in last season’s Peach Bowl, 42-3. This is the Ducks’s eleventh straight postseason, dating to the 2005 Holiday Bowl, where they lost 17-14 to Oklahoma. Last season they memorably defeated Florida State 59-20 in the Rose Bowl, advancing to the College Football Playoff Championship, where they lost 42-20 to Ohio State.
Announcers: Dave Flemming and Mack Brown

10:15: West Virginia vs. Arizona State (Cactus Bowl @ Phoenix, AZ; ESPN): Both these teams had uneven seasons, to say the least. I don’t feel particularly good picking either way in this one. West Virginia’s offense, in particular, worries me, so I’m somewhat reluctantly taking the Sun Devils here.
Confidence: 19
Previous Meetings: Just one, in 1979. The Sun Devils won 42-7.
Last bowl game: The Mountaineers lost 45-37 in last season’s Liberty Bowl. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, have a five game streak dating to the 2011 Las Vegas Bowl, where they got smacked by Boise State 56-24. They defeated Duke in last season’s Sun Bowl 36-31.
Announcers: Dave Neal and Matt Stinchcomb

2016 is here, but we’ve still got 9+1 games to go! I can’t update the main page right now, but the textual descriptions are still below.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday, January 1
Noon: Northwestern vs. Tennessee (Outback Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN2): These are both teams coming in having won five in a row, yet I like the Vols a lot more. For starters, even though they have two more losses, none are inexcusable and all are close. By contrast, the Wildcats have only two losses, but they were by 38 and 30 points, respectively. While Northwestern has a better best win, the opening weekend victory over Stanford probably ranks as the season’s most inexplicable win behind Texas upsetting Oklahoma. Also, the most Northwestern has scored against a FBS team this season was in their 30-28 win over Nebraska. I don’t think they’re going to be able to score enough to keep up.
Confidence: 37
Previous Meetings: Just once, in the 1996-1997 Citrus Bowl. Tennessee won 48-28.
Last bowl game: After a couple 5-7 finishes, this is Northwestern’s first bowl since the 2012-2013 Gator Bowl, in which they beat Mississippi State 34-20. Tennessee beat Iowa 45-28 in last season’s Taxslayer Bowl.
Announcers: Mark Jones and Rod Gilmore

1:00:

• Florida vs. Michigan (Citrus Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): Speaking of not being able to score enough, Florida’s Will Grier-less offense has been nothing less than a tire fire. They don’t stand a chance here.
  Confidence: 36
  Previous Meetings: Twice, both in bowl games. In the 2002-2003 Outback Bowl, Michigan won 38-30. In the 2007-2008 edition of this game, Michigan won 41-35.
  Last bowl game: Florida beat East Carolina 28-20 in last season’s Birmingham Bowl. Michigan’s last bowl appearance was in the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, which they lost 34-14 to Kansas State.
  Announcers: Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham
• Ohio State vs. Notre Dame (Fiesta Bowl @ Glendale, AZ; ESPN): Boy howdy, in retrospect it sure would’ve been nice to see the Buckeyes against Alabama last night, right? That said, this should be a pretty fun game. Both teams sport capable offenses and above-average defenses, though Ohio State holds a decided advantage in that regard. In the end, I think that will up allowing Ohio State to do a better job of holding serve. This one could get up there in terms of points, though.
  Confidence: 21
  Previous Meetings: Just five, for these Midwestern titans of the sport. Notre Dame won the first in 1935 and 1936, the latter by a electric 7-2 score. The Buckeyes won the next two regular season meetings in 1995 and 1996. The most recent was the 2005-2006 edition of this game, which Ohio State won 34-20.
  Last bowl game: This is Ohio State’s third straight postseason appearance. Last season, of course, they beat Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl and then defeated Oregon 42-20 in the inaugural College Football Playoff Championship. This is Notre Dame’s sixth straight bowl appearance, dating to the 2008 Hawaii Bowl where they beat Hawaii 49-21. Last season, they beat Louisiana State 31-28 in the Music City Bowl.
  Announcers: Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman

5:00: Iowa vs. Stanford (Rose Bowl @ Pasadena, CA; ESPN): I like Stanford here more than my confidence below might indicate. I’ve never been particularly high on Iowa all season, and after the season has ended I’ve soured on the Hawkeyes even more. They were overrated: their schedule was extremely soft and their best win is probably their win over Wisconsin (they did not play Michigan, Michigan State, or Ohio State in the regular season). I think they caught a break by getting Michigan State instead of Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. At any rate, it’s probably for the best they wound up here. They’ll face a conventional attack in Stanford, but yeah, Stanford doesn’t really care that you think they’re conventional. They will keep handing the ball off until you get tired, at which point they’ll beat you over the top. I expect this formula to play out here.
Confidence: 17
Previous Meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is Iowa’s third straight bowl game. They lost 48-28 to Tennessee in last season’s Taxslayer Bowl. This is Stanford’s seventh straight bowl game, dating to the 2009 Sun Bowl, which they lost 31-27 to Oklahoma. Last season, they ventured down 101 and cut-over on 237 to beat Maryland 45-21 in the Foster Farms Bowl.
Announcers: Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer

8:30: Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi (Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN): Both these teams can score, so this nightcap will be pretty even on the offensive side of the ball. The question is the defense. Mississippi might seem better at first glance, but consider their performances against good offensive teams. They gave up 53 to Arkansas, 27 to Mississippi State, 37 to Alabama, and 37 to Memphis. The Rebels stayed in these games by keeping pace, but the Cowboys are capable of matching them blow-for-blow.
Confidence: 31
Previous Meetings: Just two, in the 2003-2004 Cotton Bowl and the 2009-2010 edition of the same. Ole Miss won both, the latter by a 21-7 score.
Last bowl game: This is Oklahoma State’s tenth straight bowl game, dating to the 2002 Houston Bowl, where they beat Southern Mississippi 33-23. Last season, they defeated Washington in the Cactus Bowl 30-22. This is Mississippi’s fourth straight bowl game. They were walloped by TCU 42-3 in last season’s Peach Bowl.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen and Brock Huard

So my last-minute switch to North Carolina didn’t quite work out, but it was mostly a fun game nonetheless. Watching a team that normally will get 600 years in the air do it on the ground was kind of amazing, really.

Anyway, let’s cover today’s games as well as the New Year’s Eve playoff slate which ESPN is desperately hoping you watch instead of Ryan Seacrest and company.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Wednesday, December 30
Noon: Auburn vs. Memphis (Birmingham Bowl @ Birmingham, AL; ESPN): Okay, I’m sure Memphis is probably slightly bummed about their season, even though it managed to propel their head coach to the Virginia Tech job. That said, they already managed to beat a pretty good SEC team this year (at least, one that is definitively better than Auburn) and Auburn’s offense is basically kind of a disaster this year. This game could be high scoring, but I’m thinking Memphis will win by double-digits.
Confidence: 34
Previous Meetings: Just two meetings of these two Tigers, in 1975 and 1976. Memphis won both, 31-20 and 28-27, respectively.
Last bowl game: Auburn’s three game bowl streak is a study in contrasts but also similarities. It dates to the 2013-2014 BCS Championship Game, where they lost 34-31 to Florida State. Last season, they lost… 34-31 to Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. (If Auburn scores 31 in this game with their current offense, well, I’d be surprised.) Memphis beat BYU 55-48 in last season’s Miami Beach Bowl, but perhaps the real victory was getting the Stormin’ Mormons mad enough to spark a brawl afterward.
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Anthony Becht

3:30: North Carolina State vs. Mississippi State (Belk Bowl @ Charlotte, NC; ESPN): The Wolfpack’s schedule this year was an exercise in the fine art of ensuring bowl eligibility. They lost to every superior team they’ve played, and I expect that to continue here. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are not exactly juggernauts, but they’re a solid, middle-of-the-pack SEC. Given their respectively schedules, Miss State’s 8-4 is way more impressive than NC State’s 7-5.
Confidence: 39
Previous Meetings: Five, but none terrible recent. The series dates to 1930,and was followed up on again in 1931 and 1940. The two would then meeting again in the 1963 Liberty Bowl, and most recently in the 1995 Peach Bowl, which the Wolfpack won 28-24. Overall, they also hold a 3-2 lead in the series.
Last bowl game: NC State won last year’s St. Petersburg Bitcoin Bowl 34-27 over Central Florida. Miss State is currently riding a six game streak which dates to the 2010-2011 Gator Bowl, where they beat Michigan 52-14. They lost 49-34 in last year’s Orange Bowl to Georgia Tech.
Announcers: Clay Matvick and John Congemi

7:00: Louisville vs. Texas A&M (Music City Bowl @ Nashville, TN; ESPN): This is a battle of teams that never quite got it going this year, and two teams that I’ve probably failed to predict correctly multiple times. Louisville lost their first three games, but no one (at the time, anyway) would blame them, as those teams were Auburn (ranked sixth in the pre-season!), Houston, and Clemson. From there, they managed to go 5-3 in the ACC overall but lack any signature wins. TAMU is in the same boat, though. Their best win is probably over Arizona State, and while they did beat Arkansas and Miss State they lost to Alabama, Mississippi, (somehow) Auburn, and LSU. And then it seems like all their quarterbacks have transferred in the weeks since the regular season ended. Is something rotten in College Station? I don’t know, but I still have the Aggies here.
Confidence: 28
Previous Meetings: Three of ’em, from 1992-1994. Louisville lost all of them, with the most recent score 26-10 in TAMU’s favor.
Last bowl game: Louisville is also riding a six game bowl streak, dating to 2010’s Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, which they won 31-28 over Southern Mississippi. TAMU is doing them one better, though. Their current run started in the 2009 Independence Bowl with a 44-20 loss to Georgia. They beat West Virginia in last year’s Liberty Bowl 45-37.
Announcers: Tom Hart and Andre Ware

10:30: Wisconsin vs. Southern California (Holiday Bowl @ San Diego, CA; ESPN): It’s the mini-Rose Bowl! Much like Iowa, the Badgers managed to dodge all the good teams from the Big Ten East, so while they went 6-2 in conference, it’s not exactly an inspiring slate. (The two losses were to Northwestern and, of course, Iowa.) USC is a team that has some of the marks of a team that “figured it out” as the season went on. After losing a close game to Notre Dame, the Trojans went out and knocked Utah off their bandwagon and went on a bit of a run before getting beat by a healthy Vernon Adams (and his Oregon teammates). However, they then beat the tar out of their crosstown rivals and gave Stanford all they wanted in the Pac-12 title game. USC should be able to do enough on offense to get past the Badgers, who I think will have a hard time keeping up, literally and figuratively.
Confidence: 38
Previous Meetings: Southern Cal holds a robust 6-0 lead in this series. The first meeting was in the 1952-1953 Rose Bowl. They followed that up with regular season meetings in 1955 and 1956, and then it was back to Pasadena to kick off 1963, followed again by meetings in 1965 and 1966. (I sense a pattern here, perhaps?)
Last bowl game: For Wisconsin’s 14-game bowl streak, we have to flash all the way back to the 1993-1994 Rose Bowl, where they beat UCLA 21-16. They beat Auburn in last season’s Outback Bowl 34-31. This is USC’s fourth straight bowl game, dating to the 2012 Sun Bowl, which they lost 21-7 to Georgia Tech. They beat Nebraska 45-42 in last year’s edition of this game.
Announcers: Adam Amin and Kelly Stouffer

Thursday, December 31
Noon: Houston vs. Florida State (Peach Bowl @ Atlanta, GA; ESPN): This is the least confidence I have in any game that doesn’t have any weird or otherwise extenuating circumstances. For starters, how good is Houston actually? Their Power Five wins are over an okay Louisville team and an abysmal Vanderbilt squad. Their record is unblemished except for a disaster suffered at UConn, in which the otherwise potent Cougar offense imploded with four turnovers. The Seminoles, meanwhile, did basically everything right this season. Their two losses are to a Clemson team that was clearly better than them and my favorite fluke of the season. But other than that, none of FSU’s win truly inspire. They beat Florida by 25, yes, but the Gators essentially had no offense by the end of the season. Will FSU’s defense be able to shut Houston down? Will Houston’s passing offense be the difference against FSU’s Dalvin Cook-based offense? I have no idea, but I picked FSU anyway.
Confidence: 5
Previous Meetings: Sixteen of ’em, and a record that would shock you until you remembered that, as per EDSBS, football in the state of Florida didn’t really exist before 1980. Indeed, Houston holds a 12-2-2 advantage, but all the games took place between 1960 and 1978. The Cougars won the most recent edition 27-21.
Last bowl game: Houston had a three game bowl streak going. They beat Pitt 35-34 in last season’s Armed Forces Bowl. Florida State, of course, owns the largest active bowl streak in the country (and it’s not especially close). It’s now at 34 straight seasons, dating back to the 1982 Gator Bowl where they beat West Virginia 31-12. However, they also went 6-5 in 1981 and 8-3 in 1978, so suffice it to say under the modern bowl regime they’d be able to add five more games to that list. The lost last season’s Rose Bowl (and playoff semifinal) 59-20 to Oregon.
Announcers: Dave Pasch and Brian Griese

4:00: Clemson vs. Oklahoma (Orange Bowl @ Miami Gardens, FL; ESPN): SO IT BEGINS. The Tigers are undefeated, and while their schedule wasn’t great, they did beat Notre Dame and Florida State, so it’s legitimate. Oklahoma beat all the contenders in the Big 12, they just, well, I still have no real idea how they lost to Texas. But if that’s what the Sooners needed to light a fire under them, then it worked, as they absolutely torched the opposition they played next, outscoring Kansas State, Texas Tech, Kansas, and Iowa State (two good to okay teams, two bad teams) 232-50. They then cleared the dual hurdles of Baylor and TCU and resumed the clobbering against Oklahoma State. Baylor and TCU are definitely much closer to Clemson than any other team on their schedule, and so while the Sooner defense rates highly due to several shutouts or near-shutouts, they definitely tend to give some points to an offense with a pulse. The Tigers definitely have a pulse. I think Clemson’s defense can do the job here. I have the Tigers headed to Arizona.
Confidence: 6
Previous Meetings: The first two were in 1963 and 1972, both Clemson losses. The Tigers won the 1988-1989 Citrus Bowl 13-6, as well as last season’s meeting in the Russell Athletic Bowl 40-6.
Last bowl game: Both is an 11-game bowl streak, dating to the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl, where they beat Colorado 19-10. (And if they’d gone to a bowl in 2004 at 6-5, they’d be able to add 6 more to the list.) This is Oklahoma’s seventeenth straight bowl, dating to their 27-25 loss to Mississippi in the 1999 Independence Bowl. The Sooners got pasted by these very Clemson Tigers in last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl, 40-6.
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge

8:00: Alabama vs. Michigan State (Cotton Bowl @ Arlington, TX; ESPN): The Spartans are about the closest Alabama can come to playing their own defense, basically. Indeed, this game will probably hinge on the Tide’s offense, and I don’t see a lot of scoring either way. The closest things the Spartans have probably seen to the Crimson Tide in terms of potency are probably Michigan and Ohio State. Assuming that Nick Saban won’t criminally underuse his best player (a la Urban Meyer), I’m giving a slight edge to Alabama here.
Confidence: 7
Previous Meetings: Just once, in the 2010-2011 Capital One Bowl. Alabama won 49-7.
Last bowl game: Alabama’s twelve game bowl streak mostly takes me back to happier times, when they were terrible and doing things like going 6-6 and losing to Minnesota 20-16 in the 2004 Music City Bowl. The Tide lost 42-35 to Ohio State in last season’s Sugar Bowl (and playoff semifinal). Sparty’s nine-game streak dates to the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, which they lost 24-21 to Boston College. They beat Baylor 42-41 in last season’s Cotton Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit

During Saturday’s binge, I went 4-2, bringing my overall record to 10-8. Let’s talk about the next couple of days.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, December 28
2:30: Navy vs. Pittsburgh (Military Bowl @ Annapolis, MD; ESPN): It’s been a season of lost opportunities for both teams. Pitt suffered one of the season’s biggest losses before the season had really even begun with All-American running back James Conner was lost for the season. Then in Week 3, they missed a chance to nip the Iowa hype-train right in the bud with a 27-24 loss on the road. Their other losses were also understandable, but their eight wins lack any oomph. The Midshipmen, of course, had a shot to make a conference title game their first year in a conference, but blew the opportunity with a loss at Houston. Though they barely scraped by Army a couple weeks ago, I still like them and I think Pitt’s ability to defend their offense hasn’t necessarily gotten better with time.
Confidence: 27
Previous Meetings: These two have met 39 times in the regular season, and usually for long stretches, including every year from 1961 through 1979. The first meetings, however, go back to 1912-1916. The most recent was a 24-21 Navy win in 2013. Overall, Pitt holds a 22-14-3 advantage.
Last bowl game: I’ve probably said this each of the past few years, but if not for a 5-7 season in 2011, the Midshipmen would be riding a 13 game postseason streak. As it stands, though, their current streak dates to the 2012 Fight Hunger Bowl, where they lost 62-28 to Arizona State. They beat San Diego State 17-16 in last year’s Poinsettia Bowl. Pitt’s eight-game streak dates to the (previously referenced) worst game ever played, the 2008 Sun Bowl where they lost 3-0 to Oregon State. They lost to Houston 35-34 in last season’s Armed Forces Bowl.
Announcers: Eamon McAnaney and Rocky Boiman

5:00: Central Michigan vs. Minnesota (Quick Lane Bowl @ Detroit, MI; ESPN2): Central Michigan isn’t bad or anything, and I think they’re more than capable of winning this game. Also, it’s not like I feel great about picking a 5-7 team to win. I just think that Gophers are probably just a tad better, despite their record.
Confidence: 20
Previous Meetings: Just once, in 1987. Minnesota won 30-10.
Last bowl game: Central Michigan were the darlings and/or villains of last year’s bowl season, as their tremendous fourth quarter comeback in the Bahamas Bowl came up just short on a two point conversion attempt, resulting in a 49-48 loss to Western Kentucky. This is Minnesota’s fourth straight bowl game; they lost last season’s Citrus Bowl 33-17 to Missouri.
Announcers: Dave Neal and Matt Stinchcomb

Tuesday, December 29
2:00: California vs. Air Force (Armed Forces Bowl @ Fort Worth, TX; ESPN): I have this as one of the largest mismatches of the bowl season. The main question is which version of Cal we’ll get. If it’s the version with the offense firing on all cylinders, then I don’t think their atrocious defense will cost them against the Falcons.
Confidence: 40
Previous Meetings: Eight meetings, dating back to 1961. The two met occasionally in the 60’s and 70’s, and then again in 2002 and 2004. Their last meeting was in this game back in 2007. Cal won 42-36. The Bears have a 6-2 overall record in the series.
Last bowl game: This is Cal’s first bowl game since the 2011 Holiday Bowl, which they lost 21-10 to Texas. Air Force played in and won last year’s Potato Bowl with a 38-24 win over Western Michigan.
Announcers: Dave Flemming and Mike Bellotti

5:30: North Carolina vs. Baylor (Russell Athletic Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN): Now this, this might be one of the best bowls of the season. Two very evenly matched teams with high powered offenses and mediocre defenses mean that, if nothing else, you should probably take the over. Of course, the problem for Baylor is if they’ll have a quarterback, after all, the only reason they’re here is because they lost to Texas due to not having a quarterback in the first half. (The Bears eventually abandoned any pretense of passing and just started running the single wing in the second half.) Their third string quarterback (who was unavailable for the Texas game) is back, but they’re also missing their best receiver and running back. North Carolina is still fully functional on offense, though, with Marquise Williams and the high-flying Tar Heel attack ready to go. Given Baylor’s injury situation, I’ve revised this pick at the last minute, downgraded the confidence, and changed my pick to the Heels.
Confidence: 3
Previous Meetings: This is the first meeting between these two teams.
Last bowl game: This is Carolina’s third straight bowl game. They lost 40-21 to Rutgers in last year’s Quick Lane Bowl. This is Baylor’s sixth straight bowl, dating to the 2010 Texas Bowl, which they lost 38-14 to Illinois. They lost last season’s Cotton Bowl 42-41 to Michigan State.
Announcers: Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham

7:30: Colorado State vs. Nevada (Arizona Bowl @ Tuscon, AZ; see website): I’m not sure why this game exists. As you may or may not know, the driving force behind the creation of most of the new spate of college football bowl games is ESPN, as they need live content to continue to justify their existence. Even if there’s no one in attendance, ESPN is still pulling in viewers (like me) to their live content that they can actually still sell advertising for. The Arizona Bowl is not going to be on ESPN. In many areas, it’ll be on a digital subchannel of some sort (see the website link), or on the American Sports Network if you get that. Otherwise, it’ll be streamed live online. While online streaming is probably they way everything is going, this isn’t the sort of venture that will really serve as a justification for it. Matching up two teams from the same conference is also not doing a very good job of justifying this game’s existence. As I noted before, the game did not try to get one of the Pac-12’s extra teams because they would be too expensive. As though a matchup featuring two teams from the same conference on hard-to-find channels would really do much to help the game not go broke.
I guess they did succeed at one thing: I’ve probably written more about this game than any of the other bowls. Ugh.
As for the game itself, these were not exactly the best teams in the Mountain West, and this game might feature the lowest average rated teams in any bowl. I’m picking Colorado State to win in obscurity.
Confidence: 4
Previous Meetings: Seeing as how these two are in the same conference, they have met often since the formation of the Mountain West back in 1997. (The first game was in 1974, though.) They met last year, and the Rams won 31-24, and hold an 11-2 advantage in the series.
Last bowl game: This is Colorado State’s third straight bowl game. They lost to Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl last year, 45-10. Nevada lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 16-3 in last year’s New Orleans Bowl.
Announcers: Ron Thulin and Doug Chapman

9:00: Texas Tech vs. Louisiana State (Texas Bowl @ Houston, TX; ESPN): In quite possibly the most horrifically botched public relations move the year, LSU essentially did everything but fire Les Miles. Thankfully for those of us who need funny quotes from coaches with personality (especially in this dark, post-Spurrier era), the Bayou Bengals decided to retain The Hat. At any rate, the game itself is a giant mismatch in total favor of LSU. The Red Raiders do have hope, though. It’s a tall order against this defense, but if they can figure something out they’ll be able to outscore LSU. That said, I’m not betting on that happening.
Confidence: 29
Previous Meetings: Just two, and LSU won them both, in 1954 (20-13) and 1957 (19-14).
Last bowl game: The Red Raiders’s last postseason appearance was the 2013 Holiday Bowl, wherein they beat Arizona State 37-23. LSU’s 16-game streak dates to the 2000 Peach Bowl, where they beat Georgia Tech 28-14. Last season, they lost to Notre Dame in the Music City Bowl 31-28.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack