It’s the most wonderful time of the year once again. This series will take us through all of the bowl games, including the playoff. So let’s dive in.

Saturday, December 14
9:00: Western Michigan vs. South Alabama (Veterans Bowl @ Montgomery, AL; ESPN): That’s right, this game is both after the Army-Navy game and the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Not much going on here other than South Alabama should probably win, an by a lot.
SP+ line: USA by 15.2
Vegas line: USA by 8
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: WMU hasn’t been bowling since a 52-24 win over Nevada in the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl. The Jags are appearing in their third straight bowl. They lost 44-23 to Western Kentucky in the 2022 New Orleans Bowl, and beat Eastern Michigan 59-10 in last season’s 68Ventures Bowl.
Announcers: Wes Durham, Tom Luginbill, and Dana Boyle

Tuesday, December 17
9:00: Memphis vs. West Virginia (Frisco Bowl @ Frisco, TX; ESPN): For an early bowl game, this could be interesting. The ‘neers fired Neal Brown a year later than we all thought they would, as the magic seemed to run out this season. Memphis is definitely favored here but it’s hard to predict how these things will go.
SP+ line: Memphis by 7.4
Vegas line: Memphis by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This should be the 11th straight bowl for Memphis. Their streak dates to the ((in)famous) 2014 Miami Beach Bowl, a 55-48 Memphis win over BYU that was most notable for a post-game fight. In 2021, Memphis was going to play in the Hawaii Bowl, but the game was canceled because of, well, you know. The beat Iowa State in 36-26 in last season’s Liberty Bowl. WVU won last season’s Mayo Bowl 30-10 over North Carolina, resulting in their (now) former coach having mayonnaise dunked on him.
Announcers: Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport

Wednesday, December 18
5:30: Western Kentucky vs. James Madison (Boca Raton Bowl @ Boca Raton, FL; ESPN): I slightly favor JMU in this matchup of kind-of disappointing G5 teams.
SP+ line: JMU by 9.3
Vegas line: JMU by 7
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: WKU’s six game bowl streak dates to the 2019 First Responder Bowl, a 23-20 win over Western Michigan. They beat Old Dominion 38-35 in last season’s Famous Toastery Bowl. JMU makes their second bowl game ever. Last season they lost 31-21 to Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, and Coley Harvey

9:00: California vs. Nevada-Las Vegas (LA Bowl @ Inglewood, CA; ESPN): Meanwhile, one of the most snake-bitten teams of the season were these Cal Golden Bears, but they did eventually make it to six wins. UNLV is the best G5-team this side of Boise State. This could be a cracker of a matchup, but the way the season’s gone Cal will likely find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory again.
SP+ line: UNLV by 3
Vegas line: Cal by 3
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: Just one, a regular season meeting in 2022 that UNLV won 20-14.
Last bowl game: Cal lost 34-14 to Texas Tech in last season’s Independence Bowl. UNLV lost 49-36 to Kansas in last season’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, and Kris Budden

Thursday, December 19
7:00: Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston State (New Orleans Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN2): Really hoping the general weirdness of the New Orleans Bowl (thankfully on once again at night) overcomes the relatively lack of anything interesting about either of these teams.
SP+ line: Southern by 6
Vegas line: Southern by 5.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is the third straight bowl game for Southern. They lost 23-21 to Buffalo in the 2022 Camellia Bowl, and 41-21 to Ohio in last season’s Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Announcers: Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin, and Morgan Uber

Friday, December 20
Noon: Ohio vs. Jacksonville State (Cure Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN):
I like the Bobcats here.
SP+ line: Ohio by 1.1
Vegas line: Ohio by 1.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: The Bobcats have a three game streak going now. Back in 2022 they beat Wyoming 30-27 in the Arizona Bowl, and last season they beat Georgia Southern 41-21 in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Jax State beat Louisiana 34-31 in last season’s New Orleans Bowl.
Announcers: Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler

3:30: Tulane vs. Florida (Gasparilla Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN2): Tulane gets another chance to knock off a P5/P4 team after last year’s upset of USC. The Gators of course, got… better over the course of the season, and unlike Tulane, their quarterback isn’t in the portal. I like the Gators here.
SP+ line: Gators by 5.1
Vegas line: Gators by 13.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the twenty-first meeting between these teams. The first was in 1915, which the Wave won 14-7. The most recent was back in September of 1984, where the Gators won 63-21. Overall, Florida leads 13-6-2.
Last bowl game: This will be the third straight bowl game for the Green Wave. In the 2022-23 Cotton Bowl they beat USC 46-45. Last season they lost 41-20 to Virginia Tech in the Military Bowl. The Gators are appearing for a bowl for the first time since a 30-3 loss to Oregon State in the 2022 Las Vegas Bowl.
Announcers: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra

8:00: Notre Dame (#7) vs. Indiana (#10) (College Football Playoff First Round @ South Bend, IN; ABC): Welcome to a moment in history. Not only are Notre Dame and Indiana playing for just the 26th time ever (see below), it’s the first ever version of an actual Division I FBS playoff. (Well, sorta, I mean, it’s not endorsed by the NCAA, but that’s becoming less relevant by the minute.) So about the game itself. Indiana got here by taking an extremely mediocre schedule and absolutely demolishing it. The meme started as #9WinIndiana, meaning no matter what happens here this will still be the greatest season in the long (mostly terrible) history of Indiana Hoosiers football. There’s one problem, though: when they played the only good team on their schedule, they got demolished themselves. I don’t think Notre Dame is as good as Ohio State, but the Irish will easily be the second best team Indiana has played this year. I don’t think that bodes well for the Hoosiers, folks.
SP+ line: ND by 4.8
Vegas line: ND by 7.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: For two schools in the same state, they haven’t played a lot, in fact, just 25 times. The first was in 1899, which Notre Dame won 17-0. They played fairly often before 1959, but only meeting since then was in 1991, where Notre Dame won 49-27. The Irish hold a 22-3 overall advantage.
Last bowl game: This is the eighth consecutive bowl appearance for the Irish. Their run began in the 2017-18 Citrus Bowl, a 21-17 win over LSU. Last season they beat Oregon State 40-8 in the Sun Bowl. The Hoosiers’s last bowl game was the 2020-21 Outback Bowl, a 26-20 loss to Ole Miss.
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, and Molly McGrath

Saturday, December 21
Noon: Pennsylvania State (#6) vs. Southern Methodist (#11) (College Football Playoff First Round @ State College, PA; TNT): Back in the summer, Split Zone Duo posited that “it is James Franklin’s manifest destiny to be the first head coach to lose a home playoff game”. Now, of course if Indiana wins the night before that won’t be Franklin. But here at ASimSports, we still believe heavily in the prophecy, even if SMU probably isn’t really the ideal opponent to pull it off. (Now, of course, that will just make it that much funnier when the Ponies do pull it off.)
SP+ line: PSU by 5
Vegas line: PSU by 9
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: Just two. The first was New Year’s Day 1948, when they played a 13-13 tie in the Cotton Bowl. The last was in 1978, which Penn State won 26-21.
Last bowl game: For the Nittany Lions, this is their fourth straight postseason appearance. They lost 24-10 to Arkansas in the 2021-22 Outback Bowl. Last season, they lost 38-25 to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. This is SMU’s third straight postseason game. They lost 24-23 to BYU in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl, and 23-14 to Boston College in last season’s Fenway Bowl.
Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, and Quint Kessenich

4:00: Texas (#5) vs. Clemson (#12) (College Football Playoff First Round @ Austin, TX; TNT): If we’re being honest with ourselves, the home team most likely to beef it probably isn’t Penn State. This would probably the funniest upset if it happens, but I just don’t see how Clemson is going to move the ball, and Ewers and Co. can score points when they’re not playing Georgia. The Horns should be fine.
SP+ line: Texas by 13.2
Vegas line: Texas by 11
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This will be the Horns’s third straight postseason game. In 2022, they lost 27-20 Washington in the Alamo Bowl. Last season they also lost to Washington, but in that was other instant classic from the playoff, a 37-31 thriller in the Sugar Bowl.
Announcers: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor

8:00: Ohio State (#8) vs. Tennessee (#9) (College Football Playoff First Round @ Columbus, OH; ABC): As befits an 8-9 game, this is the most likely to produce fireworks. Both teams have robust offenses (at least, when Ryan Day remembers that he does), so the question is going to come down to defense. It’s fair to say that the only other robust offensive team the Buckeyes have faced was Oregon, and, well, they lost that game (and by doing whatever that was against Michigan, lost the chance to try the Ducks again). However, the Ducks are that much better than the Vols, who while always dangerous do have a freshman QB and just a little bit less receiver talent than they have the past few years. If Tennessee gets it going, they will be extremely dangerous and the Buckeyes will be in trouble, but I’m not sure they’re going to get the chance.
SP+ line: OSU by 5.6
Vegas line: OSU by 7.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: Just one, a 20-14 Ohio State victory in the Citrus Bowl.
Last bowl game: It’s very amazing how often Ohio State is good to very, very good. Their current postseason streak dates to 2013, the after the 12-0 run that they had a bowl ban for. (Otherwise, their streak would go back to 1999.) So for now, they’ve just got a 13-season streak, dating to the 2013-14 Orange Bowl, a 40-35 loss to Clemson. Last season they had a pretty meek showing in a 14-3 loss to Mizzou in the Cotton Bowl. This will the fourth straight postseason appearance for the Vols, dating to a 48-45 loss to Purdue in the 2021 Music City Bowl. Last season, they completely boatraced Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe

Get the latest here.

I fully expect the SEC and Big Ten to get 4 teams each at this point, but I’d love to be wrong. Also, some bowl announcements are starting to come up, so the page will be updated as pairings are announced.

The final bowl page is up. I went 22-21 overall, getting somewhat bailed out by correctly calling the playoff. If you check the index, I took a slight hit to the overall winning percentage, but hey, I’m still better than random.

I just watched the entirety of the game and suffice to say the “Michigan just out-musceled them on the lines” prediction was correct. Penix was just never comfortable and eventually it just got to be took much, even after Washington adjusted and was able to slow down Michigan a bit after the first quarter. I really don’t think any of this takes anything away from what the Huskies did, after all, this is their first loss.

And with that, we enter offseason mode here. It was a fun season. The sport is changing rapidly, and as we enter the super-conference future, it can be easy to say that nothing will ever be the same. But in the same way that the ACC Coastal didn’t really disappear, Pac-12 After Dark will continue, and it’ll still be college football. (At least for now.)

The bowl page is fully up-to-date. It hasn’t been a great year for me, but I did get the playoff picks right. Let’s see if I get the last one.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, January 8

4:30: Michigan vs. Washington (College Football Playoff National Championship @ Houston, TX; ESPN): I have put off this preview for a bit. I think Michigan will win. That said, I keep going back and forth on why. The obvious reasons are that their line play should win the day. Then I remember that there’s a few teams in recent memory, like say 2019 LSU or 2021 Alabama, that won titles based entirely on superior, elite level quarterback play. Suffice it to say, if there’s a team that’s going to do that tonight, it’s the team that has Micheal Penix Jr. at quarterback. The throws I saw him back in the Sugar Bowl were literally next level. That said, while this Washington team is undefeated there were some games where Penix looked very, very mortal. Then again, Michigan was able to skate through a lot of the season, but was that because they were that superior or because the schedule was easy? I’m still not sure. So here we are. Despite the lines, the figures, the facts, I think this will be a fascinating game. On the eve where college football figures to change forever, I think it’s very, very cool the teams involved are from Michigan and Washington. Let’s enjoy what will almost certainly be a moment in history.
SP+ line: Michigan -8.5
Vegas line: Michigan -5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: These teams have met a total of thirteen times. The first was a 50-0 Michigan win in 1953, and that’s more or less how the other three early meetings in 1954, 1969, and 1970 went. The next two meetings would be in Rose Bowls: Washington notched their first win in the series in the 1977-78 Rose Bowl, 27-20. Three years later they met once again in Pasadena, where Michigan won 23-6. Jim Harbaugh was on the Michigan teams that played and lost to Washington in 1983 and 1984. He started the latter game and didn’t play well, going 17 for 37 passing with three interceptions in the 20-11 loss. The teams met in consecutive Rose Bowls in the 1991 and 1992 seasons, which was also the last time both of these teams were among the best in the sport. In the 1991-92 game, Washington came into the game ranked 2nd in the AP Poll and 1st in the Coaches Poll, which Michigan was 4th and 3rd (respectively). Even with Heisman winner Desmond Howard, the Wolverines lost 34-14 and Washington remained 1st in the Coaches Poll. With Miami’s 22-0 win over Nebraska, this sealed a split national title for the second season in a row. The next season, Elvis Grbac and the 7th ranked Wolverines got a touchdown in the 4th quarter to pull ahead and defeat Mark Brunell and the Huskies 38-31. Since then, the two have only met in the regular season. Washington’s last came game via 23-18 win in 2001. A year later, the return visit to Ann Arbor saw the home team win 31-29. Finally, they met two seasons ago in Ann Arbor and Michigan won 31-10. (Presumably, the return visit to Seattle was nullified by Washington joining the Big Ten.) Overall, Michigan has an 8-5 series lead.
Last bowl game: Michigan advanced to this game with a 27-20 overtime defeat of Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Washington hung on to beat Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Molly McGrath

Updates will be posted to the bowl page soon. In the meantime, here’s the last batch of previews.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday, December 30

Noon: Pennsylvania State vs. Mississippi (Peach Bowl @ Atlanta, GA; ESPN): For whatever reason, I still strongly associate the Peach Bowl with New Year’s Eve, and it still throws me a bit when it kicks off at noon Eastern. With regards to this game, I think Penn State is still a good team. The offense struggles, yes, but ultimately they occupy a relatively unique tier wherein, yes, they’re not as good as the elite teams in their conference, but they’re clearly better than everyone else. Ole Miss fancies that they’re like that, but for the SEC, but I don’t think they’re quite at Penn State’s level yet.
SP+ line: Nittany Lions -10
Vegas line: Nittany Lions -3.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is Penn State’s third bowl game in a row. They lost 24-10 to Arkansas in the 2021-22 Outback bowl, and beat Utah 35-21 in the 2022-23 Rose Bowl. This will be the fourth in a row for Ole Miss, dating to a 26-20 win over Indiana in the 2020-21 Outback Bowl. Last season they lost 42-25 to Texas Tech in the Texas Bowl.
Announcers: Mark Jones, Louis Riddick, and Quint Kessenich

2:00: Maryland vs. Auburn (Music City Bowl @ Nashville, TN; ABC): I am having a very time getting excited for this one. Mostly because both of these teams had super weird seasons. We talked about September Maryland a bit on this site, but I think I still like them over a team that should’ve won their one-game season back on Thanksgiving weekend.
SP+ line: Terps -1.1
Vegas line: Tigers -2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Three, but it’s been a while. The first was a 13-7 Maryland win in 1952. The most recent was a 35-23 Auburn win in 1983, which broke the tie to give the Tigers a 2-1 advantage.
Last bowl game: For the Terps, this is their third in a row. They beat Virginia Tech 54-10 in the 2021 Pinstripe Bowl. Last season, they beat NC State 16-12 in the Mayo Bowl. Auburn last made a bowl game in 2021, losing 17-13 to Houston in the Birmingham Bowl.
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang

4:00: Florida State vs. Georgia (Orange Bowl @ Miami Gardens, FL; ESPN): I like this broadcast crew as much as anyone, but the incredible levels of awkwardness that are likely going to be generated by the inevitable conflict that arises from ESPN both making news and reporting news, well, I’m not looking forward to it. (And no, I am suggesting the Playoff Committee is in ESPN’s pocket, but were they sequestered from all media suggestions a 1-loss Bama should get in over an undefeated FSU? I don’t know.) So here it. There’s a raft of transfers and opt-outs. Neither team will be at full strength. But if FSU wins and goes 14-0, and they should totally claim a title. And I think they will.
SP+ line: UGA -5.8
Vegas line: UGA -14
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met eleven times, though all but two occurred in 1965 or earlier. The series started with a 5 straight Georgia wins, beginning with a 14-0 win in 1954. FSU reversed that trend and won 4 straight from 1961-65, but the series then went dormant. They met a for a 17-17 tie in the 1984 Citrus Bowl. Their most recent match was a 26-13 Georgia win in the 2002-03 Sugar Bowl, giving them a a 6-4-1 overall record.
Last bowl game: FSU beat Oklahoma 35-32 in last season’s Cheez-It Bowl. Much to my chagrin, Georgia owns the longest active bowl streak in the country. Their streak started with a 33-6 win over Wisconsin in the 1997-98 Outback Bowl, meaning it’s all the way up to 27 games now. Last season, they escaped Ohio State 42-41 in the Peach Bowl and took care of TCU 65-7 in the CFP Championship Game.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, and Katie George

4:30: Toledo vs. Wyoming (Arizona Bowl @ Tucson, AZ; The CW): I can’t think of a game that’s more of a polar opposite to the Orange Bowl than this one. But hey, at least it’ll give you something to put on during halftime. That said, there’s a little bit to talk about here. For starters, this is finally the season Toledo put it all together. Wyoming isn’t good… but they seem to be able to win games somehow. It could be fun, and it may be worth a look.
SP+ line: Rockets -7.8
Vegas line: Pokes -3
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Just two: a 20-15 Wyoming win in 2010, and then a 34-31 Toledo win in 2012.
Last bowl game: The Rockets have made three bowls in a row. In 2021 they lost 31-24 to MTSU in the Bahamas Bowl, and beat Liberty 21-19 in last season’s Boca Raton Bowl. The Mountain Pokes have made three in a row. In 2021 they beat Kent State 52-38 in the Potato Bowl, and last season they lost 30-27 to Ohio in this very game.
Announcers: Jake Marsh, Dave Portnoy, Dan Katz, Caleb Pressley and Adam Ferrone

Monday, January 1

Noon: Wisconsin vs. Louisiana State (ReliaQuest Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN2): LSU is all offense and no defense. Fortunately for them, Wisconsin is still figuring some things out. I have no idea if Jayden Daniels is playing, but either way, this figures to be a win for the Tigers.
SP+ line: Tigahs -8.8
Vegas line: Tigahs -11
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met 4 times: a home-and-home in 1971 and 1972, and then with some neutral site kickoffs in 2014 and 2016. LSU won the first won 38-28, and Wisconsin won the last 16-14, resulting in an overall 3-1 record for the Tigers.
Last bowl game: The Badgers have the country’s third longest active streak, dating to a 31-28 win over Colorado in the 2002 Alamo Bowl. Last season, they beat Oklahoma State 24-17 in the Guarnteed Rate Bowl. This will be their 22nd consecutive appearance. This is LSU’s third bowl game in a row. In 2021 they lost 42-20 to K-State in the Texas Bowl, and last season they beat Purdue 63-7 in the Citrus Bowl.
Announcers: Brian Custer, Rod Gilmore, and Lauren Sisler

1:00:

• Iowa vs. Tennessee (Citrus Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): I did Joe Milton isn’t playing in this one for Tennessee. I don’t think it would’ve been a fun assignment and I absolutely don’t blame him, but man a backup QB going against the Iowa defense seems less than ideal. That said, Tennessee at least knows how to play offense, so I’m still giving them an edge over the Hawkeyes.
  SP+ line: Vols -4.9
  Vegas line: Vols -8.5
  Watchability tier: Yes, ha ha ha, yes!!
  Previous meetings: Three, all in special games. The first was a 28-22 Iowa win in the 1982 Peach Bowl. Next up was a 23-22 season opener win for the Vols in the Meadowlands. And most recently, the Vols win 45-28 in the 2014-15 TaxSlayer Bowl.
  Last bowl game: The Hawkeyes didn’t play a bowl game in 2020 (for completely understandable reasons), but if they had this would be their 11th bowl game in a row, dating to the 2013-14 Outback Bowl. Instead, they lost to Kentucky 20-17 in the 2021-22 Citrus Bowl and beat Kentucky 21-0 in last season’s Music City Bowl.
  Announcers: Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, and Kayla Burton
• Liberty vs. Oregon (Fiesta Bowl @ Glendale, AZ; ESPN): I don’t see any scenario where this is anything other than absolute asskicking by the Ducks.
  SP+ line: Ducks -13.2
  Vegas line: Ducks -18.5
  Watchability tier: II
  Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
  Last bowl game: This is the fifth bowl game in a row for the Libs, dating to a 23-16 win over Georgia Southern in the 2019 Cure Bowl. Last season they lost 21-19 to Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. This is the seventh bowl in a row for the Ducks, dating to a 38-28 loss to Boise State in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl. Last season they beat UNC 28-27 in the Holiday Bowl.
  Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Robert Griffin III, and Kris Budden

5:00: Michigan vs. Alabama (Rose Bowl @ Pasadena, CA; ESPN): There’s going to be a lot written about this game, even though I think the Sugar Bowl is going to be the better game. (For an example of what I mean, see what I wrote below for the “Previous meetings” section for this game.) What can I say? Basically every available metric favors Michigan, including the metric known as “what I’ve watched of both of these teams throughout the season”. That said, it definitely is reasonable to say that Michigan has only truly been tested a few times, and they have not seen the kind of defense that Alabama will bring to the table in Pasadena. I have picked Michigan to win, but that is mostly on what can perhaps best be described as “hope”, that is, the hope that they’ll realize that to win this game they’re going to need to do something different than what they’ve done all year. Just leaning on this Bama squad and hoping they’ll break… will not work. I know that worked against Penn State. I know that worked against Ohio State. But that idea is what has failed them in their last two playoff appearances. They need to bring something different to the table, and they need to realize it from the start of the game. If they wind up chasing this game the way they did against TCU last year, I’d expect a similar result.
SP+ line: Michigan -8.4
Vegas line: Michigan -1
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This will be the sixth all-time meeting between two of college football’s most storied teams. Despite being college football royalty for more-or-less the entire history of the sport, the first meeting wasn’t until a matchup of two 7-4 versions of these teams in the 1987-88 Hall of Fame Bowl. Michigan won 28-24. The next met in the 1996-97 Outback Bowl, a classic in the “remember some guys” genre featuring touchdowns from Brian Griese and Shaun Alexander. The Tide won 17-14. Speaking of which, they next met in the 1999-2000 Orange Bowl, which featured some guy named Tom Brady throwing for 4 TDs and a 35-34 Michigan overtime win that was sealed by Bama missing the PAT. Next up, they kicked off the 2012 season with a game in Jerry Jones’s Intergalactic Space Palace, where Bama won 41-14. Most recently, they played in the 2019-2020 Citrus Bowl, where Bama cruised a 35-16 win, breaking the tie and giving the Tide a 3-2 series lead.
Last bowl game: This is Michigan’s third bowl game in a row. In 2021 they lost 34-11 to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, and last season they lost 51-45 to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Laura Rutledge

8:45: Washington vs. Texas (Sugar Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN): I hope you like points, because, yo, this game is going to have some points. Okay, yeah, Texas has some dudes on the defensive line, but if there’s a team that’s shown they can scheme around that issue, it’s the Huskies. Honestly, I think Texas has plenty of talent, but it feels like next year is going to be their year. I’m a lot more sure about UDub coming out of this one than I am about the result of the Rose Bowl.
SP+ line: Horns -6
Vegas line: Horns -4
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This game may seem somewhat familiar. And indeed, these two met a year ago in the 2022 Alamo Bowl, which has a close final score (27-20) but the Huskies went up 27-10 early in the 4th quarter and that was pretty much it. They first met in 1974, where the Horns won 35-21. Overall, Texas leads the series 3-2.
Last bowl game: The Dubs beat Texas 27-20 in last season’s Alamo Bowl. The Horns lost 27-20 to Washington in last season’s Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, and Katie George