A quick note: I haven’t figured out how to display my picks on the bowl page yet, and there are some other errors. I will work on fixing the factual errors shortly, but for now winner/loser info will not be available. Rest assured, I’m keeping track internally.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, December 22
2:00: Utah State vs. Washington State (Potato Bowl @ Boise, ID; ESPN): Like I said, I’m keeping track of everything internally, so I assure you I correctly picked Wazzu.
SP+ line: Wazzu by 3.6
Vegas line: Aggies by 3
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the fifth meeting between these teams. They first met in 1949, a 33-0 Wazzu win. After a 46-6 win in 1950, the Aggies have won the most recent two to even the series: 34-14 in 1961 and 26-23 in 2021.
Last bowl game: For the Aggies, their last bowl game was the 2023 edition of this game, a 45-22 loss to Georgia State. Wazzu beat Syracuse in last season’s Holiday Bowl 52-35.
Announcers: Chuckie Kempf, Darius Walker, and Tori Petry

Tuesday, December 23
2:00: Louisville vs. Toledo (Boca Raton Bowl @ Boca Raton, FL; ESPN): As is true with almost all games outside of the playoff these days, this game will come down to motivation and presence. By the latter, I mean it quite literally: if key players are opting-out they’re not there. Motivation is more about mental presence, where Louisville could very well be bummed about playing a MAC team in a third tier bowl game in what was a pretty good season for them. I still have the Cards winning mind you, but the Rockets are always spicy, especially since they’re more likely to be up for this game.
SP+ line: Cards by 3.3
Vegas line: Cards by 8.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one: a 31-6 Cardinals win in 1981.
Last bowl game: This is the fifth bowl game in a row for the Cardinals, dating to a 31-28 loss to Air Force in the 2021 First Responder Bowl. Last season they beat Washington 35-34 in the Sun Bowl. This is also the Rockets’ fifth bowl in a row, dating to a 31-24 loss to Middle Tennessee State in the 2021 Bahamas Bowl. Last season they beat Pitt in the Sports Bowl, 48-46.
Announcers: Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, and Ashley Stroehlein

5:30: Western Kentucky vs. Southern Mississippi (New Orleans Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN): Southern Miss was having a good season. Then their quarterback got hurt, their head coach got hired away, and… yeah, Hilltoppers all the way here.
SP+ line: WKU by 6.2
Vegas line: WKU by 4
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: The first meeting was a 42-17 Hilltopper win in 2012. Tehy met in the 2015 Conference USA championship game, a 48-28 WKU win. Their most recent meeting was a 10-7 WKU win in 2020, making the Hilltoppers 4-0.
Last bowl game: This is WKU’s seventh bowl in a row, dating to the 2019 First Responder Bowl, a 23-20 win over Western Michigan. Last season they lost to JMU in the Boca Raton Bowl, 27-17. For Southern Missi, this is their first bowl game since a 38-24 win over Rice in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl.
Announcers: Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia, and Ian Fitzsimmons

9:00: Nevada-Las Vegas vs. Ohio (Frisco Bowl @ Frisco, TX; ESPN): While UNLV got a little waxed in the Mountain West title game, they’re still just better than Ohio. Other than that, see what I wrote above.
SP+ line: UNLV by 8.1
Vegas line: UNLV by 4.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one: a 26-18 UNLV win in 1988.
Last bowl game: For the Rebels, this will be their third bowl in a row. Last season they beat Cal 24-13 in the LA Bowl. This is Ohio’s fourth bowl in a row, dating to the 2022 Arizona Bowl, wher ethey beat Wyoming 30-27. Last season they won the Cure Bowl over Jacksonville State 30-27.
Announcers: Wes Durham, Steve Addazio, and Dana Boyle

Wednesday, December 24
8:00: California vs. Hawaii (Hawaii Bowl @ Honolulu, HI; ESPN): Once again, the Hawaii Bowl is back in its spiritually appropriate spot on Christmas Eve. This could actually be a pretty fun game, too. The Rainbow Warriors are playing well and at home. Cal is, of course, the random number generator of college football teams, but if QB phenom JKS plays then serious, anything could happen. I’m giving Hawaii a slight edge.
SP+ line: Bows by 4.4
Vegas line: Cal by 1.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: There’s been three meetings where Hawaii is considered FBS or equivalent: the first was a 42-18 Cal win in 1993. The next year, the Bears lost 21-7 in Bekerely. Their last meeting was a 51-31 Cal win in a 2016 season opener in Syndey, Australia.
Last bowl game: This is Cal’s third bowl in a row. They lost to UNLV 24-13 in last season’s LA Bowl. Hawaii’s last postseason appearance the 2020 New Mexico Bowl (held, of course, in Frisco, TX) where they beat Houston 28-14.
Announcers: Chris Cotter, Max Browne, and Harry Lyles Jr.

Friday, December 26
1:00: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan (Sports Bowl @ Detroit, MI; ESPN): If Northwestern cares about this at all they should have no problems dispatching CMU.
SP+ line: Cats by 7.6
Vegas line: Cats by 10.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: CMU doesn’t seem to be one of Northwestern’s MAC punching bags, as they have just one meeting: a 2010 Northwestern win by a 30-25 margin.
Last bowl game: Northwestern’s last bowl game was a 14-7 win over Utah in the 2023 Las Vegas Bowl. For CMU, this is their first postseason appearance since a 24-21 win over Wazzu in the 2021 Sun Bowl.
Announcers: Matt Schumacker, Dustin Fox, and Ashley Stroehlein

4:30: New Mexico vs. Minnesota (Rate Bowl @ Phoenix, AZ; ESPN): The numbers give the Lobos a pretty fair shake in this one. I know Minnesota is not spectacular this year, but at least on paper I like the Gophers a lot. This combination may make this game more interesting than I originally imagined.
SP+ line: Lobos by 0.9
Vegas line: Gophers by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: For the Lobos, this is their first postseason since a 23-20 win over UTSA in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl. For Goldy and Co, this is their fifth bowl game in a row. The streak started with an 18-6 win over West Virginia in the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Last season they beat Virginia Tech 24-10 in the Mayo Bowl.
Announcers: Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison, and Dawn Davenport

8:00: Texas-San Antonio vs. Florida International (First Responder Bowl @ Dallas, TX; ESPN): This isn’t the fun UTSA of a few years ago, but FIU is not good. The Road Runners should, well, you know.
SP+ line: UTSA by 8.7
Vegas line: UTSA by 8.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: The series is tied at 2-2 all time. The first meeting was a 16-13 UTSA win in 2014, and the most recent was a 30-10 UTSA win in 2022.
Last bowl game: This is UTSA’s sixth bowl in a row, dating to the 2020 First Responder Bowl, where they lost 31-24 to Louisiana. Last season they beat Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. For FIU, this is their first bowl since th 2019 Camellia Bowl, 34-26 loss to Arkansas State.
Announcers: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra

Bowl season is here! In fact, it’s more than here: it already started! While last weekend I folded the LA Bowl into normal coverage, from here we’ll forward lower-level games of interest into the bowl slate as well.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Tuesday, December 16
9:00: Jacksonville State vs. Troy (Veterans Bowl @ Montgomery, AL; ESPN): For the record, this game already happened, and I had Troy winning. So whoops.
SP+ line: Troy by 1.1
Vegas line: Troy by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: These Alabama teams met often in lower-level ball, but only one meeting has occurred since either went to FBS: Troy defeated still-FCS Jacksonville State 21-3 in 2001.
Last bowl game: Jax State lost 30-27 to Ohio in last season’s Cure Bowl, their second bowl appearance in a row (and ever). This is Troy’s first bowl game since a 17-10 loss to Duke in the 2023 Birmingham Bowl.
Announcers: Matt Barrie, Tom Luginbill, and Harry Lyles Jr.

Wednesday, December 17
5:00: Old Dominion vs. South Florida (Cure Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN):
As is usual with games like this, it may depend on who actually suits up for USF, but I’m leaning their way.
SP+ line: USF by 8
Vegas line: USF by 3.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is ODU’s first bowl since a 38-35 loss to Western Kentucky in the 2023 Famous Toastery Bowl. This is the third bowl appearance in a row for USF. Last season they defeated San Jose State 41-39 in the Hawaii Bowl.
Announcers: Dave Neal, Fozzy Whittaker, and Morgan Uber

8:30: Louisiana vs. Delaware (68 Ventures Bowl @ Mobile, AL; ESPN): The Blue Hens did well in their first FBS season to get to 6-6. I don’t think the Cajuns are obviously better than them, but for a team still moving up from FCS, I think at the end of the year a team used to the FBS level will just be more ready to play a 13th FBS game.
SP+ line: Cajuns by 1.8
Vegas line: Cajuns by 3
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is the eight straight bowl game for the Cajuns, dating to the Cure Bowl, a 41-24 Tulane win. Last season they lost 34-3 to TCU in the New Mexico Bowl. Since this is their first season in FBS, this is also Delawre’s first ever bowl game.
Announcers: Clay Matvick, Max Browne, and Alyssa Lang

Thursday, December 18
9:00: Missouri State vs. Arkansas State (Xbox Bowl @ Frisco, TX; ESPN2): RIP to the Bahamas Bowl, which this game is taking the place of. I actually like MoState a bit more in this one, due to their more successful move up.
SP+ line: Missouri St by 1.2
Vegas line: Arky St by 1.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: These teams have never met as FBS opponents, but did meet 4 times when Missouri State was still in DI-AA/FCS. In 1991, Missour State won 37-20. The three subsequent meetings have been Arkansas Staet wins, the most recent of which was a 70-7 win in 2015.
Last bowl game: Since this is Missouri State’s first season in FBS, this is also their ever bowl game. Arkansas State has been to three straight bowls, beating Bowling Green 38-31 in last season’s 68 Ventures Bowl.
Announcers: Jorge Sedano, Rodney McLeod, and Victoria Arlen

Friday, December 19
11:00: Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan (Myrtle Beach Bowl @ Conway, SC; ESPN): A matchup of G5 champs that should be at least a little fun while you’re busy pretending to work. Kennesaw  tramped their way through Conference USA, while WMU has a much more typical MAC season. I’ll take the Owls here.
SP+ line: Kennesaw by 1.1
Vegas line: WMU by 3.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is Kennesaw State’s first ever bowl game. WMU lost 30-23 to South Alabama in last season’s Veterans Bowl.
Announcers: Matt Schumacker, Dustin Fox, and Marilyn Payne

2:30: North Carolina State vs. Memphis (Gasparilla Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN): Things are starting to get a little bit more real here. Sure, there’s still plenty of other bowls next week that involve G5 teams, but this one should be fun. The Tigers are still doing plenty of Memphis things, though they’re part of the group of top American coaches who are now coaching elsewhere. Provided they haven’t already had too many guys transfer out, I like them slightly over NC State.
SP+ line: Memphis by 6.8
Vegas line: NCSU by 6
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: NC State should have a six game bowl streak stating to the 2020 Gator Bowl, but the 2021 Holiday Bowl was canceled. They lost 26-21 to ECU in last season’s Military Bowl. This is Memphi’s fourth consecutive postseason appearance, dating to a 38-10 win over Utah State in the 2022 First Responder Bowl. They beat West Virginia 42-37 in last year’s Frisco Bowl.
Announcers: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, Paul Carcaterra

8:00: Alabama @ Oklahoma (College Football Playoff First Round; ABC): And now… the playoff. It’s hard to say how compelling this game will be, after all, we already saw it. And Oklahoma won. Both teams enter with plenty of questions on offense. For Oklahoma, have the past three weeks off allowed John Mateer’s hand to heal up a bit more? For Bama, can they do anything that resembles the team’s offense before roughly late October? The SEC championship game is very hard to watch for multiple reasons, not the least of which was Ty Simpson looking like he’d regressed in a big way while facing a very, very good defense. And if there’s anything these Sooners do, it’s play defense. I don’t think Simpson’s life is going to get any easier this time around. You’ve heard it before: it’s tough to beat a team twice. But with the kind of game the Sooners will probably play, Bama may be lucky to score points.
SP+ line: Sooners by 3.3
Vegas line: Sooners by 1.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: The Sooners are 5-2-1 against the Tide all time. Their first meeting was in the 1962-63 Orange Bowl, a 17-0 Bama win. The most recent was, of course, earlier this season, a 23-21 Sooner victory.
Last bowl game: The Sooners have the second longest bowl streak in the country, a 27 game streak dating to the 1999 Independence Bowl (a 27-25 loss to Mississippi). Last season, they lost 21-20 to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Tide have the third longest bowl streak, a 25-gamer dating to the 2001 Independence Bowl (where they beat Iowa State 14-13). Last season they lost to Michigan 19-13 in the Reliaquest Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Laura Rutledge

Saturday, December 20
12:00: Miami @ Texas A&M (College Football Playoff First Round; ABC): This is almost certainly the most compelling of the first round matchups. The Aggies, of course, only lost one game, but it was their last one. The Canes have big wins that got them into the field, but played inconsistent at times. There’s no doubt on paper they’ve got the talent to prevail. I’m not sure I really like either of these teams in the next round, but for now I think the Aggies’ consistency will allow them to prevail. I think this is the game with the best chance of an upset, though.
SP+ line: Aggies by 2.6
Vegas line: TAMU by 3.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: These teams have met five times, all in the regular season. The first was a 70-14 A&M win in 1944. The most recent was a 48-33 Miami win in 2023, giving the Canes a slight 3-2 edge all-time.
Last bowl game: This is the third bowl game in a row for the Aggies. Last season they lost to Southern Cal 35-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Miami has also now made three postseason appearances in a row, losing 42-41 to Iowa state in last season’s Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Announcers: Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath, and Taylor McGregor

1:00: Johns Hopkins @ Wisconsin-River Falls (NCAA Division III Semifinal; ESPN+)

3:30: Tulane @ Mississippi (College Football Playoff First Round; TNT): And here’s the second of the two rematches we have in the first round. The odd thing here, of course, is the coaching situation. You may’ve heard that Mississippi’s coach left for another job on the SEC, so he’s not going to be in Vaught-Hemingway for this one. You may’ve also heard that the Green Wave’s coach also left for a SEC job, but unlike the former, Sumerall will be the head coach for this game. Could that make a difference? Maybe. But a three touchdown difference? I’m not so sure. Keep an eye on this one though.
SP+ line: Rebels by 17.9
Vegas line: Rebels by 17.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: It’s not suprising that these former conference mates have met 74 times, playing at least somewhat regularly through the 1980’s. They first met in 1893, a surely thrilling 12-4 Mississippi win. Their most recent matchup, back in September, was a 45-10 romp in Oxford. You’ll have to go back to 1988 to find the last Green Wave victory in this series, where Mississippi has a 45-29 all-time lead.
Last bowl game: Mississippi has a six game bowl streak dating to the 2020-21 Outback Bowl, a 26-20 win over Indiana. Last season they beat Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl. This is the fourth postseason contest in a row for Tulane, dating to the 2022-23 Cotton Bowl, where they beat Southern California 46-45. Last season they lost 33-8 to Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George, and Quint Kessenich

4:00:

• Montana @ Montana State (“Brawl of the Wild”; NCAA Division I Semifinal; ABC): If the Tulane-Mississippi game is going the way we all think it will, don’t hesitate to flip over to ABC for what might turn into the greatest semifinal in the history of the NCAA football tournament.
• Harding vs. Ferris State (NCAA Division II Championship @ McKinney, TX; ESPN2)

4:30: John Carroll @ North Central (NCAA Division III Semifinal; ESPN+)

7:30:

• James Madison @ Oregon (College Football Playoff First Round; TNT): I believe both of these things to be true. First, given the rules and structure of the College Football Playoff, 11-1 Sun Belt champion JMU absolutely deserves to be in the field. Second, they stand absolutely no chance in this game.
  SP+ line: Ducks by 15.3
  Vegas line: Ducks by 21.5
  Watchability tier: II
  Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
  Last bowl game: This is the ninth postseason appearance in a row for the Ducks, dating to the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl (a 38-28 loss to Boise State). Last season they lost a playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl 41-21 to Ohio State. This is the third straight postseason for the Dukes. Last season they beat Western Kentucky 27-17 in the Boca Raton Bowl.
  Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, Kris Budden, and Stormy Buonantony
• Illinois State @ Villanova (NCAA Division I Semifinal; ESPN2)

The bowl page is updated. And for one last time this season:

All times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, January 20

7:30: Ohio State (#8) vs. Notre Dame (#7) (College Football Playoff Championship @ Atlanta, GA; ESPN): And finally, we’re here. I don’t really have a problem with this matchup. We have the best team in college football since Week 2 in Notre Dame and probably the most talented (on paper) team in Ohio State. Both suffered bizarre losses this season, but there can really be no doubt that both teams belong here.
So what to make of the actual game? Suffice it to say, I think the Buckeyes will win handily. The question is when it’s going to happen. Will Notre Dame’s lack of a downfield passing game mean they sink if they get behind early, a la Oregon? Or will this be tight until late, with the Buckeye defense making another big play to cement the game, a la Texas? The path for the Irish is very narrow: I’d have to think they need to keep it a tight game, get pressure on Will Howard, and hope for a titled turnover margin. I think the Irish will be able to move the ball a bit, but I just think it will take too long when Ohio State is more than capable for scoring in batches.
SP+ line: Ohio State by 5.9
Vegas line: Buckeyes by 8.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: These teams have met eight times. The first was an 18-13 Notre Dame win in 1935. They played again in 1936 (a surely thrilling 7-2 Notre Dame win) and then didn’t meet again for 60 years. In 1995, the Buckeyes dominated 45-26, and did the same when they returned to South Bend the next season. They then met in the 2005-06 Fiesta Bowl, another Ohio State win. A decade later they met again in Arizona. Finally, in 2022 and 2023 they played another home-and-home, with the Buckeyes again prevailing in both. The result is a 6-2 Ohio State lead all-time.
Last bowl game: In the Orange Bowl, Notre Dame and Penn State fought it out, with the Irish prevailing via a last-minute field goal 27-24. In the Cotton Bowl, the final score was 28-14 for Ohio State over Texas, but the ‘Horns certainly gave the Buckeyes the most fight of any of their playoff opponents so far.
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Holly Rowe, and Laura Rutledge