As usual, the latest updates on how I’m doing are here. In the meantime, here’s the lineup through Friday. And as usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, December 23

11:00: Texas-San Antonio vs. Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach Bowl @ Conway, SC; ESPN): Coastal gets a home game, which I always wonder is a bit of a bummer for the team in question. Either way, I like the Road Runners here.
SP+ line: UTSA by 3.5
Vegas line: UTSA by 11
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: For the Roadrunners, this is their fifth straight bowl game. They lost to Louisiana 31-24 in the 2020 First Respondeder Bowl. Last season they beat Marshall 35-17 in the Frisco Bowl.
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang

2:30: Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois (Potato Bowl @ Boise, ID; ESPN): Y’all, it’s time for the Potato Bowl. It’s not always the most thrilling game, but it’s admirable that this game has maintained its personality even though it got acquired by ESPN Events many years ago. (To wit, see the logo, website, and mascot.) As for the game itself, I have to like Fresno here. NIU has one of the most head scratching victories of the year (their upset of Notre Dame in Week 2), but I don’t see that informing this game.
SP+ line: Fresno by 2.6
Vegas line: NIU by 3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: They first met in 1972, in a surely thrilling 9-6 Fresno State win. The last was a 40-17 NIU win in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl, giving them a 3-2 overall series lead.”
Last bowl game: For the Bulldogs, their current streak dates to the 2021 New Mexico Bowl, a 31-24 win over UTEP. Last season they beat New Mexico State 37-10 in the New Mexico Bowl. NIU beat Arkansas State 21-19 in last season’s Camellia Bowl.
Announcers: Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker, and Tori Petry

Tuesday, December 24

8:00: San Jose State vs. South Florida (Hawaii Bowl @ Honolulu, HI; ESPN): It’s Christmas Eve. Turn this on and think about how warm it is over there. I hope you’re enjoying your holiday, wherever you are. I like the Spartans here.
SP+ line: USF by 1.9
Vegas line: SJSU by 3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Just one: a 44-22 USF win in 2017.
Last bowl game: The Silicon Spartans have appeared in three straight bowl games. In 2022, they lost 41-27 to Eastern Michigan in the Potato Bowl. Last season they lost 24-14 to Coastal Carolina in the Hawaii Bowl. USF blanked Syracuse in last season’s Boca Raton Bowl, 45-0.
Announcers: Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker, and Marilyn Payne

Thursday, December 26

2:00: Pittsburgh vs. Toledo (Sports Bowl @ Detroit, MI; ESPN): It’s possible that Pitt will be bummed to be in Detroit and find themselves upset by one of the usually good MAC teams, but I doubt it.
SP+ line: Pitt by 9.9
Vegas line: Pitt by 6.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Three. The first was a 37-19 Pitt win in 2022, and the last was a 45-3 Pitt win in 2006. But in 2003 Toledo won 35-31.
Last bowl game: Pitt’s last postseason appearance was in the Sun Bowl, a 37-35 win over UCLA. By all rights, Toledo should have a streak going back to 2010, but they were skipped over in 2013 and 2019, and didn’t play in a bowl in 2020. So this is their fourth in a row, dating to the 2021 Bahamas Bowl, a 31-24 loss to Middle Tennessee State. Last season they lost 16-14 to Wyoming in the Arizona Bowl.
Announcers: Matt Schumacker, Dustin Fox, and Harry Lyles Jr.

5:30: Rutgers vs. Kansas State (Guaranteed Rate Bowl @ Phoenix, AZ; ESPN): It’s always a minor victory for Rutgers to get to a bowl. But K-State has the grit and know-how to prevail in bowl games.
SP+ line: K-State by 8.8
Vegas line: K-State by 7
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one: a 37-10 Rutgers win in the 2006 Texas Bowl.
Last bowl game: Rutgers beat Miami 31-24 in the Pinstripe Bowl last season. This will be K-State’s fourth in a row, dating to a 42-20 win over LSU in the 2021-22 Texas Bowl. Last season they ate the Pop-Tarts, beating NC State 28-19 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.
Announcers: Wes Durham, Tom Luginbill, and Dana Boyle

9:00: Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green (68 Ventures Bowl @ Mobile, AL; ESPN): Part of my job should really be to look up what the portal picture is for this, because about the only way I don’t like Bowling Green is if all of their first string is playing elsewhere next season.
SP+ line: BGSU by 10.6
Vegas line: BGSU by 8
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Arkansas State lost 21-19 to Northern Illinois in last season’s Camellia Bowl. Bowling Green lost to New Mexico 24-19 in the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl, and lost last season’s Quick Lane Bowl 30-24 to Minnesota. I suspect they might actually be happy to be in Mobile, considering.
Announcers: Clay Matvick, Roddy Jones, and Ashley Stroehlein

Friday, December 27

Noon: Navy vs. Oklahoma (Armed Forces Bowl @ Fort Worth, TX; ESPN): There are so many variables in this game. For starters, will Navy be motivated? After all, they besmirched one of the best Army seasons in decades by winning the Command-in-Chief’s trophy. Will they be able to maintain the motivation to beat a classic power? For Oklahoma, it’s been a rough season, but they can hang their hat on probably single-highhandedly keeping Alabama out of the playoff. And while the Sooners definitely have the talent advantage here, their offensive struggles are real. I’m going to be cowardly and take OU here, but this could be a cracker of a game.
SP+ line: OU by 7.7
Vegas line: OU by 3
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: Just one: a 10-0 Navy win back in 1965.
Last bowl game: Navy’s last bowl appearance was a 20-17 win over K-State in the 2019 Liberty Bowl. For the Sooners, this is their twenty-sixth straight bowl game, which is now the second longest streak in the country, behind only Georgia. The run started with a 27-25 loss to Ole Miss in the 1999 Independence Bowl, and most recently they lost 38-24 to Arizona in the Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia, and Morgan Uber

3:30: Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt (Birmingham Bowl @ Birmingham, AL; ESPN): It’s still to be determined if I’m going to drive to Birmingham for this one. That said, tickets are tough to get, and for good reason: these plucky teams are set to have almost all of their usual starters, including their hard-nosed quarterbacks. I think regardless of the outcome this could be one of the best non-playoff games of the entire postseason.
SP+ line: Vandy 1.7
Vegas line: GT by 3
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These former SEC foes have played 37 games, and I even attended one in Nashville. The first was a 37-6 Tech loss in 1906. They met fairly regularly until Tech left the SEC after 1963, resulting a gap in the series from 1967 to 2002. The most recent meeting wase a 38-7 Tech win in 2016. Tech lost a fair bit before WWII, but the last loss for us was in 1941, and the last non-win was a 10-10 tie in 1965. And then there’s the game I attended in 2003 that went to overtime. Two plays were run in OT: a Reggie Ball naked bootleg for a TD, and then a Jay Cutler interception. The Vandy students around filled out silently, after all, that’s just kind of how Vandy football usually is (especially in the pre-James Franklin era). Overall, the Jackets hold a 20-14-3 advantage.
Last bowl game: The Jackets now have a two-game streak after last season’s 30-17 win over UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl. This is Vandy’s first bowl game since the 2018 Texas Bowl, where they lost 45-38 to Baylor.
Announcers: Dave Neal, Aaron Murray, and Ashley ShahAhmadi

7:00: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas (Liberty Bowl @ Memphis, TN; ESPN): You could tell just about anything could happen in this game and I’d probably believe you. Both teams had low expectations coming into the season and simply making a bowl game probably feels good just on its own. I’ll take the Hogs here but this could be an interesting one.
SP+ line: Hogs by 5.8
Vegas line: Hogs by 1.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: These former SWC foes have met… 37 times. The first was back in 1957, a 47-26 Tech win. They played regularly after that until the Hogs left the SWC. The most recent meeting was a 35-24 TTU win in 2015. Overall, though, Arkansas has dominated to the tune of a 29-8 advantage.
Last bowl game: This is the fourth straight bowl for the Red Raiders, dating to a 34-7 win over Mississippi State in the 2021 Liberty Bowl. Last season they beat Cal 34-14 in the Independence Bowl. The Razorbacks’s last bowl game was a 55-53 win over Kansas in the 2022 Liberty Bowl.
Announcers: Anish Shroff, Andre Ware, and Paul Carcaterra

8:00: Syracuse vs. Washington State (Holiday Bowl @ San Diego, CA; FOX): Unfortunately, with Wazzu’s QB in the portal I don’t see any realistic path to victory for the Cougs, and a game that would probably be pretty watchable otherwise with two fun QBs will be sort of “meh”.
SP+ line: Cuse by 3.6
Vegas line: Cuse by 15.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one: a 55-25 Syracuse win in Buffalo back in 1979.
Last bowl game: This is the third straight bowl game for the Orange. They lost 28-20 in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl to Minnesota, and got blanked 45-0 by South Florida in last season’s Boca Raton Bowl. Wazzu’s last postseason appearance was the 2022 LA Bowl, a 29-6 loss to Fresno State.
Announcers: Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt

10:30: Southern California vs. Texas A&M (Las Vegas Bowl @ Las Vegas, NV; ESPN): Hey USC, remember late night Eastern time kick-offs? Well, here you go. That said, USC’s lost season figures to continue to be…. lost. While this game has some entertainment value with two “name brands” (if you will) I really like the Aggies here.
SP+ line: TAMU by 7.1
Vegas line: TAMU by 3
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Three, and it’s been a while. The first was a 31-7 USC win in 1964. They met in the 1975 Liberty Bowl, a 20-0 USC win. And then two years later they bet in the Bluebonnet Bowl, a 47-28 USC win.
Last bowl game: This will be USC’s third straight bowl game, dating to the 2022-23 Cotton Bowl, where they lost 46-45 to Tulane. They handled Louisville 42-28 in last season’s Holiday Bowl. A&M lost 31-23 to Oklahoma State in last season’s Texas Bowl.
Announcers: Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, and Stormy Buonantony

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