In this edition, we’ll preview the next 12 bowl games on the calendar, starting from Boxing Day to New Year’s Eve Eve Eve.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, December 26

2:30: New Mexico State vs. Bowling Green (Quick Lane Bowl @ Detroit, MI; ESPN): Obviously this game exists as a prelude to for ESPN to remind you that there’s somehow a 3rd straight day of NFL football, even if you’re kind of tired of after watching the somewhat dreadful Christmas Day slate. This game as a more interesting storyline, at least. Neither of these teams has bowled often or for a while (see below), and at least with this caliber a team there’s a good chance their best players will play. (We will ignore concerns about the quality of said players.) Either way, I think going to bowls is just more important to NMSU, and that’ll propel to the win.
SP+ line: Aggies -4.5
Vegas line: BGSU -2.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is the fifth bowl ever for the Aggies. Their last bowl game was the 2017 Arizona Bowl, where they beat Utah State 26-20. For BGSU, this is their first bowl game since the 2015 Godaddy.com Bowl, where they lost 58-27 to Georgia Southern.
Announcers: John Schriffen and Rene Ingoglia

Tuesday, December 27

12:00: Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern (Camellia Bowl @ Montgomery, AL; ESPN): While Montgomery right now (or ever, really) is no one’s idea of a tropical paradise, it might be preferable to what’s going on in Buffalo right now. My best to anyone affected by the storm there. Down here, I’m taking GATA.
SP+ line: Southern -3.9
Vegas line: Creek Water -3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: The Bulls went to the 2020 version of this game and won 17-10 over Marshall. The Eagles went to the 2020 New Orleans Bowl and beat Louisiana Tech 38-3.
Announcers: Drew Carter and Aaron Murray

3:15: Utah State vs. Memphis (First Responder Bowl @ Dallas, TX; ESPN): See that SP+ line down there? Yeah. Tigers all the way.
SP+ line: Memphis -19.9
Vegas line: Memphis -7.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Seven, all from 1965 through 1977. Memphis leads the all time series 4-3 and won the most recent meeting 31-26.
Last bowl game: The Aggies beat Oregon State in last season’s LA Bowl, 24-13. Memphis’s last postseason appearance was the 2020 Montgomery Bowl, where they beat Florida Atlantic 25-10.
Announcers: Mike Monaco and Charles Arbuckle

6:45: East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina (Birmingham Bowl @ Birmingham, AL; ESPN): This is starting to get more interesting. ECU sort of came out of nowhere this season and put together a run to this bowl. Coastal wasn’t quite up their standards last year, but their star QB, Grayson McCall, is going to give it one last ride in this bowl game. Motivation matters a lot in bowl games, and I think CCU will have it.
SP+ line: ECU -2.5
Vegas line: ECU -10.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: ECU hasn’t been to a bowl game since the 2014-15 Birmingham Bowl, where they 28-20 to Florida. This is the third bowl in a row for Coastal, going back to the 2020 Cure Bowl, where they lost 37-34 to Liberty. Last season they won the Cure Bowl 47-41 over Northern Illinois.
Announcers: Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker

10:15: Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State (Guaranteed Rate Bowl @ Phoenix, AZ; ESPN): So the deal with getting to a game featuring teams you’ve heard of is that, well, Wisconsin is going through a coaching transition right now and they’ve got tons of players transferring and/or opting-out. It’s hard to get a read on this, but if we’re talking about motivation, OSU’s starters against whatever roster the Badgers manage to scrape up for an interim coach might just be too much to overcome. (That does remind me that I should check if Barry Alvarez is going to be the interim again.)
SP+ line: OSU -3.2
Vegas line: Wisky -3
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: The Badgers have now been to 21 straight bowl games, dating back to the 2002 Alamo Bowl, where they beat Colorado 31-28. Last season they beat Arizona State 20-13 in the Las Vegas Bowl. This is the 17th straight bowl game for the Pokes, dating to the 2006 Independence Bowl, where they beat Alabama 34-31. Last season they beat Notre Dame 37-35 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Kirk Morrison

Wednesday, December 28

2:00: Duke vs. Central Florida (Military Bowl @ Annapolis, MD; ESPN): This game is more or less a pick ’em. I don’t think either of these teams is that good, seeing as how they collectively went 1-1 against Georgia Tech this season. I’m giving an extremely slight edge to Duke.
SP+ line: UCF -3.8
Vegas line: Duke -1
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is Duke’s first bowl game since the 2018 Independence Bowl, where they beat Temple 56-27. This is the seventh straight bowl game for the Knights, dating to a 31-13 loss to Arkansas State in the 2016 Cure Bowl. Last season they beat Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl, a result that I’d imagine they will stop talking about after this game. Maybe.
Announcers: Keven Brown and Hutson Mason

5:30: Kansas vs. Arkansas (Liberty Bowl @ Memphis, TN; ESPN): Arkansas had a bizarre end to their season that involved losing to Liberty (the score was 21-19, but it was bad), a close loss to LSU, WOMPin’ Ole Miss, and then a loss to Missouri? I have no idea. KU more or less just started losing once they ran into real competition in the Big 12. That said, what this game is REALLY about is whether it’s “Ar-kan-saw” or “Ar-kansas”. And unfortunately for my Kansas relatives, I think it’ll likely be the latter.
SP+ line: Womp -9.2
Vegas line: Womp -3
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: For two teams in roughly the same region, there’s just been two all-time meetings. And we have to go back, way back. The first was a 6-0 Kansas win in 1905, followed by a 37-5 win by the Jayhawks a year later.
Last bowl game: Bowl games are somewhat few and far between for the Jayhawks, for whom this is their first postseason game since the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, where they beat Minnesota 42-21. The Razorbacks last called the postseason hogs in last season’s 24-10 win over Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
Announcers: Dave O’Brien and Dan Mullen

8:00: North Carolina vs. Oregon (Holiday Bowl @ San Diego, CA; FOX): I always consider the holiday the unofficial start of the “real” bowl season, when the bowls start featuring power conference teams with records well north of barely just qualifying. Plus, it’s nice to think about San Diego. That said, SP+ and Vegas think this going to be all Ducks, and I’m inclined to agree.
SP+ line: Ducks -14
Vegas line: Ducks -14
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is the fourth straight bowl game for the Tarheels, dating to the 2019 Military Bowl, where they beat Temple 55-13. Last season they lost 38-21 to South Carolina in the Mayo Bowl. This game will make it six straight for the Ducks, dating to a 38-28 loss to Boise State in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl. Last season they 47-32 to Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt

9:00: Texas Tech vs. Mississippi (Texas Bowl @ Houston, TX; ESPN): I don’t have a great idea of what’s going on with either of these teams, but that could well produce an interesting game to watch. I agree Ole Miss is the favorite though.
SP+ line: Ole Miss -7.9
Vegas line: Ole Miss -3.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Six times, dating to the 1986 Independence Bowl. They met again in the 1998 Independence Bowl, then played a home-and-home in 2002 and 2003. They then met in a bowl that decidedly wasn’t in Shreveport in the 2008-09 Cotton Bowl, and then played a neutral-site season opener in 2018. Ole Miss holds a 4-2 series lead and win the 2018 game 47-27.”
Last bowl game: Texas Tech beat Miss State 34-7 in last season’s Liberty Bowl. Their opponent this season, the other SEC from Mississippi, will be making their third straight bowl game. That started with a 26-20 win over Indiana in the 2020-21 Outback Bowl. Last season they lost to Baylor 21-7 in the Sugar Bowl.
Announcers: Roy Philpott and Andre Ware

Thursday, December 29

2:00: Syracuse vs. Minnesota (Pinstripe Bowl @ New York, NY; ESPN): My favorite thing about this game is likely going to be the two guys with a Georgia Tech connection on the call, otherwise, I think the Gophers are more likely to just dominate this game.
SP+ line: Gophers -13.5
Vegas line: Gophers -7.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Five times. They played two sets of home-and-homes in 1995-96 and then again in 2009 and 2012. Their last meeting was the 2013 Texas Bowl, where the Orange won 21-17, but the Gophers still hold a 3-2 series lead.
Last bowl game: Syracuse last appeared in a bowl game in 2018, beating West Virginia 34-18 in the Camping World Bowl. The Gophers beat West Virginia as well, but last year in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, 18-6.
Announcers: Wes Durham and Roddy Jones

5:30: Florida State vs. Oklahoma (Cheez-It Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN): So this is a bit of a helmet game, which might make it worth watching on its own. Otherwise, this feels like two teams going in opposite directions. FSU improved as the year went on, and they figured some stuff, whereas Oklahoma just seems to have lost the plot. I like FSU here.
SP+ line: Noles -1.6
Vegas line: Noles -7.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: They’ve met seven times, and as you’d expect mostly in big bowl games. The first was the 1965 Gator Bowl. 1976’s game was a 24-9 win for the Sooners in Norman, but then in 1980, 1981, and 2001 they met in the Orange Bowl. Most recently, they played a home-and-home in 2010 and 2011. FSU won the first contest 36-19, but it’s been all Sooners ever since, including most recently 23-13.
Last bowl game: As the owners of the sport’s longest bowl streak ever (36 straight seasons from 2018 through 2017), it’s a bit weird that this is FSU’s first bowl game since the 2019 Sun Bowl, where they lost 20-14 to Arizona State. The Sooners are the owners of the second longest active streak, with this being the 24th straight game. The streak dates to the 1999 Independence Bowl, where they lost to Ole Miss 27-25. They beat Oregon 47-32 in last season’s Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen and Dan Orlovsky

9:00: Texas vs. Washington (Alamo Bowl @ San Antonio, TX; ESPN): I think this game is going to be an absolutely cracker of a game. Texas is better than you might think this year, and if Ewers and Penix both go this has all the makings of a fun shootout just down the street from the Alamo. I think the ‘Horns in the end, but I think the journey will be fun.
SP+ line: Texas -7.2
Vegas line: Texas -4.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This will be the first meeting since a 47-43 Longhorns victory in the 2001 Holiday Bowl. Before that, they met in 1974 and 1975 in home-and-home fashion, and then the Huskies notched their only victory with a 14-7 margin in the 1979 Sun Bowl.
Last bowl game: Texas last bowled in 2020, beating Colorado 55-23 in the Alamo Bowl. The Huskies last appeared in the postseason in 2019, defeating Boise State 38-7 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cublic

It’s time once again for my annual exercise in bowl history and prognostication. The overall tally will be kept at the usual place.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday, December 16

11:30: Miami vs. Alabama-Birmingham (Bahamas Bowl @ Nassau, Bahamas; ESPN): UAB’s a solid favorite in this game, and for good reason: they’re better than Miami. I expect a solid Blazers win. Nonetheless, considering most of the weather in the US at the moment, watch this and think about how much warmer is probably is. There’s rain the forecast, yes, but I envy those temperatures in the upper 70’s and lower 80’s right about now.
SP+ line: UAB -12.1
Vegas line: UAB -11
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Miami played in last season’s Frisco Football Classic… thing and beat North Texas 27-14. This would be their sixth straight bowl if not for 2020, but they did go 6-3 that year so I’ll count it for now, plus that means they’ve effectively gone bowling every season since their revival. (Take that Paul Bryant Jr!) So anyway, that 2017 Bahamas Bowl didn’t go great (it was 41-6 loss to Ohio), but more recent efforts have been more successful, like last season’s 31-28 win over BYU in the Independence Bowl.
Announcers: Steve Levy and Joey Galloway

3:00: Troy vs. Texas-San Antonio (Cure Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ESPN):

Doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo

Let me take your hand
I’m shaking like milk
Turning
Turning blue
All over the windows and the floors
Fires outside in the sky
Look as perfect as cats
The two of us
Together again
But it’s just the same
A stupid game

But I don’t care if you don’t
And I don’t feel if you don’t
And I don’t want it if you don’t
And I won’t say it
If you won’t say it first

You think you’re tired now
But wait until three
Laughing at the Christmas lights
You remember from December
All of this then back again
Another girl
Another name
Stay alive but stay the same
It’s just the same
A stupid game

But I don’t care if you don’t
And I don’t feel if you don’t
And I don’t want it if you don’t
And I won’t say it
If you won’t say it first

You can’t even see now
So you ask me the way
You wonder if it’s real
Because it couldn’t be rain
Through the right doorway
And into the white room
It used to be the dust that would lay here
When I came here alone

Doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo
Let’s go to bed

Whereas the last one has an obvious favorite, this is setting up to be a G5 banger. These are the Sun Belt and C-USA champs, and two of the best G5 teams in the season. The other fun part is their opposing styles of play: Troy has a legit top 20 defense, and UTSA loves to score. But, hey, defense wins championships, and I’m going with the men of Troy (Alabama).
SP+ line: Troy -1.3
Vegas line: Troy -1
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is Troy’s first bowl game since a 42-32 over Buffalo win in the Dollar General Bowl in 2018. This will be UTSA’s 3rd in a row, dating to a 31-24 loss to Louisiana in the 2020 First Responder Bowl. Last season they lost 38-24 to San Diego State in the Frisco Bowl.
Announcers: Beth Mowins and Kirk Morrison

Saturday, December 17

11:00: Louisville vs. Cincinnati (“Keg of Nails”; Fenway Bowl @ Boston, MA; ESPN): It’s not often we get a rivalry game in a bowl game, but here we are: the Keg of Nails is back! In addition, there’s some other eyebrow raising things about this game, like the part where Louisville was trying to find a reason to fire Scott Satterfield all year, expect he went out and delivered a Coach of the Year-type performance and got the Cards to a bowl game. Naturally, he had to know this, so when Luke Fickell finally jumped to the Big Ten, Satterfield decided to take his place at the school up the river. (He will not be coaching the bowl game (for either team).) Anyway, for this game, the Cards are definitely a lot more threatening on offense than the Bearcats, regardless if their QB plays or not. I’m going with them here.
SP+ line: Cincy -3.9
Vegas line: Cincy -1
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have a series that dates back to 1929, but we’ll pick it up in 1966. This was a rivalry until the ACC plucked Louisville for their prowess in football and basketball, which has definitely gone totally according to plan. At any rate, the Keg of Nails was contested every year from 1966 to 2013, excepting 1992 through 1996. In those 45 contests, the series is tied 22-22-1. Louisville won the last two in 2012 and 2013, by scores of 34-31 and 31-24.
Last bowl game: The Cardinals are in a bowl for the second year in a row. Last season, they los 31-28 to Air Force in the First Responder Bowl. This will be the Bearcats’s fifth in a row, startign with a 35-31 win over Virginia Tech in the 2018 Military Bowl. Last season they lost 27-6 to Alabama in the Cotton Bowl. (I maintain they still looked and did better than Michigan did against Georgia.)
Announcers: Chris Cotter and Mark Herzlich
Fun Fact: This is more about the rivalry series than the bowl game. I have, multiple occasions, traveled between Cincinnati and Louisville. It’s about an hundred mile drive, mostly on I-71. So they’re not far apart, but one’s in Kentucky and the other is on Ohio. I’m not sure a harder accent border exists anywhere else in the world. One of my best buddies out here grew up in Cincinatti and has what I would call a typical Midwestern accent, along with everyone else I’ve ever heard there. But I swear as soon as you cross the river it’s like you’re in Alabama. Remember, Louisville is pronounced something like “loo-uh-vull” and not “lou-ee-vill”.

2:30: Oregon State vs. Florida (Las Vegas Bowl @ Las Vegas, NV; ESPN): The Las Vegas Bowl has moved up in the world, and now pits a Pac-12 team against an SEC team. And as far as that goes, this figures to be pretty even. The Gators, of course, beat Pac-12 champs Utah to open the year, but while Florida sort of peaked there, the Beavers got better as the season went on. I really like them here to win outright, but the Gators to cover.
SP+ line: OSU -3.9
Vegas line: Beavers -10
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: The Beavers lost 24-13 to Utah State in last season’s LA Bowl. The Gators have been to five bowls in a row, dating to the time Spencer Hall gator chomped a child and the Gators won 41-15 over Michigan in the 2018 Peach Bowl. Last season was less fun, as they lost 29-17 to UCF in the Gasparilla Bowl, a fact no Knights has presumably not let any Gator they know forget.
Announcers: Dave Pasch and Kirk Herbstreit

3:30: Washington State vs. Fresno State (LA Bowl @ Los Angeles, CA; ABC): Meanwhile, the matchup formerly seen in the Vegas Bowl has moved down I-15 to LA. The Mountain West was just kinda bad this year, so I like Wazzu here. But this may still be worth watching to see if the Six Million Dollar Man himself, Jake Haener, can do it one last time for the Bulldogs. (To be clear, I’m just referring to Haener’s injuries and medical routing required for him to play football.)
SP+ line: Wazzu -6.6
Vegas line: Fresno -1
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met four times, back in 1987, 1991, 1992, and 1994. Wazzu holds a 3-1 series lead and won the game 24-3.
Last bowl game: Wazzu lost 24-21 to Central Michigan in last season’s Sun Bowl. Fresno beat UTEP 31-24 in last season’s New Mexico Bowl.
Announcers: Joe Tessitore and Greg McElroy

5:45: Southern Mississippi vs. Rice (Lendingtree Bowl @ Mobile, AL; ESPN): This one’s got a little less shine than the other games on what almost resembles a usual college football Saturday, but it could be fun nonetheless. That said, I agree Southern Miss is pretty well favored here, but still, Rice is in a bowl! That’s pretty novel. (More on that below.)
SP+ line: USM -11.7
Vegas line: Southern Miss -6.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: There’s been twelve all-time meetings between these teams, and the result is that they’re even. The series dates to when both were in Conference USA. The first meeting was in 2007 and they played yearly from 2011 until… 2021. Rice has won the last two in a row, 30-6 and 24-19.
Last bowl game: USM’s last bowl game was a 30-13 loss to Tulane in the 2019-20 Armed Forces Bowl. Rice’s last bowl game was a 30-6 win over Fresno State in the 2014 Hawaii Bowl. If I had known it was going to take 8 years (and a lack of teams) for Rice to get back to the postseason, maybe I would’ve been a little less down on them in my 2014 write-up.
Announcers: Mike Monaco and Matt Stinchcomb

7:30: Southern Methodist vs. Brigham Young (New Mexico Bowl @ Albuquerque, NM; ABC): This one might be fun. Neither of these teams are as good as past versions, but I’m giving SMU because possibly no one likes scoring points as much as they apparently do.
SP+ line: SMU -6.2
Vegas line: Ponies -3
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This will be the fourth meeting between these teams. They first met in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, where BYU won 46-45. BYU then won regular season contests in 1996 and 1997, 31-3 and 19-16.
Last bowl game: The Ponies were last seen in a postseason bowl getting waxed 52-28 to FAU in the 2019 Boca Raton Bowl. BYU’s been to five bowls in a row, dating to a 49-18 win over Western Michigan in the 2018 Potato Bowl. Last season, they lost 31-28 to UAB in the Independence Bowl.
Announcers: Tom Hart and Brock Osweiler

9:15: Boise State vs. North Texas (Frisco Bowl @ Frisco, TX; ESPN): Again, I don’t quite trust the Mountain West this year, but I’ll still take them over a C-USA team that fired their coach after the season.
SP+ line: Boise -6.9
Vegas line: Broncos -10
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: There’s been five meetings all-time between these teams, every year from 1996 through 2000 when both were members of the Big West. UNT actually leads the all-time series 3-2, but Boise won the last game 59-0.
Last bowl game:“Boise would’ve gone to a bowl game the last two seasons, but, well, some stuff happened. So if we count that, and also the 2018 First Responder Bowl they definitely showed up for but was canceled by weather, their bowl streak is at 21! But wait, there’s more! If you include the 2001 season where they went 8-4 but didn’t get invited to a bowl, you can go all the way back to 1999! That’s 24 in a row! But, unfortunately, it actually isn’t. In that 2002 game, they beat Iowa State 34-16 in the Humanitarian Bowl. And all that aside, their last bowl appearance was a 38-7 loss to Washington in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. North Texas has been to three straight postseason games, dating back to the 2020 Myrtle Beach Bowl, where, as a 4-6 team, they got beat 56-28 by App State. Last season they played in the Frisco Football “”Classic”” and lost 27-14 to Miami.
Announcers: Dave Neal and Deuce McAllister

Monday, December 19

2:30: Marshall vs. Connecticut (Myrtle Beach Bowl @ Conway, SC; ESPN): Huzzah! The Huskies are back in a bowl game! (More on that below.) And they earned it, too, thanks to some clutch late-season victories, most notably over Liberty. That said, the fun may well stop here. Marshall is a bit of a step and, well, I mean, there’s not much else you’re doing Monday afternoon less than a week before Christmas, right?
SP+ line: Thundering -17.2
Vegas line: Herd -10
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one. Marshall defeated Uconn 16-10 in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl.
Last bowl game: The Herd have Thundered their way to six straight bowl games, going back to the 2018 New Mexico Bowl, where they beat Colorado State 31-28. Last season, however, was a bit of a mismatch and they lost 36-21 to Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl. The Huskies, meanwhile, are in a bowl for the first time since a 16-10 loss to… Marshall in the 2015 St. Petersburg Bowl. I assume everyone around the UConn program remembers this and will be seeking vengeance.
Announcers: Mike Morgan and Eric Mac Lain

Tuesday, December 20

3:30: San Jose State vs. Eastern Michigan (Potato Bowl @ Boise, ID; ESPN): So far I’ve been lamenting the quality of the Mountain West but still picking that team anyway. That stops here. EMU will finally(!) win their first bowl game ever. Book it.
SP+ line: SJSU -2.8
Vegas line: SJSU -3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: Just one. EMU beat SJSU 30-27 back in the 1987 California Bowl.
Last bowl game: The Spartys of Silicon Valley played their last postseason game in the 2020 Arizona Bowl, where they lost 34-13 to Ball State. And y’all. EMU has been playing football at what is considered the FBS level since 1975. This is their fifth bowl game… ever. Their first one was a 24-20 loss to Old Dominion in the 2016 Bahamas Bowl. They went bowling again in 2018 and 2019, and now they’ve gotten to two in a row once again. They lost last season 56-20 to Liberty in the Lendingtree Bowl. They’re still seeking their first bowl victory.
Announcers: Clay Matvick and Rocky Boiman

7:30: Toledo vs. Liberty (Boca Raton Bowl @ Boca Raton, FL; ESPN): Liberty had a dispiriting end to the season, and the only reason probably any of those players were there in the first place just departed for Auburn. That said, Toledo has a lot of problems living up their potential, but they did finally win the MAC this year, so here’s their chance. I’ll put this way: a lot of us will be cheering for the Rockets regardless.
SP+ line: Liberty -2
Vegas line: Toledo -5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: They’ve met three times, but all were before Liberty made it to the FBS. So it’s no surprise then that Toledo has a 3-0 series lead.
Last bowl game: Toledo lost to MTSU 31-24 in last season’s Bahamas Bowl. Liberty has been to four straight bowl games, dating to the 2019 Cure Bowl, where they beat Georgia Southern 23-16. Last season they beat EMU 56-20 in the Lendingtree Bowl.
Announcers: Anish Shroff and Tim Hasselbeck

Wednesday, December 21

9:00: Western Kentucky vs. South Alabama (New Orleans Bowl @ New Orleans, LA; ESPN): Y’all, this one could be sneaky fun. Both teams are exciting and young, and even if the Dome isn’t always full for this one, it’s usually a good time. Keep an eye on it. I’m picking USA.
SP+ line: USA -9.3
Vegas line: USA -7.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one, back in 2013 when both were in the Sun Belt. WKU won 31-24.
Last bowl game: This is WKU’s fourth postseason in a row, dating to the 2019 First Responder Bowl, where they beat Western Michigan 23-20. Last season they beat App State 59-38 in the Boca Raton Bowl. For “South Al”, this is their first bowl game since the 2016 Arizona Bowl, where htey lost 45-21 to Air Force.
Announcers: Wes Durham and Roddy Jones

Thursday, December 22

7:30: Baylor vs. Air Force (Armed Forces Bowl @ Fort Worth, TX; ESPN): Air Force was one of the best teams in the Mountain West this season, but [see above]. That said, I figure the Bears will just out-talent them, and Dave Aranda is smart enough to put together a defense to ground the Falcons with this much prep time.
SP+ line: Baylor -7.6
Vegas line: Baylor -5.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: There’s been three, but it’s been a while. They played in 1961, 1692, and 1977. Baylor won all three, including the most recent one 38-7.
Last bowl game: Baylor won last season’s Sugar Bowl over Ole Miss 21-7. Air Force beat Louisville 31-28 in last season’s First Responder Bowl.
Announcers: Brian Custer and Dustin Fox

Friday, December 23

3:00: Louisiana vs. Houston (Independence Bowl @ Shreveport, LA; ABC): While Houston is favored in this one, as that makes sense when talking about an American team versus the Sun Belt, it’s hard to really believe in Houston. They haven’t been that good all season. That said, the Ragin’ Cajuns don’t inspire a ton of confidence, even if this is a bit more on their home turf than for the Cougars. I still like Houston in this one, but probably the Cajuns to cover.
SP+ line: Houston -2.3
Vegas line: Houston -6.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: They’ve met six times, all from 1992 to 2006. Houston holds a 5-1 series lead, but the Ragin’ Cajuns won the last one 31-28.
Last bowl game: The Cajuns have Raged their way to six straight bowl games, dating back to a 41-24 loss to Tulane in the 2018 Cure Bowl. Last season they beat Marshall 36-21 in the New Orleans Bowl. Houston has now been to three straight bowl games because, well, somehow had to back in 2020. They lost 28-14 to Hawaii in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. Last season, they bear Auburn 17-13 in the Birmingham Bowl.
Announcers: Dave Neal and Deuce McAllister

6:30: Wake Forest vs. Missouri (Gasparilla Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN): I still don’t really know what happened to Sam Hartman after halftime of that Louisville game, and indeed the Demon Deacons lost 4 of their last 5. Mizzou comes in with a touch more momentum off a regular season ending upset of Arkansas, but that said they’ve still been in the news lately because they ducked renewing the Border War in Memphis and their coach showed up at the basketball version of said war with a sign saying that Kansas is in trouble with the NCAA. That was never really a cool thing to do to start with, much less in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Two, and especially much less when your school winds up getting pasted by 28. Either way, I expect that this game here could be kind of spicy, but also a tight Mizzou win.
SP+ line: EVEN
Vegas line: Deacons -1
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Wake Forest has been to seven straight bowl games, which is actually kind of amazing. The streak started with a 34-26 win over Temple in the Military Bowl. Last season they beat Rutgers 38-10 in the Gator Bowl. Mizzou lost 24-22 to Army in last season’s Armed Forces Bowl.
Announcers: Chris Cotter and Mark Herzlich

Saturday, December 24

8:00: San Diego State vs. Middle Tennessee State (Hawaii Bowl @ Honolulu, HI; ESPN): Like the Bahamas Bowl at the top, this game feels like a reminder that hey, you, trying to keep warm on Christmas Eve, you could be in Honolulu right now. I mean, you don’t really even need to go watch this. I don’t really expect this to be high scoring or anything, and if you’re actually there, there’s probably more interesting things to do. But if you’re at home, either you can stream the endless loop of that yule log channel, check the live feed and see if anyone’s burned down that Swedish Yule Goat yet, or you can watch a college football game with occasional shots of reminders that in the deep dark of winter, there’s a sunny, warm place out there. Also SDSU will probably win.
SP+ line: SDSU -2.4
Vegas line: Aztecs -7
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Last season Fresno beat UTSA 38-24 in the Frisco Bowl. MTSU beat Toledo 31-24 in last season’s Bahamas Bowl. (Two tropical destinations in a row? Lucky them, I say.)
Announcers: Mike Monaco, Rodd Gilmore, and Quint Kessenich

Okay, they’re hot and ready right over here.

Let’s actually talk shop a bit, since I did the last ones in a rush. For starters, the site is now full of information. I don’t think a lot of other people take the time to actually figure out bowl and conference affiliations, at least to the extent that I do. While the proliferation of ESPN Events bowls makes affiliation less important than it used to be, some conferences do still have subtle agreements in place that makes a difference.

We’re now up to 52 bowl eligible teams (from 37) after last weekend. I forecast the remaining games on each potential team’s schedule using SP+, which allows me to be as consistent as possible. Of course, this also means that I’m more or less going chalk whenever possible. Upsets do happen, which is more or less how we’re going to get the 82 eligible teams that we need.

There are some question marks that I do not know the answer to, other than just the general idea of trying to do these predictions in the first place. For starters, based on my reading of the NCAA rules, I think that James Madison may be eligible before any 5-7 teams are eligible. Again, as we gain more and more eligible teams this may be moot (they were the “last team in” to borrow a term from the NCAA basketball tournament), and maybe that’s what everyone is banking on. Also, I need to determine if Army needs to get to 6 wins before the two-week break they have before the Navy game. Right now I have them getting their 6th win against the Midshipmen, so this matters.

Then, of course, there’s the other order of the day due to the events of the past weekend, where Tennessee, Alabama, and Clemson lost. Since I try to do these on Monday, before the new CFP rankings come out, it’s hard for me to use the new rankings as an indication of the Committee’s thinking. For sure, if Georgia and Ohio State win out, they will be #1 and #2, and Michigan is also likely #2 if they win out. From there, I am not sure of the exact order of these teams:

• 1-loss ACC Champ Clemson
• 1-loss ACC Champ North Carolina
• 1-loss Ohio State or Michigan
• 1-loss Pac-12 Champ Oregon
• 1-loss Tennessee
• Undefeated Big 12 Champ TCU

Right now I have it somewhat easy because I have TCU losing twice to Texas (due to SP+). What you see on the site currently reflects that and also what I think the Committee will do. Oregon will get a shot if they win out. Despite their 40+ point loss to Georgia Labor Day weekend, they’ll have an otherwise good resume from beating the other top teams in the Pac-12. Clemson and UNC have now both lost to Notre Dame, and this also leaves the both of them without a true “statement” win (Clemson’s best win is probably… Florida State?). So, yeah, I could see a 1-loss Tennessee getting in over either, and that’s what I think will happen.

Otherwise, this promises to be an interesting bowl season. If for no other reason than because if I’m right, we’ll get the rematch of the best worst bowl game ever.

Well, the worst case scenario happened. The Georgia Bulldogs are national champions.

I finished 20-18 on the year, a 52.6% picking winners. Not too bad, but I’ll need to do try to do a bit more research next year.

And with that, our college football coverage for the 2021 season comes to a close. Thanks for coming along for the ride, and I’ll hope you’ll be back in the summer for non-conference schedule coverage.

It hasn’t been a banner year for my bowl picks. While it’s not an outright disaster, there’s definitely a few picks that are a bit of a head scratcher in retrospect. I’m sitting at 54.1% correct for winners.

At any rate, it’s time to talk about the two national title games this weekend.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday, January 8

2:00: North Dakota State vs. Montana State (NCAA Division I Championship @ Frisco, TX; ESPN2): The Bison are favorites here, pretty much because they only are. Imagine if the FBS national title had been won by Bama 9 of the past 12 years and you have a pretty good idea of what NDSU is all about. But the Bobcats are no joke: traditionally the lesser of the two Montana schools, they’ve thundered their way to Frisco. Don’t forget, the two previous quarterbacks from NDSU became NFL draft picks, so there’s talent on this field. I don’t pick FCS games because I don’t know enough about the teams involved, and that remains true here, but I suspect this will be worth a watch.

Monday, January 10

8:00: Georgia vs. Alabama (College Football Playoff Championship @ Indianapolis, IN; ESPN): Oh, this game again. Let’s quickly review the last time they played, back at the beginning of December. Both teams were forced to rely on the passing game for the first time all season. Bryce Young played brilliantly and clinched the Heisman; Stetson Bennett threw two picks, including a pick-6 that pretty much sealed Bama’s comeback. Neither team was troubled in their semi-final. Bama avoided Cincy’s quality cornerbacks by pretty much rushing for 6 yards a carry. Young wasn’t really very good in the game, but he didn’t need to be. Yeah, Bennett made the throws against Michigan and the game got out of hand, but it really seemed to me more that Georgia’s defense just smothered Michigan. On the rare occasions Michigan had time to throw, they were able to move the ball in the passing game, which is the closest thing Georgia has to a weakness. This Bama offense has beaten them once. It will require another superhero performance from Young to do it again, and that’s what I’m banking on.
SP+ line: Georgia by 7.2 (note: this does not factor in the SEC championship or semi-finals)
Vegas line: Georgia by 2.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: Bama has a commanding lead in the all-time series between these conferences foes: 42-25-4. They first met in 1895, a 30-6 Georgia win. They played each other consistently from 1901 until 1965, but since then they played sporadically in conference, and since the SEC’s expansion to 14 teams they’ve only met in the regular season twice (2015 and 2020). Their last meeting a month ago was a 41-24 Alabama win.
Last bowl game: Alabama has made bowl games in 18 straight seasons, dating to a 20-16 loss to Minnesota in the 2004 Music City Bowl. Their last bowl game was a 27-6 win over Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl back on New Year’s Eve. Georgia owns the country’s longest bowl streak, at 25 straight seasons. The streak began with a 33-6 win over Wisconsin in the 1997-98 Outback Bowl. Most recently, they beat Michigan 34-11 in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Announcers: Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit