As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Monday, December 29
2:00: Appalachian State vs. Georgia Southern (“Deeper Than Hate”; Birmingham Bowl @ Birmingham, AL; ESPN): Alas, missed another one. And for the record, I missed this one as I had App winning.
SP+ line: App St by 0.9
Vegas line: GSU by 3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: These rivals have met plenty of times, but for our purposes we only consider FBS records. So the first FBS meeting between them was in 2014, a 34-14 Southern win. The teams have traded runs, and somewhat obviously, their most recent meeting was back in early November, a 25-23 Southern win. As of right now, the FBS series is tied, 6-6.
Last bowl game: For App, this is their first bowl since the 2023 Cure Bowl, where they beat Miami 13-9 in the Cure Bowl. This is Georgia Southern’s fourth bowl game in a row, dating to the 2022 Camellia Bowl, a 23-1 loss to Buffalo. Last season they lost 31-26 to Sam Houston State in the New Orleans Bowl.
Announcers: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang

Tuesday, December 30
2:00: Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech (Independence Bowl @ Shreveport, LA; ESPN): Coastal had kind of a bummer of a season, and then has to travel to what should basically be a LaTech home game… not sure that this is going to be a great experience for them.
SP+ line: LaTech by 12.9
Vegas line: LaTech by 8.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: This is Coastal’s sixth straight bowl game, dating to the 2020 Cure Bowl, a 37-34 loss to Liberty. Last season they lost 44-15 to UTSA in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. Louisiana Tech lost 27-6 to Army in last year’s edition of this game.
Announcers: Clay Matvick, Chase Daniel, and Harry Lyles Jr.

5:30: Illinois vs. Tennessee (Music City Bowl @ Nashville, TN; ESPN): This is one of those games where you look at everything and figure that the Vols should be favored, but then you remember that a) Illinois isn’t terrible or anything, in fact, they’re kind of good and b) Tennessee doesn’t like going to this bowl at all. With those things combined, I actually have the Illini winning.
SP+ line: Vols by 4.3
Vegas line: Vols by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Illinois beat South Carolina 21-17 in last season’s Citrus Bowl. The Vols have a five game streak dating to the 2021 Music City Bowl, a 48-45 loss to Purdue. Last season, they lost to Ohio State 42-17 in the first round of the playoff.
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic

9:00: Southern California vs. Texas Christian (Alamo Bowl @ San Antonio, TX; ESPN): If Lincoln Riley wants to show things have really changed in the vicinity of Heritage Hall, then the Trojans really need to take of business in just about as much of a “taking care of business” as a bowl game can get.
SP+ line: USC by 9.1
Vegas line: USC by 3.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met five times, and none recently. In 1951 USC won 28-26. Some sproadic regular season meetings continued, but the most recent was a 28-19 TCU win in the 1998 Sun Bowl. Overall, TCU holds a 3-2 series lead.
Last bowl game: This is USC’s fourth straight bowl game, dating to a 46-45 loss to Tulane in the 2022-23 Cotton Bowl. TCU beat Louisiana 34-3 in last season’s New Mexico Bowl.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, and Dana Boyle

Wednesday, December 31
12:00: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (Reliaquest Bowl @ Tampa, FL; ESPN): Diego Pavia has flustered many a defense at this point, so in some ways this is his final boss. I do think giving Iowa and company several weeks to scheme you up only increases the difficulty level, so hopefully the Dores have something clever up their sleeves. This may be required viewing either way.
SP+ line: Vandy by 3.3
Vegas line: Vandy by 5.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: Iowa skipped 2020, but otherwise would’ve had a 13 game bowl streak dating to the 2013-14 Outback Bowl, a 21-14 loss to LSU. Last season they lost 27-24 to Mizzou in the Music City Bowl. Vandy defeated Georgia Tech 35-27 in the Birmingham Bowl.
Announcers: Roy Philpott, Sam Acho, and Taylor Davis

2:00: Duke vs. Arizona State (Sun Bowl @ El Paso, TX; CBS): Congrats on winning the ACC, Duke! You know how you know no one likes how that happened? You get to play in El Paso! I think the most ACC thing possible at this point is for the Sun Devils to blow them out, so that’s what I predicted.
SP+ line: Duke by 0.6
Vegas line: Duke by 2.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Remember the 2014 Sun Bowl? I don’t, but I wrote about it, so let’s take a trip down memory lane. Okay, welcome back. I’m happy to say I correctly predicted the Sun Devils would win so there ya go.
Last bowl game: This is Duke’s fourth straight bowl game, dating to a 30-13 win over UCF in the 2022 Military Bowl. Last season, they lost 52-20 to Mississippi in the Gator Bowl. Last season, Arizona State gave Texas all they had, but lost 39-31 in the playoff quarterfinal Peach Bowl.
Announcers: Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson

3:00: Michigan vs. Texas (Citrus Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): We’re not going to talk about any of the… unpleasantness at Michigan, as there’s plenty of other folks who are much better at that. The main thing here is just… there’s no way the Wolverines win this thing, right? The helmets involved would normally make this is a “IV” on the Watchability scale, but since I’m 90% sure Texas is going to win easily I don’t see it.
SP+ line: Texas by 1.2
Vegas line: Texas by 7.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These two titans of the sport have met… twice. The first was the 2004-2005 Rose Bowl, an all-time banger of a game that set the stage for Vince Young to return a year later and win a national title. Texas won 38-37. They met again… last season. Texas won 31-12.
Last bowl game: This is Michigan’s fifth straight bowl game, dating to the 2021 Orange Bowl. They lost 34-11 to Georgia. Last season they beat Alabama 19-13 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. This is Texas’s fourth bowl in a row, dating to a 27-20 loss to Washington in the 2022 Alamo Bowl. Last season, the Longhorns made the college football playoff, defeating Clemson 38-24 in the first round, Arizona State 39-31 at the Peach Bowl, before falling in the semis by 28-14 to Ohio State at the Orange Bowl.
Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, and Alyssa Lang

3:30: Nebraska vs. Utah (Las Vegas Bowl @ Paradise, NV; ESPN): Utah has a new coach for the first time since 2004, but I don’t think that will impede them much against a relatively decent-but-not-good Nebraska team.
SP+ line: Utah by 14.9
Vegas line: Utah by 16.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met four times, and since they were all before 1995, I don’t think I need to spell out that how Nebraska went 4-0, just that all but one of these scores is pretty lopsided.
Last bowl game: The Huskers defeated Boston College 20-15 in last year’s Pinstripe Bowl. For the Utes, this is their first postseason appearance since teh 2023 Last Vegas Bowl, a 14-7 loss to Northwestern.
Announcers: Dave Flemming, Brock Osweiler, and Dawn Davenport

7:30: Ohio State (#2) vs. Miami (#10) (Cotton Bowl @ Arlington, TX; ESPN): Welcome back to the playoff for the final game of 2025. And this could be a doozy: Miami just showed that their defense can hang. The problem, though, is that Ohio State’s defense is more than game and their offense has significantly fewer questions than Miami’s. I won’t be surprised if it’s close, and I won’t be surprised if it’s a good game, but I just don’t see very many ways Miami wins, outside of basically playing the Texas A&M game again. And, well, unlike a couple weeks ago in College Station, the wind is not expected to be a factor inside of Jerry Jones’s palace.
SP+ line: OSU by 10.5
Vegas line: OSU by 10
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: These teams have met five times. The first was a 10-0 Buckeye win in 1977, but that’s before Miami was Miami. Let’s get to their most famous meeting: the 2002-2003 Fiesta Bowl, a 31-24 overtime win that has been the subject of some controversy that I’m sure will come up at least once in the broadcast. Their most recent meeting was a 24-6 Miami win 2011. Overall, Ohio State has a 3-2 series lead.
Last bowl game: Ohio State has a 14 game streak dating to the 2013-14 Orange Bowl, a 38-28 loss to Boise State. Last season, they defeated Tennessee 42-17 in the first round of the playoff, beat Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl, Texas 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl, and then beat Notre Dame 34-23 to claim the national title in Atlanta. Birght and early on December 20th, Miami found a way to beat the windy conditiosn and Texas A&M’s defensive line to beat the Aggies 10-3 in College Station.
Announcers:

This one is going to be short and sweet, as I’ve got eight games to cover. Like the title says, it’s almost a proper Saturday.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Saturday, December 27
11:00: Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina (Military Bowl @ Annapolis, MD; ESPN): We’ll get started in the AM with a matchup from Navy’s home stadium, and the Midshipmen aren’t playing in it. I still personally think this game is kind of silly, but it is what it is. (I’d think Audi Field in DC would be a better venue, though?) As for this one, this is the variety of P4 vs. G5 that will be closer than you’d think, and I expect both teams to show up. I’m still giving Pitt a slight edge though.
SP+ line: Pitt by 0.8
Vegas line: Pitt by 4.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: There’s been four meetings between these teams, but it’s been a while. The first was a 17-10 Pitt win in 1984, and the most recent was a 37-31 ECU win in 1992. Between then, they’ve split the series, so it’s even at 2-2.
Last bowl game: Last season, Pitt lost to Toledo in the Sports Bowl, 48-46. ECU beat NC State 26-21 in this very same game last year.
Announcers: Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman, and Madison Fitzpatrick

12:00: Clemson vs. Pennsylvania State (Pinstripe Bowl @ New York, NY; ABC): Welcome to the 2025 Disappointment Classic! Both of these teams were trendy picks for the Playoff back in August, and lo-and-behold look how that turned out. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney just barely held on and showed some encouraging signs down the stretch, but his offseason roster management needs to get with the times or this will probably happen again. Penn State, as we know, just got tired of the James Franklin of it all and fired him months ago. As for who the heck is going to win this game, this one is so tricky to forecast because of the discord around both teams. I’ve got Penn State just on paper, but I don’t feel good about it at all.
SP+ line: Penn St by 5.8
Vegas line: Clemson by 4.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one, and it’s probably not a surprise it was a bowl game. That game was the 1987-1988 Citrus Bowl, a 35-10 Clemson win.
Last bowl game: Penn State would have a 12 game streak dating to the 2014 edition of this game where they beat Boston College 31-30, but they skipped 2020. Last season, as wild as it seems, they were in the playoff, where they beat SMU in the first round game 38-10, defeated Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl 31-14, and then narrowly lost to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl semifinal, 27-24. Clemson’s streak is the 4th longest in the country, at 21 straight, starting with a 19-10 win over Colorado in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl. That said, I had apparently not looked this up before, or I forgot, but the Tigers missed a bowl in 2004 because, despite going 6-5, they elected not to play after the brawl in that year’s edition of the Palmetto Bowl. Otherwise, it’d be tied with Oklahoma for the second longest streak, dating to the 1999 Peach Bowl, where they lost 17-7 to Mississippi State. Last season they lost 38-24 to Texas in the opening round of the playoff.
Announcers: Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, and Taylor McGregor

2:15: Connecticut vs. Army (Fenway Bowl @ Boston, MA; ESPN): It’s a regionally appropriate destination for these teams, though I’d kinda think given the weather up there right now they may wonder why we started having outdoor bowl games in cold places in the first place. At any rate, it’s been a dream season for UConn, and provided they don’t get fooled by the Knights too much, I think it’s likely to continue.
SP+ line: UConn by 8.7
Vegas line: Army by 7
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Given the regional proximity of these two schools and long history of independence, it’s a little surprising they’ve only met 8 times as DI-A/FBS teams. Army lost 48-21 in their first meeting in 2003, and indeed the Huskies have dominated the series. They won the next four in a row, before Army finally notched a 35-21 win in 2014. The most recently met in 2022, a 34-17 Army win. UConn has a 5-3 overall series lead
Last bowl game: UConn beat UNC 27-14 in last season’s Fenway Bowl. Army defated Louisiana Tech 27-6 in last season’s Independence Bowl.
Announcers: Wes Durham, Steve Addazio, and Dana Boyle

3:30: Georgia Tech vs. Brigham Young (Pop-Tarts Bowl @ Orlando, FL; ABC): This is possibly the hype-est game of bowl season outside of the playoff. Which, as a Georgia Tech alum and fan, I can’t say I’m all that familiar with. After, there was that one time we beat Dak Prescott in the Orange Bowl. Both teams should have… most of their guys in this one. The Haynes and Haynes backfield figures to ride one last time for the Jackets, while BYU’s main coup of coach carousel season was hanging to their head guy, Kelani Sitake. This figures to a game that’s more of a rock fight than elegant, wide-open football, but that’s how two largest fans of strawberry Pop-Tarts (Brent Key and Sitake) like it. I hope this game is as good as everyone, myself included, thinks it’s going to be.
SP+ line: BYU by 6.9
Vegas line: BYU by 4.5
Watchability tier: IV
Previous meetings: Just four. The first was a 28-19 win in 2002. The next one is the first one I remember, as I had just started my freshman year at Tech. There was a watch party at Bobby Dodd for the game, and my RA tried to get everyone on our floor to go. I… think I was the only one that showed up, whereupon I watched an ugly, dispiriting 24-13 loss in Provo. Fortunately the next game went significantly better. Since then, the teams played a regular season home-and-away in 2012 and 2013, and the less said about those the better. BYU holds an overall 3-1 series lead.
Last bowl game: For Tech, this is their third bowl game in a row, dating tot he 2023 Gasparilla Bowl, a 30-17 win over Central Florida. Last season they lost 35-27 to Vanderbilt in the Birmingham Bowl. BYU beat Colorado 36-14 in last year’s Alamo Bowl.
Announcers: Mark Jones, Roddy Jones, and Quint Kessenich

4:30: Miami vs. Fresno State (Arizona Bowl @ Tuscon, AZ; The CW): I’m going to be honest, the two games above this and the game below it should cover up most of this game, but I’m sure there’ll be some reason to keep an eye on it. Maybe. I like Fresno by a lot here.
SP+ line: Fresno by 4.8
Vegas line: Fresno by 3.5
Watchability tier: I
Previous meetings: This is the first meeting between these teams.
Last bowl game: For the Redhawks, this could’ve been their seventh bowl in a row, but they went 2-1 in 2020 and who knows if they skipped a game or not. So let’s call it a five game streak, dating to the 2021 Frisco Football Classic, a 27-17 win over North Texas. Last season they beat Colorado State 43-17 in the Arizona Bowl.
Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Will Blackmon

5:45: San Diego State vs. North Texas (New Mexico Bowl @ Albuquerque, NM; ESPN): This is the “unstoppable force versus immovable object” game of the day. North Texas features the best offense in FBS (and their quarterback is expected to play) and will score. The question is just how much they will score against the 16th ranked defense by SP+. Remember, SDSU held Cal’s dynamic QB to 0 points a few months ago. With mostly everyone playing, I like UNT, but this could be fun in a somewhat different way.
SP+ line: UNT by 8.5
Vegas line: UNT by 3.5
Watchability tier: III
Previous meetings: These teams have met seven times. The first meeting was a 42-24 SDSU win in 1969. They met every year after that until 1975. The Aztecs won all of those games, save one: 14-9 UNT win in 1974.
Last bowl game: For the Aztecs, this is their first bowl game since the 2022 Hawaii Bowl, a 25-23 loss to Middle Tennessee State. North Texas lost to Texas State 30-28 in last season’s First Responder Bowl.
Announcers: Lowell Galindo, Aaron Murray, and Lauren Sisler

7:30: Virginia vs. Missouri (Gator Bowl @ Jacksonville, FL; ABC): Well, not every P4 vs. P4 game can be a winner. I just don’t have strong feelings about these teams at all, but I guess it’s a sort-of come down from all the games earlier in the day. Maybe a good time to go back to hanging out with your family while this is on in the background, if you’re into that sort of thing. I apparently have UVA winning, so let’s go with that.
SP+ line: Mizzou by 5.5
Vegas line: Mizzou by 6.5
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Just one: a 31-7 Mizzou win in 1973.
Last bowl game: For the Hoos, this is their first bowl since the 2019 Orange Bowl, a 36-28 loss to Florida. This is Mizzou’s fifth straight bowl in a row, dating to a 34-22 win over Army in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl. Last season they beat Iowa 27-24 in the Music City Bowl.
Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick, and Kris Budden

9:15: Houston vs. Louisiana State (Texas Bowl @ Houston, TX; ESPN): If LSU is in any mood other than “ready to get this thing over with in the same stadium we ended last season in”, I’ll be surprised and owe a very big tip of the cap to Frank Wilson. Suffice it to say, I expect Houston to win.
SP+ line: LSU by 1.9
Vegas line: Houston by 3
Watchability tier: II
Previous meetings: Once again, for how relatively close these teams are, they’ve only met three times. LSU won the first meeting in 1996 35-34. The Cougars got them three years later 20-7, and LSU won the last meeting in 2000 28-13.
Last bowl game: For the Cougs, this is their first bowl game since a 23-16 win over Louisiana in the 2022 Independence Bowl. LSU, except for the pandemic, has a 26 game bowl streak dating to the 2000 Peach Bowl, a 28-14 win over Georgia Tech. Last season, they beat Baylor 44-31 in this very bowl game.
Announcers: Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic

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)