Outback Bowl

No.19 Auburn (8-4) vs. No. 18 Wisconsin

(10-3)

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa (65,657)

Noon ET/ 11 AM CT

ESPN2

Bob Wischusen, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Gus: 49 years old, Irving, Texas, three years as a head coach, Arkansas State (2012), Auburn (2013-present). 29-9 (76%). 0-1 bowls.

Barry Alvarez (Interim until Paul Chryst, who came over from Pitt takes over right afterwards): 16 years as head coach at Wisconsin (1990-2005) , 118-74-4 (60%). Now the Athletics Director at Wisconsin.

Refs: Big 12, Mike Defee

Weather: 71 at kickoff, cloudy but 5 % chance of rain. Wind NE 6 MPH

Line: AU by 6 1/2

Analysis and Prediction:

I expect Auburn to play well. Gus and the team got a big boost with the hiring of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. I’m sure Muschamp will have his stamp on the defense somewhat tomorrow. Duke Williams is suspended from the team for violation of team rules (can anybody ever say what they did), but says he is coming back next year. We’ll see how that develops. Nick Marshall and Sammie Coates should have good days. So should Cameron Artis-Payne. Auburn played its best game of the season at Tuscaloosa in a 55-44 loss, though the defense was nowhere to be found in the second half. Having Muschamp is  a huge lift for the defense and the team. Next year there should be a marked improvement in that unit. The players look like they have talent on the defensive side, they just need to be coached up better. Wisconsin lost disastrously to Ohio State, 59-0, in the Big Ten Championship game, and then Coach Gary Anderson bolted to go to Oregon State. I’m still trying to figure out how losing a game 59-0 gets you another job. If somebody knows the answer to that please enlighten me. I thought when you lose that badly, your job could be in jeopardy, but maybe I’m not in tune with the Barrack Obama performance measurements these days. You tried hard even though you failed miserably, so you get a promotion to another job. Little unclear on that. Anyway, Barry Alvarez did a good job at Wisconsin and he’ll probably field a better team than Anderson would have, so it might be competitive for a while. I like the Tigers here though to get the victory and then start gearing up for 2015.

AU 38, Wisconsin 31

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

No.8 Michigan State (10-2) vs.  No.5 Baylor

(11-1)

Jerry “Sugar Magnolia” Jones World, AT&T Stadium, Arlington (80,000)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Michigan State:

Jerry “Sugar Magnolia” Jones World, AT&T Stadium, Arlington

(80,000)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Michigan State:

Mark Dantonio, 58 years old, El Paso, Texas, 11 years as head coach, Cincinnati (2004-06), Michigan State (2007-present). 92-48 (66%); Bowls (4-4).

Baylor:

Art Briles: 59 years old, Rule, Texas, 12 years as a head coach, Houston (2003-07), Baylor (2008-present). 89-61 (59%). 2-5 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Jeff Flanagan

Weather: Rain, but retractable roof, so good to go.

Line: Baylor by 2 1/2

Baylor:

Art Briles: 59 years old, Rule, Texas, 12 years as a head coach, Houston (2003-07), Baylor (2008-present). 89-61 (59%). 2-5 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, head guy at game time

Weather: Rain, but retractable roof, so good to go.

Line: Baylor by 2 1/2

Analysis and Prediction:

These are two coaches who have done exceptional jobs at their respective program. Dantonio and Briles have made their teams major players in the national landscape, and Briles really has his program on a roll. Briles was pretty ticked off his team was not picked for the playoff and I don’t blame him. I thought both Baylor and TCU were more deserving than Ohio State and Baylor deserved the nod because of their head to head victory over the Horned Frogs. But it didn’t happen and I don’t blame Coach Briles at all for calling his conference commissioner and the committee out. I still think they blew it, but I know it’s over and decided. This should be a very good game. Like Bryce Petty and the Bears though.

Baylor 31, Michigan State 28

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl

No. 16 Missouri (10-3) vs. No. 25 Minnesota

(8-4)

The Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando (70,000)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ABC

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Coaches

Missouri:

Gary Pinkel, 62 years old, Akron, Ohio, 24 years as a head coach, 1991-2000 at Toledo, 2001-present at Missouri. 185-103-3 (64%). 6-4 in bowls.

Minnesota:

Jerry Kill, 53 years old, Cheney, Kansas, 7 years as a head coach in FBS, 21 overall as a head coach in FCS also. 152-98 overall record (61%). 0-4 in bowls.

Refs: Big 12, head guy at game time.

Weather: 72, partly cloudy, 0% rain, wind NE a@ 6 MPH

Line: Missouri by 4 1/2

Prediction:

Missouri gets it done at the end, but I think this game will be tight.

Missouri 31, Minnesota 30

Chick-fil-A Bowl

No.9 Ole Miss (9-3) vs. No.6 TCU (11-1)

Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga. (71,228)

12:30 PM ET/11:30 AM CT

ESPN

Tess, Brock, Tim, Shannon

Coaches:

Ole Miss

Hugh Freeze: 45 years old, born in Oxford, Mississippi, four years as a head coach. 2011-Arkansas State. 2012-present-Ole Miss. 54-21 (72%). 2-0 in bowls.

TCU

Gary Patterson: 54 years old, Rozal, Kansas, 15 years as head coach all at TCU. 131-45 (74%). 7-4 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Jerry Magallanes

Weather: Dome

Line: TCU by 3

Analysis:

For the Rebels, it’s about defense and if they can get enough from Bo Wallace and the offense. Ole Miss is number one in the country in scoring defense, giving up just 13.8 points per game. They are 12th in total defense. TCU is 18th in scoring defense allowing 20.3 points and 33rd in total defense. Ole Miss cornerback Senquez Golden is second in the country in interceptions with nine. He trailed only Gerod Holliman of Louisville, who had 14. TCU was second in turnover margin, behind only Michigan State. TCU gained 36 turnovers and lost 18. Ole Miss was tied for 27th with 28 gained and 21 lost.

So the defenses will definitely play a major role. Trevone Boykin is an absolute stud at quarterback for the Horned Frogs. He has completed 279-of-461 passes (60.5%) for 3,714 yards, 30 touchdowns and just seven ints. He has also run for 642 yards and eight TDs. Aaron Green is the team’s leading rusher having run for 854 yards and 8 touchdowns. B.J. Catalon has added 493 yards and 10 TDs. Josh Doctson is Boykin’s favorite target. He has caught 59 passes for 959 yards and 9 sevens. Deante’ Gray has caught 34 passes for 564 yards and eight scores. TCU is 4th in the country in total offense averaging 542.2 yards per game and second in the country in scoring offense at 46.8. But they are facing a formidable group. Ole Miss has 90 tackles for loss which is a top 10 in the country number. Nickel back Tony Conner leads the way with nine for loss of 18, while defensive end Marquis Haynes has 8.5 for a loss of 74 yards.

So, for Ole Miss, it’ll come down to which Bo shows up. As a friend of mine says it can’t be the bad Bo, that’s for sure, and it needs to be better than the good Bo. It needs to be the stellar Bo. Wallace is 219-of-358 (61.2%) for 3,085 yards, 22 TDs and 11 ints. He’s had his moments this season against Alabama and Mississippi State, then he’s had his disasters like LSU, a 10-7 loss and Arkansas, a 30-0 loss. So he’s critical to the Rebels success. His favorite target is Cody Core, who has 38 receptions for 530 yards and six TDs. Ole Miss lost both of their leading receivers, Laquan Treadwell and Vince Sanders, to season ending injuries, but Core and Evan Engram (37-761-2) are excellent targets. Jaylen Walton rushed for 583 yards and five touchdowns. He’s small, but he can make a house call if he breaks through the front line and gets to the second level. He also caught 18 passes for 201 yards and 2 TDs.

Prediction

There’s a lot to like about both these teams. Ole Miss plays lock down defense, but their offense is questionable at times, though it can have its moments. TCU plays outstanding offense and plays pretty good defense too, actually. So I’m going with the more complete team. Should be an excellent game to start off the New Year’s Six.

TCU 30, Ole Miss 28

Vizio Fiesta Bowl

No.20 Boise State (11-2) vs. No 10 Arizona

(10-3)

University of Phoenix Stadium (63,400)

4 PM ET/3 PM CT

ESPN

Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay

Coaches:

Arizona

Rich Rodriguez: 51 years old, Chicago, 13 years as a head coach; West Virginia (2001-07), Michigan (2008-10) and Arizona (2012-present). 146-97-2 (60%  ) 4-4 in bowls.

Boise State

Bryan Harsin: 38 years old, Boise, Idaho, two years as a head coach, Arkansas State (2013), Boise State  (2014-present). 18-7 (72%). no bowl record until today.

Refs: Big Ten, John O’Neill

Weather: Retractable roof. Will probably be closed as it’s expected to rain in Phoenix. So no problem with the weather.

Line: Zona by 3

Prediction

I like Zona to get it done here. They played a much tougher schedule and did well with it. Better conference (Pac-12 vs Mountain West), better team.

Zona 42, Boise 30

Capital One Orange Bowl

No.7 Mississippi State (10-2)  vs. No 12

Georgia Tech (10-3)

Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida (76,100)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Brent, Jess, Maria

Coaches:

Mississippi State:

Dan Mullen: 42 years old, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, six years all at State, 46-30 (60%); 3-1 in bowls.

Georgia Tech:

Paul Johnson: 57 years old, Newland, North Carolina, 13 years as a head coach, Navy (2002-07), Tech (2008-present). 164-74 (69%). 3-6 in bowls.

Refs: Big Ten, Dan Capron

Weather: 73, cloudy, 20% rain, wind NNE @ 3 MPH.

Line: State by 6 1/2

Prediction:

I like Johnson and the triple option here to pull off the upset.

Georgia Tech 34, Mississippi State 31

Music City Bowl

No.23 LSU (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (7-5)

LP Field, Nashvegas, Tennessee (68,798)

3 PM ET/2 PM CT

ESPN

Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Jessica Mendoza

Coaches:

LSU

Les

61 years old, born in Elyria, Ohio. 14 years as a head coach, 131-49 (73%), 7-5 in bowls. Oklahoma State 2001-04; LSU 2005-present.

Notre Dame

Brian Kelly

53 years old, Everett, Massachusetts. 24 years as a head coach, 214-77-2 (73%). 44-20 (69%) Five years @ Notre Dame (Grand Valley State: 1991-2003; Central Michigan: 2004-06; Cincinnati: 2007-09; Notre Dame: 2010-present.

Refs: Pac-12, Mike Batlan

Weather: 40, sunny at kickoff, 0% rain, wind: NNE @ 8 MPH, staying 8-10 MPH throughout game.

Line: LSU by 8 1/2

Prediction:

LSU will ground and pound it versus an Irish defense that has allowed 244.2 yards per game rushing over the last six games. Expect Leonard Fournette, who appears to be coming into his own after rushing for 891 yards and 8 TDs this season, and Terrence Magee, who rushed for 546 and three TDs, to have their way running the ball for LSU. Brian Kelly has benched starting quarterback Everett Golson after he turned the ball over 22 times this season. Malik Zaire will start in his place. Should be a good day for “the Hat” and the Bayou Bengals and a long day for the Irish. Brian Kelly will have another Jackson Browne moment after the game, as in “Here come those tears again.”  Hopefully Les will provide some entertainment at halftime and in the post game interview. I think LP Field is supposed to have some pretty good tasting grass. Sometimes Les seems like he smokes it. He does an excellent  job though, and he and Ball Coach keep it fun.

LSU 34, Notre Dame 21

Belk Bowl

No.13 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 21 Louisville (9-3)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (74,455)

6:30 PM ET/5:30 PM CT

ESPN

Anish Shroff, Kelly Stouffer, Cara Capuano

Coaches:

Georgia

Mark Richt 

54 years old, Omaha, Nebraska. 14 years at Georgia: 135-48 (74%). Bowls: 8-5.

Louisville

Bobby “Neck Brace” Petrino

53 years old, Lewistown, Montana. 10 years as a college head coach: 92-33 (74%). 4-3 in bowls. 3-10 in the NFL with the Falcons before bolting prior to the season ending

Refs: Big Ten, David Witvoet

Weather: 40 @ kickoff in high 30″s throughout the game. 5 % rain. Wind. NE 4 MPH

Line: Dawgs by 7

Nick Chubb ran for 1,281 yards and 12 TDs this season for Georgia. He might make fans forget about Todd Gurley when he’s done with his eligibility. Sony Michel will get his share of carries as well, and while he’s been bothered by some injuries this season, he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school last year and one of the top players in the country. He could help Chubb a lot today and have a big game himself. Georgia lost offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to Colorado State, which hired him as their head coach last week, but they should still be fine here. The Cardinals are down to their third string quarterback most likely, and while their defense may keep them in the game, I like the Dawgs to handle their business, run the ball well, and play lock down defense. Michael Dyer’s infamous career is over at Louisville, and in college, after he got suspended last week. So Louisville is pretty short handed on the offensive side of the ball. Petrino is going to have to work some near miracles offensively in order to win this game. Louisville defensive coordinator Todd Grantham is coaching against his old team in this one, so that might give him and his defense an advantage somewhat. But I  like Jeremy Pruitt a lot better as coordinator for the Dawgs defense. He’s going to make this group elite in the near future.

Georgia 30, Louisville 14

Foster Farms Bowl

Stanford (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California (68,500)

10 PM ET/9 PM CT

ESPN

Allen Bestick, Ray Bentley, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Stanford

David Shaw

42 years old, San Diego California, 4 years as head coach at Stanford: 41-12. Bowls: 1-2

Maryland

Randy Edsall

56 years old, Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, 16 years as a head coach, 94-99 overall; 3-3 in bowls. 1999-2010 at UConn; 2011-present at Maryland.

Refs: Big 12, Reggie Smith

Weather: 48 @ kickoff, 0% rain, wind NNE 28 MPH

Line: Stanford by 14

This should be a pretty interesting game with the wind howling. Stanford lost their best player, wide receiver Tyrone Montgomery, to injury, so that makes it tougher offensively for the Cardinal. It’s probably going to be a low scoring game with the defenses and the wind. Maryland plays pretty decent defense, and the offenses aren’t too swift, especially since Stanford will be missing Montgomery. But I like the Stanford defense to get the job done here.

Stanford 14, Maryland 10

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Texas A&M (7-5)  vs. West Virginia (7-5)

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis (61,008)

2 PM ET/1 PM CT

ESPN

Clay Matvick, Anthony Becht, Dawn Davenport

Coaches:

A&M: Kevin Warren Sumlin: 50 years old, three years at A&M, 27-11, overall: seven years 62-28 (69%), 3-1 bowls. @ Houston from 2008-11.

West Virginia: Dana Carl Holgerson, 43 years old, four years at WVU and as a head coach, 28-22 (56%), 1-1 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Walter Davenport

Weather: 44 degrees @ kickoff, mostly cloudy, 0% rain (throughout game), Wind, NNE @ 7 MPH.

Line: WVU by 3

Breakdown

West Virginia

The Mountaineers lost quarterback Clint Trickett for the season and for his career after Trickett sustained multiple concussions. Trickett had a fine year for the Mountaineers completing 67% of his passing attempts (281-of-419) with 18 TDs and 10 ints. In his place will be junior college transfer Skyler Howard, who completed 36-of-65 passes (55%) for 483 yards, five TDs and 0 ints. Howard tossed three TDs in the season finale against Iowa State, a 37-24 victory which ended a three-game losing streak for WVU. The Mountaineers key player on offense is wide out Kevin White. The 6’3″, 210 standout caught 102 passes for 1,318 yards and 9 sevens this season. He is a superstar and will be shining on Sundays in the future. Mario Alford (5’9″, 177) is another explosive wide out for WVU. Alford caught 62 passes for 888 yards and 10 TDs this season. Running back Rushel Shell (5″10″, 215) ran for 766 yards and seven scores this season. A&M struggles against the run, so this could be a factor. On the other side of the ball, linebacker  Nick Kwiatkoski (6’2″, 236) leads the team with 96 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss of -20. Defensive end Shaq Riddick (6’6″, 242) adds 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Cornerback Daryl Worley leads the defense in interceptions with three.

A&M

Sumlin made a quarterback change in game nine and replaced Kenny Hill with freshman Kyle Allen. Allen finished the season completing 96-of-157 (61%) for 1,028 yards with 12 TDs and six ints. Allen had his best performance at Auburn on November 8th completing 19-of29 passes for 277 yards with four TDs and one int in a 41-38 victory over then No.3 Auburn. He was the number one quarterback in the country coming out of high school and has shown flashes of excellence, so the future could be very bright for the Aggies with Allen at quarterback.  Allen’s key targets are Ricky Seals-Jones (48-444, 4 TDs) and Josh Reynolds (47-726, 12 TDs). Malcolme Kennedy (46-529, 4) and Speedy Noil (44-559, 5 TDs) are also excellent receiving options. Kennedy is probably the most reliable target of all four guys. A&M really didn’t get a stellar running game ever going this season. Trey Williams rushed for 474 yards and six TDs. Tra Carson added 448 and five TDs. Both are capable of having good games today against a suspect Mountaineer defense. While the A&M defense wasn’t prolific this year, freshman defensive end Myles Garrett (6’5″, 255) was. Garrett finished with 12.5 tackles for loss of 67 yards and 11 sacks for -64 yards. He’s a stud. Safety Howard Matthews led the team in tackles with 82. Freshman free safety Armani Watts led the team in interceptions with three. While Snyder took the blame for the defensive deficiencies this season, it was a pretty young group. Sumlin has recruited well and the defense should be a lot better next year with talent and experience. The bowl game would be a good springboard for the group.

Verdict:

This should be an outstanding game with a lot of offense. Maybe it’s just the way I’m wired and programmed, but I like the SEC to get it done in this one, but in an excellent football game. Kevin Sumlin and A&M come away with the victory and start preparing for the 2015 season with clear eyes and full hearts.

A&M 38, West Virginia 35

Russell Athletic Bowl

Clemson (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (8-4)

Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, Orlando (70,000)

5:30 PM ET/4:30 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Patrick, Ed Cunningham, Jeannine Edwards

Coaches:

Clemson: William Christopher “Dabo” Swinney, 45 years old, seven years as head coach all at Clemson, 60-26 (70%) overall, 3-3 in bowls.

Oklahoma: Robert Anthony “Bob” Stoops, 54 years old, 16 years as head coach all at OU, 168-42 (80%), 8-7 in bowls.

Refs: SEC, Matt Moore, lead whistle

Weather: 78 @ kickoff, partly cloudy, 0 % rain (throughout game), wind SW 8 MPH.

Line: OU by 5

Breakdown

Clemson:

Clemson is more about defense this season. The Tigers have the number one total defense in the country allowing only 259.6 yards per game. They are number six in the country in scoring defense at 17.6 ppg. OU is no. 52 in total defense at 382.3 and 43 in scoring defense at 24.8 points allowed. Senior defensive end Vic Beasley is the catalyst on defense. Beasley has 18.5 tackles for loss of 104 yards and 11 sacks for -87. He’s an all- worlder. Middle linebacker Stephone Anthony leads the defense in tackles with 73 and adds 9.5 tackles for loss of -50 yards. Clemson only has nine interceptions, but have forced nine fumbles this season and recovered 10. On offense, the Tigers will turn back to senior Cole Stoudt as freshman Deshaun Watson was lost for the season against South Carolina with a torn ACL in his knee. Stoudt played in 12 games, completed 165-of-266 passes (62%) for 1,573 yards, six TDs and 10 ints. He’ll have to play better than that today in order for the Tigers to come out on top. He can’t be throwing multiple interceptions or it could be a long day for him and his team. Clemson’s leading rusher is Wayne Gallman who ran for 714 yards and four TDs this season. C.J. Davidson added 245 and three TDs. The running game needs to be good to take the pressure off of Stoudt. Stoudt is a pretty good runner too. The leading receiver for Clemson is Artavis Scott who caught 68 passes for 851 yards and seven TDs this season. Mike Williams pulled in 48 for 918 and 5 sevens. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables knows OU having been defensive coordinator there from 1999-2011 before coming over to Clemson in 2011. He’s got the defense playing very well.

OU:

Quarterback Trevor Knight is back after being hurt this season some, and that’s a big lift to the Sooners’ offense.  In nine games, Knight completed 162-of-279 passes (58%) for 2,197 yards, 14 TDs and nine ints. He’s a threat to make a mistake, but he can also make a lot of explosive plays with his arm and also make plays with his feet. Samaje Perine, a freshman, burst onto the scene this season. Perine, a horse at 5” 11″, 243, rushed for 1,579 yards this season and 21 TDs. He ran for 791 yards in his final three games of the season and included in that was a 427 yard performance against Kansas, which broke the FBS single game rushing record which was set the week before by Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, who ran for 408 against Nebraska. Perine will be a major test to the Clemson run defense, which is fifth in the country allowing just 97.7 yards per game on the ground. OU has an excellent receiving corps as well led by junior Sterling Shepard, who has hauled in 50 catches for 957 yards and five TDs. He is a game changer along with Perine. Durron Neal has added 40 receptions for 508 and three scores. On defense, the Sooners are led by linebacker Dominique Alexander (6’0″, 227) who has registered 98 tackles, six for loss of 22 and a sack and a half. Linebacker Eric (Airplane) Striker leads the team with 14 tackles for loss of 64 yards and 7.5 sacks. Cornerback Zack Sanchez has six interceptions on the season.

 Verdict:

I like this Clemson defense. OU has a better offense for sure, but I like the defense wins games/championships theory. Dabo, Venables and the Clemson defense allow the Tigers to come away with the victory in a steppingstone to 2015.

Clemson 28, Oklahoma 24

Advocare V100 Texas Bowl

Arkansas (6-6) vs. Texas (6-6)

NRG Stadium, Houston (71,500)

9 PM ET/8 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Coaches:

Arkansas:

Bret Arnold Bielema, 44 years old, nine years head coach, 77-39. seven years at Wisconsin (2006-12), second year at Arkansas, 9-15 at Arkansas, 2-4 bowls

Texas:

Charles Rene “Charlie” Strong, 54 years old, five years as a head coach, 43-22 overall. Four years at Louisville (2010-13), and first year at Texas (6-6). 3-2 in bowls.

Refs: ACC, Ron Cherry

Weather; retractable roof, but 52 degrees at kickoff 0 % rain, wind E at 3 MPH

Line:  Hogs by 7

Analysis:

Texas:

Charlie Strong will do an excellent job at Texas and put the Longhorns back on the national map sooner rather than later. He will have to recruit hard though as he is squaring off in his state vs. Kevin Sumlin, an excellent recruiter, Baylor’s Art Briles and TCU’s Gary Patterson, who are both hotter than a July day in El Paso with their teams right now. So he definitely has his work cut out for him. But he has Texas playing well on defense and it will only get better under him. Senior linebacker Jordan Hicks has posted 138 tackles on the season, and 13 for loss of 36 yards to go along with 3.5 sacks. Middle linebacker Steve Edmond added 122 tackles a, 12 for loss of 30 yards and 4.5 sacks for a loss of 19. Quarterback Tyrone Swoopes completed 59% of his passes (211-of-359) for 2,352 yards,  13 TDs and 10 ints. The leading rushers for Texas are Malcolm Brown (683 yards and six TDs) and Johathan Gray (628 yards, seven TDs). John Harris led the wide receiving corps with 64 catches for 1,015 yards and seven TDs. Texas played some good football this season.

Arkansas:

The Hogs can really tote the rock. Jonathan Williams ran for 1,085 yards and 11 TDs this season and Alex Collins added 1,024 yards and 12 sevens. And they have a line that averages 328.4 pounds across the front, the biggest in college football AND the NFL. Wow. Brandon Allen is a pretty solid quarterback. He completed 178-0f-316 passes (56%) for 2,125 yards and 18 TDs against five ints. His favorite target is Keon Hatcher, an outstanding receiver/playmaker, who caught 39 passes for 517 yards and five TDs. They use their tight ends well. Hunter Henry is excellent (36-495, 2 TDs) as is A.J. Derby (22-303, 3 TDs). Those guys are weapons.On defense, Martrell Spaight leads the team with 123 tacklesm with 8.5 for loss of 23 yards. Defensive end Trey Flowers leads the defense with 13.5 tackles for loss of 75 yards and five sacks for -52 yards. Cornerbacks Tevin Mitchell and Henre’ Toliver lead the team with two ints apiece.

Verdict:

Strong is an excellent coach, and I’d give him a coaching edge over Bielema. Bielema takes some kind of goofy chances. Sometimes his trick plays work out, some times they don’t. But in this one, Arkansas is just too good running  the ball and they can pass it pretty well with Allen and Hatcher. The o line and playmakers will get the job done for the Hogs tonight as the Hogs gear up for an even better 2015 and send their seniors out on a high note.

Arkansas 31, Texas 23

Here’s a look at today’s five bowl games with previews and predictions.
 

Military Bowl

Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech

Hokies (6-6)

Navy-Marine Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Maryland (34,000)

1 PM ET/Noon CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Joey Galloway, Paul Carcaterra

Coaches:

Virginia Tech: Frank Beamer; 68 years old, 28 years as head coach at Va Tech, 228-113-2 (67%), 9-12 in bowls;

Cincy: Tommy Tuberville (Tubby); 60 years old, 19 years as a head coach: Ole Miss (’95-’98), Auburn (’99-2008), Texas Tech (2010-’12) and Cincinnati (2013-present). 148-84 overall (64%); 18-7 at Cincy. 7-4 bowls.

Refs: Sun Belt: Kevin Stine

Series record: 5-5; Cincy won most recent, 27-24 in Sept. 2012

Weather: 46 degrees at kickoff, sunny, 0 % chance of rain all afternoon, Wind: SE 3 MPH

Line: Cincy by 2 1/2

Virginia Tech is in their 22nd straight bowl game trailing only Florida State which has been to 33 straight, but they’ve struggled in bowl games. Their defense is only allowing 20.4 points per game, which was 18th in the country this season. Bud Foster’s secondary is good too, let by superstar Kendall Fuller, who had a 47 yard int for a TD earlier this year. Kendall’s brother, Kyle, is the starting cornerback for the Chicago Bears, and his other brother, Corey, is a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions. His oldest brother, Vincent, also played in the NFL. They all played at Virginia Tech. Kendall and the Hokie defense will be tested by Cincy qb Gunner Kiel who has thrown for 30 TDs (9th in the country) and 3,010 yards. Cincy has a real advantage behind center, as the Hokies Michael Brewer, a Texas Tech transfer, has thrown 14 ints this season against 17 TDs. He doesn’t have the proven playmakers on the outside and he’s been sacked 31 times this season.

Final analysis and prediction

I love what Frank Beamer does at Virginia Tech. He wins with integrity. He’s a high character man and a very good football coach. If it came down to coaching I’d go with Beamer over Tubby. He’ll get it back going in Blacksburg; he just needs some more offense. His defense is still really good. But I like Kiel over Brewer in this one. If it was a rainy kind of day, I might like the Hokies because of ball security issues, but it’s clear and sunny in Annapolis, so I’m going with the better quarterback and offense in this one though Virginia Tech will play some good defense and keep it close. But Kiel and Cincy do enough to get the W.

Cincy 24, Va Tech 21

Hyundai Sun Bowl

Arizona State Sun Devils (9-3) vs. Duke Blue

Devils (9-3)

Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas (51,500)

2 PM ET/1 PM CT

CBS

Carter Blackburn, Gary, Allie-Verne on a cruise loading up on the buffets

Coaches:

Arizona State: Todd Graham; 50 years old, 9 years as a coach, 76-41 overall, 27-12 at Zona State in 3 years, previously at Rice (2006) Tulsa (2007-10), Pitt (2011) and Zona State since 2012. 4-2 in bowls.

Duke: David Cutcliffe; 60 years old, 13 years as a head coach. Ole Miss (1999-2004), Duke (2006-present). 84-76, 4-2 bowls.

Refs: SEC, Hubert Owens, get ready for some serious laundry

Weather: 43 at kickoff, warming up to 48 throughout game, partly cloudy, 0% rain, wind SW @ 2 MPH.

Line: Zona State by 7 1/2

David Cutcliffe is another high character coach in college football. First class man and football coach. Birmingham, Alabama native. Cutcliffe was Peyton and Eli’s mentor as offensive coordinator at Tennessee (Peyton) and head coach at Ole Miss (Eli). He has a pretty good, athletic quarterback in Anthony Boone. But Zona State has a pretty high powered offense, and even though Duke is pretty solid on defense, I don’t think they can keep up with the Sun Devils on the offensive end enough to win this game. Graham has done an excellent job in Tempe. Like the Sun Devils to win a close one here.

Arizona State 31, Duke 28

Duck Commander Independence Bowl

Miami  (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6)

Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana (65,000)

3:30 PM ET/2:30 PM CT

ABC

Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Laura Rutledge (good crew)

Coaches:

Steve Spurrier, better known as the Ol’ Ball Coach: 69 years old,  25 year as a head coach: 225-85-2 (72%) Bowls: 10-10; Duke (1987-89), Florida (1990-2001) and South Carolina (2005-present). Cup of coffee with the Redskins in 2002-2003.  One national championship, Florida, 1996.

Al Golden: 45 years old, nine years as a head coach, record; 55-55; 0-2 bowls; Temple (2006-2010), Miami (2011-present).

Refs: Pac-12, Jack Folliard

Weather: 57 degrees @ kickoff, cloudy, 0% rain, wind NW 9 MPH. 60% rain @ 5 PM on.

Line: Miami by 3

The Gamecocks have had a rough year on defense as they are 93rd in the country in points allowed per game and 92nd in total yards surrendered. I’m surprised defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward is still around, though this may be his final chance in the bowl game to prove he can get it done. But quarterback Dylan Thompson has had a pretty solid year throwing for 3,280 yards, 24 TDs against 11 ints and has a 60% completion rate. Pharaoh Cooper is his favorite target. The dynamic wide out has caught 60 passes for 966 yards and eight TDs. Mike Davis didn’t have the exceptional year everyone expected him to have at running back, but he did run for 927 yards and nine TDs. He’s declared for the draft, he is a junior, so he may be ready to light it up today. Brad Kaaya had an excellent freshman campaign at quarterback for the Canes. He passed for 2,962 yards and 25 TDs against 11 ints. But Duke Johnson is the catalyst for the Canes at running back. He tallied 1,520 yards on the ground this season with 10 TDs and an impressive 7 yards per carry average. He also caught 33 passes out of the backfield for 370 yards and three TDs.

Final take:

South Carolina’s defense isn’t up to their usual standards, but Thompson, Cooper and Davis should excel on offense and outscore the Canes, barely.

South Carolina 35, Miami 34

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Penn State (6-6) vs. Boston College (7-5)

Yankee Stadium, New York City (50,291)

4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich

Coaches:

Penn State: James “Benedict” Franklin; 42 years old, four years as head coach, 30-21 overall. First year at Penn State (6-6). At Vanderbilt from 2011-13. 2-1 bowls.

Boston College: Steve Addazio, 55 years old. four years as a head coach. 27-22 overall, 1-1 in bowls. Temple (2011-12), Boston College 2013-present.

Refs: SEC, Matt Loeffler

Weather: 47, clear, 0% rain, wind, SW @ 6 MPH

Line: BC by 3

I’m still getting over Franklin bolting my alma mater to go to Penn State, but it’s over and I’ve moved on.  Penn State’s defense is good, but their offense pretty bad. BC beat USC 37-31 at home, which was impressive, then took Florida State to the wire in Tallahassee, losing 20-17. Like those numbers. Penn State lost to Michigan, 18-13, and lost their last two to Illinois, 16-14 on the road, and at home to Michigan State to end their season, 34-10. With those numbers, I’m going with the Golden Eagles over the Nittany Lions.

Boston College 21, Penn State 17

National University Holiday Bowl

Nebraska (9-3) vs. USC (8-4)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California (71,294)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Rece, Jess, Dave, Sam

Coaches:

USC: Steve Sarkisian, first year at SC (8-4), overall: 42-33, five years at Washington (2009-13). 1-2 bowls.

Nebraska: Barney Cotton (interim). Mike Riley comes over from Oregon State and will take over after the bowl game.

Refs: Big 12, Randy Christal

Weather: 59, clear, 0% rain, wind N 5 MPH.

Line: USC by 7 1/2

Final Take:

Nebraska is a little dysfunctional right now after firing Bo Pelini. They want Big Ten and national championships in Lincoln and Pelini wasn’t giving them enough. May have been a little unfair to fire him, he was 67-27 in seven years and 4-3 in bowls, but the standards are high at Nebraska and Pelini’s personality was a little bothersome to Huskers fans. Pelini just accepted the head job at Youngstown State where former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is the president, so it seems like he landed on his feet. I like SC here. Running back Ameer Abdullah of the Cornhuskers had an excellent season running for 1,523 yards and 18 TDs, but I like SC quarterback Cody Kessler, who threw for 3,505 yards, 36 TDs and only four ints. Kessler and SC get the job done in San Diego.

USC 41, Nebraska 31

Bowl Record: 7-3

Overall: 180-70 (73%)

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs(8-5) vs. Illinois Fighting

Illini(6-6)

Cotton Bowl, Dallas

1 ET PM/ Noon CT

ESPN

Talent: Mike Corey, Charles Arbuckle, Kayce Smith

Refs: Pac-12, Land Clark head stripe

Line: La Tech by 7

La. Tech running back rushed for 1,236 yards and 21 TDs this season. The Fighting Illini are 123rd out of 128 teams in rushing defense. La Tech head coach Skip Holtz and first year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz have the Bulldogs playing much better defense and they gave Marshall a pretty solid game in the C-USA championship game losing only 26-23. Like the La Tech Bulldogs to get the job done here.

La Tech 28, Illinois 17

Quicklane Bowl

North Carolina Tar Heels  (6-6) vs. Rutgers

Scarlet Knights (7-5)

Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Talent: Mark Neely, Ray Bentley,  Niki Noto

Refs: SEC, Marc Curles, lead whistle

Line: UNC by 3 1/2

Should be an entertaining game. Pretty explosive offenses. Like the Heels to get over the top in this one.

UNC 38, Rutgers 34

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl

North Carolina State Wolfpack (7-5) vs. Central

FloridaKnights (9-3)

Tropicana Field, St. Pete, Florida

8 PM ET/7PM CT

ESPN

Talent: Adam Amin, John Congemi, Kaylee Hartung

Referees: Mid American Conference, Don Willard, lead whistle

Line: UCF by 2 1/2

The Knights go for their fourth 10 win season in five years under George O’Leary. That’s impressive. I say they get it here with good run defense against a rush attack of NC State that is their strength. Knights are pretty tough against the run, 5th in the country in rush defense (97.4 yards per game) and have created 27 turnovers. They will generate enough offense to pull out this one in their semi home turf.

Central Florida 24, NC State 20

Popeyes Bahamas

Central Michigan (7-5) vs. Western Kentucky (7-5)

Thomsan Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas (15,023)

12 PMET/11 AM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy Loooou Holtz, Mark May, Laura Rutledge

Coaches: Western Kentucky: Jeff Brohm, 43 years old, first year (7-5); Central Michigan: Dan Enos, 46 years old, fifth year, 26-35, 1-0 bowls.

Refs: Big East, John McDaid

Weather: 80 Sunny, 0% rain, wind SSE 13 MPH

Line; Western Ky by 3 1/2

Take:

Western Kentucky beat Marshall, which drilled Northern Illinois last night in the Boca Raton Bowl. I’m liking the Hilltoppers to take care of business over the Chippewas.

 Western Kentucky 42, Central Michigan 34

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

Fresno State (6-7)  vs. Rice (7-5)

Aloha Stadium, Honolulu (50,000)

8 PM ET/7 PM CT

ESPN

Allen Bestick, Rod Gilmore, Holly Rowe

Coaches: Fresno State Tim DeRuyter, 51 years old, 27-13 in three years, 1-2 in bowls; Rice: David Bailiff, 56 years old, eight years, 68-68, 2-1 in bowls.

Fresno State leads the series 6-0.

Refs: Sun Belt; Tony Backert, head ref

Fresno State leads the series 6-0.

Weather: 75, Sunnyt, 5 % rain, wind WNW @ 5 MPH

Line: Rice by 2.5

Take

I’ve read previews of this game and the fact that the Bulldogs have played in a tougher conference (Mountain West) than the Owls (Conference USA), makes me give the edge to Fresno State.

Fresno State 34, Rice 30

Boca Raton Bowl

Marshall Thundering Herd (12-1) vs. Northern

Illinois Huskies (11-2)

Florida Atlantic University Stadium, Boca Raton, Fl. (29,419)

6 PM ET/5 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Lamont, Desmond Howard, Quint Kessenich

Series Record: NIU leads 4-3

Coaches: Marshall: Doc (Gunfight at the OK Corral) Holliday: 57 years old, 39-25 overall in five seasons and 2-0 in bowls; Northern Illinois: Rod Carey: 43 years old, three seasons, 23-5, 0-2 bowls.

Refs: Mountain West Conference, Rick Loumiet, head ref

Weather: 77 @ kickoff, 0 % rain, Wind SSE @ 12 MPH

Line: Marshall by 8 1/2

Teams:

Two years ago Kirk Herbstreit had his famous line when Norther Illinois was selected for a BCS bowl: “Northern Illinois? Are you kiddin me?” But the Huskies have been a consistent program the last five to six years. They’re not a New Year’s 6 bunch, but they are a quality team.

Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato threw for 37 sevens and 3,622 yards this season, but in Marshall’s only loss to Western Kentucky, 67-66, he threw four interceptions despite throwing for seven TDs. Cato did throw 13 ints this year and the Northern Illinois defense picked off 14 passes this year led by Dechan Durante, who had four, and Paris Logan, who added three. For Northern Illinois, Drew Hare did a nice job taking over for departed All-American Jordan Lynch this season, passing for 2,097 yards, 17 TDs against only two ints. Camer Stingly led the ground game with 895 yards and 13 sevens. Devon Johnson, a converted tight end for the Thundering Herd, rushed for 1,636 yards and 16 TDs.

Final Verdict:

Cato will have a good game, but he’s going to make some mistakes with throws against a ball hawking Huskies’ secondary. But he’ll make a lot of big plays and the Thundering Herd are just too explosive for the Huskies, though the Huskies will give the Herd everything they want. Cato and the Herd squeak out a W.

Marshall 38, Northern Illinois 34

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

(man that’s lengthy)

Navy Midshipmen (7-5) vs. San Diego State

Aztecs (7-5)

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego (71,294)

9:30 PM ET/8:30 PM CT

ESPN

Tom Hart, Mike Belotti, Heather Mitts

Series record: San Diego State leads series, 3-0

Coaches: Navy: Ken Niumatalolo, 49 years old,, 56-35 in eight seasons at the Academy, 2-4 bowls; San Diego State: Rocky Long: 64 years old,  four years as head coach, 32-19; 97-68 overall as head coach, 1998-2008 at New Mexico. 2-6 in bowls.

Refs: Mid American Conference: Jeff “Matthew” Maconaghy (hope he’s not a strange one like the actor is)

Weather: 64, clear, wind ENE 3 MPH

Line: San Diego State by 3 1/2

Teams:

Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds carries the career (64) and single season (31 in 2013) record for rushing despite missing two games this season due to injury. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards this season and 21 TDs. San Diego State has some injures, but does have a stud running back in Donnell Pumphrey, who has rushed for 1,755 yards and 19 TDs this season.

Final Verdict:

I’m going to go with the upset here. Like the Midshipmen to get the job done behind their awesome signal caller Reynolds. The Academy pulls off the upset.

Navy 34, San Diego State 31

Miami Beach Bowl:

 

BYU (8-4) vs. Memphis (9-3)

 

Where: Marlins Park, Miami (36,742)

 

Time: 2 PM ET/1 PM CT

 

ESPN

 

Dave Flemming, Danny Kanell and Allison Williams

 

Refs: C-USA Wayne Winkler- head ref-C-USA refs can struggle a times

 

Line: Memphis by 1 1/2 to 2

Take:

Memphis has the fifth best scoring defense in the country allowing 17.1 ppg, but that’s deceiving as they haven’t played a scoring offense over 94th in the country in the last two months. BYU can score and will against an overrated defense. BYU defeated PAC-12 team Cal the final game of the season, 42-35, at Cal, which if you study it, is pretty impressive as Cal has been highly competitive with some of the better Pac-12 teams in the country this season. Cal lost 36-34 to UCLA, lost to Oregon, 59-41, but obviously moved the ball, lost to USC, 38-30m, and defeated Northwesfern, 31-24, Washington State, 60-59, and Colorado, 59-56. So BYU plays some defense. BYU quarterback Christian Stewart has completed 58.7% of his passes (176-of-300) for 2,273 yards, 22 TDS and 6 ints. BYU is on a four game win streak and Stewart has thrown for 1,281 yards, 14 TDs and one int in that streak. BYU is in their 10th consecutive bowl appearance and had won four in a row before last year’s 31-16 loss to Washington in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. I like BYU to get it back together this season in this bowl game. Their offense is good and will get it done today.

BYU 34, Memphis 30