What a day in college football. Here’s a look at the games along with prediction.

Allstate Sugar Bowl

No.5 Alabama (10-2) vs. No.9 Kansas State (10-3)

Caesar’s Superdome, New Orleans, 75,167

11 AM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Lugues

Officials, Big Ten, Larry Scott

Crimson Tide by 7 1/2

Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. send their team off in fine fashion. Todd McShay of ESPN projects Anderson Jr to be the No.1 pick in the NFL draft and Young to be No.2. The Tide plays well and gets itself geared up for 2023.

Alabama 42, Kansas State 28

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Kentucky (7-5) vs. Iowa (7-5)

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, 67,700

11 AM CT

ABC

Matt Barrie, Louis Riddick, Harry Lyles Jr.

Whistles, PAC-12, Mark Duddy?

Iowa by 3

Iowa 9, Kentucky 7

Playoff

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

No.3 TCU (12-1) vs. No.2 Michigan (13-0)

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ., 63,400

3 PM CT

ESPN

Sean, Todd, Molly, Tiffany Blackmon

Yella, SEC, Jason Autrey

Michigan by 7 1/2

I like a little defense to be played in this game. Max Duggan is not going to be totally denied, but neither is JJ McCarthy or Donovan Edwards. Looking for an excellent football game here.

Michigan 28, TCU 24

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No.1 Georgia (13-0) vs. No.4 Ohio State (11-1)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 71,000

7 PM CT

ESPN

Chris, Kirk, Holly, Laura

Wood, PAC-12 Chris Coyte

Georgia by 6

I like them Dawgs to take care of business in the ATL, and move on the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to face Michigan on Monday, January 9, 2023 at 7 PM CT on ESPN in the National Championship Game.

Georgia 31, Ohio State 21

A full schedule of games today. Here’s a look at each game along with predictions.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Maryland (7-5) vs. No. 23 NC State (8-4)

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. 75,412

11 AM CT

ESPN

Anish Shroff, Brock Osweiler, Andraya Carter

Whistles, PAC-12, Mike McCabe

Wolfpack by 1

Give me Dave Doeren and his Wolfpack squad. They seem to usually find a way.

NC State 28, Maryland 24

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. No.18 UCLA (9-3)

Sun Bowl, El Paso, 51,500

1 PM CT

CBS

Brad, Gary, Jenny

Laundry, Big 12, Derek “O’Neal” Anderson

UCLA by 8

Pitt’s quarterback, Kedon Slovis, entered the transfer portal and is now at BYU, his third stop as a collegiate quarterback. His first stop was USC then Pitt. Running back Israel Abanikanda, and his 1,431 yards and 20 TDs, is not playing as he is opting out for the draft. Several other Panthers have opted out. Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, (2,883 passing yards, 25 TDs, 632 rush yards, 11 TDs) and running back Zach Charbonnet (1,359 yards, 14 TDs) are both playing. With all that, it could very well be a long day for Pat Narduzzi and his undermanned Panthers squad against Chip Kelly and his complete Bruins’ squad.

UCLA 42, Pitt 21

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) vs No. 9 South Carolina (8-4)

TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, 67,164

2:30 PM CT

ESPN

Taylor, Stinch, Alyssa

Mark’s Cleaners, Big Ten, Mark Cannon

Fighting Irish by 3 1/2

I’m taking Shane Beamer, Spencer Rattler and the Gamecocks all day in Jax.

South Carolina 31, Notre Dame 30

New Year’s Six Games commence!

Capital One Orange Bowl

No.6 Tennessee (10-2) vs. No.7 Clemson (11-2)

Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL. 65,326

7 PM CT

ESPN

Tess, Gregory, Katie

Whistles, Big Ten, Ron Snodgrass

Clemson by 6

The Vols have put together a terrific season that could have even been better. Hendon Hooker is out for the game with an ACL injury and will be entering the draft, so Joe Milton gets the start. He played well in a 56-0 demolition of Vanderbilt. This is a strong game. I’m going to take Clemson and new starting quarterback Cade Klubnik. The true 5 star freshman looks like he’s going to be sensational. I like him to do well against a suspect Vols’ secondary. Tigers sophomore running back Will Shipley has rushed for 1,110 yards and 15 TDs. He’ll be a big factor. Dabo finally made the move to Klubnik in the ACC Championship Game against UNC and it paid off. It took him a while. DJ Uiagalelei never panned out and is in the transfer portal. It’ll work out a lot better for Clemson with Klubnik under center and for Uiagalelei to try somewhere else. Five destinations have been mentioned for DJ. UCLA, Oregon, though it’ll be hard to beat out Bo Nix, Notre Dame, seems logical. Virginia, where his previous offensive coordinator Tony Elliott is the head coach, and Arizona State. So, best of luck to Uiagalelei.

I like Clemson against a strong Vols offense, but a highly suspect defense. Clemson’s defense is stout.

Clemson 38, Tennessee 28

Saturday’s Games

AllState Sugar Bowl

No. 5 Alabama (10-2) vs. No. 9 Kansas State (10-3)

11 AM CT, Caesar’s Superdome, New Orleans, ESPN

TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Kentucky (7-5) vs. Iowa (7-5), Yawn…

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, 11 AM CT, ABC

****Playoff Starts****

CFB Semifinal 1

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

No.3 TCU (12-1) vs. No.2 Michigan (13-0)

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. 3 PM CT, ESPN

CFB Semifinal 2

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

No.1 Georgia (13-0) vs. No.4 Ohio State (11-1)

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, 7 PM CT, ESPN

Should be a riveting day of College Football.

Watching Lane Kiffin coach his team’s game last night, was like watching Taylor Swift trying to pass the ball against the Georgia defense. It was a complete catastrophe. Five times Kiffin went for it on fourth down, three or four times deep in his own territory. He was one for five and the one time he made it was on a fourth and one from his own 19! Are you kiddin me Kiffin? The stupidity was beyond the imagination. He even faked a punt at his own 30 and didn’t get it. Andre Ware was perplexed. Everybody was. Three of those missed fourth downs led to Texas Tech TDs as the Red Raiders clobbered the Rebels, 42-25, at the TaxAct Texas Bowl in Houston last night.

As Cris Collinsworth said, when a struggling Tom Brady missed on a two yard pass against the Arizona Cardinals on 3rd and one on Sunday Night football this past Sunday Night, “I don’t know what I’m watching.” The 45 year old Brady is struggling and so is Kiffin. He needs to re-think his decisions on fourth down or 2023 is going to be a clown show for him. He only had the 36th ranked recruiting class in 2023, not so swift, so he’ll hit the transfer portal to try to strengthen his team. You gotta recruit, Kiffin. He’s got a long way to go.

Arkansas almost one upped Kiffin with their near inexplicable collapse against Kansas as they won 55-53 in triple OT at the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. They were up by 15 with 2 minutes left and unbelievably let Kansas tie the game at the end of regulation and send it into overtime. Matt Landers, their wide receiver who transferred from Georgia, probably because he was never going to see the field in Athens, fumbled as Arkansas was driving with 3 minutes left to give Kansas the ball back down 15. On replay, it looked like his backside hit the turf before the ball came out, but the refs ruled it a fumble on the field and there was no indisputable video evidence to overturn though I saw it as Landers was down. The Jayhawks scored and kicked the extra point to cut the lead to eight, 38-30. They then attempted an onside kick. The ball got by the Razorbacks front line and Landers was just waiting for the ball instead of going after it when it passed the initial line of players for Arkansas. But Kansas out- hustled him by a long shot and recovered. They drove the ball down and scored with 45 seconds left, and their great quarterback, Jalon Daniels, passed for the 2 point conversion to tie the game at 38 with 41 seconds left. Arkansas opted not to try and go down and kick a field goal. That was surprising too.

The Razorbacks won it in the third overtime on a successful 2 point conversion and somehow held Kansas out of the end zone on their two point attempt. Sam Pittman almost pulled off the ultimate gag job, but somehow survived despite the haphazard coaching job by him and his staff.

In the Holiday Bowl, Bo Nix led his Oregon Ducks team down for a game winning TD with 17 seconds left to lead the 15th rank Ducks over North Carolina, 28-27, in a classic. Bo and his Ducks should have a very promising fifth year, for Nix, in Eugene.

Duke defeated UCF 30-13 in the Military Bowl.

College Basketball, Bama, Auburn

The Eighth-ranked Crimson Tide went to Starkville last night and came away victorious, 78-69, and were impressive doing it. Their great freshman Brandon Miller finished the night with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Wow, what a player. Miller, 6’8”, 200 from Antioch, TN., is averaging 19.2 ppg and 8.8 rebounds per game. Super stuff from the freshman. If Miller keeps this up, he could challenge for National Player of the Year. Drew Timme of Gonzaga is going to be hard to beat, but there’s a lot of season to go. Junior point guard Mark Sears, a transfer from Ohio, added 20 points. Sears is averaging 14.5 ppg. The Crimson Tide moved to 11-2 on the season with the only losses coming to No.3 UConn and No. 10 Gonzaga, both high quality teams. The Tide can make a deep run in the postseason if they can keep this up. They’ve got the material and the chemistry to go a long way in March.

The No. 20 Auburn Tigers survived the Florida Gators, 61-58, at the Jungle last night, as Wendell Green Jr. sank a beautiful spinning layup to seal it with three seconds left. Green and Johni Broome each scored 14 points. That was big victory for the Tigers against a quality opponent. Auburn has three players averaging double figures led by Green Jr who is averaging 12.7. Broome is averaging 12.3 and Jaylin Williams chips in 10.3. Auburn needs to keep improving on the offensive side of the court because the defense looks strong. That can win several games if you can shoot the ball pretty well. The Tigers moved to 11-2 with their only losses coming to Memphis and USC.

In other SEC tilts, No.7 Tennessee outlasted Ole Miss on the road, 63-59, LSU defeated No.9 Arkansas at home, 60-57, and Missouri upset No. 19 Kentucky, 89-75. Missouri moved to 12-1 on the year. LSU is 12-1. Arkansas is 11-2. And Kentucky is 8-4. That’s unacceptable in Lexington. Who knows what Calipari’s complaints are now. That’ll be getting pretty old in Lexington if things don’t improve quickly for him and his program.

Today’s Games

Cheez-It Bowl

Oklahoma (6-6) vs. No. 13 Florida State (9-3)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, 65,000

4:30 PM CT

ESPN

Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky, Kris Budden

Laundry, SEC, James Carter

FSU by 10

Give me quarterback Jordan Travis and the FSU offense and a pretty stellar defense to lead their team to victory. The ACC is 3-1 in bowl games., the best record of any conference so far.

Florida State 38, OU 27

Valero Alamo Bowl

No. 20 Texas (8-4) vs. No. 12 Washington (10-2)

Alamodome, San Antonio, 72,000

8 PM CT

ESPN

Tom, JRodg, his older brother, at 38, is starting to pick it up for the Packers, Cole

Yeller, ACC, Gary Patterson

Texas by 3

I like Sark, fresh off his No.3 recruiting class in 2023 and playing a de facto home game to capture this title. Like it to be a classic, but give me the Horns.

Texas 38, Washington 34

Friday’s matchups

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

Maryland (7-5) vs. NC State (8-4)

11 AM CT, ESPN

Sun Bowl

Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. No.18 UCLA (9-3)

1 PM CT, CBS

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) vs. No.19 South Carolina (8-4)

2:30 PM CT, ESPN

Capital One Orange Bowl, New Year’s Six Bowls begin

No.6 Tennessee (10-2) vs. No.7 Clemson (11-2)

7 PM CT, ESPN

Yesterday’s results

Memphis 38, Utah State 10

Not a great result for the Blog in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl in Dallas. When Utah State had a nice drive and scored to make it 24-10 with 10 minutes left, things were looking optimistic. But Utah State coach Blake Anderson tried and failed on an onside kick. Thought that was a mistake. Had three timeouts and plenty of time left and the freshman quarterback for the Aggies was looking sharp. Memphis recovered the kick easily and went on to score and that was all she wrote.

Wisconsin 24, Oklahoma State 17

Blog had a great nightcap as it predicted the Badgers to win, 24-14. The Badgers got off to a slow start at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, but stellar sophomore running back Braelon Allen rushed for 116 yards and 1, seven, and senior Chez Mellusi added 77 yards and 1 TD, as the Luke Fickell era in Wisconsin started off successfully. Fickell did coach in the game.

Today

Four nice matchups today at the Military Bowl, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Holiday Bowl and the TaxAct Texas Bowl. Here’s a look at the games along with predicted outcomes.

Military Bowl

UCF (9-4) vs. Duke (8-4)

Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, Annapolis, MD. 34,000

1 PM CT

ESPN

Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason, Marilyn Payne

Laundry, Conference USA, Rodney Burnette

Duke by 3

I like first year coach Mike Elko to finish off a highly successful season for his Duke Blue Devils squad. The Blue Devils get over the top versus Gus Malzahn and his Knights team. Looking for a well played game offensively for both teams and Duke to win an exciting contest.

Duke 34, UCF 30

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Kansas (6-6) vs. Arkansas (6-6)

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium, Memphis, 58,325

4:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave O’Brien, Dan Mullen, Taylor McGregor

Yello, PAC-12, Matthew “Keith” Richards

Hogs by 2 1/2

Give me coach Sam Pittman, quarterback K.J. Jefferson, 2,361 passing yards, 22 TDs, 685 rushing yards, 7 TDs, and running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders, 1,426 rushing yards, 10 TDs, to carry the Razorbacks over the top in another tight contest. Kansas is a highly competitive team from the Big 12 that has improved dramatically in Coach Lance Leipold’s second season.

Arkansas 31, Kansas 28

San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl

No. 15 Oregon (9-3) vs. North Carolina (9-4)

Petco Park, San Diego, 42,691

7 PM CT

FOX

Gus, Joel, Jenny

Suds and Duds, Big Ten, Mike “Ref K” Kluczynski,

Oregon by 13

Give me first year coach Dan Lanning and his Ducks. Bo Nix is coming back another year. That’s terrific. He’ll shine tonight in El Diego.

Oregon 35, UNC 17

TaxAct Texas Bowl

Ole Miss (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)

NRG Stadium, Houston, 72,220

8 PM CT

ESPN

Roy Philpott, Andre, Paul Carcaterra

Vogue Cleaners, ACC, Stuart Mullins

Rebels by 3 1/2

The Rebel faithful breathed a huge sigh of relief when Lane said he was coming back to Oxford for 2023 and not going to Auburn. I like Lane’s Rebels to get the job done, but another scrappy team from the Big 12 will make it very interesting. Lane and the Rebs prevail, and get ready to set their sights on a stellar 2023 campaign. The future also looks bright for the Red Raiders under first year coach Joey McGuire, who had tremendous success in Texas high school football and as an assistant at Baylor. The Red Raiders are in their home state, so they’ll be charged up. Should be a thriller.

Ole Miss 38, Texas Tech 34

Thursday

Two games on the slate.

Cheez-It Bowl

Oklahoma (6-6) vs. No. 13 Florida State (9-3)

Camping World Stadium, Orlando

4:30 PM CT, ESPN

Valero Alamo Bowl

No. 20 Texas (8-4) vs. No. 12 Washington (10-2)

Alamodome, San Antonio

8 PM CT, ESPN

There are 2 bowls on the slate today as bowl season really hits the accelerator with a massive amount of games this week culminating Saturday with the No.5 Crimson Tide squaring off with No.9 Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl at 11 AM CT on ESPN, then the playoff games with No.3 TCU facing No.2 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl at 3 PM CT on ESPN, and the No.1 Georgia Bulldogs vs the No.4 Ohio State Buckeyes at 7 PM CT on ESPN in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. A lot of action prior to those 3 blockbusters though. We’ll start today with Memphis vs. Utah State in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, and tonight, Wisconsin faces Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Bowl.

Here’s a look at today’s slate.

Record so far

Straight up, 5-2, Overall for season, 161-62, 73%

ATS, 3-3, 116-103, 53%.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl

Memphis (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, 32,000

2:15 PM CT

ESPN

Mike Monaco, Charles Arbuckle, Nicole Rigoni

Refs, PAC-12, Francisco Villar

Memphis by 7

Memphis is pretty strong on defense against the run, but a little vulnerable through the air. Utah State running back Calvin Tyler Jr. declared for the NFL draft, but will play today. He’s rushed for 1,043 yards and 7 TDs. Aggies quarterback Cooper Legas, who took over midway through the season when starter Logan Bonner went out for the year with injury, completed 128-of-209 passes, 61%, for 1,465 yards, 11 TDs against 9 ints. His leading targets are Brian Cobbs, who’s caught 70 passes for 844 yards and 4 TDs, and Terrell Vaughn, who’s posted 52 receptions for 590 yards and 5 TDs. Justin McGriff added 30 recepts for 438 and 4 TDs. On defense, linebacker AJ Vongphachanh, 6’2”, 230, has posted 92 tackles, 8 TFLs for -18 yards and 2 sacks for -5 yards. Defensive end Daniel Grzesiak, 6’1”, 245, leads the team in TFLs with 10 1/2 for -47 yards and sacks with 6 1/2, for -40. Aggies safety Ike Larsen leads the D in interceptions. He has 4 on the season and has taken one back to the house.

For Memphis, quarterback Seth Henigan has completed 266-of-417 passes, 64% for 3,287 yards, 19 TDs against 8 ints. His favorite targets are Caden Prieskornm, who has hauled in 46 passes for 593 yards and 6 TDs. Javon Ivory added 46 for 586 yards and 2 TDs. And Eddie Lewis pulled in 37 for 532 yards and 5 TDs. Jevyon Ducker led the running game with 461 yards and 5 TDs. Asa Martin chipped in 392 yards and 7 TDs.

On defense, linebacker Xavier “Zay” Collins, 6’1”, 225, led the team in tackles with 104, posted 7 1/ TFLs for -26 yards and added 2 sacks for -15. To go on top of that he posted 3 interceptions for 113 yards and took two of them back for house calls. Defensive end Jaylon Allen, 6’2”, 238, led the team in TFLs with 9 for -38 and added 4 sacks for -30. Defensive lineman Cormontae Hamilton, 6’2”, 265, led the D in sacks with 4 1/2 for -23 yards. yards. DB Quindell Johnson leads the D with 4 interceptions.

Final Decison

Memphis looks better on paper at quarterback and on defense, and that’s crucial. But I like what Blake Anderson does at Utah State. He went 11-3 last season, won the Mountain West Conference Champioship and won the LA Bowl over Oregon State, 24-13. This year has not been nearly as stellar, but I like Tyler Jr. to have a nice game for the Aggies on the ground and Legas to do pretty well through the air. I’m not sure why I’m picking the Aggies, it’s just an instinct.

Utah State 35, Memphis 34

Guaranteed Rate Bowl

Oklahoma State (7-5) vs. Wisconsin (6-6)

Chase Field, Phoenix, 48,519

9:15 PM CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Stormy Buonantony (These names?)

Whistles, SEC, Matt Loeffler

Wisconsin by 4 1/2

This is the Opt out/transfer central game. Both starting quarterbacks have transferred, Spencer Sanders for the Cowboys is in the portal, and the Badgers’ Graham Mertz has transferred to Florida. Badgers interim coach Jim Leonard is running the show for the Badgers while new coach Luke Fickell will play a part in the game plan. The Cowboys will also be missing key pieces on defense as star linebacker Mason Cobb is transferring and three or four others are as well. I like Wisconsin running back Braelon Allen to have a good night for the Badgers. The sophomore rushed for 1,126 yards and 10 TDs this season. He and his team take care of business over a quarterback dilemma for OK. State and a defense that is decimated by transfers.

Wisconsin 24, OK State 14

Wednesday’s Games

Military Bowl

UCF (9-4) vs. Duke (8-4)

1 PM CT, ESPN

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Kansas (6-6) vs. Arkansas (6-6)

4:30 PM CT, ESPN

San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Oregon (9-3) vs. North Carolina (9-4)

7 PM CT, FOX

TaxAct Texas Bowl

Texas Tech (7-5) vs. Ole Miss (8-4)

8 PM CT, ESPN

Air Force 30, Baylor 15

The Academy rushed 276 yards and 3 TDs and the defense stymied the Baylor offense in the Falcons’ victory at the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in a bitterly cold Fort Worth. Fort Worth was having the wind chill below zero temperatures that people in the Southeastern part of the country are experiencing now, but it didn’t bother the Falcons. They were ready. Brad Roberts rushed for 116 yards and 2 TDs and quarterback Haaziq Daniels rushed for 81 and a score. Daniels had a TD pass and a critical 68 yard completion to wide receiver Amari Terry that was a game changing play. Troy Calhoun completes his 5th, 10 win season at Colorado Springs. Spectacular. He said of his seniors that they endured a lot and he’s proud that they’ll be defending the country in the future. Beautiful.

The Blog moved to 3-3 straight up and 2-3 ATS.

Two games today. Here’s a look at the action along with predictions.

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl

Louisiana (6-6) vs. Houston (7-5)

Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA., 65,000

2 PM CT

ESPN

Dave, Deuce, Harry Lyles Jr.

Whistles, C-USA, Scott Hardin

Houston by 7

Ragin’ Cajuns

After winning the Sun Belt last season under now Florida coach Billy Napier’s guidance, the Ragin’ Cajuns took a step back this season. But they’re playing 212 miles from Lafayette, so they should have a lot of energy for this game. Quarterback Chandler Fields completed 89 of 157 passes, 57%, for 954 yards, 10 TDs against 4 ints. He took Ben Wooldridge’s place when Wooldridge went out with an injury for the season after completing 138-of-244, 57%, for 1,661 yards, 15 TDs against 5 ints in 10 games. The favorite target of Fields and Wooldridge is and was Michael Jefferson, who caught 51 passes for 810 yards and 7 TDs. But Jefferson is opting out for the draft. Neal Johnson has 22 receptions for 277 and 2 TDs. And John Stephens, Jr. added 11 for 237 and 3 TDs. Jacob Bernard posted 11 for 191 and 2, 6’s. Running back Chris Smith rushed for 580 yards and 3, 6’s. Terrence Williams added 365 and a score. The defense is led by linebacker Jordan Quibodeux, 6’0”, 217, who posted 101 stops on the season. Zi’Yon Hill-Green led the team in tackles for loss with 12 1/2 for -44 yards. Hill-Green, a 6’1”, 274 defensive end, also posted 7 sacks for -30 yards. Linebacker Andre Jones, 6’5”, 258, good size, led the defense in sacks with 7 1/2 for -54 yards. The Ragin’ Cajuns were ball hawks in the secondary with 15 ints as a unit. Linebacker Kris Moncrief, 6’1”, 242, led the defense with 4 ints for 71 yards. Cornerback Caleb Anderson only had one pick, but it was for a 54 yard pick 6.

Houston

The Cougars didn’t have the season they expected, but they still had their moments. They had a 3 game winning streak in the middle of the season, and won 2 in a row at the end of the season before losing to Tulsa in their final game of the season, 37-30. Quarterback Clayton Tune, 6’3”, 220, completed 316-of-469 passes, 67%, for 3,845 yards, 37 TDs against 10 ints. He can be a stud, but he can struggle at times, too. Tune led the team in rushing with 491 yards and 5 TDs. Running back Stacy Sneed added 474 yards and 5 TDs as well. Nathaniel Dell lit it up at wide receiver catching 103 passes for 1,354 yards and 15 TDs. He’s declared for the Draft, but will play. I know Dana Holgerson and his team are hoping he plays hard. Matthew Golden caught 36 passes for 567 and 7 TDs. KeSean Carter added 35 for 497 and 4 TDs. And Samuel Brown posted 41 for 471 and 4 TDs. The Cougars allowed 33 points per game on the season. The Ragin’ Cajuns allowed 22. Linebacker Donavan Mutin led the defense in tackles with 79 and added 5 TFLs. Defensive End D’Anthony Jones, 6’2”, 270, led the team in TFLs with 12 1/2 for -48. Houston posted 7 ints, with DB Jayce Rogers leading the way with 2 for 82, one he took back to the house.

I’m Taking my Talents too….

This should be a good contest for most of the game. The weather at kickoff is going to be 23 degrees, and it’ll feel like 11, with the wind at 13 MPH. I like a lower scoring game than you would think when Houston plays, but I’ll go with the favorite, though it’s tough to tell how motivated they’ll be. I’ll take my chances with Coach Holgerson, Tune and the Cougars.

Houston 28, Ragin’ Cajuns 17

Union Home Mortgage Gaspirilla Bowl

Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Missouri (6-6)

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, 65,890

5:30 PM CT

ESPN

Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich, Lericia Harris

Stripes, Big 12, Kevin Boitmann

Wake by 2 1/2

There are opt outs on the Missouri side, particularly on defense and a key wide receiver. Wake has a couple of guys sitting out. Wake’s Sam Hartman has completed 247-of-392 passes, 63%, for 3,421 yards, 35 TDs against 11 ints. Missouri’s Brady Cook has completed 218 of 334 passes, 65%, for 2,509 yards, 13 TDs and 7 ints. His favorite target today will be 2022, 5 star freshman wide out Luther Burden III, who posted 38 receptions on the season for 329 yards and 6 TDs. Hartman will rely on A.T. Perry, who caught 70 passes for 980 yards and 11 TDs. He’s 6’5”, so he will be a lot for the Tigers DBs to contend with. Cody Shrader led Mizzou in rushing with 690 yards and 8 TDs. Justice Ellison led the Demon Deacons in rushing with 675 yards and 5 TDs.

Final Decision

With Missouri missing several defensive starters, the Tigers may have a hard time stopping the Demon Deacons offense. Wake is pretty leaky on D, so the Tigers should have succession offensively as well. The weather will be 49 at kickoff with wind at 12 MPH, so wind will be a factor. I still like some points to be scored. Give me Hartman, who might come back for his 6th year and transfer, or try to take it to the next level, or come back to Wake.

Wake Forest 34, Missouri 31

Western Kentucky kicked tail and took names last night in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl at Caesar’s Superdome in a 44-23 victory.

Hilltoppers quarterback Austin Reed threw all over what was supposed to be a pretty stellar South Alabama defense. Reed completed 36 of 55 passes for 497 yards, 4 TDs against 1 int. Dalvin Smith caught 6 passes for 145 yards and a 6, Jaylen Hall caught 9 passes for 138 yards and another 6, and Malachi Corley caught 11 passes for 114 yards and 2, 6’s. It was complete domination by the high flying Western offense. Impressive stuff by Western KY coach Todd Helton as he schooled Kane Wommack and his Jaguars squad and the Blog. Western Kentucky moved to 9-5 and South Alabama fell to 10-3. Back to the drawing board.

Today, nice matchup in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. Here’s a look at it.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl

Baylor (6-6) vs Air Force (9-3)

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, 50,000

6:30 PM CT

ESPN

Brian Custer, Dustin Fox, Lauren Sisler

Refs, MAC, Jerry Valentine

Baylor by 3 1/2

Baylor

Bears quarterback Blake Shapen has completed 222 of 345 passes, 64%, for 16 TDs against 10 ints. His favorite target is Monaray Baldwin, who has posted 33 receptions for 565 yards and 4 TDs. Gavin Holmes has added 22 receptions for 470 yards and 3 TDs. But running back Richard Reese really gets the offense cookin. Reese has rushed for 962 yards and 14 TDs. He’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Linebacker Dillon Doyle (6’3”, 240) leads the defense in tackles along with safety Al Walcott. Both have posted 80. Walcott leads the defense in TFLs with 10 for -35 yards. Gabe Hall, a 6’6”, 296 defensive tackle, and Randolph Garmon, a 6’7”, 247 pound linebacker, lead the defense in sacks with 4 1/2 apiece. The Bears’ defense has posted 13 interceptions on the season. Safety Christian Morgan has 3 picks, and three others have 2 apiece.

Air Force

The Falcons are led by 5’11”, 215 pound running back Brad Roberts, who has rushed for 1,612 yards and 15 TDs. Running back John Lee Eldridge III has added 721 yards and 4 TDs. And athletic quarterback Haaziq Daniels has rushed for 675 yards and 7 TDs. The Academy, as per usual, leads the country in rushing averaging 330.9 yards per game. Daniels has completed 36 of 76 passes, 47%, for 733 yards, 6 TDs against 2 ints. His favorite target is David Cormier, who has caught 13 passes for 384 yards and 4 scores. Air Force doesn’t pass much, but Daniels is decently competent when called upon for that duty. Linebacker TD Blackmon (6’1”, 230) leads the defense in tackles with 67 and tackles for loss with 9 1/2 for -55 yards. He’s also posted 3 1/2 sacks for -32 yards. Safety Trey Taylor has added 66 tackles and is the co-leader on the defense with 2 ints. Safety Jayden Goodwin also has two picks. Linebacker Vince Sanford (6’1”, 225) leads the defense in sacks with 5 1/2 for -32 yards. The Falcons have 9 ints on the season and 22 sacks., along with 64 tackles for loss.

Final Decision

Baylor had a somewhat down year under Dave Aranda after winning the Big 12 Championship in 2021 with a 21-16 over Oklahoma State in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX., The Bears then defeated then No.8 Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, 21-7 and finished the year 12-2. Wow, what a season. The talent is on Baylor’s side, but the want to could be on Troy Calhoun and the Air Force side. Calhoun is going for his 5th, 10 win season at Air Force. He went 10-3 in 2014 and won the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He went 10-3 in 2016 winning the Arizona Bowl. He went 11-2 in 2019 and won the Cheez-It Bowl. And in 2021, he went 10-3 and defeated Louisville in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, 31-28. So quite a resume. The Falcons are 6-5 in bowls under Calhoun. I like this prolific coach and his Academy squad to pull off the upset in Fort Worth.

Air Force 27, Baylor 24

Friday’s Previews/Predictions

Independence Bowl, 2 PM CT, ESPN

Louisiana (6-6) vs. Houston (7-5)

Houston by 7

Gaspirilla Bowl, 6:30 PM CT, ESPN

Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Missouri (6-6)

Wake by 2

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

South Alabama (10-2) vs. Western Kentucky (8-5)

Caesar’s Superdome, N’awlins

Today, 8 PM CT

ESPN

Wes Durham, Roddy Jones, Taylor Davis

Yella, Mountain West, Cal McNeill

USA buy 3

South Alabama

The Jaguars put together a superb season with their only losses coming to @UCLA, 32-31, and at home versus Troy, 10-6. Troy and UCLA are excellent football teams, and Troy just defeated UTSA (Texas, San-Antonio) 18-12 in the Cure Bowl in Orlando last Friday. South Alabama has the 14th ranked scoring defense in the country giving up just 19.4 points per game. They are averaging 31 points per game. Safety Jaden Voisin leads the defense in tackles with 76. He has 6 tackles for loss of 25 yards and posted 2 interceptions for 44 yards. Linebackers Trey Kiser (6’0”, 224, Jr.) and CJ Rias ((6’2”, 236, Jr.) each have 10 tackles for loss, Kiser for a loss of 38 yards and Rias for a loss of 38 yards. Rias is tied for the team lead in sacks at 4 with 6’7” 261 pound sophomore defensive end Brock Higdon. Safety Yam Banks leads the D in ints with 5 for 30 yards. Banks is a sophomore. On offense, quarterback Carter Bradley has completed 240-of-374 passes, 64%, for 2,983 yards, 25 TDs against 10 ints. His favorite receivers are Jalen Wayne, who has caught 56 passes for 793 yards and 9 TDs, and Caullin Lacy, who’s pulled in 58 passes for 759 yards and 6 TDs. Running back La’Damian Webb has put together a tremendous season rushing for 1,015 yards and 13 TDs.

Western Kentucky

The Hlltoppers under Coach Tyson Helton, who is 45 years old and is 31-21 in 4 seasons, are known for offense. They average 483.5 yards per game, which is 9th in the country. They also average 35.8 points per game. They finished 6-2 in C-USA. Some of their big games were against UAB, a team they defeated, 20-17. They lost to Troy, 34-27, UTSA, 31-28, and Auburn, 41-17. Quarterback Austin Reed completed 353 of 518 passes, 64%, for 4,249 yards, 36 TDs against 10 ints. Their leading receiver is Malachi Corley, who caught 90 passes for 1,181 yards and 9 TDs. Daewood Davis added 63 receptions for 872 yards and 7 TDs. Jaylen Hall chipped in 59 for 731 and 5 TDs. Their leading rusher is Kye Robichaux who rushed for 496 yards and 3 TDs. Davion Ervin-Poindexter added 492 yards and 3 TDs. Quarterback Reed rushed for 8 TDs, so he’s a total weapon.

Recruiting

It’s a huge day in college football with Signing Day taking place with many of the targets signed, sealed and delivered. The Crimson Tide has the No. 1 class in the country with 4, 5 stars signed in a class of 25 signees so far. Ninety six, 4 star Quarterback Eli Holstein from Zachary, Louisiana just signed his letter of intent. I told someone Saturday Night that Holstein at 6’4”, 225 pounds looks like Arch Manning 2.0. Manning signed with Texas. He was a 1.000 5 star. That’s a perfect score. But Holstein is pretty strong himself. The spring game will be very interesting at quarterback with Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson competing along with the 2 rising freshmen if they are early enrollees.The 4, 5 stars are 99, 5 star safety Caleb Downs from Mill Creek, GA., 99, 5 star, edge rusher Keon Keely from Tampa, 99, 5 star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (6’7”, 330) from Des Moines, Iowa, and .9879 5 star running back Justice Haynes (5’11”, 200) from Buford, GA. Ninety four, 4 star quarterback Dylan Lonergan, 6’2”, 215, from Snellville, GA. also signed.

The Auburn Tigers have made a late surge and are now up to 19th in the recruiting rankings, according to 247 Sports, which has Alabama at No.1. That’s tremendous work by Hugh Freeze and his staff considering they were at No.41 a couple of days ago. Ninety six 4 star defensive end Keldric Faulk, 6’5”, 240, is a nice pickup for the Tigers. Ninety three fifty nine, 4 star running back Jeremiah Cobb, 5’11”, 195, is a hard commit right now. Cobb is from Montgomery and played at Montgomery Catholic Preparatory. If the Tigers lock down Cobb and 3 others, they will move up even higher. There are 2 transfers in former Vanderbilt defensive end Elijah McCallister, 6’6”, 261,, an 88, 3 star transfer, and 91, four star transfer tight end Rivaldo Fairweather from Florida International. Fairweather is 6’5”, 210. Coach Freeze has locked down some very good players.

Decison on Tonight

The Hilltoppers played 13 games this season because they took a trip to Hawaii to play the Rainbow Warriors. They won that game, 49-17. With a prolific Western KY offense squaring off with a pretty elite Jaguars defense and running game, I’m expecting a terrific football game. Wish it started earlier. I’ll take 35 year old second year coach Kane Wommack, who is 15-9 in two years in Mobile, and the boys from LA, Lower Alabama, with their superb defense and running game to capture the New Orleans Bowl Trophy.

South Alabama 27, Western Kentucky 23

The bowl season kicks off tomorrow with the UAB Blazers and the Troy Trojans in action in the morning and afternoon games respectively. Florida plays Saturday in the Las Vegas Bowl. A lot of games in the next 3 1/2 weeks, culminated by the National Championship Game Monday, January 9, 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, just outside of Los Angeles, where the LA Rams and LA Chargers play. The Championship game kicks off at 6:30 PM CT. The Playoff Semifinal Games feature No.2 Michigan vs No.3 TCU at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, AZ. Saturday, Dec. 31 at 3 PM CT on ESPN. The second semifinal on Saturday, Dec. 31, features No.1 Georgia vs No.4 Ohio State in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the Peach Bowl. Kickoff is at 7 PM CT. All 3 games will be televised by ESPN. The No.5 Crimson Tide is in the unfamiliar position as they are not in the Playoff. The Tide will square off with No.9 Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl, Saturday, Dec. 31st at noon on ESPN. Kansas State won the Big 12 Championship Game over TCU in an electric overtime victory. We’ll see if Bryce Young and Will Anderson will play. They just received their degrees, which is awesome, and they’re great kids, so they could surprise and play. May be unlikely though. The Auburn Tigers and new coach Hugh Freeze are recruiting trying to land a successful 2023 recruiting class. The first and most important signing day is next Wednesday, 12/21. The Crimson Tide has the No.1 class in the country with 3, 5 stars and two highly rated 4 star quarterbacks. Bryce Young, projected to be the No.1 pick in the NFL Draft in April, will need to be replaced. The Tide also has Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson on the roster. Milroe, has played some including starting the Texas A&M game, and can really run, but needs to work on his passing. Simpson is an unknown but is s 5 star recruit from the 2022 class. Milroe was a 4 star in 2021. Interesting scenarios for the Crimson Tide when they play Kansas State. Should be a nice matchup.

Here’s a look at the weekend’s action with the 3 most important games for people in this region.

Last time, Championship Games, 6-2, Overall, Record, 156-60, 72%, ATS, 6-2, 113-100, 53%

Last year in Bowls. 11-9, ATS, 12-8.

Friday

Bahamas Bowl

UAB (6-6) vs. Miami Ohio (6-6)

Thomas A,. Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas

10:30 AM CT

ESPN

Steve Levy, Joseph Galloway, Kris Budden

Laundry, Mountain West, Lead Yella, Tim Davis

Blazers by 11

Nice trip for the Blazers. Second time in 3 years. UAB interim coach Bryant Vincent will coach his final game as head coach of the Blazers. Good guy, did a fine job. UAB is looking for bigger things though. They hired Trent Dilfer two weeks and there’s a lot of excitement about Dilfer on the Southside. He’s been a successful high school head coach leading Lipscomb Academy in Nashville to two straight Division 2, Class 2A state championships with a 13-1 record in 2021 and 13-0 this past season. We’ll see if that translates to the collegiate level. Certainly an out of the box hire by UAB Athletics Director Mark Ingram. For this game, UAB will rely on its prolific running game led by DeWayne McBride, 1,713 yards, 19 TDs, and Jermaine Brown, 832 yards, 6 TDs, to capture the Bahamas Bowl title. I like the Blazers to do that and gain momentum for the Dilfer era that begins in 2023, after his recruiting class is finalized.

UAB 34, Miami Ohio 21

Cure Bowl

No. 24 Troy (11-2) vs No.25 UTSA (11-2)

Exploria Stadium, Orlando

2 PM CT

ESPN

Beth Mowins, Kirk Morrison, Stormy Buonantony

Suds and Duds, Mountain West, Christian Watkins

Troy by 1 1/2

One of the top games of the “regular bowl” season. Two excellent teams. Troy, under first year coach Jon Sumrall, went 8-1 in the Fun Belt losing its only game to an always good at home App State team. They also were highly competitive with Ole Miss in the first game of the year falling 28-10 to the Rebels. Running back Kimani Vidal rushed for 1,059 yards and 9 TDs. DK Billingsley added 656 yards and 8 TDs. Quarterback Gunnar Watson completed 62% of his passes, 193-of-212, for 2,705 yards, 13 TDs and 10 ints. So Watson will have to watch out for the ints. UTSA (Texas-San Antonio) went 9-0 in Conference USA play. It’s only losses came to Houston, 37-35, in triple overtime the first game of the season, and 41-20 to Texas. Otherwise, they were flawless. Quarterback Frank Harris is superb. He completed 305-of-429 passes, 71 percent, for 3,865 yards, 31 TDs against 7 ints.

I’m expecting a classic here. Troy will survive a hard-nosed, exciting football game.

Troy 31, UTSA 28

Saturday

Las Vegas Bowl

Florida (6-6) vs. No. 14 Oregon State (9-3)

Allegiant Stadium, Vegas

1:30 PM CT

ESPN

Dave Pasch, Kirk, Pat McAfee, Laura Rutledge

Mark’s Cleaners, ACC, Riley Johnson

Oregon State by 10

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson is opting out to get ready for the NFL Draft. Here we go again. There are a few others who are opting out for the Gators. The Gators will turn to Ohio State transfer Jack Miller III under center. Miller hasn’t thrown a collegiate pass, but had superb numbers in high school but just couldn’t break through at Ohio State with C.J. Stroud locking down the starting job the last two years. He threw for 56 TDs his freshman season in high school in Scottsdale, AZ. He put up prolific numbers in the ensuing years. He’ll have to make some plays in the passing game for the Gators to be successful. Oregon State is a running team mainly. Quarterback Ben Gulbranson completed 100 of 176 passes, 62 percent for 1,290 yards, 8 TDs against 5 ints. Running back Damien Martinez rushed for 970 yards and 7 TDs. Deshaun Fenwick added 446 yards and 7 TDs. Florida will rely on running backs Montrell Johnson (827 yards, 10 TDs) and Trevor Etienne (705 yards, 6 TDs) to help Miller in the passing game.

I’m going to take the upset here.

Florida 34, Oregon State 31

This is what might have happened when Raymond Harbert discovered that Auburn was going to hire Hugh Freeze as their next head coach.

He gave Jimmy Rane a holler two nights before.

JR: “Yello.”

RH: “Jimmy, it’s Raymond. What is this about hiring Freeze? Haven’t I told you we don’t want him.”

JR: “It’s not like my wood that if it’s not yella wood, you don’t want it, Ray. I like the guy. Seems like a good fella.

RH: “What’s good about him? He doesn’t have any character.”

JR: “He’s a character, Ray. Pretty funny guy when you get to know him.”

RH: “Jimmy, I meant he doesn’t have any ethics.”

JR: “He’s got a great work ethic. Really likes to recruit. And he beat Saban twice at Ole Miss. Better than anything Lame has ever done.”

RH: “I know he can coach, Jimmy. But he’ll get us in trouble. Hookers, come on!”

JR: “There was a lot of pressure there and he was just doing a little unwinding, Ray. Nothing wrong with a guy having a little fun. His wife and daughters forgave him. That’s good enough for me. They know it was just a minor mistake.”

RH: “Minor! You got to be kidding me, Jimmy.”

JR: “That’s what he told me. His wife and daughters are clearly on board. He’s taking 5 from us. That’s less than half of what Saban and Smart make. Heck, it’s 2 and a quarter less than what Venables at Oklahoma makes and that guy’s a clown.”

RH: “ I don’t care about that, Jim. I care about his morals.”

JR: “He’s a changed man, Ray. He may not have had the best morals in the past, but he can create good player morale. That’s enough for me. Plus he can beat Saban and Smart.”

RH: “I think Cohen isn’t being rationale here.
JR: “Cohen knows a winner when he sees one. Hugh will win and win big for us. “Let the Eagle Fly…”

RH: “Jimmy, please stop singing.”

JR “Come on, Ray. My wife says I got a pretty dang good voice. Hold on, Ray, it’s Bruce. We got a 5 star in Florida he needs. Gotta send some checks down to put in the church offering plate. Need this guy. The minister’ll deliver.”

RH: “Jimmy!”

JR: “Gotta have this guy, Ray. Bruce might not be much of a floor coach, but if we get him 5 stars, he can win and win big.”

RH: “ I give up.”

JR: “WDE, Ray.”

The rest is history. As Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated wrote, “Auburn gonna Auburn.”