It’s college football overload in December and January, with so many games in so many different timeslots. I’m going through all forty-one post-season contests and putting them in order of interest to me.
Hopefully it’ll help you plan your football viewing over the holiday period.
All games adjusted to Australian time.
22. Independence Bowl
December 27, 2015; Shreveport, Louisiana
Tulsa (American Athletic) versus Virginia Tech (Atlantic Coast)
If for no other reason than to see if veteran and iconic Tech coach Frank Beamer can go out a winner – he’s retiring, effective the end of this game – watch this, and celebrate one of the great characters in college football. The Hokies should go in as favourites against a Golden Hurricane team plying their trade in the post-season for the first time since 2012. Keep an eye out for receiver Keyarris Garrett, who leads all comers in America with 1451 receiving yards.
21. Pinstripe Bowl
December 27, 2015; New York City, New York
Indiana (Big Ten) versus Duke (Atlantic Coast)
Indiana’s offense, led by gun-slinging quarterback Nate Sudfeld has been great, but defence has been a major issue for the Hoosiers. Regardless, they’re a fun team to watch, and the program is playing in it’s first Bowl game since 2007, and just it’s second since 1993.
They play a Duke team most remembered this year for being ripped off in the Miami game that ended with a million laterals, most of which should never have been allowed. The Blue Devils are seeking their first Bowl victory since 1961. Both teams are going to be dialled into this one at Yankee Stadium.
20. Armed Forces Bowl
December 30, 2015; Fort Worth, Texas
California (Pac-12) versus Air Force (Mountain West)
Cal favours their high-powered Bear Raid passing offense while the Falcons rely mostly on their intricate ground game. The military between these two is that they score a lot of points, so this could be one of those epic Bowl shoot-outs. This will likely be Jared Goff’s last outing for Cal, and the Falcons, who fell only just shy of an inaugural Mountain West crown, had a great year, and deserve plenty of eyeballs.
19. Birmingham Bowl
December 31, 2015; Birmingham, Alabama
Auburn (Southeastern) versus Memphis (American Athletic)
Tiger versus Tiger here. At the beginning of the year, Auburn were considered a dark horse playoff contender and Memphis weren’t talked about much at all. Fast forward three months, and it’s the Memphis Tigers who made all the headlines, thanks largely to superstar quarterback Paxton Lynch, while Auburn struggled. Auburn will need to contain Lynch if they’re to have any hope of winning. It’s been proven all year that such a task isn’t exactly easy. This promises to be a very entertaining game. Lynch is well worth checking out if you haven’t already.
18. Heart of Dallas Bowl
December 27, 2015; Dallas, Texas
Washington (Pac-12) versus Southern Miss (C-USA)
Always fun to see the venerable Cotton Bowl in use. The rising Huskies under Chris Petersen come into the postseason after a belting of in-state rivals Washington State to claim the Apple Cup, and are riding high as a result. It’ll be tough sledding against a Southern Miss squad who lost just once in conference play all year, and their quarterback, Nick Mullens, is statistically one of the best in all of football. There should be plenty of offense in this one.
17. Foster Farms Bowl
December 27, 2015; Santa Clara, California
UCLA (Pac-12) versus Nebraska (Big Ten)
UCLA had a pretty good season with freshman phenom Josh Rosen at the controls of Jim Mora’s office, falling one loss – to crosstown rivals, USC – short of being crowned Pac-12 South champions. On the other hand, Nebraska takes advantage of there not being enough teams with winning records to sneak into a Bowl.
While UCLA will probably win, don’t count out the Huskers, whose record isn’t as bad as it seems, after a string of narrow, last-minute losses. If they can harass Rosen and force turnovers, a win to cap Mike Reilly’s first year in Lincoln.
16. Music City Bowl
December 31, 2015; Nashville, Tennessee
Texas Aandamp;M (Southeastern) versus Louisville (Atlantic Coast)
It’s been a season of mild discontent in College Station, and certainly not what the Aggie faithful expected. The same could be said for Louisville, who have been there or thereabouts, but not quite in the upper echelon of the ACC. Both teams have pretty good offenses that will likely get better with every snap, so this game could be fairly entertaining if you like shoot-outs.
15. Outback Bowl
January 2, 2016; Tampa, Florida
Northwestern (Big Ten) versus Tennessee (Southeastern)
We all love a Big Ten/SEC match-up, and it may just be a turn-up for the books given that Northwestern are likely to go in as favourites. A win for Northwestern – a no-nonsense football team in the mould of their coach, Pat Fitzgerald – means this current crop of players would deliver the program it’s first eleven-win season.
Tennessee isn’t to be discounted, and if quarterback Joshua Dodds can put on a show, both throwing and running, this will be a great game. The Vols are known for letting teams win games after being down double digits, so you’ll want to keep tuned in all the way to the end, just in case.
14. TaxSlayer Bowl
January 3, 2016; Jacksonville, Florida
Georgia (Southeastern) versus Penn State (Big Ten)
Another Big Ten/SEC meeting that shapes up as being a pretty good one. There are contrasts here: Georgia is in transition after long-time head coach Mark Richt was let go, while Penn State are finally enjoying some coaching stability under James Franklin.
Both squads feature impressive ground-based offenses and strong defences, particularly in the front seven, so the chance for a good, old-fashioned defensive struggle is high.
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