It's the most wonderful time of
the year: College football bowl games are here, and a six-pack of games on
Saturday rings it in.
Picking the result of every
single bowl game could be tough, but using the FPI data and Vegas lines, this
breakdown can be your guide to victory.
The College Football Playoff
semifinals won't kick off for another two weeks, but there's plenty of action
to watch between now and then. From the Celebration Bowl to the College
Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, here are the
reasons to watch and predictions for all 41 bowl games.
SATURDAY, DEC. 15
AIR FORCE RESERVE
CELEBRATION BOWL
NORTH CAROLINA
A&T VS. ALCORN STATE
TIME: Noon ET
TV: ABC
PLACE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
in Atlanta
Why to watch: It's the
first bowl game of the year, and it will determine the de facto HBCU national
champion.
Whom to watch: North
Carolina A&T defensive end Darryl
Johnson became the first Aggies player since 1997 to be named
MEAC Defensive Player of the Year. He leads the MEAC with 10.5 sacks and 18.5
tackles for loss. His strip sack clinched the Aggies' 20-17 upset of
Jacksonville State, and he had seven tackles and one sack in a 28-23 win over
FBS foe East Carolina.
Motivating factor for North
Carolina A&T: The Aggies can win their second straight HBCU national
title. They defeated Grambling 21-14 in the Celebration Bowl in 2017.
Motivating factor for Alcorn
State: The Braves are seeking their first HBCU national championship since
2014 and their first under Coach Fred McNair, the brother of former Alcorn
State and NFL quarterback Steve McNair.
Prediction: North Carolina
A&T 27, Alcorn State 24
NEW MEXICO BOWL
PRESENTED BY PROGRESSIVE
NORTH TEXAS VS. UTAH STATE
TIME: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
PLACE: Branch Field at
Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico)
Why to watch: It would
have been a matchup of two of the hottest coaches in the Group of 5: North
Texas' Seth Littrell vs. Utah State's Matt Wells. But Wells left for Texas
Tech, and interim coach Frank Maile will lead the Aggies in their seventh bowl
in eight seasons.
Whom to watch: Utah State
quarterback Jordan Love completed
65.8 percent of his passes for 3,208 yards, 28 touchdowns and 5 interceptions
while running for six more scores.
Motivating factor for North
Texas: The Mean Green can win 10 games for the first time in school history
and win their first bowl game since 2013.
Motivating factor for Utah
State: The Aggies will try to keep their high-scoring offense going without
Wells. They averaged 47.2 points per game, which was third in the FBS and tops
among Group of 5 programs.
Prediction: Utah State 42,
North Texas 31
AUTONATION CURE
BOWL
TULANE VS. LOUISIANA
TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports Network at
Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida)
Why to watch: Only 135
miles separate the Louisiana schools, and both overcame 1-3 starts to reach the
postseason.
Whom to watch: The Green
Wave are 4-1 since Justin
McMillan became the starting quarterback. He has 13 touchdowns
(9 passing, 4 rushing) with only 3 interceptions in that stretch.
Motivating factor for Tulane:
The Green Wave haven't won a bowl game since defeating Hawaii 36-28 in the 2002
Hawaii Bowl.
Motivating factor for
Louisiana: The Ragin' Cajuns have dropped 22 of 28 games against Tulane,
though the instate rivalry has been far more competitive in recent years.
Tulane won the most recent meeting 41-39 in four overtimes in 2016.
Prediction: Tulane 28,
Louisiana 27
MITSUBISHI MOTORS
LAS VEGAS BOWL
FRESNO STATE VS. ARIZONA STATE
TIME: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ABC
PLACE: Sam Boyd Stadium in Las
Vegas
Why to watch: Two coaches
in their second acts -- Arizona State's Herm Edwards and Fresno State's Jeff
Tedford -- have found unexpected success.
Whom to watch: Fresno
State quarterback Marcus
McMaryion, an Oregon State transfer, has completed 69.8 percent of
his passes for 3,453 yards, 25 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He ranks No. 3
among Group of 5 players with a 78.5 total QBR.
Motivating factor for Fresno
State: The Bulldogs are trying to become the first team in the 97-year
history of the program to win 12 games in a season. They can also beat the Sun
Devils for the first time; they're 0-3 in the series, with the most recent
meeting coming in 1941.
Motivating factor for Arizona
State: The Sun Devils can turn around their postseason slump in Edwards'
first season. They've dropped six of their past eight bowl games and three of
the past four.
Prediction: Fresno State
35, Arizona State 28
RAYCOM MEDIA
CAMELLIA BOWL
GEORGIA
SOUTHERN VS. EASTERN
MICHIGAN
TIME: 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
PLACE: Cramton Bowl in
Montgomery, Alabama
Why to watch: Georgia
Southern has been one of the more remarkable turnaround stories in the sport.
After going 2-10 last season, the Eagles are 9-3 this year under coach Chad
Lunsford, who took over after their 0-6 start in 2017.
Whom to watch: Georgia
Southern sophomore Shai Werts is
the last FBS starter who has yet to throw an interception. In fact, the Eagles
have turned the ball over only five times -- fewest in the FBS. They're on pace
to break the NCAA record of eight turnovers lost in a season.
Motivating factor for Georgia
Southern: With a victory over Eastern Michigan, Georgia Southern would win
10 games in a season for the first time since joining the FBS in 2014.
Motivating factor for Eastern
Michigan: The Eagles are playing in only their third Division I bowl game
and their first on American soil in 31 years. Their only bowl victory was a
30-27 win over San Jose State in the 1987 California Bowl.
Prediction: Georgia Southern
34, Eastern Michigan 28
R+L CARRIERS NEW
ORLEANS BOWL
MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS. APPALACHIAN STATE
TIME: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
PLACE: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
in New Orleans
Why to watch: It's the
bowl game to watch if you love defense. The Mountaineers allowed only 15.7
points per game, sixth fewest in the FBS and second-lowest among Group of 5
teams. The Blue Raiders held four of their past seven opponents to 17 points or
fewer.
Whom to watch: Middle
Tennessee quarterback Brent
Stockstill was named Conference USA MVP after throwing for
3,214 yards, 28 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. It will be his final college
game with his father, Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill.
Motivating factor for Middle
Tennessee: The Blue Raiders can win bowl games in back-to-back seasons for
the first time in school history. They defeated Arkansas State 35-30 in the
Camellia Bowl last season, their first postseason victory since 2009.
Motivating factor for
Appalachian State: It's about pride for the Mountaineers after coach Scott
Satterfield left for Louisville. Assistant head coach/defensive line coach Mark
Ivey takes over as interim coach. The Mountaineers are 3-0 in bowl games since
joining the FBS.
Prediction: Appalachian
State 24, Middle Tennessee 21
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