It didn’t seem too likely that we’d have a college football season a few months ago but despite dozens of game cancellations and positive COVID tests, we have thankfully made it to #BowlSeason. Fans of college football have been able to witness several epic moments this year including Notre Dame’s double overtime thriller against Clemson, Coastal Carolina's goal-line stop against BYU, and the defending champs (LSU) shocking upset over the Florida Gators.
After the Frisco Bowl was canceled due to Coronavirus troubles with SMU, the first bowl game is scheduled to be the Myrtle Beach Bowl between Appalachian State and North Texas on December 21st. The bowl finale will end at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL for the National Championship Game.
Who will win an exciting medley of bowl matchups? Scroll down to find out...
Teams that have opted out of a bowl game: Boston College, Virginia Tech, Pitt, Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Penn State, Michigan State, Minnesota, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Kansas State, Boise State, San Diego State, Utah, Washington, Washington State, Nebraska, Rutgers, Texas Tech, LSU (self-imposed ban)
Cancelled bowls for 2020: Redbox, Hawai'i, Bahamas, Holiday, Quick Lane, Pinstripe, Sun, Fenway, Celebration, Las Vegas, LA, Frisco, Military, Guaranteed Rate, Independence, Birmingham, Gasparilla
Quality Bowl Matchups
Boca Raton Bowl: #16 BYU vs UCF (December 22nd)- Projected top-10 pick Zach Wilson will have to air it out against another prolific passer in UCF’s Dillon Gabriel. Both offenses average over 40 points per game so this should be a really fun contest to watch. Central Florida has been a “close but no cigar” team against their highest ranked opponents (Cincinnati, Tulsa). In a game that could go either way, I’ll take the Cougars defense to be the difference maker in Bowl Season’s first epic showdown. BYU 27, UCF 23
Cure Bowl: Liberty vs #12 Coastal Carolina (December 26th)- Coastal Carolina got ROBBED of a New Year's Six bowl bid. An 11-0 record with victories over #16 BYU (game of the year?) and #19 Louisiana are bigger wins than many teams in the top ten have on their resume. They have a fantastic chance to make a statement to the nation against Malik Willis and the Flames. Liberty was just one field goal away from being undefeated themselves after falling to NC State on the road. The Chanticleers are more than battle tested and in tight one, Grayson McCall and C.J. Marable will help Coastal cap off their remarkable season at 12-0. Coastal Carolina 34, Liberty 26
Cheez-It Bowl: #18 Miami vs #21 Oklahoma State (December 29th)- This is a gut check game for Manny Diaz and the Hurricanes. How will they respond after losing their Orange Bowl bid and getting embarrassed on their home field? Miami’s pass rushers Quincy Roche and Jaelan Phillips will opt-out of this matchup as will Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard as they prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. A key factor will be third down. The Cowboys are second in the country in stopping third downs. Meanwhile, Miami is only 35.8% on that down in the last three games. That should be the difference in this one if these trends hold. Oklahoma State 35, Miami 24
Alamo Bowl: #20 Texas vs Colorado (December 29th)- As it was for the entire Pac-12, it was a small sample size that we got to see. However, Colorado looked pretty good in their four wins. They are a solid team running the football, averaging 218 yards per game on the ground. However, Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger will want to go out with a bang in his senior season. Expect the Longhorns to come out on top. Texas 41, Colorado 27
Music City Bowl: #15 Iowa vs Missouri (December 31st)- Iowa has rebounded from an 0-2 start and are winners of six in a row. They take on a Mizzou team that is really a hit or miss team. It doesn't help matters that Tigers linebacker Nick Bolton is opting out for the NFL Draft. With five sacks on the year and nearly 100 tackles, his presence will be missed. I think the Hawkeyes get the job done on New Year’s Eve. Iowa 30, Missouri 22
Arizona Bowl: Ball State vs #22 San Jose State (December 31st)- An underrated matchup. Obviously, these aren’t the top "name brands" we are accustomed to seeing but I'd still tune in. Cardinals quarterback Drew Plitt will need to solve the hex that is the Spartans defense. Their 23rd ranked defense lines up with the likes of Notre Dame and Northwestern. I anticipate the defense to win the day. San Jose State 28, Ball State 20
Citrus Bowl: #14 Northwestern vs Auburn (January 1st)- Longtime coach Guz Malzahn was let go by the Tigers in a somewhat surprising move. Meanwhile, NW head coach Pat Fitzgerald has been getting NFL interview requests after a fantastic season. I could really see this game going either way. Auburn has only had one bad loss (South Carolina) and the rest were to top ten teams. Northwestern's defense is top five in scoring defense so Bo Nix and Auburn may struggle to get much going. That being said, I will take Auburn to narrowly edge out the Wildcats in Orlando. Auburn 20, Northwestern 17
Gator Bowl: #23 NC State vs Kentucky (January 2nd)- Head coach Dave Doeren has quietly elevated NC State back to respectability. You won’t hear much about them in a conference with four other top 20 teams but what they have done is incredible. Last year, they were snakebitten by injuries and finished with a 4-8 record. 2020 has proven that the 2019 season was an anomaly. Kentucky has been a hot and cold team. The Wildcats predictably were trashed against ranked teams and beat up the lower-tier SEC teams. I see the Wolfpack cementing their rebound season with a controlling win in Jacksonville. NC State 26, Kentucky 16
Outback Bowl: #11 Indiana vs Ole Miss (January 2nd)- In my eyes, Indiana has been disrespected all season long. After upsetting a preseason favorite in Penn State in overtime and going right down to the wire against playoff-bound Ohio State, the Hoosiers have done nothing but win football games. Even when quarterback Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL, backup Jack Tuttle came in and grinded out a defensive battle against Wisconsin.
Can they end the season on a high note? Lane Kiffin’s offense is one of the best in the country and I’d be really impressed if Tom Allen’s squad pulled this off. Indiana definitely won’t want to get into a track meet with Matt Coral and Elijah Moore. However, they might be able to with Ole Miss's horrendous defense. If Penix Jr was in the game, I’d easily roll with IU. However, that is not the case. I'll take the upset and the Rebels third ranked offense becoming a little too much for the Hoosiers to handle. Ole Miss 37, Indiana 31
New Year’s Six (NY6) Games
Cotton Bowl: #6 Oklahoma vs #7 Florida (December 30th)- A season of “what-ifs” for both teams. What if Florida hadn’t stumbled against LSU? What if Oklahoma hadn’t blown a 21 point lead against Kansas State? One of these teams can soften the sting of those heartbreaking losses with a win in the Cotton Bowl classic. Gators quarterback Kyle Trask had a remarkable 2020 campaign with 43 touchdown passes and he’ll look to add to that number against a much improved Oklahoma defense. The Gators will be without star tight end Kyle Pitts (NFL Draft opt-out) but I don't think it will ruin their offense too much. The Sooners have a bright future to grow into with quarterback Spencer Rattler and receiver Marvin Mims. For this game, however, I'll take the Gators to pull away late and send Trask out in style. Florida 42, Oklahoma 31
Peach Bowl: #9 Georgia vs #8 Cincinnati (January 1st)- This is a golden opportunity for the highest ranked power five team to make a statement to the nation. Teams like Cincinnati and Coastal Carolina have been disrespected by the playoff committee all season long. If the Bearcats want to win this game, they’ll need to rely on their stout defense to do so. That being said, the Bulldogs with J.T. Daniels looks a lot more dominant than with Stetson Bennett under center. Cinci earned their number eight ranking and could’ve made a decent argument that they were deserving of a playoff spot. However, no one really believes they’re better than Georgia and it’ll show more likely than not. Georgia 45, Cincinnati 27
Rose Bowl: #1 Alabama vs #4 Notre Dame (January 1st)- It’s definitely sad that we won’t get the typical festivities including the highly-acclaimed Rose Bowl parade but this game will feature a lot of star power on both sides. Ian Book will have his hands full trying to keep up with Heisman hopefuls Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith on Alabama’s offense. The Fighting Irish haven’t done great under the shining stage of the postseason but they have a formula to rewrite history with a stunning win. Notre Dame is at their best when they grind out methodical drives with their big-bodied pass catchers in Michael Mayer, Javon McKinley, and Ben Skowronek. If they keep Alabama off the field, Brian Kelly’s squad could make things interesting. Can they keep it up for 60 minutes though? Probably not. I don’t see this game being particularly close. Alabama 42, Notre Dame 17
Sugar Bowl (in Arlington): #2 Clemson vs #3 Ohio State (January 1st)- Can the Buckeyes come down to New Orleans and exact revenge on the Tigers after a narrow defeat in last year’s Fiesta Bowl? With the playoffs slipping out of the Buckeyes grasp and quarterback Justin Fields struggling to get much going offensively, running back Trey Sermon decided to take matters into his own hands. Sermon’s 331 yards rushing broke a school record as they clinched the Big Ten title against Northwestern.
Clemson did what they are accustomed to doing: dominating in the ACC Championship, this time against playoff-bound Notre Dame. While the Sugar Bowl will highlight the presumptive top two draft picks, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, the defenses could be the difference maker. With both teams in the top 25 in scoring defense, providing their team with a takeaway will be key. Fields is dealing with a sprained thumb but with two weeks to heal, he should be good to go. It’s hard to top last year’s classic between these two teams but I expect another great game. Clemson 34, Ohio State 24
Fiesta Bowl: #25 Oregon vs #10 Iowa State (January 2nd)- Only in 2020 does Oregon find a way to make a NY6 game. They’ll look to carry the momentum of their USC upset into this one against the FBS leading rusher in Breece Hall. Cyclones quarterback Brock Purdy picked a bad game to have a bad game. His three interception performance buried any hopes of making the College Football Playoff and winning the Big 12. Iowa State may be the better team but I have a gut feeling with Oregon. Playing with “house money," the Ducks find a way to upset the Cyclones in Glendale. Oregon 31, Iowa State 26
Orange Bowl: #13 North Carolina vs #5 Texas A&M (January 2nd)- Mack Brown has done wonders for North Carolina in just his second year out of retirement. From a horrendous two-win season in 2018, the Heels are remarkably in a NY6 game. Meanwhile, Jimbo Fisher and the Texas A&M Aggies will have two choices: feel sorry for themselves or be fired up and ready to prove they belong among the college football elite after narrowly missing out on the playoff, finishing #5 in the final CFP rankings. It will need to be the latter if A&M comes out on top.
Texas A&M boasts a top-10 rush defense and they’ll definitely need it against UNC’s stellar rushing attack. In North Carolina’s trouncing of Miami, running backs Michael Carter (308 yards) and Javonte Williams (236 yards) ran roughshod through the Hurricanes defense. The Tar Heels will be without Carter, receiver Dyami Brown, and linebacker Chazz Surratt who opted out in order to prepare for the NFL Draft. This South Beach clash will come down to UNC's young defense vs A&M's experienced defense. The Aggies tenacious defense will come out hot but Sam Howell will settle down in the second half to rally against the number five team in a classic. North Carolina 34, Texas A&M 30
National Championship prediction
#1 Alabama vs #2 Clemson (January 11th)- It’s no secret that when these teams are at full strength and COVID free, there is no one in the country that can beat them. Unfortunately for one school, someone will fall short. In the fourth installment of the Tide and Tigers in the playoff, we should get a wonderful show.
Trevor Lawrence is specular and this will be the last time fans will see him in a Clemson uniform before he moves on to the NFL. Mac Jones should follow suit and may become a first-round pick himself. The Tigers have an array of weapons that aren't as notable as in year's past but still effective. Receivers Amari Rodgers and Cornell Powell have combined for 12 touchdowns and should add to that total against Alabama. The headline is running back Travis Etienne who hasn't been as effective as 2018 and 2019 but he'll still likely finish the season with well over 1,000 yards on the ground which is always an impressive feat.
On Alabama's offense, it’s crazy how talented running back Najee Harris is. Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith are fantastic but it's Harris who deserves the credit for their success as well. With 27 total touchdowns and five in the SEC Championship, he will be a huge part of the Tide's gameplan. In just about any other year, he’d be a Heisman runaway. He’ll have to talk to his teammates about perhaps sharing the trophy instead. The Bama defense has been stout but are susceptible to hiccups against great offenses like Florida and Ole Miss.
This game is a virtual coin flip, at least on paper. The National Championship certainly won't be like the last two years: a decisive victory for Clemson (2019) and LSU (2020) respectively. Instead, it may look like Deshaun Watson's last second victory in the 2016-17 season. I won't be surprised whoever wins but in a nailbiter, I'm going to pick the team that has been the most consistent all season long. Alabama 31, Clemson 30
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