Bowl breakdown: 5 games Tuesday mean a long day in front of TV
Two teams who were in the top 20 in the final College Football Playoff rankings will be among the 10 squads taking the field in Tuesday’s bowl games.
No. 18 NC State takes on UCLA in the Holiday Bowl in the day’s headline game, and No. 20 Houston meets Auburn in what basically is an Auburn home game in the Birmingham Bowl.
And if you choose, you can watch college football for about 14 consecutive hours. The Birmingham Bowl kicks off at noon Eastern, and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl — the final game of the day — is scheduled for a 10:15 p.m. Eastern start in Phoenix. That game should end around 1:30 a.m. or so Wednesday.
Happy viewing.
Birmingham Bowl
Auburn vs. No. 20 Houston
Time/TV: Noon, ESPN (Wes Durham play-by-play, Eric MacLain analyst)
Venue: Protective Stadium, in Birmingham, Ala. (capacity of 47,100)
On3 bowl ranking: 19th (of 42)
Team records: Auburn 6-6; Houston 11-2
Records vs. bowl teams: Auburn 4-6; Houston 4-2
All-time bowl records: Auburn 24-19-2; Houston 11-16-1
Officiating crew: From the Pac-12
Key stats: Houston is sixth nationally in total defense, giving up 298.4 yards per game. And the Cougars lead the nation in third-down defense, allowing foes to convert just 25.6 percent of their third-down attempts. Keep an eye on Auburn’s defense in the fourth quarter. For the season, the Tigers have been outscored 71-65 in the period. But in their six wins, they have dominated the final stanza, outscoring opponents 56-10.
The line: Auburn by 2.5
The buzz: This game might be more about who’s not playing than who is. Auburn QB Bo Nix entered the transfer portal and already has chosen Oregon as his new school. Two standout cornerbacks, Auburn’s Roger McCreary and Houston’s Marcus Jones (who also is the nation’s best return man), have opted out. And Auburn will be without two starting offensive linemen, C Nick Brahms (injury) and RT Brodarious Hamm (opted out). Auburn figures to rely heavily on RBs Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter because QB T.J. Finley is inconsistent as a passer. Houston relies on its defense, but in the Cougars’ two losses, Texas Tech and Cincinnati ran effectively. Houston true freshman RB Alton McCaskill has rushed for 16 TDs, and WR Nathaniel Dell has 80 receptions for 1,179 yards and 12 TDs.
First Responder Bowl
Air Force vs. Louisville
Time/TV: 3:15 p.m., ESPN (Chris Cotter play-by-play, Mark Herzlich analyst)
Venue: Gerald Ford Stadium, in Dallas (capacity of 32,000)
On3 bowl ranking: 25th (of 42)
Team records: Air Force 9-3; Louisville 6-6
Records vs. bowl teams: Air Force 3-3; Louisville 2-6
All-time bowl records: Air Force 13-11-1; Louisville 11-11-1
Officiating crew: From the SEC
Key stats: Air Force leads the nation in rushing offense at 342.0 yards per game; Louisville is 21st at 211.3. Louisville averages 5.43 yards per carry, which is eighth; Air Force averages 5.25, which is 17th.
The line: Louisville by 1.5
The buzz: There figure to be a lot of rushing attempts; Air Force is a triple-option team and Louisville has run the ball on 57.8 of its offensive snaps. Louisville’s Malik Cunningham leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards with 968, and he’s tied for sixth nationally with 19 rushing TDs. Air Force FB Brad Roberts is 11th nationally in rushing at 107.0 yards per game and he has 13 rushing TDs. Roberts has twice as many rush attempts as anybody else on the roster. Opponents that have made it a priority to run on Louisville have been able to do so. LBs C.J. Avery and Yasir Abdullah (14.5 tackles for loss) are guys to watch. Air Force has been excellent against the run, with six opponents held under 100 yards and only one foe (Utah State) running for more than 157. Falcons OLB Vince Sanford has 17 tackles for loss and four forced fumbles.
Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Texas Tech
Time/TV: 6:45 p.m., ESPN (Dave Neal play-by-play, Deuce McAllister analyst)
Venue: Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, in Memphis (capacity of 61,000)
On3 bowl ranking: 14th (of 42)
Team records: Mississippi State 7-5; Texas Tech 6-6
Records vs. bowl teams: Mississippi State 4-5; Texas Tech 3-4
All-time bowl records: Mississippi State 14-10; Texas Tech 14-23-1
Officiating crew: From the ACC
Key stats: Mississippi State averages 54.3 pass attempts per game, which leads the nation by almost five per game. Texas Tech is last in the Big 12 and 118th nationally in pass defense, surrendering 266.4 yards per game. The Red Raiders have allowed 28 TD passes, tied for sixth-most nationally.
The line: Mississippi State by 9.5
The buzz: Two Power 5 teams that are a combined 13-11. But it’s also Mike Leach vs. Texas Tech, and that makes this a lot more interesting than it would be; this is the first time Leach has faced Texas Tech since he was fired as Red Raiders coach in December 2009. This also is the first of three Big 12-SEC bowl matchups (Kansas State-LSU and Baylor-Ole Miss are the others). Mississippi State QB Will Rogers has thrown for 300 yards in 10 consecutive games; Texas Tech has allowed six 300-yard passing games this season. Texas Tech LB Colin Schooler needs two solo tackles to move into the top five in NCAA history in that category; he currently is seventh with 307 solo stops. Schooler is a fifth-year senior who also is a five-year starter; he started from 2017-19 at Arizona and has started the past two seasons for the Red Raiders. The Red Raiders, who have lost four of their past five, will be led by interim coach Sonny Cumbie, a Texas Tech alum who was a quarterback for Leach; Cumbie already has been named coach at Louisiana Tech. The Red Raiders are seeking their first winning season since 2015.
Holiday Bowl
No. 18 NC State vs. UCLA
Time/TV: 8 p.m., Fox (Gus Johnson play-by-play, Joel Klatt analyst)
Venue: Petco Park, in San Diego (capacity of 40,209)
On3 bowl ranking: 9th (of 42)
Team records: NC State 9-3; UCLA 8-4
Records vs. bowl teams: NC State 4-3; UCLA 2-4
All-time bowl records: NC State 17-15-1; UCLA 16-19-1
Officiating crew: From the Big 12
Key stats: NC State is one of just 17 teams nationally holding opponents to fewer than 20 points per game; the Wolfpack give up 19.7 per game, which is 16th. UCLA, meanwhile, is one of just 17 teams nationally averaging more than 35 points per game; the Bruins score 36.5 per game, which is 16th.
The line: NC State by 1.5
The buzz: NC State really has struggled to run the ball; the Wolfpack hasn’t rushed for more than 130 yards in its past seven games. QB Devin Leary has overcome the lack of a rushing attack, throwing 35 TD passes (against just five picks). He has thrown four TD passes in four of the past five games. WR Emeka Emezie is a physical receiver, and RBs Ricky Person Jr. and Zonovan Knight are effective safety-valve guys. Wolfpack LB Drake Thomas and S Tanner Ingle are big-timers who always seem to be around the ball. UCLA has a strong rushing attack, with QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and RBs Zach Charbonnet and Brittain Brown having a combined 29 rushing TDs. Kyle Philips is the only Bruins wide receiver who scares anyone, but TE Greg Dulcich can be a handful and is a big-play threat (17.3 yards per catch on his 42 receptions). UCLA will be without its best defensive back, Qwuantrezz Knight (COVID protocol and heading to the NFL). NC State is trying for just its second 10-win season in school history; NCSU won 11 games in 2002 with Philip Rivers at quarterback.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Minnesota vs. West Virginia
Time/TV: 10:15 p.m., ESPN (Dave Flemming play-by-play, Rod Gilmore analyst)
Venue: Chase Field, in Phoenix (capacity of 48,519)
On3 bowl ranking: 24th (of 42)
Team records: Minnesota 8-4; West Virginia 6-6
Records vs. bowl teams: Minnesota 4-2; West Virginia 2-6
All-time bowl records: Minnesota 9-12; West Virginia 16-22
Officiating crew: From the ACC
Key stats: Minnesota quietly has been one of the best defenses in the nation; the Golden Gophers are fourth in total defense, allowing just 284.8 yards per game. They haven’t allowed more than 277 yards in their past six games. WVU has struggled to run the ball, averaging just 128.4 yards per game (97th nationally). The Mountaineers have been held to 94 or fewer rush yards six times. WVU has 18 rushing TDs, but five came in a 66-0 rout of FCS member Long Island.
The line: Minnesota by 4.5
The buzz: This is the lone Big Ten-Big 12 matchup in the bowls and the first time WVU has played a Big Ten team in a postseason game. WVU would prefer to lean on RB Leddie Brown (1,065 yards, 13 TDs), who also is a productive receiver, but he has opted out. Given WVU’s struggles to run the ball with Brown and the Golden Gophers’ stout run defense — only two opponents have rushed for more than 144 yards and six have been held to fewer than 80 — Mountaineers QB Jarret Doege needs to be on point. He has 19 TD passes and 11 picks, but six of those TD passes came in wins over LIU and Kansas. While Minnesota’s defense has been good, its offense is anemic. The Golden Gophers are 85th in scoring offense and 98th in total offense. The passing attack is especially underwhelming (just 166.4 passing yards per game). Freshman RBs Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving need to produce. WVU’s run defense has been solid all season. Mountaineers DT Dante Stills is a standout up front with 13 tackles for loss.