Bowl week will provide great content with numerous twists and turns
The bowl season is off and running as 14 games between FBS competition have been played to this point. There have been many twists and turns.
So far, three power five teams have participated — Florida, Missouri, Oregon State — and each has gone home with an L in their back pocket. On Thursday night, Gus Malzahn recorded his first signature win at UCF as the Knights knocked off Florida by double-digits in the Gasparilla Bowl.
Unfortunately, the Hawai’i Bowl scheduled for Christmas Eve night was canceled as the Rainbow Warriors had to pause for COVID-19. Memphis will have to fly back home and close the book on a 6-6 year two for Ryan Silverfield.
On Christmas Day, Ball State and Georgia State will lock horns in the middle of the afternoon for the Camellia Bowl to give us some high-quality Christmas football content. However, everyone’s eyes are likely now on bowl week.
Beginning on Monday, Dec. 27 and culminating on Saturday, Jan. 1., 25 bowl games will be played, and a lot of action will be occurring on ESPN nonstop. KSR is here to get your college football engines revved up for one of the best weeks in sports.
Loaded Tuesday
On Monday, a pair of afternoon games take place with Western Michigan and Nevada going at it in Detroit and East Carolina facing Boston College in the Military Bowl.
However, the real party starts on Tuesday.
At noon, Houston and Auburn will start the day in the Birmingham Bowl. At about 1:30 a.m., West Virginia and Minnesota will be finishing up the action at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Over 13 hours, five bowl games will take place, and things will likely get wonky. Mississippi State and Texas Tech will have an Air Raid duel at the Liberty Bowl. Louisville will attempt to stop Air Force’s triple-option while playing in SMU’s stadium. NC State and UCLA highlight the day with a game out in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.
The action will be jam-packed as bowl season gets ramped up on Dec. 28.
Interim Wednesday
On Dec. 29, four games are on the docket with the Fenway Bowl kicking things off at 11 a.m., and the night will end past midnight in the Alamo Bowl. Throughout the four games, many interim head coaches will be involved.
In Boston, Bronco Mendenhall will be leading Virginia against SMU with an interim head coach as the Rhett Lashlee era is set to begin in Dallas. At the Pinstripe Bowl, Maryland will be facing a 6-6 Virginia Tech team that has had plenty of opt-outs. The Hokies will be playing their last game before Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry officially takes over. In the Cheez-It Bowl, Dabo Swinney’s new coordinators will be taking over after promotions following the departures of Tony Elliott (Virginia) and Brent Venables (Oklahoma). To cap the night, Bob Stoops will make his return to take on an Oregon program in flux following the departure of Mario Cristobal (Miami).
In total, four interim head coaches will be involved out of the eight teams. Two play-callers at Clemson will be making their debuts, and Virginia’s coach is working his final game with an interim offensive coordinator after Robert Anae left the program.
Expect the postseason football to be off the rails.
Chop > Playoff
On New Year’s Eve, five games will be played with the College Football Playoff taking over at 3:30 p.m. Georgia-Michigan will give us a great helmet game at the Orange Bowl and Cincinnati will look to shock the world in the Cotton Bowl as double-digit underdogs.
However, the contest for all the real sickos will start the day.
At the Gator Bowl, an 11 a.m. kickoff is scheduled, and Wake Forest won’t be getting a brand name from the SEC. Following Texas A&M’s departure, 5-7 Rutgers will be filling in.
The college football postseason is truly insane, and this game might be one of the best examples of that. In a historically strong bowl game, Rutgers will be making the trip to North Florida.
How can you not back the underdog Knights in the house that Urban Meyer built?
New Year’s Day still rocks
It certainly is not what it used to be, but there is still a lot of fun to be had for college football on New Year’s Day. The playoff should always be on this day, but that is a conversation for another time.
Arkansas and Penn State get the day started in what should be a fun Outback Bowl. Iowa and Kentucky will likely beat the crap out of each other at the Citrus Bowl. Oklahoma State and Notre Dame will both be gunning for 12 wins at the Fiesta Bowl.
That evening, the Rose Bowl is always a fun watch, and Baylor-Ole Miss should give us some fireworks in the Sugar Bowl with a crowd that is plenty juiced up.
The college football postseason is certainly silly, but bowl week always delivers.
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