College Football Cheat Sheet: Early Bowl Season

The college football postseason officially gets started on Saturday. After two weeks off since Championship Weekend that was filled with a chaotic week-plus in the transfer portal, we will get to see some real live football games as bowl season kicks off on Saturday, but things are a lot different now.

Due to the coaching carousel, transfer portal, and NFL Draft opt-outs, rosters will be limited throughout the next two weeks, but that does not mean that we won’t be entertained.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet has returned for bowl season, and we’re breaking it up into parts. For Part I, we’ll be touching on every game through next Thursday.

Let’s get after it.

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Full Rundown

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Ohio

Ohio is 9-3 but won’t have numerous key pieces to kick off bowl season on Saturday. Star quarterback Kurtis Rourke, starting tailback Sieh Bangura, and starting wide receiver Miles Cross each entered the transfer portal. Those were all big losses with Rourke committing to Indiana this week. That gives Georgia Southern and their pass-heavy offense a great shot at recording a postseason win. Ohio wins with defense. Look for them to attempt to muddy the game up against a Sun Belt offense that can put up points when locked in.

New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana

In their first season in FBS, Jacksonville State will make its bowl debut for a rare afternoon game in the New Orleans Bowl. The Gamecocks will face Louisiana in what should be a fun environment in the Superdome. Rich Rodriguez‘s spread option offense could be a challenge for a Ragin’ Cajuns defense that has been somewhat leaky against the run. The buy-in level should be high for Jax State.

Cure Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. Appalachian State

Perhaps the most interesting matchup of the weekend will occur in Orlando. Miami (Ohio) is fresh off a MAC title but will be on QB3 after backup Aveon Smith entered the transfer portal. App State will be without star tailback Nate Noel. The RedHawks win with defense, and the Mountaineers win with offense. That gives us an interesting matchup between two teams that played in conference championship games just two weeks ago.

New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State vs. Fresno State

New Mexico State nearly won a conference title in year two under Jerry Kill. The Aggies were once again one of the best stories in college football getting to 10 wins. They did it with offense ranking No. 9 in success rate, No. 18 in EPA/play, and No. 37 in points per drive. However, star quarterback Diego Pavia is dealing with an elbow injury. Fresno State enters the postseason with three consecutive losses after an 8-1 start. The Bulldogs will be without head coach Jeff Tedford on Saturday but will have their full roster. Fresno could be a sneaky dog in Albuquerque.

LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State

Rob Gronkowski will be heavily involved in the production of the other famous bowl game in Los Angeles. UCLA will make the somewhat short drive to SoFi Stadium but will be without their defensive coordinator and star EDGE Laiatu Latu. However, the Bruins have mostly everyone else. Boise State will be without quarterback Taylen Green after he committed to Arkansas. That leaves the Broncos with a true freshman or walk-on behind center. The Bruins seem to have an edge, but the Broncos might have a higher buy-in factor with interim head coach Spencer Danielson receiving the full-time gig.

Independence Bowl: California vs. Texas Tech

Justin Wilcox has California back in a bowl game for the first time since 2019 after the Golden Bears won three consecutive games to end the season. Cal has made multiple quarterback changes this season and will be without offensive coordinator Jake Spavital after he departed for Baylor this month. Texas Tech finished a disappointing 6-6 as this Air Raid offense really struggled to get off the ground. Both teams are led by stud tailbacks. Cal’s Jaydn Ott (1,260 rushing yards, 13 total touchdowns) and Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks (1,443 rushing yards, 9 total touchdowns) are among the best in college football. Both teams struggle to stop the run. Expect the run to be established in Shreveport.

Famous Toastery Bowl: WKU vs. Old Dominion

WKU had a disappointing season in the C-USA. You can make an argument that Old Dominion overachieved in the Sun Belt. That creates an interesting matchup in the artist formerly known as the Bahamas Bowl. A random bowl game in Charlotte on Monday afternoon will include a WKU team that has lost a ton of quality starters to the transfer portal. The Tops might also be without star QB Austin Reed and star wideout Malachi Corley. ODU is laying points for a reason. The Monarchs are missing a couple of key players on defense but appear to have a heavy edge here in the care factor.

Frisco Bowl: UTSA vs. Marshall

Marshall will be without its starting quarterback, just fired its offensive coordinator, and will not have its best interior lineman. UTSA is at full strength outside of losing star EDGE Trey Moore. This will be the final game for star quarterback Frank Harris. Marshall has a defense (No. 18 in success rate) that will keep them in the game on Tuesday night. That’s something to keep in mind with a spread that is approaching two touchdowns. Lexington (Ky.) Sayre School product Cole Pennington will get the start at quarterback for Marshall.

Boca Raton Bowl: USF vs. Syracuse

In year one under former Tennessee offensive coordinator Alex Grinch, USF is back in a bowl game for the first time since 2018. The Bulls run a version of the Art Briles offense that goes just about as fast as anyone in college football, but the defense is an issue. Syracuse will be playing for an interim head coach after firing Dino Babers. However, quarterback Garrett Shrader should be full-go for the Orange on Saturday night for a team that had few opt-outs. The Orange’s 3-3-5 defense could give an inefficient USF offense some problems.