KSR Today: New Year's Eve Brings Bowl Blitz

College football fans never got a break this year. Conference championship weekend was followed by the Army-Navy game. The LA Bowl was played that night. A week later, we got the first round of the College Football Playoff.

There have been very few days off, but we have yet to enter the meat and potatoes of postseason play. That begins today, the final day of 2025.

There are many ways to ring in a New Year. Some enjoy fine dining early in the night, while others get buried in booze and stumble through crowded bars. I will join the millions of college football fans who will be locked into Ohio State’s matchup with Miami, a battle that stirs up nostalgia. While some may immediately think of Maurice Clarett and a late pass interference flag in 2002, I’m drawn to a more recent memory. Ohio State is in a College Football Playoff game as the clock approaches midnight on New Year’s. What could go wrong?

By request, here is the multicam view of the feed from Times Square, All-22, and ESPN, Georgia, and Ohio State radio calls, as it happened onscreen live: pic.twitter.com/k775T4VNTo

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 1, 2023

Ohio State is a 9.5-point favorite, with a total of 40.5 on BetMGM. The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN.

More New Year’s Bowl Games

The College Football Playoff quarterfinal is the main course, but there’s a healthy helping of appetizers before the New Year’s Eve festivities begin. We’ll get to see Diego Pavia suit up one final time for Vanderbilt, against a foe in Iowa who could serve plenty of humble pie. Michigan and Texas will be an excellent logo matchup that brings big-name quarterbacks to Central Florida.

• Noon | ReliaQuest Bowl | Iowa (+5.5) vs. Vanderbilt | ESPN
• 2:00 | Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | Arizona State (+3.5) vs. Duke | CBS
• 3:00 | Citrus Bowl | Texas (-7) vs. Michigan | ABC
• 3:30 | Las Vegas Bowl | Nebraska (+14) vs. Utah | ESPN

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More Kentucky Football Players Hit the Transfer Portal

Transfer portal chaos does not officially begin until Jan. 2, but preparations have been underway for quite some time. There weren’t too many announcements early on. That’s changed in recent days. We learned about three more departures on Tuesday. So far, of the nine Kentucky football players who have made announcements, none were projected starters. Meanwhile, Florida has 22 departures and Auburn has 27 players who have announced they’re going portaling.

• LB Landyn Watson
• EDGE Steven Soles Jr.
• QB Stone Saunders
• WR David Washington Jr.
• WR Preston Bowman
• CB Nasir Addison
• DT Austin Ramsey
• WR Troy Stellato
• EDGE Javeon Campbell

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Kentucky Transfer Portal Preview

That’s who’s leaving, but we all know that you’re more anxious and eager to see who Will Stein could be bringing into the program. The St. Matthews whispers are exciting. Adam Luckett has scoured the space and cultivated a KSR+ Big Board with more than 70 names of potential transfer portal additions. We discussed many of them on the latest edition of 11 Personnel.

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Pope Previews Matchup with Alabama

Shortly after we celebrate a New Year, the Kentucky basketball team is beginning a new year of its own against SEC competition. The Wildcats will not ease their way into the conference schedule. Alabama beat Kentucky three times in Mark Pope’s first season. Now, he’s got a former Rammer Jammer on his squad as Kentucky prepares to hit the road to Coleman Coliseum. The Kentucky head coach does not expect it to have a huge impact on Mo Dioubate’s play, but it sure would be nice if he was at his best when they tip off on Saturday at noon on ESPN.

KSR is LIVE at KSBar and Grille

It’s a holiday for many, but it’s full steam ahead for Kentucky Sports Radio. Drew Franklin and Ryan Lemond are holding down the fort at KSBar and Grille. On Tuesday, they were joined by a pair of 7-footers who suited up for the Cats. Today, we’ll get another blast from the past when JP Blevins joins the show. Lock in, BBN.

New Year’s Reflections

Before turning the page to 2025, allow me to stop for a moment and share a few things on the year that was. Some people are strictly forward-thinking, but I enjoy taking trips down memory lane to remind myself of everything that unfolded in our fast-paced world. I penned a column on the year of change, shared a list of the best performances by Kentucky Wildcats this year, and today we’re rolling out a list of the most ridiculous moments for KSR in 2025. Boy, it’s a doozy. There’s plenty more of where that came from. Thanks for joining us on this wild ride. Hopefully, 2026 brings BBN excitement, shenanigans, and most importantly, Wildcat wins.