It’s college football’s Super Bowl before the national title game…it’s Selection Sunday! Sports IllustratedThe gurus of provided live analysis and commentary throughout the day as all 41 FBS game matchups were revealed, with a particular focus on non-College Football Playoff matchups.
(For our Playoff-focused coverage, check out our Georgia-Ohio State Preview and Michigan-TCU Preview.)
Pat Forde: Post-college football playoff results are trickling in, like ballots being mailed out of Maricopa County, and it’s time to look at the myriad of matchups beyond those that will decide the national championship. May your favorite team have no opt-outs or transfers between now and bowl time! (But don’t count on it.)
First reaction: The rest of the New Year’s Six rocks: Big matchups at the Rose Bowl (Utah-Penn State), Sugar Bowl (Alabama-Kansas State) and a very orange Orange Bowl (Clemson-Tennessee). Only state of pennsylvania it’s a team that isn’t in the top 10 in the final CFP standings, and an argument could be made that the Nittany Lions should have been. More 2022 Cinderella Tulane vs. USC and likely Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at the Cotton. I like everything.
Can the Green Wave keep rolling against USC?
Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports
Richard Johnson: From pre-New Years bowling games, you are No You’re going to want to miss the Cure Bowl, where UTSA assumes troy. The Trojans have one of the best defenses in the country and are absolutely on a roll, having won 10 of 11 with the only loss coming a Hail Mary loss to App State. They have a young coach to watch in Jon Sumrall. The Roadrunners bring an exciting offense with Frank Harris distributing power WRs Zakhari Franklin and Joshua Cephus. Styles make fights, and this one is going to be a good one.
Richard: Birmingham Bowl has Carolina flavor. ECU (North) versus Coastal Carolina (South). This one’s for all the Carolinas.
Pat: Is this also a mustard vs. vinegar matchup? I think so. And I think I’m all for mustard on that.
Richard: Features of the New Mexico Bowl BYU Y EMU in a rematch of one of the most epic games (regular season or postseason) of all time in 1980 when the Cougars erased a 21-point deficit in the final 2:33 of the game. Let’s hope history is close to repeating itself and we get another classic game.
Pat: Jim McMahon’s miracle! See YouTube for more details.
Ross Dellinger: say what you want about notre dame‘s history (and a lot of people do), but the Irish are still one of the hottest programs in college football. There’s a battle between the Gator and the Holiday Bowl for the Irish, reports Brett McMurphy.
Ross: Something to keep in mind: The SEC and ACC each use an internal selection process to divide teams among their bowls. The SEC and ACC conference bureaus choose where the majority of their teams go. Eliminate decisions by bowl executives, who may be biased toward certain teams. There will be no frog jumping from teams that finish far below others in the conference standings.
Pat: I’m sure Missouri I would like that point to be made loud and clear, Ross. There was a lot of Lawrence dust on the Tigers dodging a bowl matchup with the hated former rival Kansas, but Mizzou strongly rejected that, noting that his bowl allocation was in the hands of the league. But rivals are going to rival each other, even if they no longer play each other. (Note: This is the first time in 15 years that Kansas has wanted to participate in Missouri.)
Pat: I’m sorry the New Mexico Bowl lost its Bowl Season opener status that first Saturday (now there are two games on Friday the 16th), but I like the matchup of Fresno State against washington state. The Bulldogs are very hot, winning eight straight, including a win over Boise State on blue turf to win the Mountain West championship. The Cougars are led by scheming QB Cameron Ward, a coveted transfer from Incarnate Word who has thrown for 3,000 yards in his first season on FBS.
Ross: This is the first year the Las Vegas Bowl has been in the SEC’s rotation. The Gators get their ticket to Sin City to play Oregon State!
Pat: Florida fans should love that ride. New location, shiny new stadium and obviously a really fun place to go. Utah and USC fans were having a great time on The Strip and on the golf courses when I was there last week for the Pac-12 championship.
Ross: Oh man. The Alamo Bowl is fun, fun, fun. Washington against Texas. Two offensive wizards, Steve Sarkisian and Kalen DeBoer, with two outstanding QBs, Michael Penix Jr. and Quinn Ewers.
Pat: A conference dynamic to watch out for: Big bowl rebound for the Pac-12. The league went an ignominious 0-5 in bowl games last year, part of a rock bottom season. The Pac-12 should end this recovery season in much better fashion. Despite the sting (and seven-figure loss) from USC not making the Playoffs, it will help the bowl matchups. Everyone in the league is down one spot, which should lead to more wins.
Cases in point: USC is a 4.5-point early favorite over Tulane at Cotton, according to Action Network; UCLA is a 2.5-point favorite over Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl; and Oregon State is a one-point favorite over Florida in Las Vegas. Washington is a 4.5-point underdog to Texas in the Alamo Bowl, and Washington State is a one-point dog to Fresno in New Mexico. I like the Huskies’ chances against the Longhorns (barring pending, of course).
Ross: According to McMurphy, Baylor and the Air Force will meet at the Armed Forces Bowl, which is played in Fort Worth within the confines of TCU’s football stadium. Say oh! Baylor and TCU, of course, have a long history dating back to 1899. What a treat for the Bears to play in their rival’s stadium!
Pat: Easy trip for the Baylor fans. But there isn’t much hotel revenue for the host city of Fort Worth.
Ross: Texas Tech Y old miss in the Texas Bowl. Are we all ready for Lane Kiffin in a cowboy hat?
Pat: Congratulations to Rice on her first bowl bid since 2014, with a 5–7 record. Without enough .500 or better teams to fill all the bowl slots, the Owls get a bid to play southern Mississippi in the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile thanks to a high APR score. Let’s go academics!
Pat: The Music City Bowl will reportedly coincide with Iowa and Kentucky, a season after those two played in the Citrus Bowl. Haven’t we suffered enough? These are the worst offenses in the Big Ten and SEC, respectively.
Ross: The Hawkeyes are next to last in averaging yards per game at 255. Kentucky averages 335. Combined, the two teams average 590 yards of offense per game. For perspective, Tennessee, the best offense in the country, has averaged nearly 540 yards per game this year. What I’m saying is… you’ll probably have more fun in the honky-tonks of downtown Nashville than you do at this game. Skip the game and head to the bar!
Ross: The Gator Bowl reportedly won the battle for the Irish. They meet a South Carolina that is as good as any team in the country.
Pat: So… who takes quarterback snaps for Notre Dame in that Gator Bowl? Drew Pyne is on the transfer portal and will no longer be part of the team. Tyler Buchner, the Game 1 starter who missed the regular season with a shoulder injury in Game 2 against Marshall, could return. If not, freshman Steve Angeli could see his first college action. He was one of the first entrants to lead a game-winning drive in the spring game.
Ross: Either Dave Doeren or Mike Locksley will be covered in mayonnaise this year. State of North Carolina Y Maryland Find yourself at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte!
Pat: florida state–Oklahoma at the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando. (So many Cheez-It Bowls and locations, so little time to keep them in order.) Twenty-two years ago, this was the BCS Championship Game matchup, won by the Sooners. The times change.
Pat: My Take The Over special for bowl season is Oregon–North Carolina in the holiday bowl. Watch Harder: UConn-Marshall at the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
More college football coverage:
• TCU’s playoff inclusion saves season
• When hiring Deion Sanders, give credit to Colorado
• I’m sorry Saban. Alabama did not deserve a playoff bid
