The college bowl season begins and ends in Atlanta, opening with the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 16 and running through the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 8. Here is a look at the matchups.
RESULTS
Celebration: North Carolina A&T 21, Grambling State 14
New Orleans: Troy 50, North Texas 30
Cure: Georgia State 27, Western Kentucky 17
Las Vegas: No. 25 Boise State 38, Oregon 28
New Mexico: Marshall 31, Colorado State 28
Camellia: Middle Tennessee 35, Arkansas State 30
Boca Raton: Florida Atlantic 50, Akron 3
Frisco: Louisiana Tech 51, Southern Methodist 10
Gasparilla: Temple 28, Florida International 3
Bahamas: Ohio 41, Alabama-Birmingham 6
UPCOMING GAMES
Idaho Potato, at Boise, Idaho: Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Wyoming (7-5)
Dec. 22, 1 p.m., ESPN
A matchup of two tough defenses. Central Michigan’s Joe Ostman led the country with 1.2 sacks per game and also forced four fumbles. The Chippewas also intercepted 19 passes, the second most in the nation, led by Josh Cox (six) and Sean Bunting (five). Wyoming had the No. 5 pass defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision (160.7 yards), with 14 fumble recoveries (No. 4) and 16 interceptions (No. 11). Cowboys quarterback Josh Allen, a top NFL prospect who missed the last two games with a sprained right shoulder, is expected to start.
Birmingham: Texas Tech (6-6) vs. South Florida (9-2)
Dec. 23, 9 a.m., ESPN
USF won this game last season, but somehow the school was still referred to by an incorrect name (South Florida University) on some of the official bowl merchandise this year. The Bulls are looking to reach double-digit wins for the second time in program history, after finishing 11-2 last year. Texas Tech had the country’s 11th-best passing offense (326.8 yards per game), led by quarterback Nic Shimonek (3,547 yards, 30 touchdowns) and receiver Keke Coutee (1,242 yards, nine touchdowns).
Armed Forces, at Fort Worth, Texas: San Diego State (10-2) vs. Army (8-3)
Dec. 23, 12:30 p.m., ESPN
Rashaad Penny will break the San Diego State single-season rushing record if he runs for 107 yards, something he has done in all but two games this year. He leads the nation with 2,027 rushing yards and has topped the 200-yard mark in each of the Aztecs’ last four games. Army rushes for an FBS-best 355.8 yards per game, led by Ahmad Bradshaw’s 130.5 yards per game. The Black Knights won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy this year for the first time since 1996 and are looking for their first 10-win season since then as well.
Dollar General, at Mobile, Ala.: Appalachian State (8-4) vs. Toledo (11-2)
Dec. 23, 4 p.m., ESPN
Toledo lost to Appalachian State 31-28 in last year’s Camellia Bowl, but has won 11 of 13 since then to claim the Mid-American Conference championship for the first time since 2004. Rockets quarterback Logan Woodside passed for 3,758 yards and 28 touchdowns to lead an offense that ranked eighth in the nation with 509.9 yards per game. Appalachian State won a share of the Sun Belt Conference title for the second year in a row behind quarterback Taylor Lamb, who holds the school record with 90 career touchdown passes.
Hawaii: Fresno State (9-4) vs. Houston (7-4)
Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
One year removed from a 1-11 finish, Fresno State has a chance to win 10 games this season under first-year coach Jeff Tedford. The Bulldogs haven’t appeared in a bowl game since 2014 and haven’t won one since 2007, going 0-6 during that stretch. Houston star defensive tackle Ed Oliver has 134 tackles, including 36.5 for a loss, and 10.5 sacks during his two-year career.
Heart of Texas, at Dallas: Utah (6-6) vs. West Virginia (7-5)
Dec. 26, 10:30 a.m., ESPN
Both teams could be without their standout starting quarterbacks. West Virginia’s Will Grier (3,490 yards, 34 touchdowns in 11 games) will not play after breaking the middle finger on his throwing hand in mid-November. Backup Chris Chuganov will make his second career start. Utah’s Tyler Huntley (2,246 yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions in nine games) is questionable with an undisclosed injury. But each team has a 1,000-yard rusher to fall back on — West Virginia’s Justin Crawford (1,061 yards) and Utah’s Zack Moss (1,023 yards).
Quick Lane, at Detroit: Duke (6-6) vs. Northern Illinois (8-4)
Dec. 26, 2:15 p.m., ESPN
Northern Illinois defensive end Sutton Smith, a converted running back, led the nation with 28.5 tackles for loss. Senior tailback Jordan Huff (740 yards, four touchdowns) will not play because of the left ankle injury that cost him three other games this season. Duke’s punter/kicker Austin Parker was dismissed from the team earlier this month for a violation of the university’s academic policy; he made 17 of 21 field goal attempts and averaged 42 yards per punt. The Blue Devils survived a six-game losing streak by winning its final two games to become bowl-eligible.
Cactus, at Phoenix: UCLA (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5)
Dec. 26, 6 p.m., ESPN
Jedd Fisch gets one game as the Bruins’ interim head coach before newly hired Chip Kelly takes the reins. This could be the last chance for UCLA fans to see quarterback Josh Rosen in a Bruins uniform. Rosen (3,669 yards, 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) could go as high as No. 1 overall in next year’s NFL draft if he decides to skip his senior year. It’s the first meeting between the teams since UCLA’s 40-35 win over Kansas State in the 2015 Alamo Bowl, when then-Bruins coach Jim Mora famously appeared to snub the handshake attempt of Wildcats coach Bill Snyder after the game.
Independence, at Shreveport, La.: Southern Mississippi (8-4) vs. Florida State (6-6)
Dec. 27, 10:30 a.m., ESPN
Florida State will play in a bowl game for the 36th year in a row — that’s a college football record — even though it technically may not be eligible for this one. The Seminoles’ win over FCS opponent Delaware State may not count toward bowl eligibility, according to a recent report by Reddit College Football, but an Independence Bowl official told the Orlando Sentinel that plans for the bowl game will continue as planned. FSU interim coach Odell Haggins could go out with a 2-0 record after replacing Jimbo Fisher, who took the Texas A&M job, with new Seminole coach Willie Taggert waiting in the wings. Southern Mississippi senior Ito Smith has 42 career rushing touchdowns and needs three more to become the Golden Eagles’ all-time lead in that category.
Pinstripe, at New York: Iowa (7-5) vs. Boston College (7-5)
Dec. 27, 2:15 p.m., ESPN
Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell is a first-team All-American who has 125 tackles this season, which is fourth-best in the nation, despite missing a game back in October with a shoulder injury. He’s the third player in Hawkeyes history to register more than 115 tackles in three seasons. He will have his hands full with Boston College running back and ACC rookie of the year A.J. Dillon, whose 1,432 rushing yards are the most ever for an Eagles freshman. Dillon will break the conference freshman record if he rushes for 140 yards, a mark he passed in each of the last four games and five times overall this season.
Foster Farms, at Santa Clara: Arizona (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)
Dec. 27, 5:30 p.m., Channel 11
Khalil Tate barely played the first four games of the season, but took college football by storm once he became Arizona’s starting quarterback. He threw for 1,289 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions and rushed for 1,353 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez said Tate should be “good to go” for this game after suffering a sprained left (non-throwing) shoulder in the regular-season finale against Arizona State. First-year Purdue coach Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers (6-6) in position for their first winning season since 2011.
Texas, at Houston: Texas (6-6) vs. Missouri (7-5)
Dec. 27, 6 p.m., ESPN
Under first-year coach Tom Herman, Texas has a chance to finish above .500 for the first time since 2013. Missouri lost five straight for the second season in as many years under coach Barry Odom, but this time also rattled off six straight wins to finish the regular season at 7-5. Texas’ strength on defense is stopping the run (105.7 yards per game, No. 7 in the nation); unfortunately for the Longhorns, Missouri’s strength on offense is the passing game. Tigers quarterback Drew Lock has thrown for 3,695 yards with an FBS-best 43 touchdown passes.
Military, at Annapolis, Md.: Virginia (6-6) vs. Navy (6-5)
Dec. 28, 10:30 a.m., ESPN
Navy is looking to avoid only its second non-winning season under nine-year coach Ken Niumatalolo. The Midshipmen have the nation’s second-best rushing attack (343 yards per game), with two players accumulating more than 1,000 yards each — Zach Abbey (1,325 with 14 touchdowns) and Malcolm Perry (1,068 with nine touchdowns). Virginia showed much improvement in coach Bronco Mendenhall’s second season, after going 2-10 last year, and could finish with a winning record for the first time since 2011. Cavaliers quarterback Kurt Benkert passed for 3,062 yards with 25 touchdowns.
Camping World, at Orlando: No. 22 Virginia Tech (9-3) at No. 19 Oklahoma State (9-3)
Dec. 28, 2:15 p.m., ESPN
Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph leads the country with 4,553 passing yards and is tied for No. 5 in the nation with 35 passing touchdowns. The Cowboys’ offense is third in the FBS, with 46.3 points per game. This is their first game since coach Mike Gundy reportedly turned down an offer for a significant pay increase from Tennessee. Virginia Tech junior linebacker Tremaine Edwards — who led the Hokies with 101 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks — said he’s waiting until after the bowl game to think about whether to go pro this offseason.
Alamo, at San Antonio: No. 13 Stanford (9-4) vs. No. 15 Texas Christian (10-3)
Dec. 28, 6 p.m., ESPN
Depending on what Stanford’s Bryce Love decides about the 2018 NFL draft, this could be the last chance to see this year’s Heisman Trophy runner-up in a Cardinal uniform. He ranks second in the nation in rushing yards (1,973) and is tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns (17), but will be up against a Texas Christian defense that allows just 99.8 rushing yards per game, the fourth-lowest in the FBS. The Horned Frogs’ leading rusher, Darius Anderson, was originally thought to be out for the remainder of the season after injuring his right foot against Oklahoma on Nov. 11, but now is considered to be a game-time decision.
Holiday, at San Diego: No. 18 Washington State (9-3) vs. No. 16 Michigan State (9-3)
Dec. 28, 6 p.m., FS1
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk is the Pac-12’s all-time leader in passing yards (14,481) and touchdown passes (119). He leads a passing offense that ranks No. 2 in the nation (374.8 yards per game) but faces a pretty good Michigan State pass defense that holds opposing teams to 196.5 yards per game. The Spartans are a year removed from a 3-9 season but two years removed from a College Football Playoff appearance. Washington State coach Mike Leach agreed to a five-year, $20 million contract extension with the Cougars on Dec. 18.
Belk, at Charlotte, N.C.: Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Texas A&M (7-5)
Dec. 29, 10 a.m., ESPN
Wake Forest dual-threat quarterback John Wolford is the Demon Deacons’ all-time leader with 60 career touchdowns. This season, he passed for 2,792 yards with 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, and added 615 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Kevin Sumlin was fired as Texas A&M’s head coach on Nov. 26 and Jimbo Fisher was hired to take his place on Dec. 4, but interim coach Jeff Banks will be calling the shots as the Aggies look to finish at 8-5 for the fourth straight season. This is the first-ever meeting between the teams.
Sun, at El Paso, Texas: No. 24 North Carolina State (8-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
Dec. 29, noon, Channel 2
Recently fired Arizona State coach Todd Graham will coach the Sun Devils one last time in this game before the newly hired Herm Edwards takes over the program. This game features a nice quarterback matchup between N.C. State’s Ryan Finley (3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns, five interceptions) and Arizona State’s Manny Wilkins (2,918 yards, 17 touchdowns, five interceptions). Arizona State senior running back Demario Richard needs 23 rushing yards to top the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career.
Music City, at Nashville: Kentucky (7-5) vs. No. 21 Northwestern (9-3)
Dec. 29, 1:30 p.m., ESPN
Kentucky sophomore Benny Snell set school records for rushing touchdowns in a season (18) and in a career (31). He accumulated 1,318 yards this season but will face the country’s 10th-best run defense (111.3 yards per game). Northwestern running back Justin Jackson (1,154 yards, nine touchdowns) might have an easier time against a Kentucky run defense that allows 162.2 yards per game. Coach Pat Fitzgerald is going for his third 10-win season in 12 years with Northwestern, while a victory will give Mark Stoops his first eight-win season as coach at Kentucky.
Arizona, at Tucson: Utah State (6-6) vs. New Mexico State (6-6)
Dec. 29, 2:30 p.m., CBSSN
New Mexico State faced the same opponent last time it played in a bowl game — 57 years ago. That was the 1960 Sun Bowl, and New Mexico State emerged as a 20-13 winner to complete an 11-0 season. This time around, coach Doug Martin’s team needs a victory over Utah State to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2002. His quarterback, Tyler Rogers, averages 347.7 yards per game, second-best in the nation, but Utah State is tough against the pass, holding opponents to an average of 181.8 yards per game.
Cotton, at Arlington, Texas: No. 8 USC (11-2) vs. No. 5 Ohio State (11-2)
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Both teams were ranked in the top four of the Associated Press preseason poll. USC’s Ronald Jones is fifth on the Trojans’ all-time rushing list with 3,555 career yards and needs 135 to pass Ricky Bell for fourth and 169 to pass Anthony Davis for third. But the Buckeyes are stingy against the run, giving up an average of only 108.8 yards a game. Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins set a team record for most rushing yards by a freshman (1,364 yards). This could be the last chance to see quarterback Sam Darnold with the Trojans, and it will be the last chance for Ohio State fans to see their team’s all-time passing leader, J.T. Barrett, with the Buckeyes.
TaxSlayer, at Jacksonville, Fla.: Louisville (8-4) vs. No. 23 Mississippi State (8-4)
Dec. 30, 9 a.m., ESPN
Nobody in the Football Bowl Subdivision came close to compiling as many yards (4,932) as Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting this year after winning the award last year. He ranked in the nation’s top 20 in both passing yards (3,489) and rushing yards (1,443). The recently hired Joe Moorhead will not coach Mississippi State in this game; that duty goes to Greg Knox, who was named interim coach when Dan Mullen left to become Florida’s head coach in late November.
Liberty, at Memphis, Tenn.: Iowa State (7-5) vs. No. 20 Memphis (10-2)
Dec. 30, 9:30 a.m., Channel 7
Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson broke his own school record by passing for 36 touchdowns. He tied an American Athletic Conference record by passing for seven of those touchdowns against Connecticut in October (not to be confused with his six-touchdown game against UCLA earlier in the season). Iowa State may have peaked too early this year, losing three of its final four games following a 14-7 upset victory over then-No. 4 Texas Christian on Oct. 28. Still, second-year coach Matt Campbell has led the Cyclones to their first winning season since 2009.
Fiesta, at Glendale, Ariz.: No. 11 Washington (10-2) vs. No. 9 Penn State (10-2)
Dec. 30, 1 p.m., ESPN
It’s the Big Ten offensive player of the year (Penn State running back Saquon Barkley) vs. the Pac-12 defensive player of the year (Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea). Vea is the first Huskies player to earn that honor since 1996 and is considered to be a potential first-round NFL draft pick. Barkley holds numerous school career records — including rushing touchdowns (41) and all-purpose yards (5,363) — but faces a Washington rush defense that ranks as the stingiest in the nation (92.3 yards per game). Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley has 57 career touchdown passes, including at least one in 27 straight games.
Orange, at Miami Gardens, Fla.: No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (10-2)
Dec. 30, 5 p.m., ESPN
Both teams almost certainly would have made the College Football Playoff field had they won their conference championship games earlier this month; neither team was able to pull that off. Still, Miami is playing in its first New Year’s Six bowl game since 2005, while Wisconsin is in its fifth since 2011. Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor needs 79 yards to break Adrian Peterson’s all-time FBS freshman record of 1,925 rushing yards. Taylor averages 142.1 yards per game, third-best in the country. Miami, home of the now-famous “turnover chain,” has forced 30 turnovers, second most in the nation. The Hurricanes also lead the country with 43 sacks.
Outback, at Tampa, Fla.: Michigan (8-4) vs. South Carolina (8-4)
Jan. 1, 9 a.m., ESPN2
Redshirt freshman Brandon Peters is 2-0 as Michigan's starting quarterback and has four touchdowns and no interceptions in limited play this year. He hasn’t played since getting knocked out of a Nov. 18 game against Wisconsin but has been cleared for this game. Bryan McClendon has been South Carolina’s co-offensive coordinator for the last two years but will call the plays for the first time in his career. The Gamecocks can win nine games just two years after finishing 3-9 and two years into the coach Will Muschamp era.
Peach, at Atlanta: No. 12 Central Florida (12-0) vs. No. 7 Auburn (10-3)
Jan. 1, 9:30 a.m., ESPN
Scott Frost has already started recruiting for his new job at Nebraska, but the Associated Press coach of the year has one game left at Central Florida. The Knights were 0-12 in 2015 before Frost took over but now are a win away from their first-ever undefeated season. Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton (3,795 yards, 35 touchdowns, both school records) leads the nation’s highest-scoring offense (49.4 points per game), but it’s tough to score on Auburn (17.3 points per game). Kerryon Johnson (1,320 yards, 17 touchdowns) gave the Tigers a 1,000-yard rusher for the ninth straight year, an SEC record.
Citrus, at Orlando: No. 14 Notre Dame (9-3) vs. No. 17 Louisiana State (9-3)
Jan. 1, 10 a.m., Channel 7
Led by a pair of All-Americans, left tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Quenton Nelson, Notre Dame won the Joe Moore Award for the country’s best offensive line. The Fighting Irish pick up an average of 6.37 yards a carry, third-best in the nation, and sophomore Josh Adams rushed for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns. LSU gives up 126.4 rushing yards a game and has 35 team sacks, including 6.5 from senior defensive tackle Greg Gilmore. Coach Ed Orgeron has already coached the Tigers to their 18th straight winning season, but now they’re looking to hit the 10-win mark for the first time since 2013.
Rose, at Pasadena: No. 3 Georgia (12-1) vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (12-1)
Jan. 1, 2 p.m., ESPN
Following the retirement of longtime coach Bob Stoops, Oklahoma didn’t miss a beat under Lincoln Riley this season and made the College Football Playoff for the second time in the format’s four-year existence. Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield (4,340 yards, 41 touchdowns) leads the country in a slew of passing categories, including efficiency (203.8), yards per attempt (11.76), yards per completion (16.56) and completion percentage (.710). But he’s going against the second-best pass defense in the country, with Georgia allowing only 158.3 yards per game. The Bulldogs’ Nick Chubb has 4,599 career rushing yards, second-most in the history of the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is playing in the College Football Playoffs for the first time and in a New Year’s Six bowl game for the first time since the 2007 season.
Sugar, at New Orleans: No. 4 Alabama (11-1) vs. No. 1 Clemson (11-1)
Jan. 1, 5:45 p.m., ESPN
These teams met in the CFP championship game in each of the two previous seasons, with each winning one title apiece. Last year’s showdown was a classic, with Clemson winning on receiver Hunter Renfrow’s touchdown catch with one second remaining. Renfrow is still with the Tigers, but most of Clemson’s other skill players have little playoff experience. Alabama didn’t play in the SEC title game and lacks a signature win this season but is a slight favorite over Clemson. Both teams have dual-threat quarterbacks: Alabama’s Jalen Hurts had 23 total touchdowns, with only one pass intercepted all season, and Clemson’s Kelly Bryant accounted for 24 touchdowns. The Alabama defense is second in the nation in points allowed (12.8 per game) and overall defense, allowing just 94.1 rushing yards and 163.7 passing yards per game.
College Football Championship, at Atlanta
Winner of Rose Bowl vs. winner of Sugar Bowl
Jan. 8, 5 p.m., ESPN
Twitter: @chewkiii
UPDATES:
Dec. 22, 12:35 p.m.: This article was updated with results of completed games and additional analysis.
This article was originally published on Dec. 15 at 12:10 p.m.