BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS a Little Bit of Everything by KEVIN Mcnamara
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BOWL SEASON OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020 BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS A Little Bit of Everything By KEVIN McNAMARA owl Season has arrived. traditional, rivalry games and virtually all inter- The most unpredictable regular season conference contests, the bowls will create a window Bin college football history has ended. to see just which conference appears best in 2020. Challenges posed by the pandemic have left We will leave the College Football Playoff thousands of players, many teams and 16 bowl matchups between Alabama-Notre Dame (Rose games on the sidelines Bowl) and Clemson- but the 56 fortunate “Our opportunity to play another Ohio State (Allstate teams that will compete Sugar Bowl) to another in 28 bowl games can’t game against a top-10 opponent day. Here is a look at wait to turn the page fires us up.” the many intriguing and enjoy postseason games on tap in Bowl competition. – KIRBY SMART Season: (all times Georgia Buldogs Head Coach “I had the great fortune Eastern): a long time ago to get to play in that bowl game as a player,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in hearing Famous Idaho Potato Bowl that his team would play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Nevada (6-2) vs. Tulane (6-5) Bowl against unbeaten Cincinnati. “When we played in it, it wasn’t nearly as prestigious as it is now. I know Nevada started 5-0 but lost DEC. 22 our guys are excited to get another time to play. Our to bowl teams Hawaii and 3:30pm | ESPN opportunity to play another game against a top-10 unbeaten San Jose State opponent fires us up.” down the stretch. Tulane Smart’s sentiments are echoed throughout began the season 2-4 but rallied into Bowl Season by college football. The bowls have created some winning four of its last five and will hope for a third fantastic matchups. After being robbed of so many consecutive bowl victory. BOWL SEASON | November 2020 1 BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl BYU (10-1) vs. UCF (6-3) Georgia Southern (7-5) vs. Louisiana Tech (5-4) BYU is only a narrow loss DEC. 22 Louisiana Tech has won six DEC. 23 to Coastal Carolina away consecutive bowl games 7pm | ESPN 3pm | ESPN from an unbeaten season and face an Eagles team and shot at a New Year’s that has lost three of its last Day bowl. Now get ready for a shootout. The Cougars four contests. Bulldog quarterback Luke Anthony average 43 points per game, topped only by five (16 TD’s to only 5 interceptions) is dangerous. teams. Central Florida (44.3) is one of them. Montgomery Bowl Florida Atlantic (5-3) vs. Memphis (7-3) Conference USA has a DEC. 23 whopping seven bowl 7pm | ESPN READY TO GO: teams. The American Memphis won’t be Athletic Conference has six. a pushover in the Something’s got to give in this matchup between the Montgomery Bowl, leagues. having won seven games in 2020. 2 BOWL SEASON | November 2020 New Mexico Bowl Hawaii (4-4) vs. Houston (3-4) Thanks to their friends at DEC. 24 Toyota Stadium in Frisco, 3:30pm | ESPN Tex., the New Mexico Bowl is up and running. Ah, 2020. Hawaii always seems to be bowling while welcoming a foe to the Hawaiian Islands. Will Houston have some rust? The Cougars have played just once since Nov. 14 due to assorted COVID issues. WELCOMED GUESTS:: Hawaii usually is the host during Bowl Season. This year they’re coming to North Texas to play in the New Mexico Bowl vs. Houston. Camellia Bowl SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Buffalo (5-1) vs. Marshall (7-2) Louisiana (9-1) vs. UTSA (7-4) It’s Christmas and you love DEC. 25 The Ragin’ Cajuns are a DEC. 26 football so you’ll love the team you need to see. They 2:30pm | ESPN 3:30pm | ABC action in Montgomery, Ala. beat Iowa State (31-14) way Marshall was riding high back in September and are at 7-0 before losing to Rice and then to Alabama- only a narrow loss to Coastal Carolina (30-27) from Birmingham in the C-USA championship game. perfection. BOWL SEASON | November 2020 3 BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS LendingTree Bowl Georgia State (5-4) vs. Western Kentucky (5-6) This game at historic DEC. 26 Ladd-Peebles Stadium 3:30pm | ESPN features two teams that long to achieve a winning season. Western Kentucky is riding a three-game win streak into Bowl Season. Cure Bowl Coastal Carolina (11-0) vs. Liberty (9-1) You’d have to tune into DEC. 26 a College Football Playoff 7:30pm | ESPN game to find teams SHOWING WHAT THEY GOT: with fewer losses. The Coastal Carolina earned an Chanticleers are playing for perfection against a entertaining 22-17 win over Liberty whose only blemish was a 15-14 loss to North BYU on Dec. 5, a game that Carolina State. came together just a few days before kickoff. 4 BOWL SEASON | November 2020 Cheez-It Bowl Miami (8-2) vs. Oklahoma State (7-3) This is a battle between DEC. 29 two teams that appeared 5:30pm | ESPN headed for conference title games just a few weeks ago. The Hurricanes still don’t know what happened in a 62-26 loss to North Carolina, while the Cowboys hope to wipe away the bad taste of close losses to Oklahoma and TCU. HIGH FLYING CANES: D’Eriq King has injected excitement into the Miami Hurricane offense. Valero Alamo Bowl Duke's Mayo Bowl Texas (6-3) vs. Colorado (4-1) Wake Forest (4-4) vs. Wisconsin (3-3) If bowl game scripts were DEC. 29 The Badgers owned DEC. 30 written in Hollywood, national title aspirations 9pm | ESPN Noon | ESPN this would be the perfect this season but few career exit for Longhorn programs were more quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The Austin native has ravaged by COVID-19. Wake was a perfect 4-0 in starred (93 passing TD’s, 33 rushing) for his hometown October but hasn’t won since Halloween. school and can go out with a win in San Antonio. The Buffaloes own other ideas. BOWL SEASON | November 2020 5 BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS TransPerfect Music City Bowl Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Iowa (6-2) vs. Missouri (5-5) Florida (8-3) vs. Oklahoma (8-2) Beginning with this DEC. 30 Expect a shootout in DEC. 30 contest in Nashville, SEC Arlington as neither team 4pm | ESPN 8pm | ESPN fans can see 10 of their has scored fewer than 27 teams play over the next points this season. The four days. Iowa is out to show that the Big 10’s Sooners just won a sixth straight Big 12 championship abbreviated schedule has still produced in the same stadium, while the Gators hope to relive powerhouse teams. the joy of their last meeting with Oklahoma. That would be a 24-14 win in the 2008 BCS championship game for the program’s last national title. FINISHING STRONG: Tulsa will close out its impressive season with a match up with SEC opponent Mississippi State. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Tulsa (6-2) vs. Mississippi State (3-7) This is a great test case DEC. 31 for the strength of the Noon | ESPN American. Tulsa has enjoyed an excellent season and just lost in the conference championship game to unbeaten Cincinnati, 27-24. Mississippi State has struggled under first-year coach Mike Leach and will look to throw the ball against Tulsa’s strong defense. 6 BOWL SEASON | November 2020 Arizona Bowl San Jose State (7-0) vs. Ball State (6-1) Spartans quarterback DEC. 31 Nick Starkel spent his first 2pm | CBS three seasons at Texas A&M and Arkansas but found perfection in San Jose. Starkel led San Jose to its first- ever win over Boise State in the Mountain West title game, breaking Derek Carr’s passing record with 453 yards and three TD’s. FIRST THINGS FIRST: Nick Starkel led San Jose State to an undefeated season (7-0) and its first Mountain West title. AutoZone Liberty Bowl Mercari Texas Bowl West Virginia (5-4) vs. Army (9-2) Arkansas (3-7) vs. TCU (6-4) Let’s hand it to the DEC. 31 These old rivals from the DEC. 31 Mountaineers! It didn’t look Southwest Conference 4pm | ESPN 8 pm | ESPN like a very good Army team days get a chance to would find a Bowl Season wake up the memories in dance partner but this matchup looks like a good one Houston. TCU has won five of its last six games and in Memphis. WVU was unbeaten at home but 0-4 on quarterback Max Duggan will throw the ball all over the road this season. The Cadets are looking for a fifth the field. straight bowl victory. BOWL SEASON | November 2020 7 BOWL SEASON MATCHUPS WORTHY FOE: Cincinnati and its high-powered offense will take on Georgia’s vaunted defense in Atlanta. Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Cincinnati (9-0) vs. Georgia (7-2) This is the annual put- JAN. 1 up-or-shut-up game. The Noon | ESPN Bearcats were a legitimate contender for the CFP. Can they prove themselves vs. a Georgia team that only lost to Alabama and Florida? Vrbo Citrus Bowl TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Auburn (6-4) vs. Northwestern (6-2) NC State (8-3) vs. Kentucky (4-6) This game looks good JAN. 1 The Wolfpack rallied into JAN. 2 on paper but how will Bowl Season with four 1pm | ABC Noon | ESPN it translate to the field? straight victories.