COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GUIDE 2017-18
FIESTA BOWL No. 9 PENN STATE (10-2) vs. No. 12 WASHINGTON (10-2)
When: Dec. 30, 4 p.m. EST
Site: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
TV: ESPN
Outlook: Penn State leads series 2-0, and this is the first meeting since the 1983 Aloha Bowl. A few months back, this matchup could have been sold as a plausible national semifinal in the traditional home of the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions: The Rose Bowl. Instead, Penn State suffered a pair of close losses to Ohio State and Michigan State in back-to-back weeks while Washington, already bedeviled with strength of schedule issues, fell to Arizona State and Stanford to fade from Pac-12 title contention. Still, it’s a fascinating pairing and one with the potential to lead to fireworks in the desert --- or a low-scoring game. Penn State junior TB Saquon Barkley is likely to play his final college game in this one after finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. That probably undersells the impact he’s had on the Nittany Lions as a vital rusher (1,134 yards), receiver (47 catches, 594 yards) and kick returner this season. His matchup against a Washington defense that ranks first nationally against the run is one of the most fascinating of this bowl season. Washington counters with TB Myles Gaskin (1,282 yards rushing), QB Jake Browning and a potent offense filled with players who participated in the Huskies’ semifinal loss to Alabama a season ago. Penn State ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense (15.5 points per game), and allowed just three opponents (Ohio State, Michigan State and Nebraska) to top the 20-point plateau. The Nittany Lions are attempting to secure back-to-back 11-win seasons for the first time since 2008-09, while Washington is trying to do so for the first time.
ORANGE BOWL No. 6 WISCONSIN (12-1) at No. 11 MIAMI (10-2)
When: Dec. 30, 8 p.m. EST
Site: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Outlook: Series tied 2-2, and Wisconsin won the most recent meeting in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl. This is the consolation prize for a pair of teams that were undefeated entering Thanksgiving but ultimately fell in their respective conference title games. Wisconsin plowed through the manageable Big Ten West before encountering Ohio State in the league final, but it is still an imposing test for any opponent. Freshman TB Jonathan Taylor (1,847 yards) anchors a classic Badger ground-and-pound offense that ranks 21st nationally in rushing yards (229.2 per game) and 29th in scoring (33.8 points per game). Wisconsin’s ball control approach helped it finish the regular season ranked third in the country in time of possession (35:09), but it is hardly the offense that warrants the greatest accolades for the Badgers. Wisconsin leads the country in total defense (253.2 yards per game allowed), and checks in at No. 2 (92.6 yards per game) and No. 4 against the pass. That will be quite the test for a Miami team which is one of four programs (along with Florida Atlantic, Memphis and Navy) that get to play in their home stadiums during this bowl season. The Hurricanes lost TB Mark Walton to injury in the middle of the season, and will be without two of QB Malik Rosier’s favorite targets --- TE Chris Herndon IV and WR Ahmmon Richards --- in the school’s first Orange Bowl appearance since after the 2003 season. Miami has dropped its last two games, and will likely need its ballhawking defense --- the one that inspired the gaudy Turnover Chain --- to come up big if it is to avoid another setback.
PEACH BOWL No. 7 AUBURN (10-3) vs.
No. 10 CENTRAL FLORIDA (12-0)
When: Jan. 1, 12:30 p.m. EST
Site: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
TV: ESPN
Outlook: Auburn leads series 3-0, though the teams have not met since 1999. It’s the swan song for the second-year coach Scott Frost at Central Florida. The Associated Press coach of the year took the job at his alma mater, Nebraska, but is remaining with the Knights as they look to complete an undefeated seasons and add a bowl triumph over Auburn to the victory over Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2013 season. Central Florida, just two years removed from a winless season, claimed the American Athletic Conference with a high-scoring title game defeat of Memphis to lock up the automatic spot for the Group of Five in the New Year’s Six structure. QB McKenzie Milton enjoyed a stellar season, but will find himself challenged by an Auburn defense that ranks 10th nationally in points allowed and 14th in total yardage yielded. The Tigers received stabilizing quarterback play from Jarrett Stidham throughout the year, and it allowed them to re-emerge as a serious factor in the SEC race. Nonetheless, their offensive identity is still built around running the ball, and that means TB Kerryon Johnson (1,320 yards) will be a major factor against Central Florida. Despite shoulder and rib injuries, Johnson is expected to play in this New Year’s Day tussle. Auburn came a game shy of emerging from a brutal late-season stretch to bag a playoff berth, but after hammering Georgia and handling Alabama at home in the final three weeks of the regular season, the Tigers fell to Georgia 28-7 in a rematch in the SEC title game. Now, Gus Malzahn’s team returns to Atlanta to cap its best season since playing for the national title in 2013.
OUTBACK BOWL MICHIGAN (8-4) vs. SOUTH CAROLINA (8-4)
When: Jan. 1, Noon EST Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla. TV: ESPN2
Outlook: South Carolina leads series 2-1, including a 33-28 victory in the 2013 Outback Bowl. This is an early candidate for the lowest-scoring game of this year’s postseason. South Carolina is giving up just 20.8 points per game, while Michigan owns the nation’s top pass defense, the No. 3 total defense and yields only 18.3 yards per game.
The Wolverines are also 101st in total yardage, while South Carolina is 108th. Don’t expect a scoreboard-buster in Tampa to ring in the new year.
CITRUS BOWL No. 16 LOUISIANA STATE (9-3) vs. No. 14 NOTRE DAME (9-3)
When: Jan. 1, 1 p.m. EST Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Fla. TV: ABC
Outlook: Notre Dame leads series 6-5 and won the last meeting 31-28 in the 2014 Music City Bowl. Both teams had turnarounds in 2017, only they came at different times. Notre Dame reinvented itself in the offseason as a power rushing team, and QB Brandon Wimbush and TB Josh Adams are the primary reasons the Fighting Irish bounced back from a 4-8 season. Louisiana State was 2-2 after a loss to Troy, but stiffened behind TB Derrius Guice to win seven of eight (with the lone loss against Alabama) to close out the regular season.