TODAY’S BOWL GAMES
All times Central
TaxSlayer Bowl
SITE EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Fla. TV (TIME) 11 a.m. (ESPN) LINE Louisville by 6½
SERIES Tied 2-2.
KEY MATCHUP
Mississippi State’s defense vs. QB Lamar Jackson. Louisville’s all-everything quarterback leads the nation in total offense with 4,932 yards, including 3,489 passing and 1,443 rushing. He was voted Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and finished third in the Heisman voting. The Bulldogs rank in the top 25 nationally in six defensive categories.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
MISSISSIPPI STATE Freshman QB Keytaon Thompson will make his first career start in place of injured Nick Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald broke his right ankle in the first quarter of the Egg Bowl against rival Mississippi last month.
LOUISVILLE WR Jaylen Smith has 53 receptions for 873 yards and 6 TDs in 9 games. Smith missed three games with a left wrist injury. He has 4 TDs during the team’s three-game winning streak.
Liberty Bowl
IOWA STATE (7-5) VS. NO. 20 MEMPHIS (10-2) SITE Liberty Bowl, Memphis TIME (TV) 11:30 a.m. (ABC) LINE Memphis by 4½ SERIES First meeting
KEY MATCHUP
Memphis passing game vs. Iowa State pass defense: Riley Ferguson and Anthony Miller have connected on 30 TD passes over the past two seasons. That high-powered passing attack has enabled Memphis to average 50 points and over 500 yards in home games this season. The Liberty Bowl is taking place on Memphis’ home field. Iowa State ranks 28th nationally in scoring defense but is 101st in pass efficiency defense.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
IOWA STATE LB Joel Lanning. He ranks second in the Big 12 in tackles per game (9.2) and also occasionally plays quarterback in short-yardage situations. He was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award given annually to the nation’s most versatile player.
MEMPHIS Miller. He has 236 career catches for 3,535 yards and 36 TDs to rank as the leading receiver in school history. He’s the first Memphis player to produce multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
Fiesta Bowl
NO. 9 PENN STATE (10-2) VS. NO. 11 WASHINGTON (10-2) SITE University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
TIME (TV) 3 p.m. (ESPN)
LINE Penn State by 2½
SERIES Penn State leads 2-0.
KEY MATCHUP
Penn State RB Saquon Barkley against Washington’s defense. Once a top contender for the Heisman Trophy, Barkley rushed for 1,134 yards and 16 TDs. He’s going against a Washington defense that was No. 1 in the FBS against the run, allowing 92.3 yards per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PENN STATE QB Trace McSorley. The senior threw for 3,228 yards and 26 TDs with 8 INTs while completing 65 percent of his passes.
WASHINGTON QB Jake Browning. The junior holds numerous school records and threw for 2,544 yards and 18 TDs with 5 INTs this season.
Orange Bowl
NO. 6 WISCONSIN (12-1) VS. NO. 10 MIAMI (10-2) SITE Hard Rock Stadium, Miami TIME (TV) 7 p.m. (ESPN)
LINE Wisconsin by 5
SERIES Tied 2-2
KEY MATCHUP
Miami RB Travis Homer vs. Wisconsin front seven. The Hurricanes must run the ball to give a depleted receiving group a chance. Wisconsin is giving up 3.0 yards per carry and has allowed five rushing TDs all season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WISCONSIN RB Jonathan Taylor. The freshman is for real, with 1,847 rushing yards and 13 TDs. He’s had at least one carry of 40 or more yards in seven of the Badgers’ 13 games, but he’s coming off a Big Ten title game where Ohio State found a way to keep him bottled up.
MIAMI WR Braxton Berrios. He leads Miami in catches and is 1 TD catch away from becoming the fifth Hurricane since 2000 with 10 TD grabs in a season. The others were Leonard Hankerson, Phillip Dorsett, Andre Johnson and Reggie Wayne.