TODAY’S BOWL GAMES
Birmingham Bowl
NO. 20 HOUSTON (11-2) VS AUBURN (6-6)
WHEN 11 a.m. Central (ESPN)
LINE Auburn by 21/2
SERIES RECORD Auburn leads 5-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Houston is seeking its third 12-plus win season after winning 13 in both 2011 and 2015. Auburn, meanwhile, is trying to halt a four-game skid before heading into the offseason.
KEY MATCHUP
Auburn’s offensive line, which is minus three starters, versus Houston’s defensive line. The Cougars rank fifth nationally in sacks per game (3.38) and had seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss in the regular-season finale at UConn.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AUBURN QB T.J. Finley gets another chance to state his case as the future starter after replacing an injured Bo Nix, who has transferred to Oregon. HOUSTON RB Alton McCaskill has run for 883 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named American Athletic Conference rookie of the year.
FACTS & FIGURES
Auburn’s offensive line will be without injured center Nick Brahms, tackle Brodarious Hamm (NFL draft) and Tashawn Manning (transfer to Kentucky). … Marcus Jones’ departure leaves a big void for Houston. The Paul Hornung Award winner as college football’s most versatile player returned two punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns this season and had five interceptions.
First Responder Bowl
AIR FORCE (9-3) VS. LOUISVILLE (6-6)
WHEN 2:15 p.m. Central (ESPN)
LINE Louisville by 1 1 /2
SERIES RECORD First meeting
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Air Force has won its last three games and has a chance to get to 10 wins for the fourth time in eight seasons. Louisville needs a win to avoid consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2008-09.
KEY MATCHUP
Louisville’s rushing defense against Air Force’s NCAA-best rushing offense that didn’t throw a pass in its last game. The Falcons run for nearly 341 yards game and have 42 rushing TDs. The Cardinals allowed 545 yards rushing, and nearly 6.9 yards per carry, in their last two games.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
AIR FORCE LB Vince Sanford is second on the Falcons with 56 tackles. He has 17 tackles for losses, and 9 ½ sacks.
LOUISVILLE QB Malik Cunningham needs 266 yards passing, 32 yards rushing, 2 passing TDs and one rushing TD to become the fifth QB in NCAA history with 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing, along with 20 passing and 20 rushing TDs in the same season.
FACTS & FIGURES
Louisville, at 231 yards passing and 211 yards rushing a game, is the only team to average 200 yards passing and 200 yards rushing in each of the past three seasons. … Air Force is 13-13-1 in bowl games, 5-5 in Coach Troy Calhoun’s 15 seasons.
Liberty Bowl
TEXAS TECH (6-6) VS. MISSISSIPPI ST. (7-5)
WHEN 5:45 p.m. Central (ESPN)
LINE Mississippi State by 9
SERIES RECORD Mississippi State leads 4-2-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Mississippi State can finish with eight wins for the first time since 2018, and Coach Mike Leach could become the first Bulldogs coach to cap his first two seasons with bowl victories. Texas Tech can notch its first winning record since going 7-6 in 2015 despite a loss in the Texas Bowl.
KEY MATCHUP
Mississippi State’s passing game against Texas Tech’s defense. Will Rogers has thrown for at least 300 yards in 10 consecutive games, and the Bulldogs average 385.7 yards passing per game in Leach’s Air Raid offense. That ranks third nationally. Texas Tech allows an average of 266.4 yards passing per game (117th in the country).
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TEXAS TECH QB Donovan Smith. The freshman will be making his fourth career start in this bowl, becoming only the third freshman in school history and second in the Big 12 era to start a bowl game. He has completed 63.1% of his passes for 929 yards and 6 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions.
MISSISSIPPI STATE WR Makai Polk. He has caught a school record 98 passes this season for 989 yards, and the junior has had four games with 100 yards or more receiving.
FACTS & FIGURES
Mississippi State is one of eight programs nationally and fourth from the SEC to make a bowl each of the last 12 years along with Alabama, Georgia and Texas A&M. They beat Tulsa last year in the Armed Forces Bowl. … Sonny Cumbie will wrap up his stint as Texas Tech’s interim coach in this game and will move to his new job as Louisiana Tech’s head coach. Cumbie is 1-3 since replacing Matt Wells.
Holiday Bowl
UCLA (8-4) VS. NO. 18 NC STATE (9-3)
WHEN 7 p.m. Central (Fox)
LINE NC State by 1
SERIES RECORD UCLA leads 2-0
WHAT’S AT STAKE
NC State is trying to finish with double digit wins for just the second time in school history. The Wolfpack’s best finish was 11-3 in 2002 behind junior quarterback Philip Rivers. UCLA is looking for its first bowl win since beating Kansas State 40-35 in the 2014 Alamo Bowl.
KEY MATCHUP
NC State record-setting QB Devin Leary against UCLA’s defense. Leary threw four TD passes in the regular season finale against North Carolina to give him 35, breaking the school single-season record of 34 by Rivers in 2003. Leary has distributed those 35 TD passes to nine different players.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson became the sixth Bruins player to achieve 3,000 yards of total offense in a season. He has 2,409 yards passing and 21 touchdowns, and 609 yards rushing with seven touchdowns.
NC STATE All-American LT Ikem Ekwonu is considered by many to be the best offensive lineman in the country. He was a finalist for the Outland Trophy and was named first team All-ACC.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Holiday Bowl will be played at Petco Park, the downtown home of baseball’s Padres, with a capacity of 41,000. The game needed a new home after the site of the first 42 games, 70,000-seat SDCCU Stadium, was torn down to make room for San Diego State’s new stadium. The Holiday Bowl has a five-year deal to play at Petco Park.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
WEST VIRGINIA (6-6) VS. MINNESOTA (8-4)
WHEN 9:15 p.m. Central (ESPN)
LINE Minnesota by 4
SERIES RECORD First meeting
WHAT’S AT STAKE
Minnesota is looking to win its fifth consecutive bowl game, third under coach P.J. Fleck. West Virginia is looking to win its second consecutive bowl game after losing three in a row.
KEY MATCHUP
West Virginia RB Tony Mathis vs. Minnesota’s run defense. The Gophers are fourth nationally in total defense and ninth against the run, holding teams to 100 yards per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
WEST VIRGINIA QB Jarret Doege. With the Mountaineers figuring to struggle against Minnesota’s run D, Doege will likely have to have a big day for them to have a chance. The senior has passed for 2,908 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
MINNESOTA RBs Ky Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving. The Gophers have been hit hard by injuries at running back, losing leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim after he was injured in the opener and Trey Potts on Oct. 3. Thomas and Irving have combined for 1,250 yards and 9 TDs.
FACTS & FIGURES
The game will be played at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. … West Virginia opened the season 2-4, but became bowl eligible by winning four of its final six games. … Minnesota is 0-3 all-time in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, previously named the Insight Bowl before changing sponsors.