TODAY’S BOWL GAMES
Outback MICHIGAN (8-4) VS. SOUTH CAROLINA (8-4)
at Tampa, Fla., 9 a.m., ESPN2 Players from the two teams had to be separated by officers with Florida Highway Patrol during a scuffle at an Outback Bowl event Wednesday in downtown Tampa. Nobody was arrested and no one threw any punches. 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 Will Muschamp era.
Peach
NO. 12 CENTRAL FLORIDA (12-0) VS. NO. 7 AUBURN (10-3)
at Atlanta, 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 firstever 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). SEC offensive player of the year Kerryon Johnson (1,320 yards, 17 touchdowns) gave the Tigers a 1,000-yard rusher for the ninth straight year, a conference record.
Citrus
NO. 14 NOTRE DAME (9-3) VS. NO. 17 LOUISIANA STATE (9-3)
at Orlando, Fla., 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. The Tigers, who will finish above .500 for the 18th straight season, are looking to hit the 10-win mark for the first time since 2013.
Rose NO. 3 GEORGIA (12-1) VS. NO. 2 OKLAHOMA (12-1)
at Pasadena, 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 NO. 4 ALABAMA (11-1) VS. NO. 1 CLEMSON (12-1)
at New Orleans, 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.