Today’s bowl games
DUKE’S MAYO BOWL
No. 23 North Carolina State (8-4) vs. Maryland (7-5)
10 a.m.: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
Line: N.C. State by 1
On the air: Ch. 5/69
What’s at stake: A mayonnaise bath for the winning coach — and hopefully he will not get clocked over the head with a bucket like what happened last year to South Carolina’s Shane Beamer.
Key matchup: Maryland RBs Roman Hemby and Antwain Littleton vs. Wolfpack defense. With WRs Rakim Jarrett, Jacob Copeland, and Dontay Demus Jr, having left, the Terrapins are expected to lean heavily on their running game led by Hemby (924 yards, 10 TDs) and Littleton (370 yards, six TDs). N.C. State features the nation’s 12th best run defense.
SUN BOWL
No. 18 UCLA (9-3) vs. Pittsburgh (8-4)
11 a.m.: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas
Line: UCLA by 71⁄2
On the air: Ch. 8
What’s at stake: UCLA seeks its first 10-win season in five years under coach Chip Kelly, who is appearing in his first bowl game with the Bruins. They were supposed to play in the Holiday Bowl last year but withdrew because of COVID-19 issues.Pitt is trying to finish the season with at least five consecutive wins for the first time since 2001.
Key matchup: UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the nation’s No. 3 offense against Pitt’s top 20 defense. Thompson-Robinson is one of two players in FBS with at least 25 touchdown passes and 11 scoring runs while leading a unit that averages 508 yards per game. The most yards allowed by the Panthers this season was 474 in a 42-24 loss to North Carolina.
GATOR BOWL
No. 21 Notre Dame (8-4) vs No. 19 South Carolina (8-4)
12:30 p.m.: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
Line: Notre Dame by 3
On the air: ESPN
What’s at stake: Notre Dame is trying to avoid ending its season like it started: with back-to-back losses. The Fighting Irish won five in a row before falling to USC 38-27 in the regularseason finale. South Carolina, which closed the regular season by stunning then-No. 5 Tennessee and thenNo. 7 Clemson, is looking to knock off three consecutive ranked teams for the first time in school history.
Key matchup: Notre Dame’s Audric Estime and Logan Diggs versus the second-worst rushing defense in the SEC. The Gamecocks allowed nearly 200 yards a game on the ground this season, and the Irish likely will rely on Estime (825 yards, 11 TDs) and Diggs (732 yards, 3 TDs) since QB Tyler Buchner (non-throwing shoulder) is returning after missing 10 games.
ARIZONA BOWL
Ohio (9-4) vs. Wyoming (7-5) 1:30 p.m.: Arizona Stadium, Tucson
Line: Ohio by 21⁄2
Streaming: Barstool TV
What’s at stake: Ohio can finish off its first 10-win season with a victory in the desert. The Cowboys were one of the nation’s youngest teams and were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West. They ended up second.
Key matchup: Ohio’s offense vs. Wyoming’s defense. The Bobcats average nearly 32 points and 424 yards per game. The Cowboys held opponents to 23.4 points per game and were 20th nationally with 34 sacks.
ORANGE BOWL
No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) vs. No. 7 Clemson (11-2)
5 p.m.: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
Line: Clemson by 6
On the air: ESPN
What’s at stake: Tennessee can win 11 games for the first time since 2001, which was the last season in which the Volunteers finished as a top 5 team in the AP Top 25. Clemson can get to 12 wins for the sixth time in the last eight seasons; before that stretch, the Tigers hadn’t posted 12 wins in any season since 1981.
Key matchup: Tennessee QB Joe Milton vs. Clemson QB Cade Klubnik. Obviously, one won’t be facing the other head-to-head. But this game could easily be decided by which quarterback handles the big stage better.