Bowl Games Schedule 2015-16: Full College Football Postseason Slate and Picks
For even the most casual college football fan, the holidays and bowl season complement each other like peanut butter and jelly—it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Aside from the three contests within the College Football Playoff, now in its second year, there are 39 remaining bowl games featuring plenty of great matchups.
With just two days until bowl season, here is a look at the grand slate and picks for each game, as well as a glance at a few other matchups outside the CFP.
| Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl | Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T | 12 p.m. | ABC | North Carolina A&T |
| Gillian New Mexico Bowl | Arizona vs. New Mexico | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | BYU vs. Utah | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Utah |
| Raychem Media Camellia Bowl | Ohio vs. Appalachian State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Appalachian State |
| Cure Bowl | San Jose State vs. Georgia State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN | Georgia State |
| R+L Carrier New Orleans Bowl | Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Arkansas State |
| Miami Beach Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. South Florida | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | South Florida |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Akron vs. Utah State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Utah State |
| Marmot Boca Raton Bowl | Toledo vs. Temple | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Temple |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | Boise State vs. Northern Illinois | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | Boise State |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia Southern |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Middle Tennessee |
| Hawai'i Bowl | San Diego State vs. Cincinnati | 8 p.m. | ESPN | San Diego State |
| St. Petersburg Bowl | Connecticut vs. Marshall | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Marshall |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Miami vs. Washington State | 2 p.m. | CBS | Washington State |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Washington vs. Southern Miss | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | Southern Miss |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Indiana vs. Duke | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Duke |
| Camping World Independence Bowl | Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | Virginia Tech |
| Foster Farms Bowl | UCLA vs. Nebraska | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | UCLA |
| Military Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Navy | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Pittsburgh |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Minnesota | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 | Central Michigan |
| Lockhead Martin Armed Forces Bowl | California vs. Air Force | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Air Force |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | North Carolina vs. Baylor | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | North Carolina |
| NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl | Nevada vs. Colorado State | 7:30 p.m. | Campus Insiders | Colorado State |
| AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl | LSU vs. Texas Tech | 9 p.m. | ESPN | LSU |
| Birmingham Bowl | Auburn vs. Memphis | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Auburn |
| Belk Bowl | NC State vs. Mississippi State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Mississippi State |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Texas A&M vs. Louisville | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Texas &AM |
| Holiday Bowl | USC vs. Wisconsin | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | USC |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Houston vs. Florida State | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Florida State |
| College Football Playoff Semifinal – Orange Bowl | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | 4 p.m. | ESPN | Clemson |
| College Football Playoff Semifinal – Cotton Bowl | Michigan State vs. Alabama | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama |
| Outback Bowl | Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | Tennessee |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | Michigan vs. Florida | 1 p.m. | ABC | Michigan |
| Fiesta Bowl | Notre Dame vs. Ohio State | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Ohio State |
| Rose Bowl | Stanford vs. Iowa | 5 p.m. | ESPN | Stanford |
| Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Oklahoma State |
| Taxslayer Bowl | Penn State vs. Georgia | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Kansas State vs. Arkansas | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | Arkansas |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | Oregon vs. TCU | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | Oregon |
| Motel 6 Cactus Bowl | Arizona State vs. West Virginia | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona State |
Citrus Bowl: Michigan vs. Florida
The Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators matchup is one between two historical programs that were also the two biggest surprises in college football this year.
Each had endured uncharacteristically down years. Each hired a new coach last offseason. Each was expected to return to the national spotlight in a few years. Each took college football by storm by doing so earlier than expected.
The matchup of intrigue has already been one hot on the ticket market, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell:
Florida, despite a downward trend of late—having lost two in a row and needing overtime to beat 3-9 Florida Atlantic—is considered one of the biggest successes in the SEC this year, having reached the conference title game after being predicted by the media to finish fifth in the lowly Eastern division.
The Wolverines are a win away from what would be their first 10-win season since 2011, and accomplishing such a feat in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first year would be a resounding success.
Like Florida, Michigan is coming off a deflating loss and will have much to play for. The Wolverines were trumped 42-13 at home by archrival Ohio State in the regular season finale in what was their worst output of the year with just one offensive touchdown.
This game will be one featuring remarkable defense, as both teams rank among the top-tier in the FBS in most defensive categories:
| Florida | Michigan | |
| Total Defense | 295.4 yards (6th) | 281.3 yards (4th) |
| Scoring Defense | 16.5 points (8th) | 17.2 points (11th) |
| Pass Defense | 174.8 (11th) | 158.8 yards (3rd) |
| Run Defense | 120.6 yards (17th) | 122.6 yards (18th) |
| 3rd Down Defense | 31 percent (12th) | 25.6 percent (3rd) |
The Gators will present plenty of problems for the Wolverines, but Michigan will ultimately have the upper hand with a more capable offense behind quarterback Jake Rudock, fifth among the Big Ten with a 138.9 quarterback rating and a 64 completion percentage with 2,739 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Prediction: Michigan 17, Florida 9
Rose Bowl: Iowa vs. Stanford
Iowa and Stanford were just barely on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff, but they will meet in game that shouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.
The Rose Bowl. "The Granddaddy of Them All." The 103rd edition. There’s a lot at stake here even without a national title on the line.
Stanford head coach David Shaw alluded that this type of matchup—along with the Fiesta Bowl featuring No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Notre Dame—could propel the argument for a larger playoff field, per Scott Dochterman of the Gazette in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids:
"I just know this year is a part of the process where you have these teams in Stanford and Iowa and Ohio State that you could make a case could be in a playoff, and it would be a phenomenal playoff. So I have no problems with where we are now. I just do believe eventually, it will become an eight-team playoff because it’s the only thing that makes sense.
"
The Cardinal’s playoff bid ended with their second loss of the season to Oregon in Week 11, but it still went on to convincingly win the Pac-12 title.
Iowa is already in the midst of its best season in program history, now at 12 wins, but the Hawkeyes are on the heels of a gut-wrenching, last-second loss to playoff-bound Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
They haven’t played in the Rose Bowl since 1990—probably before most of the players on the current team were born.
Iowa will have a hard time containing all-purpose running back Christian McCaffrey, though, who took to Twitter to express his hopes of finishing the season on a high note after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting:
The experienced Cardinal, playing in their fourth Rose Bowl in five years, will be too tall a task here for Iowa, which should put up an early fight but fade late.
Prediction: Stanford 32, Iowa 21
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