6 College Football Bowl Games with Biggest Recruiting Implications
The final weeks of the 2014 college football season begins with bowl season and will conclude with a push toward national signing day.
With a bowl lineup that offers several juicy matchups between now and the national title game on Jan. 12, a handful of games will provide some intrigue on the recruiting trail.
Both College Football Playoff semifinals feature teams who currently have top-20 recruiting classes, while a few others offer meetings between traditional recruiting powers.
Which bowl games in the 2014 postseason have the biggest recruiting implications?
6. Oklahoma vs. Clemson: Russell Athletic Bowl
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One of the more interesting matchups in the 2014 bowl lineup pits Oklahoma against Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
From a recruiting standpoint, Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are crushing it thus far in the 2015 cycle with a class that currently sits at No. 7 nationally.
Meanwhile, the Sooners check in 14 spots below the Tigers at No. 21. Bob Stoops and his staff will try to avoid a fifth loss in a year they were widely expected to contend for a national championship.
With a win, the Tigers can reach 10 wins for the fourth year in a row.
Both programs have a lot to play for, and each can use a good performance as a springboard to help finish strong on the recruiting trail.
5, Arkansas vs. Texas: Advocare V100 Texas Bowl
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Since Arkansas bolted from the now-defunct Southwest Conference to the SEC in 1991, it has met with former border rival Texas just four times.
The Razorbacks and the Longhorns will meet in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl with each program hoping to take another critical step forward in rebuilding their once-proud programs.
For years, the Hogs have recruited the Lone Star State aggressively, and a win over the Longhorns would help that cause tremendously.
Meanwhile, for Charlie Strong and the Longhorns, earning a victory over a team from the SEC West would send a message that his program is primed to regain its status as a national power.
4. Notre Dame vs. LSU: Music City Bowl
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While Notre Dame and LSU have combined for nine losses on the season, both teams endured last-second losses to playoff teams and both schools have the potential to end up with top-10 recruiting classes when February rolls around.
The Irish have the nation’s No. 11 class, which includes a pair of Louisiana natives in 4-star offensive lineman Jerry Tillery and 3-star linebacker Bo Wallace.
On the other hand, Les Miles and the Tigers are coming off a season in which a number of key contributors—including running back Leonard Fournette and receiver Malachi Dupre—were true freshmen.
With both programs desperate for a victory to head into the offseason with momentum, the meeting between the Irish and the Tigers will also grab the attention of the primary targets considering each school.
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3. Miami vs. South Carolina: Independence Bowl
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Other than the Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Ohio State, the Independence Bowl meeting between Miami and South Carolina is the only other bowl matchup between teams who currently have classes ranked in the Top 15.
Both programs struggled on the field this season, and despite their success in recruiting, there are questions about the future of both Al Golden and Steve Spurrier in their current posts.
This meeting is also an important matchup pitting the ACC vs. the SEC, with the latter hoping for a Gamecocks victory after going 0-4 versus the ACC on rivalry weekend.
Additionally, both the Hurricanes and the Gamecocks have strong talent pools located in their home territories, and both could use a win to finish a disappointing season on a high note.
2. Oregon vs. Florida State (Rose Bowl)
5 of 6One bowl matchup oozing with intrigue is the Rose Bowl meeting between Oregon and Florida State.
The meeting between the Ducks and the Seminoles feature a battle of the nation’s top two quarterbacks, and perhaps the nation’s two foremost non-SEC powers in the last three years.
While Jimbo Fisher and the ‘Noles have been a fixture as one of the nation’s premier recruiting powers, Mark Helfrich and the Ducks are searching for the program's first top-10 class in the last decade.
A win for the Ducks would validate them as a national power, while a win for the ‘Noles would leave them on the doorstep of back-to-back national titles—which would put them in a strong position to land the nation’s top class in February.
1. Alabama vs. Ohio State: Sugar Bowl
6 of 6The Sugar Bowl meeting between Alabama and Ohio State is being billed as the renewal of the rivalry between Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.
While the two haven’t met on the field since 2010, they have had their share of duels on the recruiting trail since Meyer resurfaced as the head coach at Ohio State.
Both the Tide and the Buckeyes have classes that rank among the top five in the 247Sports Team Rankings.
Among the uncommitted recruits still considering both schools include standouts such as 5-star running back Damien Harris, 4-star offensive lineman Isaiah Prince and 3-star receiver Lawrence Cager.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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