Bowl Games 2014-15: TV Schedule, Live Stream Info, Predictions for Top Matchups

From the pre-Christmas bowls to the vaunted College Football Playoff, fans of college football will be glued to their television sets all holiday season long.

There's nothing in sports quite like bowl season. Every school invited to one of the postseason games will play in front of a national television audience, and fans often get to see dream matchups they are otherwise left at the mercy of their athletic directors to schedule. 

The momentum built from a big bowl win can't be overstated either, as it can be the difference between high hopes and downtrodden doubts entering the 2015 campaign.

Let's take a look at all of the bowl matchups on tap for the postseason and predictions for three of the biggest games on tap.

Date	Bowl	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Dec. 20	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl	Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette	11 a.m.	ESPN
Dec. 20	Gildan New Mexico Bowl	UTEP vs. Utah State	2:20 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 20	Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl	Colorado St. vs. Utah	3:30 p.m.	ABC
Dec. 20	Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Western Michigan vs. Air Force	5:45 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 20	Raycom Media Camellia Bowl	Bowling Green vs. South Alabama	9:15 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 22	Miami Beach Bowl	BYU vs. Memphis	2 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 23	Boca Raton Bowl	Marshall vs. Northern Illinois	6 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 23	San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl	Navy vs. San Diego State	9:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 24	Popeyes Bahamas Bowl	Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan	12 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 24	Sheraton Hawaii Bowl	Rice vs. Fresno State	8 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 26	Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl	Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech	1 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 26	Quick Lane Bowl	Rutgers vs. North Carolina	4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 26	BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl	NC State vs. UCF	8 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 27	Military Bowl	Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati	1 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 27	Hyundai Sun Bowl	Duke vs. Arizona State	2 p.m.	CBS
Dec. 27	Duck Commander Independence Bowl	Miami (Fl.) vs. South Carolina	3:30 p.m.	ABC
Dec. 27	New Era Pinstripe Bowl	Boston College vs. Penn State	4:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 27	National University Holiday Bowl	Nebraska vs. USC	8 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 29	AutoZone Liberty Bowl	West Virginia vs. Texas A&M	2 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 29	Russell Athletic Bowl	Clemson vs. Oklahoma	5:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 29	AdvoCare Texas Bowl	Texas vs. Arkansas	9 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 30	Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl	Notre Dame vs. LSU	3 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 30	Belk Bowl	Louisville vs. Georgia	6:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 30	Foster Farms Bowl	Maryland vs. Stanford	10 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 31	Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl	Ole Miss vs. TCU	12:30 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 31	Vizio Fiesta Bowl	Boise State vs. Arizona	4 p.m.	ESPN
Dec. 31	Capital One Orange Bowl	Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech	8 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 1	Outback Bowl	Wisconsin vs. Auburn	12 p.m.	ESPN2
Jan. 1	Goodyear Cotton Bowl	Michigan State vs. Baylor	12:30 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 1	Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl	Minnesota vs. Missouri	1 p.m.	ABC
Jan. 1	Rose Bowl Game	Oregon vs. Florida State	5 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 1	Allstate Sugar Bowl	Alabama vs. Ohio State	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 2	Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl	Pittsburgh vs. Houston	12 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 2	TaxSlayer Bowl	Iowa vs. Tennessee	3:20 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 2	Valero Alamo Bowl	Kansas State vs. UCLA	6:45 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 2	Cactus Bowl	Oklahoma St. vs.Washington	10:15 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 3	Birmingham Bowl	Florida vs. East Carolina	1 p.m.	ESPN2
Jan. 4	GoDaddy Bowl	Toledo vs. Arkansas State	9 p.m.	ESPN
Jan. 12	College Football Championship Game	TBD	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Live Stream: Games on ABC/ESPN networks streamed on WatchESPN; Hyundai Sun Bowl streamed on CBSSports.com.

Note: Bowl schedule courtesy of ESPN.com.

Predictions for Top Matchups

Peach Bowl: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 6 TCU

TCU might still be wiping the disappointment from its brow after being snubbed by the CFP committee. But the Horned Frogs will have to put that in the rearview mirror to prepare for Ole Miss in an exciting Peach Bowl matchup.

Any fan keeping close tabs on the 2014 season knows what kind of a high-flying matchup this will be, as FanSided's Patrick Schmidt shared:

Despite falling from No. 3 to No. 6 in the rankings after a 55-3 drubbing of Iowa State, TCU more than earned its chance to face one of the SEC heavyweights. And it creates quite the matchup on one side of the ball.

The Ole Miss defense has thwarted some of the nation's most prolific attacks, stifling both Mississippi State and Alabama in key victories throughout 2014. With Robert Nkemdiche wreaking havoc off the edge and Senquez Golson ball-hawking, TCU will undoubtedly face the stingiest defense it has gone up against all year.

Few quarterbacks have posted seasons as strong as that of TCU's Trevone Boykin, but the Rebels will have the team speed on defense to frustrate him.

Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace has been inconsistent, but he should find success here. In all of the Horned Frogs' games decided by one possession or less, the defense allowed 30-plus points.

TCU will be motivated by the snub and won't back down, but the Rebels have found their magic again after some late-season issues. Expect one of the best bowl matchups of the year to end in a tight victory for the Rebels.

Prediction: Ole Miss 34, TCU 30

Rose Bowl: No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State

Brian Bahr/Getty Images

In what should be a battle between Heisman Trophy winners when the time comes, the Rose Bowl between No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 Florida State will go to the most complete team. 

That's undoubtedly Marcus Mariota's Ducks.

Ever since an early October defeat at home to Arizona, Oregon has been an absolute wrecking ball. It has racked up 40 points in each of its final eight games, including a resounding 51-13 win in a rematch against the Wildcats in Friday's Pac-12 title game.

In order to continue their furious win streak, the Ducks will have to thwart the Seminoles' unbeaten streak, which has stretched over two seasons. But Florida State has been playing with fire, with seven wins by six points or fewer, and on New Year's Day, the 'Noles will get burned.

Florida State's defense has been opportunistic in making plays to allow Jameis Winston to mount game-winning drives, but no opportunities will come against Mariota—who has thrown two picks all year to Winston's 17. Both quarterbacks will bring their best, but the Ducks are peaking at the right time and will win this one convincingly. 

Prediction: Oregon 41, Florida State 30

Sugar Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State

Ohio State got the final spot in the CFP it so desperately wanted, and now the Buckeyes get the reward of playing top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

The problem with that for the Buckeyes? Their upcoming foe looks the part of a buzz saw ready to rip every one of its opponents to shreds on the football field.

The Crimson Tide's playoff hopes looked dashed with an early season loss at Ole Miss, but they've more than taken care of business since. They have risen up to tests from LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn in recent weeks and have left no doubt about their supremacy. 

As ESPN's Paul Finebaum put best, the doubters were awfully wrong:

The Buckeyes have mirrored Alabama with a dominant run of their own, beating 11 straight opponents after a shocking 14-point home loss to Virginia Tech back in Week 2. Third-string-quarterback-turned-starter Cardale Jones looked magnificent in his starting debut against Wisconsin and should find more success against a susceptible Alabama secondary.

That will only be enough to keep this one close, however. The Buckeyes' stingy defensive front will be no match for Alabama's downhill rushing attack, and Blake Sims' arm along with Amari Cooper's threat on the outside will keep Ohio State's defense on its heels.

Don't count against Alabama head coach Nick Saban with three-plus weeks to prepare.

Prediction: Alabama 31, Ohio State 24