Bowl Games 2014-15: Schedule, Predictions for Entire College Football Postseason
It’s college bowl season, which means sponsors like Royal Purple, Famous Idaho Potato and even Bitcoin take center stage for football fans looking to enjoy some postseason action.
Regardless of the sometimes amusing bowl names, there are plenty of intriguing matchups on tap during the 2014-15 college football postseason. With that in mind, here is a look at the entire schedule and predictions for each bowl showdown.
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Nevada |
| Gildan New Mexico Bowl | UTEP vs. Utah State | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | Utah State |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | Colorado State vs. No. 22 Utah | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Colorado State |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | Western Michigan |
| Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | South Alabama vs. Bowling Green | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | Bowling Green |
| Miami Beach Bowl | BYU vs. Memphis | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Memphis |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall vs. Northern Illinois | 6 p.m. | ESPN | Marshall |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | San Diego State vs. Navy | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | San Diego State |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | Noon | ESPN | Western Kentucky |
| Hawai'i Bowl | Rice vs. Fresno State | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Fresno State |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Illinois |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | North Carolina |
| BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF | 8 p.m. | ESPN | NC State |
| Military Bowl presented By Northrop Grumman | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Virginia Tech |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. No. 15 Arizona State | 2 p.m. | CBS | Arizona State |
| Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Florida) vs. South Carolina | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | South Carolina |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | Penn State |
| National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. No. 24 USC | 8 p.m. | ESPN | USC |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia vs. Texas A&M | 2 p.m. | ESPN | West Virginia |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | No. 17 Clemson vs. Oklahoma | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Oklahoma |
| AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Arkansas |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. No. 23 LSU | 3 p.m. | ESPN | LSU |
| Belk Bowl | No. 21 Louisville vs. No. 13 Georgia | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford | 10 p.m. | ESPN | Stanford |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | No. 6 TCU vs. No. 9 Ole Miss | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | TCU |
| VIZIO Fiesta Bowl | No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 20 Boise State | 4 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona |
| Capital One Orange Bowl | No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia Tech |
| Outback Bowl | No. 18 Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Auburn | Noon | ESPN | Auburn |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic | No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 8 Michigan State | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | Michigan State |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | No. 25 Minnesota vs. No. 16 Missouri | 1 p.m. | ABC | Minnesota |
| Rose Bowl | No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State | 5 p.m. | ESPN | Oregon |
| Sugar Bowl | No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston | Noon | ESPN | Houston |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | Iowa |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 14 UCLA | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | Kansas State |
| TicketCity Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Washington | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | Washington |
| Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina | 1 p.m. | ESPN or ESPN2 | East Carolina |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo vs. Arkansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Toledo |
| National Championship Bowl | TBD vs. TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama |
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Under-the-Radar Game to Watch: Utah vs. Colorado State
Colorado State has an opportunity against a Pac-12 opponent to make a statement in its bowl game, but it has more on its plate than just the upcoming contest.
Florida hired head coach Jim McElwain away from the Rams, so they will be playing without their usual leader. McElwain orchestrated one of the best offenses in the country, and there may be some fear that there will be a drop in production in the near future.
That won’t be an issue if Colorado State brings in someone associated with Oregon’s high-octane attack, which Jeremy Fowler of ESPN pointed out is a possibility:
In terms of the matchup on the field, Utah in a bowl game is as close to a sure thing as you can find in college football and is an incredible 10-1 in the postseason since 1999.
Colorado State finished 10-2 on the season, but it didn’t play a ranked opponent all year. Utah has wins over UCLA, USC and Stanford on its resume but struggled down the stretch with three losses in its final five games, including a 42-10 beatdown from Arizona.
Playing in a difficult conference means plenty of close games, and seven of Utah’s 12 contests were decided by one score. Coach Kyle Whittingham discussed the sheer number of close games, according to STATS LLC (via ESPN.com).
"Seems like every week has come down to the last possession or even the last play at times," Whittingham noted. "We're finding ways to win most of them and that's very encouraging, because the last couple years we were just the opposite of that. We were not finishing and finding ways to win those close games."
One of the key matchups in this bowl game will happen when Utah has the ball. Running back Devontae Booker finished the season with 1,350 rushing yards and nine touchdowns and should have some running room against Colorado State’s defense. The Rams allowed at least 100 rushing yards in every game they played and were 89th in the country against the run.
Utah was only 91st in the country in passing offense, so it will need to rely on Booker and that rushing attack.
On the other side, there are weapons everywhere you look when Colorado State has the ball, and it finished eighth in the country in passing yards per game. Quarterback Garrett Grayson spearheaded the attack all year and won the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. He finished with 32 touchdown passes and was second in the country in passer rating (171.3) behind only Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.
Receiver Rashard Higgins, who finished with 17 touchdowns and a nation-best 149.1 receiving yards per game, is Grayson’s primary target. Throw in running back Dee Hart, who tallied 564 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final four games, and this is a complete offense.
Utah will counter with a defense that led the nation with 52 sacks but finished a disappointing 92nd against the pass and 56th against the run. Part of that can be attributed to playing in the offense-happy Pac-12, though, considering the Utes were third in the conference in passing yards allowed per game.
Ultimately, Colorado State has too many weapons on the field for Utah with its balanced offensive attack.
If the Rams can get an early lead in this one behind Grayson, Hart and Higgins, they will force Utah to play from behind and outside of its comfort zone. It is much harder to consistently run the ball when you are trailing because it keeps the clock running, and the Utes will have to turn to an aerial attack that is suspect at best in the second half.
The result will be Colorado State’s 11th win of the season.
Prediction: Colorado State 34, Utah 24
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