Bowl Games 2014-15: Postseason Schedule, Predictions and More
College football fans are advised to spend time with their families now because starting Dec. 20, there are 38 (39 if you count the yet-to-be-determined national championship) bowl games on tap for a glorious few weeks of pigskin action.
Here is a look at the entire postseason schedule and predictions for every bowl game before digging into a preview of the contest to kick the whole thing off.
| 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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Bowl Season Opener: Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
New Orleans is home for Louisiana-Lafayette, and the New Orleans Bowl has become a place of comfort and familiarity. In fact, the Ragin' Cajuns have won the past three New Orleans Bowls and will look to make it four against the Wolf Pack.
Look for plenty of red in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in what should be a home game for Louisiana-Lafayette.
On the flip side, Nevada has lost six of its last seven bowl games although it hasn't played in the postseason since the 2012 campaign.
When Louisiana-Lafayette has the ball, the Wolf Pack need to be aware of the rushing attack. Running backs Elijah McGuire (1,165 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns) and Alonzo Harris (737 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns) spearhead the efforts on the ground, but quarterback Terrance Broadway (646 rushing yards) can get involved as well.
The Ragin' Cajuns were a disappointing 102nd in the nation in passing offense, though, so expect plenty of ball control and running attempts in this one, especially since Nevada's defense is 79th in points allowed per game and 81st against the run.
It is important to note that the Wolf Pack finished 11th in the country in turnover margin, so it wasn't all bad on the defensive side.
Nevada will counter with a strong rushing offense of its own, led by quarterback Cody Fajardo's 937 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. Running backs Don Jackson (932 rushing yards and seven touchdowns) and James Butler (620 rushing yards and five touchdowns) are also critical contributors for an attack that ran for 223 or more yards in each of the final five games and finished 32nd in the country in rushing yards.
Chris Murray of the Reno Gazette-Journal noted just how effective the Wolf Pack have been in the running department:
Louisiana-Lafayette coach Mark Hudspeth also talked about Nevada's offense, according to STATS LLC, via ESPN.com:
"They're an outstanding team. They can run it, they can throw it and they play good defense. They are a very multiple team on offense and they spread the ball a lot of different ways to a lot of different people. (Fajardo) does a great job in distributing the football."
There may be some concern with Nevada's offensive attack because of its tendency to get too one-dimensional, just like Louisiana-Lafayette's. After all, the Wolf Pack only threw for 197.8 yards per game, which was a decidedly mediocre 94th in the country, and that could be a problem against a Louisiana-Lafayette defense that is much better against the run than the pass.
The Ragin' Cajuns finished 44th in the country against the run but a dreadful 120th against the pass.
While the statistics may favor the running game for Nevada, Fajardo did throw for 2,374 yards and is capable of making plays through the air if needed. That should especially be the case against the Ragin' Cajuns' vulnerable secondary. Hudspeth discussed Fajardo in particular, via Tim Buckley of The Daily Advertiser:
"UL's Mark Hudspeth on N.O. Bowl-opponent Nevada: “They’ve got to me, one of the best players in college football, their (QB), Cody Fajardo."
— Tim Buckley (@TDARaginCajuns) December 8, 2014"
There are plenty of similarities between these two teams that struggle on defense but run the ball effectively. This will likely be a close game to kick off bowl season, which makes it even more difficult to overlook the battle-tested factor when projecting the outcome.
Nevada knocked off Washington State from the Pac-12 and only lost to Pac-12 South Division champion Arizona by seven points. What's more, the Wolf Pack beat BYU and came within one score of both Boise State and 10-2 Colorado State.
Louisiana-Lafayette, on the other hand, was crushed by the three teams of note on its schedule in Ole Miss, Boise State and Louisiana Tech. It also had an ugly loss to an Appalachian State squad that is far removed from the one that stunned Michigan in 2007.
Nevada has played better against more formidable competition this season and will get big plays from Fajardo, who is responsible for 101 total touchdowns in his college career, down the stretch. Look for the Wolf Pack to edge out the Ragin' Cajuns in the fourth quarter of a high-scoring affair.
Prediction: Nevada 35, Louisiana-Lafayette 31
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