Bowl Games Schedule 2014-15: Full College Football Postseason Slate and Picks
The initial College Football Playoff may overshadow the rest of bowl season, but there are going to be plenty of marquee showdowns that serve as enticing appetizers.
From a nationally ranked Utah team playing on the first day of the bowl season to clashes between Michigan State and Baylor, TCU and Ole Miss and Mississippi State and Georgia Tech, there is plenty to look forward to outside of the two playoff showdowns.
With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule and predictions for the entire bowl season.
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| 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 |
Bowl Season Opening Day Game to Watch: Air Force vs. Western Michigan
Western Michigan and Air Force are not exactly unstoppable machines when it comes to postseason play. The Broncos have never won a bowl game in five tries; the Falcons have lost five of their past seven.
Something will have to give this season.
Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck discussed the privilege of playing Air Force, according to STATS LLC, via ESPN.com:
"It's an honor ever to play against a service academy. You talk about a true team—Air Force, Navy, Army...when those teams play, they play for their country, they play for each other. Our team can learn a lot from [the Air Force] football team.
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Air Force makes no secret of what it wants to do on offense. It was eighth in the country in rushing yards per game and 118th in passing offense, largely because of the triple-option look it gives on nearly every play.
The Falcons had nine players tally a rushing touchdown on the season, but it was running back Jacobi Owens who was most effective, with 1,082 rushing yards. Quarterback Kale Pearson contributed 758 rushing yards of his own and managed to throw for 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions when he did air it out.
Most passes came as a reaction to defenses committing too many defenders into the box in an effort to slow down the triple-option attack.
Western Michigan’s defense was a respectable 37th in the country against the run on the season and should be able to at least prevent the Air Force rushing game from completely dominating. That will help the Broncos get the ball into the hands of their formidable offensive attack.
Brent Briggeman of The Gazette of Colorado Springs noted that the experience on Western Michigan’s defense will help in the preparation for the triple-option look:
"Granted, the Broncos will have two weeks to prepare for this game, but it's not like they were doing any offseason prep work for the Falcons. They had to formulate a game plan in a hurry, then hope they could simulate it with some degree of accuracy on the practice field.
It should help Western Michigan that its defensive leaders are veterans. On a roster largely dominated by freshmen and sophomores, the five leading tacklers are juniors and seniors.
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When the Broncos have the ball, they bring a much more balanced attack to the table than Air Force.
Quarterback Zach Terrell threw for 3,146 yards and 23 touchdowns and finished third in the country in yards per pass (9.53) and 16th in total QBR (76.5). Throw in running back Jarvion Franklin’s 1,525 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns, which was third-best in the nation, and it is no wonder opposing defenses had so much trouble stopping the Broncos.
Terrell will look for wide receivers Corey Davis and Daniel Braverman early and often, considering Davis led the MAC with 12 touchdowns and was second with 1,232 receiving yards, while Braverman was sixth in the league with 912 receiving yards.
Air Force’s defense finished 101st against the pass this season, which could be a serious problem against Terrell, Davis and Braverman.
The Falcons may be able to put some points on the board with the triple-option, but Western Michigan’s defense is set up to stop Air Force much more effectively than Air Force is set up to slow down the Broncos' aerial assault.
That will make the ultimate difference in this game
Prediction: Western Michigan 34, Air Force 20
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