Bowl Games 2014-15: College Football Schedule, Predictions and Games to Watch
Let’s be honest. If you’re clicking on a college football story, you probably don’t have to be told how great the two initial College Football Playoff matchups are this season.
Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon and Florida State bring national championships, Heisman Trophies, marquee coaches and plenty of future NFL talent to the table, and will thrill audiences on New Year’s Day.
However, there are 36 other bowl games that promise to entertain, starting on Saturday. With that in mind, here is a look at the schedule and some predictions for every postseason contest before a closer look at some of the best games to watch outside of the playoffs.
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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 |
Games to Watch Outside of Playoffs
Cotton Bowl: Michigan State vs. Baylor
Baylor is likely still disappointed after it missed out on the College Football Playoff, but it has a Top 10 opponent to worry about now in Michigan State.
The matchup to watch in this one pits the Spartans’ No. 12-ranked scoring defense against Baylor’s offense, which led the nation in points per game at 48.8. It is important to point out, though, that Michigan State could not slow down Oregon or Ohio State in the two games it played against similar offenses to Baylor, which could be an issue.
Quarterback Bryce Petty and the Bears will look to push the tempo and exploit the Spartans secondary just like quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Marcus Mariota did.
Don’t overlook Michigan State’s offense when picking this game either. The Spartans were seventh in the country in points per game and should find the end zone a number of times as well.
Peach Bowl: Ole Miss vs. TCU
Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com ranked the Peach Bowl as the best bowl game outside of the playoff showdowns and the Cotton Bowl:
"The Horned Frogs were the other Big 12 team left out of the playoffs, and they'll have to get over their disappointment if they're going to beat the Rebels. Ole Miss salvaged what was becoming a disappointing finish by upsetting rival Mississippi State 31-17 in the Egg Bowl. TCU's spread offense will be a major test for the Rebels' stout defense.
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Just like Baylor, TCU will have to get itself motivated after missing out on the playoffs.
The Peach Bowl is the vintage offense vs. defense matchup that makes so many of these bowl games intriguing. The Horned Frogs were No. 2 in the country in scoring offense this season, but Ole Miss was No. 1 in scoring defense. Something has to give in this one.
TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin threw for 3,714 yards and 30 touchdown passes and ran for 642 yards and eight more scores. How he handles the physical and quick SEC defense that the Rebels bring to the table will ultimately determine the outcome of the Peach Bowl.
Orange Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech
Any time Georgia Tech takes the field, the key showdown is between its triple-option offense and the opponent’s defense.
The Yellow Jackets averaged a ridiculous 333.6 rushing yards per game this season, which was third in the country, and scored 41 touchdowns on the ground. The combination of speed and misdirection will be difficult for even the Bulldogs defense that only allowed 11 rushing touchdowns and 3.7 yards per carry this season.
If the Bulldogs are going to win, they will need some points from their own offensive weapon in quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott was a Heisman Trophy candidate for much of the season and finished with 24 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing touchdowns and 327.9 yards of total offense per game.
The dual-threat Prescott will have an NFL future to think about one day soon, but he is more focused on immediate concerns, via Michael Bonner of The Clarion-Ledger: "I'm not sure. I'll think about that later. I'm not really thinking about that right now. I'm just worried about graduating right now. I'll decide that later.”
His first concern on the football field will be matching the points that come from the Yellow Jackets and their triple-option.
Fiesta Bowl: Arizona vs. Boise State
The individual matchup in the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State’s running back, Jay Ajayi, and Arizona’s linebacker, Scooby Wright, is enough to make this one of the best postseason games on the schedule.
Ajayi was third in the country with 2,225 all-purpose yards and tallied 25 rushing touchdowns on the season. He was the main reason the Broncos finished ninth in the nation in scoring offense and will be a problem for the Wildcats defense the entire game.
Wright, who won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player, will be tasked with slowing Ajayi down. Wright finished with 28 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks, and brings explosiveness and strength to the table that is almost impossible for offensive linemen to counter.
If Wright can contain Ajayi and get the ball back in his offense’s hands, Arizona will add Boise State to the list of impressive wins it already has this season that includes victories over Oregon, Utah and Arizona State.
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