Every Power 5 College Football Team's Holiday Wish List
It's the season of giving, which also means it's the season of getting. For college football's power conference teams, there's something that each and every one wishes they could receive as an end-of-year holiday gift.
It could be the return of an injured player, a change in their fortunes on the field or maybe an overhaul to an ineffective part of the game plan. We're not necessarily talking about gifts that can be wrapped, but rather ones that would help fill a void or meet a need, something that could make next season (or their upcoming bowl game) go a lot more smoothly.
Check out what every power conference team is hoping for this holiday season.
Alabama Crimson Tide
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More Cardale Jones game tape
Alabama faces a strange situation as it prepares for the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State: In reviewing what its opponent does, there's plenty of footage about how the defense plays and how the offensive line, running backs and receivers operate. But when it comes to quarterback Cardale Jones, the game film is very limited
With Jones making his first career start in the Big Ten title game on Dec. 6, the only other snaps that could be evaluated would be during the fourth quarter of Ohio State's regular-season finale (when J.T. Barrett went down with a broken ankle) and in a few spates of garbage time.
"Quarterback Cardale Jones was the topic of note among defensive players" when Alabama first watched Ohio State film last week, wrote Michael Casagrande of AL.com.
Jones' live arm could give Alabama problems, as it allowed several long passes in the SEC title game to Missouri and in the regular-season finale against Auburn.
Arizona Wildcats
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A trick-play detector
Arizona landed a prime bowl slot, getting to play not far from home in the Fiesta Bowl, a reward for the program's first 10-win season since 1998. It also comes with a matchup against Boise State, the at-large non-power team that earned a spot in the access bowl by going 11-2 and winning the Mountain West title.
Boise has twice before played in the Fiesta Bowl, during the BCS era, and it used several trick plays to upset Oklahoma in the 2007 edition. Though the Broncos have a strong offense that's been dominant for much of this season, in their lone matchup with a power opponent (Ole Miss), they lost 35-13.
Arizona has to figure that Boise will break out some new wrinkles in this game, and it would be nice to be able to sniff out that trickery ahead of time.
Arizona State Sun Devils
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Todd Graham stays put
A lot of schools get nervous around this time of year, when openings at larger programs start causing college football coaches to take a look at making a jump. Arizona State's Todd Graham has done this a couple of times, spending single seasons at Rice (2006) and Pittsburgh (2011) around a four-year stop at Tulsa.
Finishing up his third season with the Sun Devils, which could end with a second consecutive 10-win campaign, Graham figures to be an option for any vacancies that come up after the bowls are finished. His 27 wins is the most for ASU in any three-year span since 1973-75.
Graham is making $2.7 million this season via a contract extension signed in the spring. He's locked up through the 2018 season, with raises scheduled for each year.
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Arkansas Razorbacks
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Some vintage Southwest Conference gear
Arkansas has had a milestone season, going from the SEC's worst team last year to one that's finally ended a long conference losing streak in dominant fashion (thanks to back-to-back shutout victories) and returning to bowl eligibility after a two-year hiatus. The Razorbacks now get to wrap up the great season with a matchup against a former rival.
By playing Texas in the Texas Bowl, it will mark the third former Southwest Conference opponent Arkansas would have faced this season. It won at Texas Tech and fell to Texas A&M in overtime, and now it gets a chance to beat the Longhorns for the first time since 2003.
Auburn Tigers
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Interactive tackling dummies
Auburn fired its defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson, not long after his unit was torched for 55 points in the Iron Bowl loss to Alabama. It was the latest of several breakdowns by the defense, which allowed 31 or more points against its last six FBS opponents during the 2014 season.
Poor tackling was among the many problems for the Tigers this year, which doesn't bode well with Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon on the horizon in the Outback Bowl. Gordon leads the FBS with 2,336 rushing yards, and Auburn has been gashed by other top running backs this season.
New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who has been evaluating the team during bowl practice, figures to shore up this area for the 2015 season. It might be too late to make that fix before the bowl game, however.
Baylor Bears
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An eight-team playoff
For a school that got shut out of the semifinals, Baylor couldn't have asked for a better bowl situation. The Bears get to play very close to home, in the Cotton Bowl against Michigan State, which should make for a very partisan crowd inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The atmosphere should almost feel like a playoff game, something Baylor didn't get a chance to experience after finishing fifth in the final rankings.
"I certainly would have liked to be in it, but it didn't work out that way so what am I going to do?" Baylor coach Art Briles said after the bowls were announced. "You know, moan and whine? You know, we're not in. We'll move on and take it from there."
Expect Baylor to play in this game like it wants to show it was deserving of being in the playoffs.
Boston College Eagles
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Tyler Murphy rediscovers his running lanes
Despite a season-low 20 rushing yards in the regular-season finale against Syracuse, Tyler Murphy set the ACC single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,079. It was a record that seemed like a lock until the senior struggled down the stretch, rushing for only 109 yards and a touchdown on 38 carries in the Eagles' final three games.
Murphy has had some huge running games in his lone season since transferring from Florida, tallying four 100-yard efforts led by a 191-yard performance in Boston College's 37-31 upset of USC in September.
California Golden Bears
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A pass rush
California made a huge jump from 2013 to this past season, improving from 1-11 to 5-7 and being a late touchdown given up to BYU in its finale from reaching a bowl game. But that last score, a 38-yard pass with less than three minutes left, typified the Golden Bears' biggest problem.
Cal ranked dead last in pass defense, allowing 367.2 yards per game. That's more than 70 yards worse than any other FBS team, and much of that was due to an almost nonexistent pass rush.
The Bears had only 16 sacks, with no player recording more than three. Thankfully, every significant front-seven defender returns next season, led by freshman linebacker Devante Downs.
Clemson Tigers
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Cole Stoudt puts it all together
Named the starter at the beginning of the season and then benched multiple times throughout the year, Clemson senior quarterback Cole Stoudt gets one last shot at redemption in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Oklahoma. He's played in all 12 games, but since late September, his starts have only come as an injury replacement.
Freshman Deshaun Watson underwent knee surgery earlier this month, so Stoudt will start the bowl game. He has 1,573 passing yards with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions, though in the past three games, he's completed 22 of 42 passes for 148 yards with one TD and five picks.
Colorado Buffaloes
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A good-luck charm
Colorado went 0-9 in the Pac-12 this season, its first winless conference record since going 0-5 in the Rocky Mountain Conference in 1915. It dropped the Buffaloes to 4-32 in Pac-12 games since moving from the Big 12.
But this past year wasn't without a number of close calls, as Colorado led in several conference games and had four losses by five or fewer points. That included a pair of double-overtime losses, at California and against UCLA.
A little luck here and there, a play that goes the Buffaloes' way instead of the other direction, and Colorado could have won five games in 2014.
Duke Blue Devils
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The end of a long bowl winless drought
Duke is making a bowl appearance for the third straight season, the first time that's happened in the program's long (yet mostly unsuccessful) history. The matchup with Arizona State in the Sun Bowl is only the Blue Devils' 11th all time, with them holding a 3-7 record.
The last four bowls have ended in defeat, with Duke's last victory in a postseason game coming in the 1961 Cotton Bowl with a 7-6 victory over Arkansas.
Duke is also looking for its first win over a Pac-12 team since 1973, when it beat Washington 23-21.
Florida Gators
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One last impressive defensive display
Florida is the last power-conference team (other than the two to play in the Jan. 12 championship) to have its bowl game, facing East Carolina in the Jan. 3 Birmingham Bowl. That means the Gators have extra time to scheme for stopping a prolific offense that features the most successful wide receiver in FBS history.
Justin Hardy has 376 receptions during his East Carolina career, including 110 this year (for 1,334 yards and nine touchdowns). The Pirates score 37.2 points per game, and they put up 70 on North Carolina back in September.
The defense has been Florida's best weapon this season, and being able to go out with one more big performance on that side of the ball will put a bow on the ill-fated Will Muschamp era.
Florida State Seminoles
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Ruling in Winston case puts story to rest
Jameis Winston was never charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault in December 2012, yet he still had to face a code of conduct hearing with the school. That two-day hearing was held in early December, and on Sunday the judge who oversaw the hearing ruled that the evidence presented "was insufficient to satisfy the burden of proof."
This means that, short of an appeal or any civil claims filed against Winston, the case is over. The sophomore quarterback should be able to prepare for the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl semifinal against Oregon with defending champion Florida State without worrying that he could be expelled from school, as could have been the case if the ruling had not gone in his favor.
"For the first time since November 2013, the cloud of an alleged sexual assault has lifted from above Winston," Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports wrote.
However, odds are Winston will continue to be questioned about the case during media availability leading up to the Seminoles' next game.
Georgia Bulldogs
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Mike Bobo's (likely) departure doesn't affect game plan
Georgia might end up playing in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 30 against Louisville without an offensive coordinator, if reports that Mike Bobo is going to land the Colorado State head coaching position turn out to be true. Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman is among those reporting that Bobo will be hired to replace Jim McElwain, now at Florida.
Others, such as Yahoo! Sports' Pat Forde, say the deal isn't done yet.
Stay or go, what's most important to Georgia right now is that Bobo's status and future doesn't have an impact on what the Bulldogs have planned against a Louisville defense that ranks sixth in the nation in yards allowed at 293.3 per game.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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A new big-play receiver
Georgia Tech doesn't throw much, not with a triple-option rushing offense that averages 333.6 yards per game. The Yellow Jackets only throw 14.7 times per game, for 135.2 yards per contest with 18 touchdowns, and senior DeAndre Smelter has handled the bulk of that work with 35 receptions for 715 yards and seven TDs.
But Smelter suffered a torn ACL prior to the ACC championship against Florida State, and his absence was noticeable late in the game when Tech needed to throw.
The Yellow Jackets' second-leading receiver was senior Darren Waller, with 21 receptions for 328 yards and five TDs. Only one other player had at least 10 catches.
Illinois Fighting Illini
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A run-stopper (or three)
Illinois' matchup in the Heart of Dallas Bowl isn't one that's particularly favorable when it comes to avoiding its own flaws. The Fighting Illini rank 123rd in run defense, allowing 249.6 yards per game, yet have to face a Louisiana Tech team that features a prolific running back.
Kenneth Dixon has run for 1,236 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, with 10 TDs in his past three games and at least one in all but the Bulldogs' season opener. Illinois has allowed a 100-yard rusher in nearly every game this season.
Indiana Hoosiers
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An instant replacement for Tevin Coleman
Indiana likely has a major offensive hole to fill with 2,000-yard rusher Tevin Coleman expected to turn pro rather than return for his senior year. Coleman had 2,177 all-purpose yards in 2014, accounting for 44.8 percent of the Hoosiers' production.
A huge lift would come if UAB running back Jordan Howard decides to transfer to Indiana. The sophomore, who ran for 1,587 yards and 13 TDs this season, announced over the weekend he's choosing between the Hoosiers and Vanderbilt for his destination after the UAB program was dissolved.
If Howard chooses Vandy and Coleman declares for the draft, the top returning rusher for Indiana will be freshman Devine Redding, who ran for 118 yards and a TD.
Iowa Hawkeyes
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A traditional punt return touchdown
Iowa ranked 106th this season in punt return average, at only 5.13 yards per return, yet it also scored twice. This was due to a pair of freak plays, one in which a punt went off a blocker and into defensive lineman Drew Ott's hands for a 12-yard return and the other off a blocked kick that was scooped up by linebacker Ben Niemann at the 1-yard line for a TD.
Kevonte Martin-Manley returned two punts for TDs in 2013, but this season the receiver no longer handled returns and sophomore Matt VandeBerg only averaged seven yards per return on his 11 attempts.
Iowa State Cyclones
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Quenton Bundrage's full recovery
Iowa State's worst season in six years got off to a horrible start when top receiver Quenton Bundrage tore his ACL in the season opener and was lost for the year. The Cyclones actually threw for more yards in 2014 without Bundrage than during his sophomore season, but without his big-play ability the offense lacked a much-needed weapon.
Bundrage had a school record-tying nine TD receptions in 2013, and he appears ahead of schedule from his recovery from surgery.
"Generally six months is the timetable for an ACL, which would put him into March, but I believe he'll be out there every day in the spring," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads told Rob Gray of CycloneFanatic.com. "I don't think we'll hit him. We certainly won't tackle him. But I don't think he'll miss a day of spring practice based on what I'm watching."
Kansas Jayhawks
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A fresh start
Since letting go of Mark Mangino—its most successful coach of the past 60 years—after the 2009 season, Kansas has been among the worst power-conference programs in the country. The Jayhawks tried to bring in the hot coach from a smaller program (Turner Gill) and the big name hire looking for redemption (Charlie Weis), but neither worked.
Now running Kansas is David Beaty, the former Texas A&M assistant brought in to take on a team that was 3-9 this past season. Though he's a former Kansas assistant, working on Mangino's staff in 2008-09 and with Gill in 2011, he's meant to a provide break from the past struggles.
In order for Beaty to have success, he needs to be given a clean slate rather than be compared to the failures before him.
Kansas State Wildcats
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Offensive starts with future eligibility
Most of Kansas State's top offensive producers will be ending their careers in the Alamo Bowl against UCLA, as quarterback Jake Waters, running back Demarcus Robinson, receivers Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton and tight end Zach Trujillo are all seniors. Leading rusher Charles Jones, a sophomore, will be the top returner.
Lockett will exit as the school record-holder in every receiving and punt return category, topping the marks previously held by father Kevin Lockett. Last season he had a huge game in the bowl win over Michigan, and figures to add to his lofty numbers in this one.
Waters, who has 6,414 yards of total offense and 52 touchdowns in his two seasons with the program, is 17-8 as a starter.
Kentucky Wildcats
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A huge offseason for Patrick Towles
Kentucky came within a few minutes of making a bowl game, losing late to rival Louisville for a sixth straight loss to end the season. The Wildcats' 5-1 start was heavily influenced by the play of sophomore quarterback Patrick Towles, but he struggled down the stretch.
Towles averaged 196.5 passing yards per game during the final six, with four touchdowns and five interceptions, after averaging 256.8 yards with 10 TDs and four interceptions. With a full offseason to work with new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson—as well as a healthy competition against freshmen Reese Phillips and Drew Barker—he should come out much better for the 2015 season.
Louisville Cardinals
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An FBS record all to himself for Gerod Holliman
One of the biggest breakout players in the country this season has been Louisville safety Gerod Holliman, a redshirt sophomore who got injured early in 2012 and struggled to get playing time last season. This year, though, he's exploded onto the scene with 14 interceptions to tie the single-season FBS record.
Holliman has four multi-interception games, including three against Boston College in November. He also intercepted Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston twice in the Cardinals' near-upset of the defending national champions in late October.
With Holliman patrolling the back of the defense, Louisville has intercepted 25 passes and held opponents to 199.6 passing yards per game.
LSU Tigers
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A quarterback (any quarterback) emerges
LSU's pass offense has been far from spectacular this season, with neither sophomore Anthony Jennings or freshman Brandon Harris doing anything to separate themselves from the other. Jennings' passer rating of 115.32 ranked 92nd among quarterbacks who met ranking criteria, while Harris only completed 55.6 percent of his throws when given a chance to play.
Both could see action in the Music City Bowl against Notre Dame, which itself plans to play multiple passers in the game. Though LSU's offense will probably be more dependent on its run game, how Jennings and Harris play could help get things started on the competition for the starting job in 2015.
Maryland Terrapins
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Some third-down magic
Of the 78 FBS teams that qualified for bowl games this season, none did it with more futility on third down than Maryland. The Terrapins only converted 32 percent of their third downs this season, which ranked 119th in the country, yet on fourth down they were successful 58.3 percent of the time.
Maryland is actually coming off one of its better performances on third down, getting the necessary yardage on seven of 13 attempts. However, in the second half the Terrapins failed to extend most of their drives, managing a lone field goal in five possessions while Rutgers rallied for a 41-38 victory.
Miami (Florida) Hurricanes
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A top-tier wide receiver recruit
Miami's big-play receiver, senior Phillip Dorsett, is done with his eligibility after the Hurricanes face South Carolina in the Independence Bowl. He's only caught 31 passes this season, but they've gone for 826 yards (good for an FBS-best 26.65 yards per reception) and nine touchdowns.
With he and tight end Clive Walford (44 receptions, 676 yards, seven TDs) both seniors, Miami will have a major hole of production of fill in the passing game. Besides getting existing players to step up in 2015, there's also the hope that an impact player can come from the 2015 recruiting class.
Miami has commitments from a pair of 3-star recruits already, but it's still in the hunt for bigger fish. A prime target is 4-star Miami-area prospect Da'Vante Phillips, rated as the No. 91 player in the 2015 class.
Michigan Wolverines
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A decision from Jim Harbaugh
Even before firing Brady Hoke three weeks ago, Michigan's flirtation with former quarterback (and still-employed San Francisco 49ers coach) Jim Harbaugh was the subject of rumors. Then last week Harbaugh was reportedly offered a six-year contract worth in excess of $48 million to coach his alma mater in 2015.
The situation seems to be in a holding pattern, as Harbaugh still has one game left to coach in the NFL. Once that season is over, though, the sooner Michigan can get things resolved—either hiring Harbaugh, or moving on—will help get the program started on rebuilding its crumbling foundation.
Too much more of a delay, though, could lead to further problems, noted Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports:
"It's unclear how long Michigan is willing to wait, or how long it should," Fornelli wrote.
Michigan State Spartans
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An answer for Baylor's offense
Michigan State faced two of the top 30 offenses in the country this season, and didn't handle those assignments so well. Despite ranking 10th in the nation at 311.3 yards allowed per game, in losses to Oregon and Ohio State the Spartans gave up 1,059 yards and 95 points.
Enter Baylor, the nation's top-ranked offense at 581.3 yards per game, in the Cotton Bowl. It's another chance to slow down a high-octane attack, one that Michigan State's veteran secondary should be hyped for. Senior Kurtis Drummond and juniors Trae Waynes and R.J. Williamson combined for 10 interceptions this season, though none came in the losses.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
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A rare bowl victory
The Citrus Bowl will mark Minnesota's 17th postseason appearance dating back to 1961, when the Golden Gophers made the first of two straight trips to the Rose Bowl. They're only 5-11 in bowl games, including losses in the past six matchups.
Minnesota, which fell 21-17 to Syracuse in last year's Texas Bowl, last won a bowl in 2004 when it knocked off Alabama in the Music City Bowl. That is also the last time the Gophers beat an SEC opponent, a conference they're 7-7-1 against all-time.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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The Josh Robinson from the first half of this season
During Mississippi State's 9-0 start, junior Josh Robinson had four 100-yard games and served as the perfect rushing compliment to mobile quarterback Dak Prescott. But Robinson only had 237 of his 1,128 rushing yards over the final five contests, when the Bulldogs went 3-2 and struggled offensively, and he didn't score in the past four games.
The 5'9", 215-pound Robinson is a hard runner who often goes through defenders rather than around them. If he can return to that form, thus taking pressure off of Prescott to make plays with his legs and be able to throw more, Mississippi State's offense should be able to keep pace with Georgia Tech and its option run game in the Orange Bowl.
Missouri Tigers
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A career game from Bud Sasser
Missouri is set to face a solid Minnesota pass defense without one of its top two receivers, as senior Jimmie Hunt will miss the game after having shoulder surgery. Hunt was second on the team in receptions (40), yards (698) and touchdowns (seven).
This leaves fellow senior Bud Sasser with the onus of having to pick up the slack for his fallen teammate. Minnesota figures to put extra bodies on stopping the Tigers' top man in catches (70), yards (935) and TDs (10), and Sasser is coming off of a subpar game in the SEC title game when he had only five receptions for 31 yards with a score.
Nebraska Cornhuskers
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Ameer Abdullah goes out on top
Midway through the 2014 season, Nebraska senior Ameer Abdullah looked like he had a very strong chance at getting an invitation to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist. But a knee injury early against Purdue and then a poor performance against Wisconsin—while the Badgers' Melvin Gordon set a single-game rushing record—knocked him out of the running.
By December, Abdullah had fallen to fourth place in his own conference in rushing because of the strong seasons by Gordon, Indiana's Tevin Coleman and Minnesota's David Cobb. Still, with 1,523 yards and 18 touchdowns he moved to second on Nebraska's career rushing list, with an outside shot at taking the top spot.
Abdullah has 4,500 career rushing yards, needing 281 to surpass Mike Rozier's mark set from 1981-83.
North Carolina Tar Heels
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A top-notch defensive coordinator
North Carolina heads into its final game of this season, the Quick Lane Bowl against Rutgers, with a patchwork defensive staff. That's because coordinator Vic Koenning—who is now at Troy—was let go earlier this month. Cornerbacks coach Dan Disch takes over the job on an interim basis.
The Tar Heels rank 119th in total defense, and they have allowed 38.9 points per game. All but one opponent has scored more than 20 points, and four made it into the 40s or beyond.
If UNC could find a gift-wrapped top-tier defensive coordinator during the offseason, it would go a long way toward saving coach Larry Fedora's job.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
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A repeat of Jacoby Brissett's last performance
North Carolina State's season got off to a fast start with a 4-0 record before running into a wall during ACC play. The same could be said for the yearlong performance of quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who threw for 1,364 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and one interception in the Wolfpack's first five games, then he tailed off.
But Brissett had a huge finish to the year, not only throwing three TD passes (on 11 attempts) in a 35-7 win over North Carolina, but he also ran for 167 yards and a TD on 14 carries. The added element of Brissett being able to scramble for yards should be helpful in the St. Petersburg Bowl against UCF, which is 11th in the country in pass defense.
Northwestern Wildcats
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No sophomore slump for Justin Jackson
Northwestern's second straight losing season included wins over Wisconsin and Notre Dame but not much else to be proud of, at least from a team standpoint. Individually, the Wildcats seem to have found their running back of the future in freshman Justin Jackson.
Jackson with 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns, with 100-yard outputs in six of his final eight games after taking over the bulk of the rushing load. He ran for 426 yards and five TDs, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, over the final three contests.
With quarterback Trevor Siemian graduating and top receiver Christian Jones coming back from a knee injury that kept him out all season, Jackson figures to be a go-to player in 2015.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Everett Golson figures it out
Notre Dame plans to play both Everett Golson—who has started every game this season—and backup Malik Zaire when the Fighting Irish wrap up 2014 in the Music City Bowl against LSU. Per NBC SportsTalk, coach Brian Kelly told reporters he made the decision because "I think both of them have different traits and we need to find a way to win the game, and I think both of them can help us win."
The Fighting Irish enter the game on a four-game losing streak, its longest skid since the end of the 2009 season. After beginning 7-0, Notre Dame went into a tailspin, with Golson's turnover issues a big part of that.
Despite throwing for 3,335 yards and 29 touchdowns while also rushing for eight TDs, Golson committed 22 of the Irish's 26 turnovers, including 14 interceptions in the final nine games.
Ohio State Buckeyes
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One more star up front
Before the season, Ohio State's defensive line was getting the kind of hype that was reserved for the best units in college football. But when Noah Spence was suspended for the second time because of a failed drug test, he was lost for the season.
The Buckeyes managed to make due with one less standout on that line, mostly because sophomore Joey Bosa had a huge year with 13.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. He and his teammates got better as the season went along, capped by the shutout win over Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game that included shutting down Heisman finalist Melvin Gordon.
Now comes the challenge of trying to stop Alabama's potent offense, the first step of which is getting through the Crimson Tide's stellar offensive line. This is when having Spence—he had 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2013—would have come up huge.
Oklahoma Sooners
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No lingering effects for Trevor Knight
Last season's bowl game served as Trevor Knight's coming-out party, as he threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns in Oklahoma's win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. His sophomore season wasn't able to match that level of performance, as he threw for only 2,197 yards in nine games before suffering a neck injury in a loss to Baylor.
Knight missed the Sooners' final three games, but he's been cleared to play in the Russell Athletic Bowl against Clemson.
"We've missed him the last several weeks," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops told Sam Cooper of Yahoo! Sports. "Obviously he's got experience and the bowl experience from a year ago, so hopefully this will give us a big boost."
Assuming Knight plays, he can take solace in the fact he's being protected by an offensive line that has allowed only eight sacks all season.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
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A coming-out party for Mason Rudolph
Oklahoma State wouldn't be in a bowl game if not for some late-game heroics against rival Oklahoma in the regular-season finale, as the Cowboys scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then win the Bedlam game on a field goal. That rally was fueled by many players, including freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph started OK State's final two games, and figures to be the first option at the position in 2015. He became the school's sixth different starting quarterback in the past five seasons, but now has a chance to put together a lengthy career.
A big bowl effort would help that, similar to how Texas Tech freshman Davis Webb parlayed a huge performance in the Holiday Bowl last December into a clinching of the starting job before spring practice began.
Ole Miss Rebels
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Chad Kelly's past doesn't follow him to Oxford
Ole Miss will be playing a new quarterback next season, with Bo Wallace set to end his three-year run as starter in the Peach Bowl against TCU. The Rebels have a likely successor lined up already, as former Clemson quarterback Chad Kelly signed out of East Mississippi Community College on Dec. 17.
But then news broke Sunday that Kelly, the nephew of former Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly, was arrested in Buffalo over the weekend after allegedly getting in an altercation with police following his eviction from a bar.
Kelly, who played for Clemson in 2012-13, was dismissed from that program in the spring.
Oregon Ducks
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Getting Chris Seisay up to speed
Oregon's defense was dealt a major blow last week when All-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu suffered a major knee injury in practice and wouldn't play in the playoffs. The senior was expected to be tasked with stopping Florida State's Rashad Greene in the Rose Bowl.
Instead, it will be redshirt freshman Chris Seisay, who in 11 games played this season has 20 tackles, three pass breakups and one forced fumble.
"His most notable effort may have been against Michigan State when he was quiet on the stat sheet, but saw notable playing time in relief of a struggling Dior Mathis," wrote Tyson Alger of The Oregonian.
Even with Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon ranked 103rd in pass defense, allowing 259.5 yards per game.
Oregon State Beavers
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A clear successor to Sean Mannion
Oregon State will have a completely new look in 2015, with Mike Riley gone after 14 seasons and replaced by ex-Wisconsin coach Gary Andersen. And the new coach will have to start over on offense, as Pac-12 career passing leader Sean Mannion will have graduated.
Mannion, who threw for 13,600 yards with 83 touchdowns in his career, attempted all but 19 of the Beavers' 472 passes this season. Alabama transfer Luke Del Rio was the backup, but he threw the ball in only three games.
OSU has some freshmen who redshirted at the position, but right now the position appears wide open for 2015.
Penn State Nittany Lions
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A football offense in a baseball stadium
Penn State's season began with a game played on a field normally reserved for soccer and rugby (beating UCF in Ireland in August) and now ends in Yankee Stadium for the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston College. In between, the Nittany Lions offense didn't necessarily put up football-like numbers, struggling to move the ball.
The Lions averaged only 19.8 points per game this season, down from 28.7, and only gained 325.5 yards per game. Christian Hackenberg, after tossing 20 touchdown passes as a freshman, only threw eight TDs this season while getting sacked 42 times.
Pittsburgh Panthers
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A head coach willing to put down roots
With Paul Chryst's departure to Wisconsin, Pittsburgh will be under the guidance of offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph as interim coach for the Armed Forces Bowl against Houston. Rudolph becomes the seventh different person to coach the Panthers since 2010, thanks to two coaches getting fired and two others leaving before bowl games could be played.
The school is in the hunt for Chryst's replacement without an athletic director, as Steve Pederson was fired last week. It could have its new man in place by the Jan. 2 bowl game, where he would get to watch a team that features several strong underclassmen stars, such as sophomore running back James Conner—who broke Tony Dorsett's single-season rushing record this year—and sophomore wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Purdue Boilermakers
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A transfer quarterback
Purdue has produced multiple NFL quarterbacks, including Drew Brees, Curtis Painter and Kyle Orton. But the Boilermakers haven't averaged more than 250 passing yards per game since 2009, and in coach Darrell Hazell's two seasons, the quarterback play has been abysmal.
If there's any team that could benefit immensely from a graduate transfer at quarterback, it's Purdue. Austin Appleby and Danny Etling combined for only 2,249 yards with 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions this year, completing just 53.7 percent of their throws.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Four more years (of Gary Nova)
A common joke about Rutgers football is that it seems as if Gary Nova has been around forever. The senior has started games since his freshman season, in 2011, and the Scarlet Knights' career touchdown leader with 71 has helped them reach a bowl game every year.
He's also thrown 51 interceptions, including a pair of games with at least five picks, and with one more would finish among the top 50 in FBS history in that dubious category
Heading into the Quick Lane Bowl against North Carolina, Nova needs 310 yards to pass Mike Teel for the Rutgers career passing record. Freshman Chris Laviano figures to get the first crack at succeeding Nova next season, but having him around a little longer wouldn't be so bad, either.
South Carolina Gamecocks
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A few more ways for Pharoh Cooper to score
In his two seasons with South Carolina, sophomore Pharoh Cooper has been responsible for 15 touchdowns in a variety of ways. He has nine receiving TDs, including eight this season, as well as three rushing scores and he's thrown for three touchdowns.
Earlier this year, against Tennessee, he contributed four touchdowns via three different ways.
Cooper returned kickoffs as a freshman and has been involved in the punt return game in both seasons, but he's yet to break one for a score. Bowl games bring out crazy things, and with South Carolina trying to avoid its first losing season since 2003 it might take another single-handed effort by Cooper to prevent that.
Stanford Cardinal
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Rose-colored glasses
Stanford is playing in a bowl game in its home state for the third consecutive year, but after going to the Rose Bowl the previous two seasons, this time it's just up the highway at the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California. Beyond being able to play close to home and fans, another way to motivate the Cardinal might be to tap into how they played in those previous bowl appearances.
One particular area where Stanford could use some improvement would be in the red zone, where it ranked 119th this season by scoring on only 71.4 percent of its possession. That included 25 touchdowns in 49 trips.
Syracuse Orange
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Terrel Hunt returns in 2015
A broken leg knocked Syracuse's best offensive player out in October, and the Orange's season went down at the same time. When quarterback Terrel Hunt was injured, Syracuse was about to drop to 2-3 in a year that ended with a 3-9 record for its worst season since 2009.
Hunt should be healthy for spring practice, but whether he remains in upstate New York depends on how he plans to move forward academically. The redshirt junior was expected to graduate in December, which would make him eligible to transfer to another program without having to sit out a year, if he decided.
AJ Long, a freshman who finished the season at quarterback, and 2014 signee Alin Edouard (who withdrew from school and is expected to re-enroll in January) would be options if Hunt doesn't stick around.
TCU Horned Frogs
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Earplugs
The combination of playing in a dome, relatively far from home, against an SEC opponent in the heart of the South, means TCU will essentially be a road team in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. According to HottyToddy.com, Ole Miss had already sold more than 17,000 tickets to the game as of early last week.
There are no domes in the Big 12, so this will be a new experience for many of the Horned Frogs. TCU's last game played in a dome was to open the 2013 season, when it lost to LSU in Arlington, Texas, in front of a crowd that had far more home fans than this contest is expected to.
Tennessee Volunteers
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A no-trade clause for Butch Jones
Tennessee recently gave head coach Butch Jones a healthy raise in a contract extension, agreeing to pay him $3.6 million through the 2020 season. This doesn't guarantee he wouldn't leave the school, though, as Jones spent only three seasons apiece at Central Michigan and Cincinnati and will complete his second year with the Volunteers in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Iowa.
Jones has landed some great recruiting classes in his time with Tennessee, and the Vols played more than 20 true freshmen this season. There's a big future here with this program, and it would be great if the school could somehow ensure that Jones sticks around so it doesn't need to search for a new one for the fourth time since 2009.
Texas Longhorns
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More big-name commitments
Texas has picked up some major pledges on the recruiting circuit in the past week, landing 5-star linebacker Malik Jefferson and 4-star athlete DeAndre McNeal to raise its overall ranking in the 2015 class from 19th to 14th, according to 247Sports. The Longhorns aren't done, though, as they've only gotten 22 commitments and are looking to get a few more big names.
A strong performance in the Texas Bowl against Arkansas can help in that area, because it would put Texas over .500 in Charlie Strong's first season and make it more enticing to play there in 2015. Among the targets is 5-star defensive tackle Daylon Mack, who decommitted from Texas A&M on Dec. 19.
Texas A&M Aggies
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Another key interception
Texas A&M was in a defense-optional shootout last December for its bowl game, a 52-48 victory over Duke that only turned in the Aggies' favor for good when Toney Hurd Jr. returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown with less than four minutes left. With another potential offensive onslaught expected against West Virginia, another big pick might be needed.
A&M has only intercepted five passes all season, fewer than only five other teams in FBS. Three of those have been collected by freshman Armani Watts, who has also broken up seven passes this season.
With the Aggies and West Virginia heading into the Liberty Bowl with a combined 968 pass attempts, a game-turning interception is very possible.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Better ball-protection skills
Among the many things that plagued Texas Tech in 2014, leading to a 4-8 season, was an overabundance of turnovers. The Red Raiders gave the ball away 28 times, only winning the turnover battle once all year.
With a defense that was one of the worst in the FBS, giving the ball to the opponent in bad spots only exacerbated that issue. Texas Tech's quarterbacks threw 18 interceptions, at least one in all but two games, and the team lost 10 fumbles.
UCLA Bruins
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A Kevlar vest for Brett Hundley
Brett Hundley's career at UCLA is likely to end with the Alamo Bowl performance against Kansas State, as the junior figures to declare for the NFL draft. Beyond feeling ready for the pros, Hundley might also figure it's time to start getting paid for being sacked so often.
Despite putting up great numbers in his three seasons—he'll finish as the Bruins' all-time leader in touchdowns and second behind Cade McNown in yardage—he's also been sacked 123 times. That includes 36 times this year, yet he still managed to throw for 3,019 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 548 yards and eight TDs.
Kansas State doesn't have any player with more than 5.5 sacks in a game this year, but defensive end Ryan Mueller figures to be in the backfield and chasing Hundley quite often.
USC Trojans
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Cody Kessler stays in the 70s
With all of the great quarterbacks USC has produced over the years, none have ever managed to finish a season with a completion percentage of 70 percent or better. The school single-season mark is 69.1 percent, set by Matt Barkley in 2011.
Heading into the Trojans' first-ever trip to the Holiday Bowl, Kessler has completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 3,505 yards with 36 touchdowns and only four interceptions. The junior's career accuracy is 68.3 percent, which is best in school history.
Nebraska isn't the easiest team to throw effectively against, as it has held opponents to a 47.5 percent completion rate this season on 402 attempts.
Utah Utes
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A season's worth of Las Vegas Bowl performances
Utah was the first power-conference team to play in bowl season, and it was a dominant performance by the Utes in their 45-10 win over Colorado State in the Las Vegas Bowl. They amassed 548 yards, the most they've had this year against an FBS opponent.
Offensive inconsistency plagued Utah during the regular season, preventing it from better capitalizing on strong defense and special teams play. Quarterback Travis Wilson (who had four total touchdowns in the Las Vegas Bowl) and running back Devontae Booker (who ran for 162 yards and a TD, finishing the year with 1,512 yards and 10 scores) are both juniors, so the foundation is there for a big 2015 on offense.
Vanderbilt Commodores
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A completely clean slate
The first year of Derek Mason's coaching tenure did not go well at Vanderbilt, with the Commodores dropping from back-to-back nine-win seasons to a 3-9 mark that included their first winless record in SEC play since 2009. Mason responded by cleaning house, firing both offensive coordinator Karl Dorrell and defensive coordinator David Kotulski, among others.
The new hires should help Mason try to separate this season from the future, though Vanderbilt will need to show improvement in order for him to stick around. James Franklin had brought the program to unprecedented success in the previous three seasons, and a new standard has been set.
Virginia Cavaliers
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An easier nonconference schedule
Virginia just finished its third straight losing season, but it did win three games in ACC play and had a chance to reach a bowl game had it knocked off rival Virginia Tech in its finale. The Cavaliers didn't have the luxury of the kind of soft nonconference schedule that some struggling power programs put together in order to build confidence and increase the chance of becoming bowl-eligible.
It's more of the same in 2015, as Virginia opens at UCLA and also hosts Notre Dame and Boise State (as well as FCS William & Mary). The Cavs haven't gone unbeaten in non-league play since 2005.
Virginia Tech Hokies
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No more running back injuries
Virginia Tech has rushed for nearly 143 yards per game this season despite near-constant injuries in its backfield. Four different players who were either expected to be key contributors—or thrust into that role because of injuries—have missed a combined 19 games.
Freshman Marshawn Williams led the team with 475 yards, but he tore his ACL in mid-November. Shai McKenzie, another freshman, was lost for the year in late September because of a similar injury. Sophomore Trey Edmunds broke his clavicle and has missed the past six games, while sophomore Jerome Wright has missed the last three games because of a knee sprain.
Edmunds and Wright could be back for the Military Bowl against Cincinnati.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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A running game
Wake Forest was the nation's second-worst rushing team in 2014, finishing with 479 yards and edging Washington state by three feet. The Demon Deacons averaged a paltry 1.25 yards per carry, scoring on the ground only four times, and had three games with negative rushing yards and a season-high of 100 in a win over Army.
It was a pair of freshmen who lead the team in rushing, with Dezmond Wortham going for 240 yards and Isaiah Robinson adding 175 yards and three scores.
Washington Huskies
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Extra eligibility for defensive stars
Washington landed three players on the first team of the Associated Press' All-American Team, a major achievement for the Huskies in coach Chris Petersen's first season. But all of those players—linebackers Hau'oli Kikaha and Shaq Thompson and defensive lineman Danny Shelton—aren't going to be around after the Jan. 2 Cactus Bowl against Oklahoma State.
Shelton and Kikaha are seniors, while Thompson (who also started at running back a few times this season, and has six offensive or defensive touchdowns in 2014) is a junior who is likely to turn pro after the game. It might be a total overhaul for the Huskies defense, which also lost junior cornerback Marcus Peters in November after he was dismissed from the team.
Washington State Cougars
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Offensive balance
Washington State's Mike Leach has never been one to devote too much to the run game, but in 2014 things hit a low point. The Cougars only carried the ball 243 times in 12 games, rushing for 478 yards and only five scores after they had 694 yards with 10 TDs during the bowl season in 2013.
With a prolific passing offense, the Cougars don't need a 1,000-yard rusher or to gain 200 yards per game on the ground. But being able to mix things up—particularly in the red zone or on fourth down—could have fixed some of WSU's problems this past season. Only 32 of its 51 red-zone trips ended with a touchdown, often because the lack of a run game limited the play-calling close to the goal line.
West Virginia Mountaineers
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Glue-covered gloves
West Virginia fumbled the ball 27 times this season, losing 18 of those. Both figures are second-worst in FBS, better than only 2-10 Eastern Michigan, yet despite that, the Mountaineers managed to average more than 500 yards per game.
"Ball security is a problem," West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen told Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette before the Mountaineers' regular-season finale, in which they lost two more fumbles. "I can assure you we've talked about it. I've obsessed over it. We've read books on it. We've made [players] read books on it. We've made them write books on it. We've talked about it. We've shown videos."
All of the lost fumbles contributed to a minus-15 turnover margin, sixth-worst in FBS.
Wisconsin Badgers
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The end of a bowl losing streak
Wisconsin is ending a 13th straight season with a bowl game, which is the seventh-longest active streak in FBS. But the Badgers also hold the distinction of having the longest streak of seasons ending with a bowl loss, having fallen in their past four bowl appearances.
After losing three straight Rose Bowls, Wisconsin fell to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl last season. Its last bowl win came in the 2009 Champs Sports Bowl, over Miami (Florida), and the Badgers are 11-14 all-time in bowls.
Statistical information courtesy of CFBStats.com.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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