College Football Bowl Picks 2014: Predictions for Most Underrated Games on Slate
The big-time bowl games will take center stage during the postseason, but some of the best bowls to watch end up being those that nobody's talking about.
Sure, events like the College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowls deserve their chunk of the coverage. After all, they include the nation's best teams—and the most tangible awards at stake.
But with well over 30 bowl games on tap, many involving highly talented teams and everybody coming into this time of year with a different mentality, those lower-tier bowl games can end up being the most watchable.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Let's highlight a few of those games as we break down predictions for every single bowl game left in the 2014 season.
| Dec. 22 | Miami Beach Bowl | BYU* vs. Memphis | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 23 | Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall* vs. Northern Illinois | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 23 | San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl | Navy* vs. San Diego State | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky* vs. Central Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 24 | Sheraton Hawaii Bowl | Rice* vs. Fresno State | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois* vs. Louisiana Tech | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina* | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 26 | BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF* | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | Military Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati* | 1 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. Arizona State* | 2 p.m. | CBS |
| Dec. 27 | Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Fl.) vs. South Carolina* | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Dec. 27 | New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State* | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 27 | National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. USC* | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia* vs. Texas A&M | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | Russell Athletic Bowl | Clemson* vs. Oklahoma | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 29 | AdvoCare Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas* | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. LSU* | 3 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Belk Bowl | Louisville* vs. Georgia | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 30 | Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford* | 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Ole Miss* vs. TCU | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Vizio Fiesta Bowl | Boise State* vs. Arizona | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Dec. 31 | Capital One Orange Bowl | Mississippi State* vs. Georgia Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Outback Bowl | Wisconsin vs. Auburn* | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Jan. 1 | Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Michigan State vs. Baylor* | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | Minnesota vs. Missouri* | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Jan. 1 | Rose Bowl Game | Oregon* vs. Florida State | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 1 | Allstate Sugar Bowl | Alabama* vs. Ohio State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston* | 12 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee* | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Valero Alamo Bowl | Kansas State* vs. UCLA | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 2 | Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma State* vs. Washington | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| Jan. 3 | Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina* | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Jan. 4 | GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo* vs. Arkansas State | 9 p.m. | ESPN |
Note: Bowl schedule courtesy of ESPN.com.
Most Underrated Bowls
Belk Bowl: Louisville vs. Georgia
In one of just two non-New Year's Six bowl games to include two Top 25 foes, the Belk Bowl features No. 13 Georgia against No. 21 Louisville—pegging two impressive programs two days before 2015.
The Bulldogs suffered through yet another year with high expectations that turned sour late, but they still maintain the chance to notch another 10-win season. They'll have to remedy their recent ACC woes, going up against the Cardinals shortly after falling to Georgia Tech on Nov. 29.
Louisville looks to do the exact opposite, hoping to stay on top of the SEC after topping Kentucky in its season finale.
One jolly fellow knows who is going to win, but he's not tipping his hand, per Belk Bowl:
Perhaps a game on a bigger stage with more on the line would favor Mark Richt's Georgia team, but it's just hard to see the Bulldogs fully invested. As for their opposition, they're looking to notch 10 wins for the third consecutive season—not to mention the adrenaline boost that comes from facing a mighty SEC foe.
On top of that, Louisville has an entire month to get DeVante Parker good to go, as the receiver has been unstoppable despite missing half the year with an injury. While he'll have an impact, the Cardinals rushing attack of Brandon Radcliff and Michael Dyer will gash a Georgia run defense that was trounced in each of its three losses.
Bobby Petrino's squad will pull off the upset, further adding to a disappointing ending to 2014 for Georgia.
Prediction: Louisville 31, Georgia 27
Boca Raton Bowl: Marshall vs. Northern Illinois
Every year, it seems two of the best schools from outside the Power Five conferences find a way to battle in an early bowl game. In 2014, it will be in Boca Raton, Florida.
Both Marshall and Northern Illinois had their sights set on making a New Year's Six bowl at one point, but the two took conference championship victories en route to a meeting in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Thundering Herd's undefeated season was thwarted a few short weeks ago, but CBS Sports' J. Darin Darst still noted the prestige of the game:
The Huskies dropped early season games to Arkansas and Central Michigan, but they rolled through the MAC and toppled Bowling Green 51-13 in the championship game—a team that just won its bowl game Saturday. Jordan Lynch is no longer the Heisman hopeful at quarterback, but Drew Hare is filling in nicely and developing a dangerous combination with Da'Ron Brown.
It's safe to say both these teams had hopes of facing a Power Five team and proving something, but that can still be done against a team of similar fortitude. Considering Marshall spent most of the season beating opponents by an average of 30 or more, its chances should be liked.
Quarterback Rakeem Cato will have a huge game, leading Marshall to a big win.
Prediction: Marshall 38, Northern Illinois 21
Fiesta Bowl: Boise State vs. Arizona
I know what you're saying. It's a New Year's Six bowl, so how can it be underrated?
Well, with the obsession of the first CFP, mouthwatering games all around it and a midday 4 p.m. ET kickoff, Boise State and Arizona might not get the attention they deserve at the Fiesta Bowl. After all, the Wildcats were drubbed 51-13 by Oregon the last time out, and the Broncos hail from the Mountain West.
But don't sleep on this one—even if you need that pre-New Year's Eve nap.
Don't let the Pac-12 title game slip-up fool you; Arizona's defense is nasty. Led by bruising linebacker Scooby Wright III, the Wildcats have held the likes of Oregon, UCLA and Utah all under 25 points this season.
Arizona will be revitalized by its invite to the Fiesta Bowl, but it will face an even more hungry foe. Glendale, Arizona, has practically been the Broncos' national championship game over the last decade—a mentality the once-CFP-hopeful Wildcats can't hope to match.
And for all of Arizona's defensive dominance, the unit has been noticeably inept in its last two games—conceding more than 1,000 combined yards to Arizona State and Oregon in recent weeks. Boise State can have a similar impact, riding the workhorse Jay Ajayi and keeping the secondary off balance with play action from Grant Hedrick.
Arizona will come to play, largely in front of a home crowd. But Boise State will show up, too, and has a better feel for what it takes to win this one.
Prediction: Boise State 38, Arizona 34
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
