Bowl Games 2014-15: Postseason Schedule and Predictions for Biggest Matchups

We've already seen some epic games during the bowl season, and there are still 21 more postseason tilts to be played.

Any of them could turn into instant classics. It's all leading up to the culmination of the first College Football Playoff, which is scheduled for Jan. 12 in Arlington, Texas.

Which two teams will be vying for the distinction of being the first national champion of the playoff era? It's between the Oregon Ducks, Alabama Crimson Tide, defending champion Florida State Seminoles and Ohio State Buckeyes.

I'll give you my take on the two semifinals matchups, but first here's a look at the remaining bowl schedule.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl Texas A&M vs. West Virginia	Memphis, Tenn. Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium	Dec. 29 2 p.m.	ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl Oklahoma vs. No. 17 Clemson	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Dec. 29 5:30 p.m.	ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl Arkansas vs. Texas	Houston NRG Stadium	Dec. 29 9 p.m.	ESPN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl Notre Dame vs. No. 23 LSU	Nashville, Tenn. LP Field	Dec. 30 3 p.m.	ESPN
Belk Bowl No. 13 Georgia vs. No. 21 Louisville	Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium	Dec. 30 6:30 p.m.	ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl Maryland vs. Stanford	Santa Clara, Calif. Levi's Stadium	Dec. 30 10 p.m.	ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 6 TCU	Atlanta Georgia Dome	Dec. 31 12:30 p.m.	ESPN
VIZIO Fiesta Bowl No. 20 Boise State vs. No. 10 Arizona	Glendale, Ariz. University of Phoenix Stadium	Dec. 31 4 p.m.	ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Georgia Tech	Miami Gardens, Fla. Sun Life Stadium	Dec. 31 8 p.m.	ESPN
Outback Bowl No. 19 Auburn vs. No. 18 Wisconsin	Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium	Jan. 1 Noon	ESPN2
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic No. 8 Michigan State vs. No. 5 Baylor	Arlington, Texas AT&T Stadium	Jan. 1 12:30 p.m.	ESPN
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl No. 16 Missouri vs. No. 25 Minnesota	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	ABC
Rose Bowl Game Presented By Northwestern Mutual College Football Playoff Semifinal No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Florida State	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 1 5 p.m.	ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff Semifinal No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Ohio State	New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome	Jan. 1 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Houston vs. Pittsburgh	Fort Worth, Texas Amon G. Carter Stadium	Jan. 2 Noon	ESPN
TaxSlayer Bowl Iowa vs. Tennessee	Jacksonville, Fla. EverBank Field	Jan. 2 3:20 p.m.	ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 14 UCLA	San Antonio Alamodome	Jan. 2 6:45 p.m.	ESPN
TicketCity Cactus Bowl Washington vs. Oklahoma State	Tempe, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium	Jan. 2 10:15 p.m.	ESPN
Birmingham Bowl East Carolina vs. Florida	Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field	Jan. 3 Noon	ESPN
GoDaddy Bowl Toledo vs. Arkansas State	Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium	Jan. 4 9 p.m.	ESPN
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T TBD vs. TBD	Arlington, Texas AT&T Stadium	Jan. 12 8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Florida State Will Roll Past Oregon

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The battle of the last two Heisman Trophy winners won't be much of a contest. The Seminoles have squeaked by winning a mountain of close games all season long. Truth be told, they haven't played well for 60 minutes in any game this season.

With everything on the line and facing the newly crowned Heisman winner, the Seminoles will produce their best performance of the season. The lack of respect from the CFP committee and analysts have created an us-against-the-world theme for the champions, and that's bad news for Oregon.

Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk with Bo sees Florida State winning a close one.

Marcus Mariota was deserving of his 2014 Heisman award, but he has never faced a defense as athletic as the Noles. From players such as Eddie Goldman on the defensive line to corners such as P.J. Williams and Ronald Darby, Florida State will get after Mariota.

Turnovers will give the Noles great field position, and Jameis Winston and the offense will make the Ducks pay. Florida State will advance to the championship game with a 34-14 win.

Alabama's Speed Will Lead to Blow Out

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The Crimson Tide have never had so many weapons on offense. Nor have they had the willingness to use them all. Amari Cooper is the best wide receiver in the nation, and the Tide's offensive line is still big, nasty and dominant.

Add in TJ Yeldon and quarterback Blake Sims has protection and a wealth of ammunition.

Ohio State's defense might be able to keep it close if its offense could stay on the field. Unfortunately for Buckeye Nation, third-string quarterback Cardale Jones and the offense are going to be looking at a lot of three-and-out possessions.

The speed on Alabama's defense will be a shock to Ohio State's system. The front seven will take away Jones' running ability and stuff the conventional run game.

Even if J.T. Barrett or even Braxton Miller had been the signal-caller for Ohio State, I'd lean toward Bama's defense and overall team speed.

However, with the inexperienced Jones in the hot seat, things look even better for Bama. Get ready for a beatdown in the Bayou as Alabama will dominate the Sugar Bowl 40-13.