Bowl Games 2015-16: TV Schedule and Predictions for Most Anticipated Matchups
It's the most wonderful time of the year for college football fans, as bowl season is rapidly approaching. With a slate of 41 games in total, the holiday season is going to be packed with postseason games.
The zenith of the schedule without a doubt will begin on the last day of 2015, as the New Year's Six games will pit some of the best teams in the nation against each other. Two of them, the Orange Bowl and the Cotton Bowl, will decide who is going to the national championship.
Here is the schedule for the New Year's Six games, where to watch it on TV and who I think will come out on top in each matchup.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Peach Bowl | No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 18 Houston | Thursday, Dec. 31, 12 p.m. | ESPN | Florida State |
| Orange Bowl* | No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Oklahoma | Thursday, Dec. 31, 4 p.m. | ESPN | Clemson |
| Cotton Bowl* | No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Michigan State | Thursday, Dec. 31, 8 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama |
| Fiesta Bowl | No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Notre Dame | Friday, Jan. 1, 1 p.m. | ESPN | Ohio State |
| Rose Bowl | No. 5 Iowa vs. No. 6 Stanford | Friday, Jan. 1, 5 p.m. | ESPN | Stanford |
| Sugar Bowl | No. 12 Ole Miss vs. No. 16 Oklahoma State | Friday, Dec. 1, 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Ole Miss |
These games are not going to be short of talent. Each of the three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, will each be taking part in one of these games.
Derrick Henry
| 339 | 1,986 | 5.9 | 23 |
Alabama's workhorse has been downright unstoppable this season, especially over the past seven games. During that span, Henry rushed for more than 200 yards four times, including a 271-yard effort in the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
In each of the past two games, he has rushed the ball 44 times or more, providing a steady, bruising presence in the Crimson Tide's offense.
His play has head coach Nick Saban dropping a word that starts with the letter "H" a lot, per the Advocate's Ross Dellenger:
During the SEC Championship Game against Florida, Henry broke the conference's single-season rushing record, originally set by Georgia's Herschel Walker in 1981. That year, Walker won the Heisman.
With at least one more game to go against Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, he has another opportunity to expand his lead atop the SEC record book.
Playing against a Michigan State rushing defense that is ranked 79th in the nation with more than 160 yards per game, Henry looks set to have a big night at the Cotton Bowl.
Christian McCaffrey
| 1,847 | 540 | 3,496 | 15 |
While Henry broke a conference record, McCaffrey eclipsed an NCAA mark this season, out-gaining Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders' all-purpose-yards mark set in 1988.
A jack of all trades, McCaffrey can do anything, and he proved it on Stanford's biggest stage of the 2015 season, the Pac-12 Championship Game against USC. Stanford Football shows some of his best moments of the night:
That night, he recorded 461 total yards in a Stanford win and solidified his place among the game's elite. McCaffrey has the great vision needed to be a running back with a solid pair of hands, making him a reliable receiver.
Add that to the explosiveness of a dangerous kick returner, and you're looking at a once-in-a-generation type of player.
He's recorded 300 all-purpose yards in a single game five times this season, astounding for a non-quarterback, as his play has left fans and teammates in awe. Stanford wide receiver Devon Cajuste spoke with CampusRush.com's Lindsay Schnell of what McCaffrey might not be able to do:
"Haven't seen him fly yet. No, but he could probably do that—with limited training. I want to see him fly. Like, literally take off five yards from the end zone and fly over somebody to score. You know, now he's probably going to do it. And then I'll have nothing left.
"
Facing Iowa in the Rose Bowl, McCaffrey will be taking on a defense that allows its fair share of yards but limits its opponents on the scoreboard.
If Iowa gives McCaffrey even the slightest of openings, they won't only feel it on their yards-allowed statistics, but in the final score as well.
Deshaun Watson
| 3,512 | 69.5% | 887 | 41 |
With more than 4,000 yards of total offense this season, Watson has led Clemson to the College Football Playoff committee's top spot in Week 10 and kept them there to end the regular season. That earns them a meeting with Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.
It's been a historic season for Clemson, who has seen Watson help the Tigers attain their first 13-win season in program history.
As such a dangerous dual threat, Watson has the adoration of head coach Dabo Swinney, who spoke with the New York Times' Viv Bernstein:
"He’s the best player in the country. And there’s no doubt about it. This guy beats you not just with his legs; he beats you with his arm, his mind, his heart, his guts, his toughness. This is a great, great champion of a player. That No. 4, man, he’s like Secretariat. You cut him open, he’s got an oversized heart. He’s special.
"
Special indeed. Four times this season, Watson has passed for over 250 yards and rushed for over 100 as Clemson remains the only undefeated team left in the FBS.
The ACC Digital Network took a look at what makes him such a formidable player:
He will need to be great again come New Year's Eve, as he will most likely be trading big plays with Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and the potent Sooners offense. Oklahoma puts up 45 points and more than 540 total yards per game this season.
The way Watson leads the Clemson offense, which puts up 38 points per game, all signs are pointing at a shootout in the Orange Bowl.
Stats courtesy of ESPN.com
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
