Bowl Games 2015-16: Schedule and Winning Predictions for College Football Slate
There are a record 41 bowl games this year, and some include teams with sub-.500 records, propelling the argument of whether or not the bowl sanctity remains intact.
But despite the ever-growing influx, fans should welcome the extra football. Bowl season is one of the most exciting periods on the sports calendar.
Even aside from the College Football Playoff—now in its second year after a roaring success in its inaugural rendition in 2014—there are plenty of intriguing matchups pitting great teams that hope to finish the season on an upward note.
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Here is a look at the full bowl schedule and a few marquee matchups aside from the playoff.
| Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl | Alcorn State vs. North Carolina A&T | 12 p.m. | ABC | North Carolina A&T |
| Gillian New Mexico Bowl | Arizona vs. New Mexico | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | BYU vs. Utah | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Utah |
| Raychem Media Camellia Bowl | Ohio vs. Appalachian State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | Appalachian State |
| Cure Bowl | San Jose State vs. Georgia State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN | Georgia State |
| R+L Carrier New Orleans Bowl | Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech | 9 p.m. | ESPN | Arkansas State |
| Miami Beach Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. South Florida | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | South Florida |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Akron vs. Utah State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Utah State |
| Marmot Boca Raton Bowl | Toledo vs. Temple | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Temple |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl | Boise State vs. Northern Illinois | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | Boise State |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia Southern |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Middle Tennessee |
| Hawai'i Bowl | San Diego State vs. Cincinnati | 8 p.m. | ESPN | San Diego State |
| St. Petersburg Bowl | Connecticut vs. Marshall | 11 a.m. | ESPN | Marshall |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Miami vs. Washington State | 2 p.m. | CBS | Washington State |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Washington vs. Southern Miss | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | Southern Miss |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Indiana vs. Duke | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Duke |
| Camping World Independence Bowl | Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | Virginia Tech |
| Foster Farms Bowl | UCLA vs. Nebraska | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | UCLA |
| Military Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Navy | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Pittsburgh |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Minnesota | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 | Central Michigan |
| Lockhead Martin Armed Forces Bowl | California vs. Air Force | 2 p.m. | ESPN | Air Force |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | North Carolina vs. Baylor | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | North Carolina |
| NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl | Nevada vs. Colorado State | 7:30 p.m. | Campus Insiders | Colorado State |
| AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl | LSU vs. Texas Tech | 9 p.m. | ESPN | LSU |
| Birmingham Bowl | Auburn vs. Memphis | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Auburn |
| Belk Bowl | NC State vs. Mississippi State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Mississippi State |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Texas A&M vs. Louisville | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Texas &AM |
| Holiday Bowl | USC vs. Wisconsin | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | USC |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Houston vs. Florida State | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Florida State |
| College Football Playoff Semifinal – Orange Bowl | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | 4 p.m. | ESPN | Clemson |
| College Football Playoff Semifinal – Cotton Bowl | Michigan State vs. Alabama | 8 p.m. | ESPN | Alabama |
| Outback Bowl | Northwestern vs. Tennessee | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | Tennessee |
| Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl | Michigan vs. Florida | 1 p.m. | ABC | Michigan |
| Fiesta Bowl | Notre Dame vs. Ohio State | 1 p.m. | ESPN | Ohio State |
| Rose Bowl | Stanford vs. Iowa | 5 p.m. | ESPN | Stanford |
| Sugar Bowl | Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | Oklahoma State |
| Taxslayer Bowl | Penn State vs. Georgia | 12 p.m. | ESPN | Georgia |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | Kansas State vs. Arkansas | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | Arkansas |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | Oregon vs. TCU | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | Oregon |
| Motel 6 Cactus Bowl | Arizona State vs. West Virginia | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona State |
| College Football Playoff – National Championship Game | TBD | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN |
Fiesta Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Ohio State and Notre Dame meeting in the Fiesta Bowl is the only non-playoff matchup between teams that were once ranked among the CFP Top Four.
The Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish were ranked third and fourth, respectively, during Weeks 12 and 13, though each would go on to lose before the seasons’s end.
This isn’t where each team hoped to be, though the Fiesta Bowl isn’t a bad consolation prize and the matchup gives both the opportunity at a formidable foe to finish the season on a high note. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said as much after the game’s announcement, per Kevin Noon of Rivals.com:
"(There is) no disappointment. You start talking about that level of football and that level of bowl game and that level of opponent that you are going to play and you get locked on with laser lights on your opponent and get going.
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Bleacher Report’s Adam Kramer noted that the Fiesta Bowl could offer a glimpse of pro talent on the horizon:
"Thinking about it: Fiesta Bowl might have seven (or more) 2016 first round draft picks playing last college game.
— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) December 8, 2015"
Notre Dame has produced a whopping 471.5 yards and 34.8 points per game—both marks higher than the Buckeyes—but Ohio State arguably has more talent behind quarterback J.T. Barrett, tailback Ezekiel Elliott and hybrid receiver Braxton Miller.
Ohio State is a six-point favorite against the Fighting Irish, per Odds Shark, and the Buckeyes’ stout defense should prove a task too tall for the Fighting Irish. They’ll win and cover.
Prediction: Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 17
Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Iowa
Iowa and Stanford enter the Rose Bowl as the first two teams on the outside of the playoff, coming in ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.
Stanford head coach David Shaw even broached that this matchup could catapult the argument for more teams to be included in the playoff, per Scott Dochterman of the Gazette in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids:
"I just know this year is a part of the process where you have these teams in Stanford and Iowa and Ohio State that you could make a case could be in a playoff, and it would be a phenomenal playoff. So I have no problems with where we are now. I just do believe eventually, it will become an eight-team playoff because it’s the only thing that makes sense.
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Iowa’s 12 wins are the most in program history, and their trip to the Rose Bowl is their first since 1990—well before most of the current team was born.
Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports highlighted who the lengthy drought has fans scampering to the Grandaddy of them All:
"The Iowa Effect: Lowest-priced Rose Bowl ticket on StubHub right now is $590. ... Cotton: $150. Orange: $130. Fiesta: $100.
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 11, 2015"
The Hawkeyes are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State in a Big Ten Championship Game that essentially served as a playoff play-in.
Much of Iowa's knock was that it hadn’t played any strong opponents prior to Michigan State, but the Hawkeyes validated their legitimacy by holding the Spartans in check until the game’s final drive. They still have so much to play for, and a win over Pac-12 champion Stanford would cap what’s already been the best season in program history.
The Cardinal are back in the Rose Bowl for third time in four years and are going for their second 12-win season under Shaw, who, after taking over for Jim Harbaugh, has helped catapult Stanford as an annual national title contender.
This year’s team is backed by Heisman Trophy finalist and versatile superstar Christian McCaffrey, who broke Barrry Sanders’ record for most all-purpose yards, now at 3,496.
McCaffrey discussed his Heisman prospects earlier this week, courtesy of the Pac-12 Networks:
"NEW: @CMccaffrey5 just spoke at the #Heisman press conference. Check out the full video: https://t.co/uzTenZP7ev
— Pac-12 Networks (@Pac12Networks) December 11, 2015"
Stanford is a 6.5-point favorite, per Odds Shark, and should win if McCaffrey has another big day. It’s been a great run for the Hawkeyes, but the Cardinal have been here before and will show it.
Prediction: Stanford 32, Iowa 21
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