Bowl Games 2015-16: Schedule, Predictions for Entire College Football Postseason

The college football bowl season will kick into high gear on Saturday with five games. The action will begin at 2 p.m. ET with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The 7-5 New Mexico Lobos have one of the clearest cases of home-field advantage of any team this bowl season.

They will take on the Arizona Wildcats at University Stadium. Arizona fans usually travel well, but this might even be a tough task for Wildcat Nation. Danny Davis of the Austin American-Statesman notes some of the local talent that will be on display in the game:

Under head coach Rich Rodriguez, the Wildcats are an impressive 14-1 against nonconference opponents, per ArizonaWildcats.com, but few of their games against non-Pac-12 foes have been as challenging as this one will be. The 6-6 Wildcats struggled this season to stop the run.

They rank 89th in the nation in rushing yards allowed, per CFBStats.com. The Lobos are even worse at 97th, yet both teams' offenses are heavily predicated on a run game by committee. Neither team has a running back that is averaging as much as 15 carries per game. 

Still, both squads run the ball more than 45 times per contest. Which team has the advantage when both are so similar? 

Arizona's QB situation is unstable. Per Ryan Finley of Tucson.com, speedy athlete Jerrard Randall will play wide receiver after taking snaps at QB in the team's 52-37 loss against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the regular-season finale.

The Lobos' Lamar Jordan and Austin Apodaca are more of a threat to run than pass. They won't put the ball in the air much, unless the team falls behind. New Mexico's triple-option rushing attack is difficult to handle for teams that are not accustomed to seeing it.

The lack of familiarity with the scheme and the home-field advantage will be too much for a mediocre Wildcats team to overcome. New Mexico will win the unofficial home game by a large margin.

Here's a look at the entire bowl schedule with predictions for each game:

2015-16 College Football Bowl Season Predictions

Bowl Game	Matchup		Location	Prediction	Time
Saturday, December 19
Gildan New Mexico Bowl	Arizona	New Mexico	University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	2 p.m. ET
Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl	BYU	No. 22 Utah	Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV	Utah	3:30 p.m. ET
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl	Ohio	Appalachian State	Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL	Ohio	5:30 p.m. ET
AutoNation Cure Bowl	San José State	Georgia State	Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL	Georgia State	7 p.m. ET
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl	Arkansas State	Louisiana Tech	Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA	Louisiana Tech	9 p.m. ET
Monday, December 21
Miami Beach Bowl	Western Kentucky	South Florida	Marlins Park, Miami, FL	Western Kentucky	2:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, December 22
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl	Akron	Utah State	Albertsons Stadium, Boise, ID	Utah State	3:30 p.m. ET
Marmot Boca Raton Bowl	Temple	Toledo	FAU Football Stadium, Boca Raton, FL	Temple	7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 23
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsetta Bowl	Boise State	Northern Illinois	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA	Northern Illinois	4:30 p.n. ET
GoDaddy Bowl	Georgia Southern	Bowling Green	Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL	Georgia Southern	8 p.m. ET
Thursday, December 24
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl	Middle Tennessee	Western Michigan	Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau	Middle Tennessee	Noon ET
Hawai'i Bowl	San Diego State	Cincinnati	Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI	Cincinnati	8 p.m. ET
Saturday, December 26
St. Petersburg Bowl	Connecticut	Marshall	Tropicana Field, Saint Petersburg, FL	Connecticut	11 a.m. ET
Hyundai Sun Bowl	Miami (FL)	Washington State	Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX	Miami (FL)	2 p.m. ET
Zaxby's Heart of Texas Bowl	Washington	Southern Mississippi	Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX	Washington	2:20 p.m. ET
New Era Pinstripe Bowl	Indiana	Duke	Yankee Stadium, New York, NY	Duke	3:30 p.m. ET
Camping World Independence Bowl	Tulsa	Virginia Tech	Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA	Virginia Tech	5:45 p.m. ET
Fosters Farm Bowl	UCLA	Nebraska	Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA	UCLA	9:15 p.m. ET
Monday, December 28
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman	Pittsburgh	No. 21 Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD	Navy	2:30 p.m. ET
Quick Lane Bowl	Central Michigan	Minnesota	Ford Field, Detroit, MI	Minnesota	4 p.m. ET
Tuesday, December 29
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl	California	Air Force	Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX	Air Force	2 p.m. ET
Russell Athletic Bowl	No. 10 North Carolina	No. 17 Baylor	Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL	North Carolina	5:30 p.m. ET
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl	Nevada	Colorado State	Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ	Nevada	7:30 p.m. ET
Advocare V100 Texas Bowl	No. 20 LSU	Texas Tech	NRG Stadium, Houston, TX	LSU	9 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 30
Birmingham Bowl	Auburn	Memphis	Legion Field , Birmingham, AL	Memphis	Noon
Belk Bowl	NC State	Mississippi State	Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC	NC State	3:30 p.m. ET
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl	Texas A&M	Louisville	Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN	Louisville	7 p.m. ET
Holiday Bowl	No. 25 USC	Wisconsin	Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA	USC	10:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, December 31
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl	No. 18 Houston	No. 9 Florida State	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA	Florida State	Noon ET
Capital One Orange Bowl - College Football Semifinal 1	No. 4 Oklahoma	No. 1 Clemson	Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL	Clemson	4 p.m. ET
Goodyear Cotton Bowl - College Football Playoff Semifinal 2	No. 3 Michigan State	No. 2 Alabama	AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX	Alabama	8 p.m. ET
Friday, January 1
Outback Bowl	No. 13 Northwestern	No. 23 Tennessee	Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL	Northwestern	Noon ET
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl	No. 14 Michigan	No. 19 Florida	Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL	Michigan	1 p.m. ET
Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl	No. 8 Notre Dame	No. 7 Ohio State	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ	Ohio State	1 p.m. ET
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual	No. 6 Stanford	No. 5 Iowa	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA	Iowa	5 p.m. ET
Allstate Sugar Bowl	No. 16 Oklahoma State	No. 12 Ole Miss	Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA	Oklahoma State	8:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, January 2
Taxslayer Bowl	Penn State	Georgia	EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL	Georgia	Noon ET
Autozone Liberty Bowl	Kansas State	Arkansas	Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN	Arkansas	3:20 p.m. ET
Valero Alamo Bowl	No. 15 Oregon	No. 11 TCU	Alamodome, San Antonio, TX	TCU	6:45 p.m. ET
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl	West Virginia	Arizona State	Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ	Arizona State	10:15 p.m. ET
Monday, January 11
College Football Playoff National Championship	No. 2 Alabama	No. 1 Clemson	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ	Alabama	8:30 p.m. ET

Matchups per ESPN.com, picks by Mazique

Biggest Mismatches

The Seminoles Are Going to Smash the Cougars

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Cougars were among the last teams to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. Had they not lost to the Connecticut Huskies on November 21, the committee for the College Football Playoff might have had an interesting decision to make.

That's especially the case since the Cougars proceeded to knock off two ranked teams in the Navy Midshipmen and the Temple Owls to close out the season. It was a strong finish to the regular season for the Cougars, but the Florida State Seminoles are on another level. We'll see that in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl.

Jimbo Fisher's team stayed within 10 points against the No. 1 Clemson Tigers. There's strong doubt Houston would be that competitive against one of the nation's four best teams.

Houston's defense—specifically against the run—has been great all year.  The team is ranked 12th against the run in 2015. The Seminoles have been dominant running the ball. Led by dynamic sophomore Dalvin Cook's 1,658 yards, chewing up yardage on the ground hasn't been a problem.

As a team, Florida State has run for 2,171 yards with a per-rush average of 5.4 yards. Physically, the Cougars won't be able to match up with Florida State's athletes and size up front. The Noles will roll.

Michigan Will Make Statement Against the Gators

Tony Ding/Associated Press

There's some who will automatically favor SEC teams over Big Ten squads in bowl games. That logic will not apply in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. The Florida Gators offense looked dreadful down the stretch.

It managed a total of 17 points in its final two games against the Seminoles and Alabama Crimson Tide. Bama (third) and Florida State (fifth) are in the top 10 when it comes to fewest points allowed. Well, the Wolverines are 10th on that list, allowing just 17.2 points per game.

Jim Harbaugh's team will be looking to make a statement as he seeks to put the program back on the map. There's not a better time to plant significant seeds for recruitment than on New Year's Eve in a bowl game.

Gators quarterback Treon Harris has completed just 28 of his last 62 passes. Michigan has proven it has the horses up front to compete against Florida's run game. That task will be easier, considering Harris can't keep Michigan from bringing extra defenders to the line of scrimmage.

Michigan will win a low-scoring and physical affair to put a stamp on a strong first season in the Harbaugh era.