College Football Bowl Picks 2016-17: Game Predictions for Each Matchup of Season
College football fans better start getting comfortable this December. Beginning Saturday, a slate of 41 bowl games will unfold before the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 9.
That includes the CFP semifinals on New Year's Eve along with the other New Year's Six bowl games that will provide some of the most tantalizing matchups of the postseason.
To get ready for all the action, here is who I have winning each bowl game:
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| Celebration Bowl | Dec. 17 | North Carolina Central vs. Grambling | Grambling |
| New Mexico Bowl | Dec. 17 | New Mexico vs. UTSA | New Mexico |
| Las Vegas Bowl | Dec. 17 | Houston vs. San Diego State | Houston |
| Camellia Bowl | Dec. 17 | Appalachian State vs. Toledo | App. State |
| Cure Bowl | Dec. 17 | UCF vs. Arkansas State | UCF |
| New Orleans Bowl | Dec. 17 | Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | Southern Miss |
| Miami Beach Bowl | Dec. 19 | Central Michigan vs. Tulsa | Tulsa |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Dec. 20 | Memphis vs. Western Kentucky | WKU |
| Poinsettia Bowl | Dec. 21 | BYU vs. Wyoming | BYU |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Dec. 22 | Idaho vs. Colorado State | Colorado St. |
| Bahamas Bowl | Dec. 23 | Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion | Old Dominion |
| Armed Forces Bowl | Dec. 23 | Louisiana Tech vs. No. 25 Navy | LA Tech |
| Dollar General Bowl | Dec. 23 | Ohio vs. Troy | Troy |
| Hawaii Bowl | Dec. 24 | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee | Hawaii |
| St. Petersburg Bowl | Dec. 26 | Miami (Ohio) vs. Mississippi State | Miss St. |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Dec. 26 | Maryland vs. Boston College | Maryland |
| Independence Bowl | Dec. 26 | NC State vs. Vanderbilt | NC State |
| Heart of Dallas Bowl | Dec. 27 | Army vs. North Texas | Army |
| Military Bowl | Dec. 27 | No. 24 Temple vs. Wake Forest | Temple |
| Holiday Bowl | Dec. 27 | Minnesota vs. Washington State | Washington St. |
| Cactus Bowl | Dec. 27 | Boise State vs. Baylor | Boise St. |
| Pinstripe Bowl | Dec. 28 | No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern | Pitt |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | Dec. 28 | No. 16 West Virginia vs. Miami | Miami |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Dec. 28 | Indiana vs. No. 19 Utah | Utah |
| Texas Bowl | Dec. 28 | Texas A&M vs. Kansas State | Texas A&M |
| Birmingham Bowl | Dec. 29 | South Florida vs. South Carolina | USF |
| Belk Bowl | Dec. 29 | Arkansas vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech | Virginia Tech |
| Alamo Bowl | Dec. 29 | No. 12 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Colorado | Colorado |
| Liberty Bowl | Dec. 30 | Georgia vs. TCU | Georgia |
| Sun Bowl | Dec. 30 | No. 18 Stanford vs. North Carolina | Stanford |
| Music City Bowl | Dec. 30 | Nebraska vs. No. 21 Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Arizona Bowl | Dec. 30 | South Alabama vs. Air Force | Air Force |
| Orange Bowl | Dec. 30 | No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida State | Michigan |
| Citrus Bowl | Dec. 31 | No. 20 LSU vs. No. 13 Louisville | LSU |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Dec. 31 | Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky | Georgia Tech |
| Peach Bowl* | Dec. 31 | No. 4 Washington vs. No. 1 Alabama | Alabama |
| Fiesta Bowl* | Dec. 31 | No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Clemson | Ohio State |
| Outback Bowl | Jan. 2 | No. 17 Florida vs. Iowa | Florida |
| Cotton Bowl | Jan. 2 | No. 15 Western Michigan vs. No. 8 Wisconsin | Wisconsin |
| Rose Bowl | Jan. 2 | No. 9 USC vs. No. 5 Penn State | USC |
| Sugar Bowl | Jan. 2 | No. 14 Auburn vs. No. 7 Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| CFP National Championship | Jan. 9 | Peach Winner vs. Fiesta Winner |
National Championship Matchup Prediction
Alabama Will Meet Ohio State
For most of the 2016 season, it's felt as though schools have been competing for the three spots in the CFP semifinals just for a chance to lose to No. 1 Alabama.
In the Peach Bowl, the Crimson Tide will play a Pac-12 program in the form of No. 4 Washington for just the second time since 2001, per Sports-Reference.com. The first time was in Week 1 this year against USC.
Alabama and Washington have played each other just four times dating back to 1926, with the last time coming in 1986. The Crimson Tide have won every game, including the first meeting 90 years ago in the Rose Bowl, which delivered Alabama its first national title.
While those stats have no impact on this year's matchup, the fact that Alabama is giving up 11.8 points per game is going to present Washington quarterback Jake Browning with the toughest challenge of his collegiate career.
Bleacher Report took a look at the Crimson Tide's regular-season dominance:
It's unlikely that Washington could overcome that kind of defense, especially when it is lining up opposite an Alabama offense that's just as impressive behind quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has recorded a combined 3,433 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Alabama is scoring more than 40 points per game, and six different players are averaging five or more yards per rush, meaning it has plenty of options to break Washington down.
No. 2 Clemson has a similarly solid offense and plays No. 3 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
However, inconsistency has been an issue for the Tigers, which has made 2016 a difficult season despite the 12-1 record and ACC championship.
There are times when Clemson looks like one of the most dominant teams in the nation with a high-powered offense and stout defense.
Then there are other moments when the team seemingly falls asleep. The perfect example of that was in the conference title game against Virginia Tech:
Ohio State will be the best program Clemson has faced this season and will make the Tigers pay for any sort of lull in play—especially with the athletic linebacking duo of Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker, who have combined for 166 total tackles this year.
They will be the ones to contain Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson if he looks to use his legs instead of his arm to gain yards. If they can limit Watson's ability to extend the play, Ohio State will like its chances.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
