Bowl Games 2016-17: College Football Schedule, Predictions and Games to Watch
The most wonderful time of the year is finally upon us, as college football's bowl season kicks off on Saturday.
Saturday's action features six bowl games. And while they aren't the most high-profile contests, there are some entertaining matchups on the schedule.
After ceding to the NFL on Sunday, bowl season picks back up again on Monday with at least one game every day of the following week.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
As we head into bowl season, here's a look at the schedule of events, followed by a closer look at three interesting matchups from the pre-New Year's Eve slate of bowl games:
| Sat, Dec. 17 | |||
| Celebration | Noon | North Carolina Central vs. Grambling State | GRAM |
| New Mexico | 2 p.m. | New Mexico (-7.5) vs. UTSA | UNM |
| Las Vegas | 3:30 p.m. | San Diego State vs. Houston (-3.5) | HOU |
| Cure | 5:30 p.m. | UCF (-5.5) vs. Arkansas State | UCF |
| Camellia | 5:30 p.m. | Appalachian State vs. Toledo (-1) | TOL |
| New Orleans | 9 p.m. | Southern Miss (-4.5) vs. UL-Lafayette | USM |
| Mon, Dec. 19 | |||
| Miami Beach | 2:30 p.m. | Central Michigan vs. Tulsa (-12.5) | TUL |
| Tues, Dec. 20 | |||
| Boca Raton | 7 p.m. | Memphis vs. Western Kentucky (-5) | MEM |
| Wed, Dec. 21 | |||
| Poinsettia | 9 p.m. | BYU (-8.5) vs. Wyoming | WYO |
| Thurs, Dec. 22 | |||
| Potato | 7 p.m. | Idaho vs. Colorado State (-13.5) | CSU |
| Fri, Dec. 23 | |||
| Bahamas | 1 p.m. | Old Dominion (-4) vs. Eastern Michigan | EMU |
| Armed Forces | 4:30 p.m. | Louisiana Tech (-4.5) vs. Navy | NAVY |
| Dollar General | 8 p.m. | Ohio vs. Troy (-3.5) | OHIO |
| Sat, Dec. 24 | |||
| Hawaii | 8 p.m. | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee | HAW |
| Mon, Dec. 26 | |||
| St. Petersburg | 11 a.m. | Mississippi State (-13.5) vs. Miami OH | MSST |
| Quick Lane | 2:30 p.m. | Boston College (-1) vs. Maryland | MD |
| Independence | 5 p.m. | NC State (-4) vs. Vanderbilt | NCST |
| Tues, Dec. 27 | |||
| Heart of Dallas | Noon | Army (-10) vs. North Texas | ARMY |
| Military | 3:30 p.m. | Wake Forest vs. Temple (-13) | TEM |
| Holiday | 7 p.m. | Minnesota vs. Washington State (-6.5) | WSU |
| Cactus | 10:15 p.m. | Baylor vs. Boise State (-7.5) | BSU |
| Wed, Dec. 28 | |||
| Pinstripe | 2 p.m. | Northwestern vs. Pitt (-5.5) | PITT |
| Russell Athletic | 5:30 p.m. | Miami FL (-3) vs. West Virginia | WVU |
| Foster Farms | 8:30 p.m. | Indiana vs. Utah (-7.5) | UTAH |
| Texas | 9 p.m. | Kansas State vs. Texas A&M (-2) | TA&M |
| Thurs, Dec. 29 | |||
| Birmingham | 2 p.m. | USF (-10.5) vs. South Carolina | USF |
| Belk | 5:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech (-7) vs. Arkansas | ARK |
| Alamo | 9 p.m. | Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (-3) | COL |
| Fri, Dec. 30 | |||
| Arizona | 5:30 p.m. | Air Force (-13) vs. South Alabama | AF |
| Liberty | Noon | TCU vs. Georgia (-1) | UGA |
| Sun | 2 p.m. | North Carolina vs. Stanford (-3.5) | UNC |
| Music City | 3:30 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Tennessee (-3) | NEB |
| Orange | 8 p.m. | Michigan (-7) vs. Florida State | FSU |
| Sat, Dec. 31 | |||
| Peach | 3 p.m. | Alabama (-15) vs. Washington | BAMA |
| Fiesta | 7 p.m. | Ohio State (-3.5) vs. Clemson | CLEM |
| TaxSlayer | 11 a.m. | Georgia Tech (-3.5) vs. Kentucky | UK |
| Citrus | 11 a.m. | Louisville vs. LSU (-3.5) | LSU |
| Mon, Jan. 2 | |||
| Outback | 1 p.m. | Florida (-2.5) vs. Iowa | IOWA |
| Cotton | 1 p.m. | Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-7.5) | WMU |
| Rose | 5 p.m. | Penn State vs. USC (-6.5) | USC |
| Sugar | 8:30 p.m. | Auburn vs. Oklahoma (-3) | OKLA |
| Mon, Jan. 9 | |||
| CFP National Championship | 8:30 p.m. | TBD |
Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Toledo (-1)
In just its third year of existence, the Camellia Bowl could provide us with one of the most entertaining matchups of the bowl season on Saturday night.
The Toledo Rockets, led by quarterback Logan Woodside and running back Kareem Hunt, have a high-powered offense capable of creating entertaining shootouts. For example, earlier this year the Rockets lost a 55-53 thriller on a last-second field goal against BYU.
Woodside is the leader of the Rockets offense, having thrown for 43 touchdowns this season. But Toledo has a well-balanced attack, with Hunt also rushing for over 1,300 yards.
Toledo enters bowl season ranked 18th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 38.8 points per game.
Appalachian State hasn't consistently put up the same offensive numbers as Toledo, but the Mountaineers are equally capable of getting into a shootout when necessary.
In fact, in their last game against a MAC opponent back in September, Appalachian State outscored Akron 45-38, while racking up just under 600 yards of total offense.
With both offenses capable of lighting up the scoreboard, the advantage in this matchup could simply come down to who forces a timely turnover.
The slight edge in that category likely goes to Toledo, thanks to Woodside's effeciency throwing the ball downfield. Woodside averaged an interception once every 43.6 attempts this season, compared to one every 36.6 attempts for Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb.
Prediction: Toledo 38, Appalachian State 31
Poinsettia Bowl: Wyoming vs. BYU (-8)
The BYU Cougars are justifiably heavy favorites in this matchup between the former conference rivals. But it's always worth considering each team's motivation when evaluating who to pick in a bowl matchup.
For BYU, the Poinsettia Bowl may feel like a bit of a letdown, after entering the season poised to make a run at a more high-profile bowl behind senior quarterback Taysom Hill.
But the Cougars lost four regular-season games, and then lost Hill to a season-ending injury in their final game of the season. Now Tanner Mangum takes over at quarterback for a team that could be lacking motivation during bowl season.
Wyoming, however, will be heading to its first bowl since 2011—meaning this will be a new opportunity for everyone on its roster.
The Cowboys are an up-and-coming program, in their third season under head coach Craig Bohl, who will also be coaching in his first FBS bowl game.
But Bohl certainly won't be intimated by the stakes. He coached the North Dakota State Bison to three consecutive FCS national championships before taking over at Wyoming.
There is certainly a talent gap between these two programs, but when the opportunity means so much more to one program than the other, the outcome often isn't decided by talent alone.
Prediction: Wyoming 28, BYU 27
Holiday Bowl: Minnesota vs. Washington State (-6.5)
This is one of the most difficult matchups to predict because it features two programs with dramatically different styles.
The Washington State Cougars run Mike Leach's well-known spread passing attack. While the Minnesota Golden Gophers prefer to grind out it with the running game and a solid defense.
The Cougars have faced teams that play Minnesota's style this season, most notably the Stanford Cardinal. Washington State handled Stanford with ease, dominating the Cardinal in a 42-16 victory, while holding star running back Christian McCaffrey to just 75 yards on 17 touches.
So there's good reason to believe the Washington State defense is up for the challenge of stopping Minnesota.
However, there weren't any opponents on Minnesota's schedule with the offensive abilities of Washington State. Minnesota managed to avoid both Ohio State and Michigan this year, giving their defense the easiest possible conference schedule.
The Golden Gophers only allowed two teams to throw for over 300 yards (Penn State and Purdue), while holding four opponents under 200 yards passing. The easy schedule padded their defensive stats, but it's tough to say how well they'll hold up against Leach's game plan.
While it's tough to be as confident about this selection as others, it's difficult to imagine Minnesota keeping up with Washington State in a shootout. Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner threw for just seven touchdowns this season, with 12 interceptions.
Minnesota could keep it close if they can limit Washington State's passing attack, but if the Cougars get out to an early lead and force Minnesota to throw the ball to keep pace, this game could potentially get out of hand quickly.
Prediction: Washington State 31, Minnesota 17
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
