Bowl Games 2016-17: Full Schedule and Predictions for College Football Playoff

We're already in the midst of college football bowl season, but there are plenty of great games still ahead as the College Football Playoff approaches and a wild 2016 season draws to a close.

Below, we'll take a look at the entire bowl schedule for college football's postseason, predict each game and make two bold predictions about how the CFB semifinals will be decided.

Bowl Game	Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	Watch	Pick
Potato	Dec. 22	7 p.m.	Idaho vs. Colorado State (-13)	ESPN	Colorado State
Bahamas	Dec. 23	1 p.m.	Old Dominion (-4) vs. Eastern Michigan	ESPN	Old Dominion
Armed Forces	Dec. 23	4:30 p.m.	Louisiana Tech vs. Navy (-1)	ESPN	Navy
Dollar General	Dec. 23	8 p.m.	Ohio vs. Troy (-5)	ESPN	Troy
Hawaii	Dec. 24	8 p.m.	Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee	ESPN	Hawaii
St. Petersburg	Dec. 26	11 a.m.	Mississippi State (-11.5) vs. Miami (Ohio)	ESPN	Mississippi State
Quick Lane	Dec. 26	2:30 p.m.	Boston College (-1) vs. Maryland	ESPN	Maryland
Independence	Dec. 26	5 p.m.	NC State (-4) vs. Vanderbilt	ESPN2	Vanderbilt
Heart of Dallas	Dec. 27	Noon	Army (-9.5) vs. North Texas	ESPN	Army
Military	Dec. 27	3:30 p.m.	Wake Forest vs. Temple (-12.5)	ESPN	Temple
Holiday	Dec. 27	7 p.m.	Minnesota vs. Washington State (-5.5)	ESPN	Washington State
Cactus	Dec. 27	10:15 p.m.	Baylor vs. Boise State (-10)	ESPN	Boise State
Pinstripe	Dec. 28	2 p.m.	Northwestern vs. Pitt (-3)	ESPN	Pitt
Russell Athletic	Dec. 28	5:30 p.m.	Miami (Fla.) (-1.5) vs. West Virginia	ESPN	Miami
Foster Farms	Dec. 28	8:30 p.m.	Indiana vs. Utah (-6.5)	Fox	Utah
Texas	Dec. 28	9 p.m.	Kansas State vs. Texas A&M (-2.5)	ESPN	Texas A&M
Birmingham	Dec. 29	2 p.m.	USF (-11) vs. South Carolina	ESPN	USF
Belk	Dec. 29	5:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech (-6) vs. Arkansas	ESPN	Virginia Tech
Alamo	Dec. 29	9 p.m.	Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (-2)	ESPN	Oklahoma State
Arizona	Dec. 30	5:30 p.m.	Air Force (-14) vs. South Alabama	Campus Insiders	Air Force
Liberty	Dec. 30	Noon	TCU (-1.5) vs. Georgia	ESPN	TCU
Sun	Dec. 30	2 p.m.	North Carolina vs. Stanford (-2.5)	CBS	North Carolina
Music City	Dec. 30	3:30 p.m.	Nebraska vs. Tennessee (-3)	ESPN	Tennessee
Orange	Dec. 30	8 p.m.	Michigan (-6.5) vs. Florida State	ESPN	Michigan
Peach	Dec. 31	3 p.m.	Alabama (-14) vs. Washington	ESPN	Alabama
Fiesta	Dec. 31	7 p.m.	Ohio State (-3) vs. Clemson	ESPN	Ohio State
TaxSlayer	Dec. 31	11 a.m.	Georgia Tech (-5) vs. Kentucky	ESPN	Kentucky
Citrus	Dec. 31	11 a.m.	Louisville vs. LSU (even)	ABC	Louisville
Outback	Jan. 2	1 p.m.	Florida (-2) vs. Iowa	ABC	Iowa
Cotton	Jan. 2	1 p.m.	Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin (-6.5)	ESPN	Wisconsin
Rose	Jan. 2	5 p.m.	Penn State vs. USC (-6.5)	ESPN	USC
Sugar	Jan. 2	8:30 p.m.	Auburn vs. Oklahoma (-5.5)	ESPN	Oklahoma
CFP National Championship	Jan. 9	8:30 p.m.	TBD	ESPN	Alabama

Jake Browning Will Have His Worst Game of the Season

As Chantel Jennings and Alex Scarborough of ESPN noted, the easiest way to slow down Washington's offense is to put pressure on quarterback Jake Browning:

"

In the Huskies’ loss to USC, the Trojans pressured him on 36.6 percent of his dropbacks (pressured=sacked, under duress or hit). That was the second-most he was pressured this season, and it’s obvious how his numbers were impacted -- he completed just 47.2 percent of his passes. Utah pressured Browning the most this season (on 43.5 percent of dropbacks), and though his completion percentage wasn’t as impacted as it was against USC, Washington decided to attempt only 20 passes -- his low during conference play -- against Utah. He committed three of his seven season interceptions in those two games.

"

Unluckily for Washington, the Crimson Tide have the deadly pass-rushing trio of Jonathan Allen (8.5 sacks), Tim Williams (8.5 sacks) and Ryan Anderson (6.5 sacks). In total, Alabama finished the 2016 season third in the nation with 45.0 sacks.

"Eat. Destroy. Predator. Conqueror. Anything," Williams said of his mentality before the snap, per Michael Casagrande of AL.com. "I really feel like when I come off that edge, I can't be stopped. I just have that much confidence in my skill."

Would you want that guy coming for you? Certainly not.

The issue for the Huskies and Browning is that they'll probably have even less success on the ground. After all, the Crimson Tide held opponents to just 63.4 rushing yards per game, the best in college football. And by the best in college football, we're talking by a wide margin here—the next-best team against the run, Wisconsin, gave up 96.9 rushing yards per game.

That's right, folks—Alabama gave up 33.5 fewer rushing yards per game than any team in the nation. That's ridiculous.

So Washington is going to have to throw the ball to have a chance. The key for the Huskies is going to be staying out of obvious passing situations. If they can keep themselves in manageable third-down situations, they can protect Browning with quick throws, draws and screens.

But, if Browning has to consistently throw the ball down the field, the Alabama pass-rushers will be breathing down his neck. So far this year, he hasn't handled teams that consistently pressure him well. If he can't handle Alabama's pressure, Washington won't stand a chance.

Turnovers Will Lead Ohio State Past Clemson

Deshaun Watson has been really good again this year, but he's had one Achilles heel—turnovers.

Namely, the Clemson quarterback has thrown 15 interceptions on the year, the most of his college career. More troubling, five of those interceptions came in the red zone, costing the Tigers points.

Ohio State, meanwhile, has been excellent at forcing turnovers. The Buckeyes finished third in the nation with 19 picks, and their plus-16 turnover margin was also third in the country. Clemson finished even in turnover margin, so protecting the ball is going to be a huge factor for the Tigers.

Another thing to keep in mind with Ohio State: In their biggest win of the year, against Michigan, they intercepted two passes, took one to the house for a touchdown and also recovered a fumble. 

Yes, Clemson has dangerous weapons on the outside, so they'll attack Ohio State through the air, interceptions or no. But remember, Ohio State's secondary is also excellent. Mike Williams may be a stud for Clemson, but he'll have to deal with safety Malik Hooker and an excellent stable of defensive backs.

Of course, if Clemson can run the ball successfully, this might be a moot point. The Tigers are solid in the trenches on both sides of the ball, though the Buckeyes gave up just 117.8 yards per game, 14th in the nation.

The more Clemson has to rely on the pass, the more they'll be risking a Watson interception in a key moment. And at some point, if the trends hold, Ohio State will force turnovers and—in a tight game—it will be the difference.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.