Bowl Games Schedule 2016-17: Complete Listings for Every Game
The college bowl season kicked off Saturday with an exciting slate of games.
The fun continues Monday with the Miami Beach Bowl and doesn't stop for the next two weeks. There's a game every day except on Sundays, when college football cedes the spotlight to the NFL.
As we dive into the heart of bowl season, here's a look at the remaining schedule, followed by a wrap-up of some of the major storylines of bowl season.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 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 (-5.5) | 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 (-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 (-11.5) | TEM |
| Holiday | 7 p.m. | Minnesota vs. Washington State (-10) | 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 |
Major Bowl Season Storylines
Minnesota Ends Boycott
On Dec. 15, the Minnesota Golden Gophers football players announced they would boycott their upcoming Holiday Bowl game against the Washington State Cougars.
The boycott stemmed from what the players believed to be unfair suspensions of 10 players involved in an alleged sexual assault earlier this season. Prosecutors of the case had determined that there was not enough evidence to file charges, but the university still moved forward with the suspensions.
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reported the players were hoping the boycott would force the university to arrange a meeting between the players and the Board of Regents.
On Saturday, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported the boycott was over:
"Minnesota players did not get suspensions of 10 players overturned but still decided to end boycott & play in Holiday Bowl
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) December 17, 2016"
Minnesota still has more than a week to prepare for the Holiday Bowl on December 27 in San Diego. However, the missed practices this week and the potential for distractions that continues to hang over the Minnesota program have caused the Vegas odds to shift in Washington State's favor.
According to OddsShark, Washington State was a 6.5-point favorite on Thursday prior to the boycott. That number has now risen to 10 points.
Leonard Fournette Skipping Bowl Game
LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette has decided to end his college career and begin preparing for the NFL draft. However, the situation is more complicated than a player simply quitting on his team.
Fournette has been battling an ankle injury throughout the season, which caused him to miss five games and limited his production in others.
According to USA Today, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron showed no ill will toward Fournette. “We know this is a tough decision for Leonard, but he has a bright future ahead," the coach said. "He will always be one of the greatest players in LSU football history.”
While losing Fournette doesn't help LSU, the Tigers still have Derrius Guice, who has proved to be every bit as effective as the lead back in LSU's offense.
CFB Film Room recently shared a comparison of Guice and Fournette, indicating that, due to Fournette's injuries, Guice was actually the more effective rusher this season:
"Obviously injuries played a role in this, but Derrius Guice was substantially more effective than Leonard Fournette this season: pic.twitter.com/tU6ALZH9T6
— CFB Film Room (@CFBFilmRoom) December 12, 2016"
Guice is coming off a dominant 285-yard performance against Texas A&M in the Tigers' regular-season finale, and he should be up for the challenge of running over the Louisville Cardinals in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Injuries Mounting for Nebraska
Unfortunately for college football fans, injuries could play a significant role in an otherwise intriguing matchup in the Music City Bowl.
According to Steven M. Sipple of the Lincoln Journal Star, Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong is still on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and his status for the bowl game is in jeopardy.
Senior backup Ryker Fyfe has been practicing in Armstrong's absence and would start against the Tennessee Volunteers if Armstrong can't go.
In addition to losing Armstrong, Huskers fans received more bad news this past week, via Chris Basnett of the Lincoln Journal Star:
"Jordan Westerkamp hurt his knee yesterday making a cut in practice. Meniscus. Surgery today, 3 month recovery. Out for bowl. #Huskers
— Chris Basnett (@HuskerExtraCB) December 15, 2016"
The injury ends the senior wide receiver's career at Nebraska. Westerkamp led the Huskers with 526 receiving yards this season.
Tennessee is favored by only three points, but if Armstrong sits out the game in addition to Westerkamp, the Cornhuskers offense could struggle to keep pace with the Volunteers.
All gambling information courtesy of OddsShark.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
