College Bowl Picks 2017-18: Predictions for Biggest Matchups After Poll Release

College football's most climactic time of the year is all about waiting.

Players, coaches, administrators and fans waited for the College Football Playoff committee to name their Top Four teams and identify the participants in the two national semifinal playoff games.

Once those announcements were made Sunday, the waiting began anew for bowl season to commence. After this Saturday's Army-Navy game, the bowl season doesn't begin until December 16 when five relatively minor postseason games kick off.

The top bowl games commence December 29, when Ohio State and USC meet in the Cotton Bowl, so that's a lot of waiting for college football fans.

Here are our predictions for this year's biggest bowl games, with a detailed look at the two national semifinals as well as the Cotton Bowl between Ohio State and USC.

December 29

Goodyear Cotton Bowl (8:30 p.m. ET)

No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 8 USC

TV: ESPN

Prediction: USC 41, Ohio State 38

December 30

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (4 p.m. ET)

No. 9 Penn State vs. No. 11 Washington

TV: ESPN

Prediction: Penn State 33, Washington 28

Capital One Orange Bowl (8 p.m. ET)

No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 10 Miami 

TV: ESPN

Prediction: Miami 33, Wisconsin 24

January 1, 2018

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (12:30 p.m. ET)

No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 12 UCF

TV: ESPN

Prediction: Auburn 43, UCF 21

Citrus Bowl presented by Overton's (1 p.m. ET)

No. 14 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 LSU

TV: ABC

Prediction: LSU 24, Notre Dame 23

Rose Bowl (National Semifinal, 5 p.m. ET)

No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia

TV: ESPN

Prediction: Oklahoma 42, Georgia 38

Sugar Bowl (National Semifinal, 8:45 p.m. ET)

No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama

TV: ESPN

Prediction: Alabama 28, Clemson 24

January 8, 2018

National Championship Game (8 p.m. ET)

TV: ESPN

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Cotton Bowl, USC vs. Ohio State

These are two of the teams that may feel aggrieved they were left out of the playoff mix, and the Trojans and the Buckeyes should take out their frustrations by putting on a wonderful show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

There is plenty of star power on both sides, and the quarterback duel between Sam Darnold of USC and J.T. Barrett of Ohio State should be a brilliant exhibition.

Darnold is considered to be one of the top pro prospects at the position, and Barrett is also a player who is climbing the ladder but does not rank with the best prospects in the 2018 NFL draft.

Darnold has completed 277-of-435 passes for 3,787 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, and he has also run for five touchdowns. Ronald Jones II is a fantastic runner who has gained 1,486 yards while averaging 6.1 yards per carry and scoring 18 touchdowns. 

Deontay Burnett has caught 74 passes for 975 yards and nine touchdowns, while Tyler Vaughns and Steven Mitchell Jr. are both talented receivers who can make big plays.

Barrett does not have to take a back seat to Darnold in terms of production. He has thrown for 2,939 yards, averaging 8.3 yards per throw with 35 TD passes and nine interceptions. He has run for 732 yards and 10 TDs, and he may be impossible for the USC defense to slow down.

J.K. Dobbins is a brilliant runner with 1,364 rushing yards and a 7.5-yards-per-carry average along with seven touchdowns. The Buckeyes don't have a superstar receiver, but Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill can both make big plays.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Rose Bowl, Oklahoma vs. Georgia

Baker Mayfield is likely going to win the Heisman Trophy, and he has the numbers to back up that candidacy.

Mayfield has completed 262-of-369 passes for 4,340 yards with a 71.0 completion percentage along with a 41-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Mayfield can also scramble and has run for 310 yards and five touchdowns.

Mayfield gets support from running back Rodney Anderson, who has gained 960 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, and the receiving crew of Marquise Brown, Mark Andrews and CeeDee Lamb have combined for 147 receptions, 2,528 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Georgia does not have the same kind of explosiveness on offense, but the Bulldogs found a fine leader in freshman quarterback Jake Fromm, who has passed for 2,173 yards with 21 TD passes and just five interceptions.

The Bulldogs have one of the best running games in the country with Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who have rushed for 1,175 and 948 yards, respectively. Each of those backs have 13 rushing TDs, and No. 3 ground-gainer D'Andre Swift may be the most explosive of all. He has 597 rushing yards, an 8.2 yards per carry average and three TDs.

WRs Javon Wims and Terry Godwin are both productive and have combined for 1,171 yards and 12 TD receptions.

Sugar Bowl, Alabama vs. Clemson

While there are many more traditional rivalries than Alabama and Clemson, this may be the best current one in college football.

These two teams met in the national championship game in the last two years with each side winning once.

This year they meet in the semifinal round, and it should be another memorable encounter.

Alabama benefited from Wisconsin's loss in the Big Ten title game, as it knocked the Badgers from the ranks of the unbeaten and out of the CFP.

The Crimson Tide were the No. 1 team in the nation for the majority of the season, and they may have the most complete team in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts had a brilliant year at quarterback with 1,940 yards, a 15-1 TD-interception ratio along with 768 rushing yards and eight rushing TDs.

Damien Harris and Bo Scarborough are a pair of dangerous running backs with 1,455 rushing yards and 19 rushing TDs between them, while Calvin Ridley has caught 55 passes for 896 yards and three trips to the end zone.

Clemson is seemingly at a disadvantage with Kelly Bryant at quarterback in place of Deshaun Watson, but the quarterback has exceeded expectations with 2,678 yards, a 67.4 completion percentage and 13 TDs in addition to 646 rushing yards and 11 ground TDs.

Travis Etienne is a big-time runner who has gained 744 yards while averaging 7.2 yards per carry and scoring 13 times. Deon Cain and Hunter Renfrow have combined for 107 receptions for 1,239 yards and nine TDs.