Bowl Game Schedule 2018-19: Complete Predictions for Can't-Miss Matchups
In one day of college football bowl action, we witnessed a game-winning field goal, a Group of Five team reach the 11-win mark and a 12-win Group of Five conference champion knock off a Pac-12 foe.
More excitement is expected in the coming days, but we'll have to temper our expectations a bit with only one game per day from Tuesday to Thursday.
Once Friday hits, bowl season picks up some steam, and we'll be treated to multiple games on all but three days before the calendar flips to 2019.
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During the second half of the bowl schedule, the SEC takes center stage in a few intriguing matchups in which its programs could be susceptible to upsets.
Bowl Schedule and Predictions
All Times ET. Predictions against the spread in bold.
Tuesday, December 18
Boca Raton Bowl: UAB (-2.5) vs. Northern Illinois (7 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 19
Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. Ohio (-3) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 20
Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall (-2.5) vs. South Florida (8 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 21
Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo (-5.5) (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs. BYU (-12.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 22
Birmingham Bowl: Memphis (-3.5) vs. Wake Forest (noon, ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Army (-3.5) (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo (-2) vs. Troy (7 p.m., ESPN)
Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii (-1) vs. Louisiana Tech (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, December 26
First Responder Bowl: Boston College vs. No. 25 Boise State (-3) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech (-6) (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. TCU (Even) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Thursday, December 27
Independence Bowl: Duke vs. Temple (-3.5) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (-4) vs. Wisconsin (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (-4) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, December 28
Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Auburn (-3.5) (1:30 p.m., ESPN)
Camping World Bowl: No. 16 West Virginia (-1.5) vs. No. 20 Syracuse (5:15 p.m., ESPN)
Alamo Bowl: No. 24 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Washington State (-3.5) (9 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, December 29
Peach Bowl: No. 10 Florida vs. No. 7 Michigan (-7.5) (noon, ESPN)
Belk Bowl: South Carolina (-4) vs. Virginia (noon, ABC)
Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State (-1.5) vs. Nevada (1:15 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Cotton Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Clemson (-11.5) (4 p.m., ESPN)
Orange Bowl (Playoff Semifinal): No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 1 Alabama (-14) (8 p.m., ESPN)
Monday, December 31
Military Bowl: Cincinnati (-5) vs. Virginia Tech (noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl: Stanford (-6.5) vs. Pittsburgh (2 p.m., CBS)
Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon (-3) (3 p.m., Fox)
Liberty Bowl: No. 23 Missouri (-8) vs. Oklahoma State (3:45 p.m., ESPN)
Holiday Bowl: No. 22 Northwestern vs. No. 17 Utah (-7) (7 p.m., FS1)
Gator Bowl: NC State vs. No. 19 Texas A&M (-6) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Tuesday, January 1
Outback Bowl: No. 18 Mississippi State (-7) vs. Iowa (noon, ESPN2)
Fiesta Bowl: No. 11 LSU (-7.5) vs. No. 8 UCF (1 p.m., ESPN)
Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Kentucky vs. No. 12 Penn State (-6.5) (1 p.m., ABC)
Rose Bowl: No. 9 Washington vs. No. 6 Ohio State (-6.5) (5 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl: No. 15 Texas vs. No. 5 Georgia (-11.5) (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
UCF 34, LSU 28
UCF's quest for a second consecutive self-proclaimed national championship reaches its final destination on New Year's Day.
The Knights displayed no fear in taking on a behemoth from the SEC a year ago in the Peach Bowl against Auburn, and they'll have the same attitude going into their clash with LSU.
While the records are a nice keepsake, the main source of motivation for the Knights comes from wanting to win for injured starting quarterback McKenzie Milton.
In quarterback Darriel Mack and running backs Greg McCrae and Adrian Killins, the Knights have plenty of offensive weapons to challenge LSU's talented defense.
How much success UCF has against the Tigers defense comes down to the abilities of its wide receivers, as LSU boasts one of the top secondaries in the nation, even without Andraez "Greedy" Williams, who is focusing on the NFL draft.
Linebacker Devin White and safety Grant Delpit are the defensive players expected to make the biggest impact for Ed Orgeron's side.
White is the pulse of the LSU defense, and he'll be tasked with clogging up the rushing lanes so that the Tigers force Mack to beat them with his arm.
Delpit is one of the premier ball hawks in college football, and if Mack makes one mistake, the safety will be all over it to make a momentum-changing turnover.
While there's plenty of trust in the LSU defense to come up with key plays, its offense can't strum up the same feelings.
Quarterback Joe Burrow is a game manager and nothing more, and as long as he doesn't turn the ball over, the Tigers can attempt to match the production of UCF's fast-paced unit.
Burrow will receive help from running backs Nick Brossette and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but with a lack of explosive plays through the air, LSU struggles to put away the two-time champion out of The American.
Although they'll face challenges from the LSU defense, the Knights will find a way to get over the obstacles and pick up another win over a SEC team behind a few clutch plays in the second half out of McCrae and Killins, who combined for 1,799 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in the regular season.
Auburn 27, Purdue 21
The buildup to the Music City Bowl for both Auburn and Purdue has been mired with coaching news instead of focusing on the players involved in the Big Ten versus SEC clash.
Purdue's Jeff Brohm was linked with the Louisville job for weeks before he decided to stay with the Boilermakers, while Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn has fought off speculation about his position.
Malzahn addressed his situation with reporters in his first news conference previewing the Music City Bowl, per Guerry Clegg of the Ledger-Enquirer.
"My contract has not changed one bit," he said. "I was never told I had to change my contract to keep my job. I've got the support of our athletic director (Allen Greene) and president (Steven Leath). There's nobody hamstringing me from doing our jobs."
Malzahn has a chance to ease concerns about his coaching with a victory over Purdue to reach eight wins, and he'll need quarterback Jarrett Stidham to step up in his final game before focusing on the 2019 NFL draft.
The December 28 game presents Stidham with a perfect opportunity to boost his stock after throwing for under 200 yards in each of his last three games.
Stidham is going to need to throw for at least 250 yards in order to match Purdue's explosive offense, and although his recent numbers suggest he can't, he'll answer the call for the Tigers.
As for the Boilermakers, they're building toward 2019 with freshman wide receiver Rondale Moore the centerpiece of Brohm's offense.
Moore racked up 1,164 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in his first collegiate season, and as Pro Football Focus' college football Twitter account noted, he ranked first in the FBS in yards after catch and avoided tackles.
Moore and quarterback David Blough will connect for a few big plays, but Auburn will eventually find an answer for the freshman and come up with a few second-half stops.
A victory for Auburn won't erase its disappointing season, but it will at least create some momentum heading into 2019.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
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