Bowl Games 2019-20: TV Schedule and Predictions For Most Anticipated Matchups
The Michigan Wolverines have not fared well in their previous two postseason meetings with SEC programs.
Jim Harbaugh's team enters the Citrus Bowl on a three-game bowl losing streak, with the last two defeats coming to SEC foes.
The Alabama Crimson Tide have some notable victories over Big Ten squads in the last decade, including a pair of blowout wins over the Michigan State Spartans.
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Nick Saban and Co. are in an unfamiliar position, as they are not participating in the College Football Playoff for the first time in its six-year existence.
Both the Crimson Tide and Wolverines are coming off heartbreaking defeats to their rivals, so it will be interesting to see which one is motivated more to finish on a high note.
One of the other most anticipated bowls takes place the night before the playoff in the Cheez-It Bowl.
The Air Force Falcons and Washington State Cougars play opposite styles of offense that could wreak havoc on each other's defenses, which could lead to an entertaining high-scoring affair.
All Times ET
Odds via Caesars and Oddschecker; predictions against the spread in bold
College Football Playoff
Peach Bowl (December 28): No. 1 LSU (-13) vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (4 p.m.)
Fiesta Bowl (December 28): No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Clemson (-2) (8 p.m. ET)
New Year's Six
Cotton Bowl (December 28): Memphis vs. Penn State (-7) (noon, ESPN)
Orange Bowl (December 30): Florida (-13.5) vs. Virginia (8 p.m., ESPN)
Rose Bowl (January 1): Wisconsin (-2.5) vs. Oregon (5 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl (January 1): Georgia (-7) vs. Baylor (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
Other Bowls
Bahamas Bowl (December 20): Charlotte vs. Buffalo (-5.5) (2 p.m., ESPN)
Frisco Bowl (December 20): Kent State vs. Utah State (-8.5) (7:30 p.m., ESPN2)
New Mexico Bowl (December 21): San Diego State (-4) vs. Central Michigan (2 p.m., ESPN)
Cure Bowl (December 21): Georgia Southern (-6) vs. Liberty (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Boca Raton Bowl (December 21): SMU (-3) vs. Florida Atlantic (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Camellia Bowl (December 21): Arkansas State (-3) vs. Florida International (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
Las Vegas Bowl (December 21): Washington (-4) vs. Boise State (7:30 p.m., ABC)
New Orleans Bowl (December 21): Appalachian State (-17) vs. UAB (9 p.m., ESPN)
Gasparilla Bowl (December 23): UCF (-17) vs. Marshall (2:30 p.m., ESPN)
Hawaii Bowl (December 24): BYU (-1.5) vs. Hawaii (8 p.m., ESPN)
Independence Bowl (December 26): Miami (-7) vs. Louisiana Tech (4 p.m., ESPN)
Quick Lane Bowl (December 26): Pittsburgh (-11) vs. Eastern Michigan (8 p.m., ESPN)
Military Bowl (December 27): North Carolina (-5.5) vs. Temple (noon, ESPN)
Pinstripe Bowl (December 27): Wake Forest vs. Michigan State (-3.5) (3:20 p.m., ESPN)
Texas Bowl (December 27): Texas A&M (-5.5) vs. Oklahoma State (6:45 p.m., ESPN)
Holiday Bowl (December 27): USC vs. Iowa (-1) (8 p.m., FS1)
Cheez-It Bowl (December 27): Washington State vs. Air Force (-2.5) (10:15 p.m., ESPN)
Camping World Bowl (December 28): Notre Dame (-3.5) vs. Iowa State (noon, ABC)
First Responder Bowl (December 30): Western Kentucky (-2.5) vs. Western Michigan (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Music City Bowl (December 30): Mississippi State (-3) vs. Louisville (4 p.m., ESPN)
Redbox Bowl (December 30): California (-6.5) vs. Illinois (4 p.m., Fox)
Belk Bowl (December 31): Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech (-3) (noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl (December 31): Florida State vs. Arizona State (-5.5) (2 p.m., CBS)
Liberty Bowl (December 31): Navy (-1) vs. Kansas State (3:45 p.m.. ESPN)
Arizona Bowl (December 31): Wyoming (-7) vs. Georgia State (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Alamo Bowl (December 31): Utah (-7) vs. Texas (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Citrus Bowl (January 1): Alabama (-7) vs. Michigan (1 p.m., ABC)
Outback Bowl (January 1): Auburn (-7.5) vs. Minnesota (1 p.m., ESPN)
Birmingham Bowl (January 2): Boston College vs. Cincinnati (-6.5) (3 p.m., ESPN)
Gator Bowl (January 2): Tennessee (-1.5) vs. Indiana (7 p.m., ESPN)
Idaho Potato Bowl (January 3): Ohio (-7) vs. Nevada (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl (January 4): Tulane (-6.5) vs. Southern Miss (11:30 a.m., ESPN)
Mobile Alabama Bowl (January 6): Louisiana (-14) vs. Miami (Ohio) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Most Anticipated Matchups
Alabama (-7) vs. Michigan
The last time Alabama played in the Citrus Bowl it rocked Michigan State 49-7 back in 2011.
The Crimson Tide are capable of producing a similar result, but some could question their motivation for the January 1 contest because they are out of the playoff.
They could either rally to finish the campaign strong or suffer a letdown and conclude with back-to-back defeats.
Either way, Mac Jones has a full month of preparation with the first-team offense after beating Western Carolina and losing to Auburn.
In those games, the sophomore quarterback threw for 610 passing yards and seven touchdowns.
He is facing a Michigan defense that was torched for 56 points by Ohio State in its last trip to the gridiron.
The Crimson Tide boasts comparable talent to the Buckeyes, especially at wide receiver, so the Wolverines' defensive backs could be in for a long afternoon.
Michigan ranks fifth in passing yards allowed with 173.8, but it allowed 313 yards through the air to Ohio State as part of its concession of 577 total yards November 30.
In the 56-27 loss, the Big Ten East squad allowed J.K. Dobbins to run for 211 yards and was burned for an aerial score by a quartet of wide receivers.
Najee Harris, Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith should see that as a welcome sight ahead of the New Year's Day game.
Harris has 1,088 rushing yards and 11 scores, while Smith leads a quintet of Alabama targets that all have at least seven trips to the end zone.
Michigan lacks that type of explosiveness to complement Shea Patterson, as leading rusher Zach Charbonnet has 642 rushing yards and it has 24 touchdown receptions compared to Alabama's 46.
If Alabama produces at a similar rate as Ohio State did versus Michigan, they may cruise to a victory in the clash of blue-blood programs.
Washington State (+2.5) vs. Air Force
A year ago, the Cheez-It Bowl went down in infamy, as California and TCU combined for 17 points and nine turnovers.
The offensive futility should not carry over into this year's matchup, as pass-heavy Washington State takes on option-based Air Force.
The December 27 matchup is one of the most intriguing of bowl season due to the clash of styles both defenses have to prepare for.
Mike Leach's Cougars lead the FBS in passing offense with 444.3 yards per game, and Anthony Gordon is the top individual passer with 5,228 yards.
Gordon has 513 aerial yards more than LSU's Joe Burrow, who is likely headed home from New York with the Heisman Trophy Saturday.
Air Force sits third in rushing yards per contest at 292.5, a total that is only bested by the other two service academies.
The Falcons' defense allows 208.1 passing yards per game, while Washington State gives up 170 rushing yards per matchup.
In five of their six victories, the Cougars eclipsed the 40-point mark, while the 10-2 Falcons hit 30 points in eight of their triumphs.
Those numbers suggest the two offenses will take advantage of defensive shortcomings and rack up plenty of points.
Even though Air Force is the better side, we will side with Washington State in a close game because it is capable of getting down the field to score faster.
The best bet in the Cheez-It Bowl should be over 67, as both offenses use their unique strengths to punish the opponent's glaring weaknesses.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com
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