Bowl Games 2019-20: Schedule and Predictions for Top Upcoming Games
After the Texas Longhorns won the 2019 Sugar Bowl, quarterback Sam Ehlinger declared they were back on the national stage.
Tom Herman's side failed to follow up on that statement by going 7-5 and landing a spot in the Alamo Bowl alongside the Utah Utes.
Utah did not experience season-long disappointment like Texas, but it suffered a deflating blow in the Pac-12 Championship Game to drop out of College Football Playoff and New Year's Six contention.
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Meanwhile, Texas' Sugar Bowl foe from January is back in New Orleans, as the Georgia Bulldogs are preparing to face the Baylor Bears. Even though the SEC East winner is favored for the New Year's Day clash, it may struggle while dealing with a handful of significant absences.
Bowl Schedule and Picks
New Year's Six Games
Orange Bowl (Dec. 30): Florida (-14.5) vs. Virginia (8 p.m., ESPN)
Rose Bowl (Jan. 1): Wisconsin (-3) vs. Oregon (5 p.m., ESPN)
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1): Georgia (-5) vs. Baylor (8:45 p.m., ESPN)
Other Bowls
First Responder Bowl (Dec. 30): Western Kentucky (-3.5) vs. Western Michigan (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
Music City Bowl (Dec. 30): Mississippi State (-4) vs. Louisville (4 p.m., ESPN)
Redbox Bowl (Dec. 30): California (-6.5) vs. Illinois (4 p.m., Fox)
Belk Bowl (Dec. 31): Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech (-2.5) (noon, ESPN)
Sun Bowl (Dec. 31): Florida State vs. Arizona State (-4) (2 p.m., CBS)
Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31): Navy (-2.5) vs. Kansas State (3:45 p.m.. ESPN)
Arizona Bowl (Dec. 31): Wyoming (-7) vs. Georgia State (4:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Alamo Bowl (Dec. 31): Utah (-7) vs. Texas (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1): Alabama (-7) vs. Michigan (1 p.m., ABC)
Outback Bowl (Jan. 1): Auburn (-7) vs. Minnesota (1 p.m., ESPN)
Birmingham Bowl (Jan. 2): Boston College vs. Cincinnati (-7) (3 p.m., ESPN)
Gator Bowl (Jan. 2): Tennessee (-2) vs. Indiana (7 p.m., ESPN)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Jan. 3): Ohio (-8) vs. Nevada (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Armed Forces Bowl (Jan. 4): Tulane (-7) vs. Southern Miss (11:30 a.m., ESPN)
LendingTree Bowl (Jan. 6): Louisiana (-14) vs. Miami (Ohio) (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
All times ET. Odds via Caesars; predictions against the spread in bold.
Top Upcoming Games
Utah (-7) vs. Texas
The Longhorns have failed to follow through on Ehlinger's post-Sugar Bowl comments from 12 months ago.
"Longhorn nation, we're baaaaaaack," Ehlinger said, per ESPN.com.
Herman's side went 7-5, with three losses in its past five games, and it failed to defeat the two best programs on its schedule: LSU and Oklahoma.
Instead of laying another piece of the foundation for the future, Texas struggled mightily on defense, allowing 446.3 yards per game, which led to the firing of defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.
Even though Utah's morale is low entering the Alamo Bowl, it has the offensive weapons capable of gashing the Big 12 defense to rebound from its December 6 loss to the Oregon Ducks. Senior quarterback Tyler Huntley experienced a rare bad game at Levi's Stadium, as he was picked off twice and sacked on six occasions.
Prior to the Pac-12 Championship Game, Huntley had at least 200 passing yards and an aerial score in four of five games, and he did not throw a pick in that stretch.
Since the start of October, running back Zack Moss has hit 80 rushing yards in each game and has six triple-digit outings.
Texas defends the run better than the pass, as it concedes 139.8 rushing yards per game, but it comes nowhere close to matching Utah's ground efficiency. Even after Kyle Whittingham's side was gashed for 239 rushing yards by Oregon, it still boasts the best rushing defense in the FBS, allowing 70.3 yards per contest.
The Utes also rank 13th in passing defense, so they should be able to slow down Ehlinger, who has completed at least 55 percent of his passes and thrown for 200 yards in the past four games. If Utah clamps down defensively, Huntley and Moss should be able to plow through the Texas defense in their final games for the program.
Georgia vs. Baylor (+5)
Georgia's status as Sugar Bowl favorite continues to dwindle; the spread is down to five points because of all of the team's expected absences.
Offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson and defensive back J.R. Reed are among the Bulldogs not participating in New Orleans, while running back Brian Herrien and defensive tackle Tyler Clark were not spotted at practice Saturday, per NOLA.com's Chris Dabe.
Without its starting tackles, Georgia's offensive line could be more susceptible to pressure from the Baylor defense, led by defensive tackle James Lynch. The Bears concede 142.4 rushing yards per game, but Lynch has been a consistent menace with 12.5 sacks and 39 tackles.
If he, defensive end James Lockhart and others contain Georgia's running backs and put pressure on quarterback Jake Fromm, Matt Rhule's side could dictate the contest.
The Bears received a boost recently, with quarterback Charlie Brewer declared fit after suffering a concussion in the Big 12 Championship Game. Rhule confirmed Brewer's status Friday, per John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
Brewer has 30 total touchdowns and is 50 passing yards away from hitting 3,000. He should earn that achievement early without Reed patrolling the secondary.
While Georgia is dealing with holes at a few positions and could face a second straight Sugar Bowl letdown, Baylor comes in with plenty of motivation. The Bears can earn the first 12-win season in program history with their fourth consecutive bowl victory.
Georgia may be the better team, but with a bevy players missing because of injuries and NFL draft preparations, it is hard to put trust in them ahead of the New Year's Day contest.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.
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