The Best College Football Bowl Games You Should Not Overlook
College football’s Bowl Season kicks off on Friday. The 42-game marathon will cover a three-week period and finish on January 9 with the national championship game.
Of course, the College Football Playoffs and New Year’s Six games always dominate the headlines, but do not overlook the other bowl games. Some of the most intriguing storylines and matchups come from those 35 games. Below, I breakdown five bowl games that I believe college football fans should keep an eye on. The reasons vary for each one, but they all should provide great holiday entertainment.
Duluth Trading Cure Bowl – No. 23 Troy (11-2) v. No. 22 UTSA (11-2)
Friday, December 16 @ 3pm EST
The only bowl game featuring a pair of conference champions features the nation’s No. 12 scoring offense against the No. 8 scoring defense. That’s a great way to start off bowl season.
UTSA repeated as C-USA champions under the guidance of Coach of the Year, Jeff Traylor. Redshirt senior quarterback Frank Harris threw for 300 yards seven times this season (a UTSA record) and set a single-game record with 414 yards versus Middle Tennessee. Harris also completed 71.1% of his passes. The Roadrunners scored 38.7 points per game and their only losses came to ranked opponents (No. 24 Houston in triple-overtime in week 1 and No. 20 Texas).
Troy is making its first bowl appearance since 2018. The Sun Belt champions boast the nation’s No. 8 scoring defense (17.54 points per game). Senior linebacker Carlton Martial set the Sun Belt and NCAA career tackle records (564 tackles) and earned SBC Defensive Player of the Year honors. The Trojans racked up 75.5 tackles for loss and a conference-best 39 sacks. Sophomore defensive end T.J. Jackson led the way with 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Sun Belt Coach of the Year Jon Sumrall will try to lead Troy to its first 12-win season since 1996.
Wasabi Fenway Bowl – Louisville (7-5) v. Cincinnati (9-3)
Saturday, December 17 @ 11am EST
Should this be renamed the Awkward Bowl?
The day after Louisville and Cincinnati accepted Fenway Bowl invitations, Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield bolted for the open job at Cincinnati. Luke Fickell had taken the Wisconsin job and apparently Satterfield could not wait to leave the ACC for the Big 12 Conference. Louisville barely broke a .500 winning percentage (25-24) in four years under Satterfield so an exit was probably lingering. But leaving before the bowl game and telling the team over Zoom really sours the ending. The cardinals will also be without quarterback Malik Cunningham, running back Tiyon Evans and wide receiver Tyler Hudson who all opted out.
Former Louisville wide receiver and current Director of Player Development Deion Branch will coach the bowl game. Cincinnati will rely on special teams coach Kerry Coombs before former Purdue coach Jeff Brohm takes over the head job. Louisville and Cincinnati will also share a sideline since the game is being played in a baseball park. If emotions run high, things could get very interesting on and off the field.
San Diego Credit Union Holiday Bowl – Oregon (9-3) v. North Carolina (9-4)
Wednesday, December 28 @ 8pm EST
If you like high-powered offenses, look no further. Oregon averages almost 40 points per game and North Carolina puts up 35 points.
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix revitalized his career in Eugene. The Auburn transfer completed 71% of his passes attempts for 3,388 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions. FWAA Second-Team All-American center Alex Forsyth anchored an offensive line that kept Nix upright, allowing four sacks all season. The Ducks stayed in the College Football Playoff hunt before a loss in the regular season finale kept them out of the Pac-12 Championship game. All-Pac-12 defensive back Christian Gonzalez has opted out of the bowl game.
North Carolina had a similar post-season trajectory until a three-game losing streak, including a 39-10 blowout loss to Clemson in the ACC title game, tempered expectations. Still, the Tar Heels can reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2015. Redshirt freshman Drake Maye lit up opposing defenses and snuck into the Heisman conversation. Maye earned ACC Player of the Year Honors after racking up 4,115 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Wide receiver Josh Downs opted out to prepare for the NFL draft, which means North Carolina can start building for the future against Oregon.
TaxAct Texas Bowl – Texas Tech (7-5) v. Ole Miss (8-4)
Wednesday, December 28 @ 9pm EST
You might have to do some channel flipping to catch what should be another high-scoring affair.
Texas Tech surpassed expectations under first-year head coach Joey McGuire and can cap it off with an SEC win. The Red Raiders were picked ninth in the preseason media poll. Instead, Texas Tech snagged fourth place in the conference (5-4), scored 33 points per game, and closed the regular season on a three-game winning streak. Doing so with a new starting quarterback almost every week due to injury (or at least it felt that way) is quite a feat. Senior Tyler Shough will start against Ole Miss. Shough, the original starter, missed six games but still threw for 1,062 yards.
Ole Miss sputtered near the last part of the season, going 1-4 over the final five games, and missed out on a chance at a second-straight 10-win season. The offense remained potent, averaging 34 points and ranking No. 7 nationally in total offense (491 yards per game). Freshman running back Quinshon Judkins and junior Zach Evans combined for 2,437 yards and 24 touchdowns. In fact, Ole Miss is the only team in the country with two players who ran for over 850 yards. All-American left guard Nick Broeker helps open the running holes and has not allowed a sack in 505 blocking snaps.
Valero Alamo Bowl – Texas (8-4) v. Washington (10-2)
Thursday, December 29 @ 9 PM EST
Big name quarterbacks headline this matchup too, but only one lived up to the pre-season hype.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. worked some magic in Seattle this season. The huskies had their first 10-win season since 2018 and Penix Jr.’s name kept popping up in the Heisman Trophy conversation. The Indiana transfer led the nation in passing yards (4,354), tossed 29 touchdowns, and ranked No. 19 in passing efficiency. Washington likely missed out on a Rose Bowl Invitation when Utah beat USC in the Pac-12 title game. Penix Jr. and the Huskies are ready to run it all back and take a stab at a Pac-12 title next season. A win over Texas would provide momentum for 2023.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers never got on track after missing three games with a clavicle injury. Ewers showed flashes of what made him the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school in 2021, but a 56% completion rate took some shine off those performances. With five-star quarterback Arch Manning coming in 2023, Ewers needs a big game to show this is his team. With running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson have opting out to focus on the NFL draft, Ewers should have plenty of “prove it” opportunities. Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has also elected to skip the bowl game.
Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Killer Frogs message board community today!
Follow KillerFrogs on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest TCU news! Follow KillerFrogs on Facebook and Instagram as well. Download the KillerFrogs app on Google Play or in the Apple App Store.
