At 24-12, I’ve performed
respectably – although somewhat underwhelmingly – through the first two weeks
of the bowl season. The toughest loss was Oklahoma getting blanked in the
second half against Clemson; I really thought the Sooners, the hottest team in
the country, were going to pull an Ohio State in 2014 and ride their
late-season momentum to a title. Oh, well.
The last few games and the national championship are
pretty legit, even though TCU lost Trevone Boykin two days ago to a ridiculous
arrest and suspension. The games are all in Pacific time and rated one a 1-5
scale of watchability.
Taxslayer Bowl
Penn State (7-5) vs. Georgia (9-3)
January 2, 9:00 a.m.
Before the season, this would have looked like a
great matchup, with a potential first-round QB in PSU’s Christian Hackenberg squaring
off against a highly-regarded UGA team. Unfortunately, Hackenberg never looked
that good, and the Bulldogs were a very disappointing 9-3, with zero wins of
note in a bad division. I’ll take Georgia, but it’s not a happy pick, nor is
this a good game.
Watchability: 1. Neither team inspires anything but
yawns.
Autozone Liberty Bowl
Kansas State (6-6) vs. Arkansas (7-5)
January 2, 12:20 p.m.
This doesn’t seem like a particularly exciting January
matchup at first glance, but Arkansas ended the year hot and looks ready to
take the next step under Bret Bielema. The Razorbacks would have had six straight
wins to end the year if not for a 51-50 shootout loss to Mississippi State, and
their 53-52 upset of Ole Miss a couple weeks earlier was one of the year’s best
games. If you’re wanting for a team that will get some attention next preseason,
look no further. K-State lost to a lot of good teams, but 6-6 is 6-6, and the
Wildcats aren’t winning this game.
Watchability: 2, but could hop up to a 3 if KSU puts
up a fight.
Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon (9-3) vs. TCU (10-2)
January 2, 3:45 p.m.
What a shame that Boykin made the decision to sneak
out after curfew and get arrested after a bar fight. This promised to be one of
the best matchups of the bowl season, featuring the two most dynamic
quarterbacks in the country (sorry, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson) and a pair of
hyper-fast, hyper-explosive offenses. Alas, it now appears to be Oregon’s game,
unless the Horned Frogs put together a truly tremendous game plan. Ducks take
it.
Watchability: 4, down from a solid 5 with Boykin.
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl
West Virginia (7-5) vs. Arizona State (6-6)
January 2, 7:15 p.m.
West Virginia should have beaten Kansas State to end
the year, but it’s Arizona State that has the misleading record. The Sun Devils
threw away games against Utah, Oregon and Cal, as inconsistency doomed a
campaign that could have very well ended in the Pac-12 title game. ASU is a
more dangerous pick, but the Mountaineers are missing All-Big 12 corner Daryl
Worley due to academics and played in a softer conference. I like the Sun
Devils in a minor upset, provided they can take care of the ball and rein in
Dana Holgorsen’s high-octane attack.
Watchability: 3. Not elite squads, but there should
be scoring.
College Football Playoff National Championship
Alabama (13-1) vs. Clemson (14-0)
January 11, 5:30 p.m.
Of course, Clemson is talented. The Tigers have
built up their program in impressive fashion over the past several years,
notched the key high-profile wins every rising team needs, and finally
vanquished rival Florida State. Clemson upset an Oklahoma team a lot of people,
myself included, thought would go on to win the title. It’s past time the
Tigers started getting some respect.
But this is Alabama, and I simply can’t pick against
the Crimson Tide. Once again, the SEC champs have an elite defense; once again,
they’ve overcome doubts about their offense; once again, Nick Saban has proved
that in the end, it’s recruiting that wins championships. Urban Meyer is the
only coach I’d take against Saban in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario. Dabo
Swinney has to prove his chops before I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
As good and as capable of winning this game as Clemson is, the pick has to be
the Tide.
Watchability: 5
It’s been a wild, unpredictable season, and we’ve
seen that echoed in the bowl season. There are just a few games left, but most
promise to be pretty fun. The National Championship should be, too. See you
there.
