What bowl games should you watch besides the Rose Bowl?
The Michigan Wolverines are getting ready to take on Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, and it is one of the most anticipated bowls of the year. The Wolverines will be looking to win their first playoff game, while the Crimson Tide will be looking to get back to yet another National Championship.
All Wolverines fans are going to tune into the game, but what other games are worth watching?
We take a look at five other bowl games worth watching.
Texas vs Washington – Sugar Bowl
This one is easy, since it is the other semifinal matchup. The Longhorns have looked fantastic the last couple games, as they have beat Texas Tech and Oklahoma State by a combined score of 106-28. Quarterback Quinn Ewers has looked unstoppable (he threw for 452 and four touchdowns in the Big 12 title game) and they are as confident as any team.
The Huskies, though, are undefeated and coming off a second win against Oregon. The Ducks came into the Pac-12 title red-hot on offense, but the Huskies’ defense slowed the Ducks down just enough to get the 34-31 win.
Washington has had a ton of close calls this year, but the Huskies have passed all of them and will look to do it again against the Longhorns.
Arizona vs Oklahoma – Alamo Bowl
Arizona quietly had a very good season, as the Wildcats went 9-3 and had upset wins over Washington State , Oregon State , UCLA and Utah. All four of those teams were ranked at the time they beat them.
Two of Arizona’s losses were in overtime, with the other being a seven-point defeat to Washington. This team can play and are led by quarterback Noah Fifita, who is the best quarterback nobody is talking about. He threw for 2,515 yards and 23 touchdowns in the regular season as a first-year starter, and is definitely a name you will need to remember for next year.
The Sooners are going to have their hands full stopping him, and they will also be without quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who announced his transfer to Oregon. Oklahoma’s offense will look a lot different, but it is looking to finish its bounce back year with a bowl win.
Ole Miss vs Penn State – Peach Bowl
Ole Miss has a great offense. Penn State has a great defense. Something will have to give in this matchup of SEC vs Big Ten.
The Rebels can score points, but they have been shut down by the two best defenses they have faced this year. They scored 30 or more points in seven games this year, but had just 27 total points against Alabama and Georgia. They are going to have to find a way to move the ball better against the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions’ defense gave up less than 20 points in all but three games this year. Two of those were to Ohio State and Michigan, where they gave up 20 and 24 points, respectively. Their offense, for as much heat as it took this year, scored at least 27 points in all 10 of their wins, and scored at least 41 points five times.
PSU isn’t as bad as Ohio State and Michigan made it look, and the Rebels’ defense was not even close to that caliber this year.
Georgia vs Florida State – Orange Bowl
This game will be fascinating. Neither want to be here, as both thought they were worthy of making the CFP.
The Bulldogs are the two-time defending national champs and were No. 1 for most of the year. Florida State went undefeated and won the ACC Championship over Louisville. The Seminoles lost quarterback Jordan Travis due to injury, but they still won all of their games, were a Power Five conference champion, and were still left out of the CFP.
Which team will be more motivated? Will they treat it like the Super Bowl or a glorified scrimmage? Either way it will be worth watching.
Iowa vs Tennessee – Citrus Bowl
We know Iowa games can put anyone to sleep, but hear me out. The SEC loves to brag about how good they are, the Big Ten just can’t keep up and the defensive stats are bloated because of the “horrific” offenses in the Big Ten.
Well, the Hawkeyes get to try to prove they are for real on that side of the ball. The Volunteers can be explosive on offense — not as much as last year with Hendon Hooker, but they still are good.
The Hawkeyes will probably struggle to score, but if they can, what does that really say about SEC offenses who didn’t exactly light up the Volunteers?
The Hawkeyes will want to prove their defense can hang with a high-powered SEC team, and they have a chance to do just that.