Sports Illustrated has released its watchability ranking of all 41 bowl games this postseason, with the Florida Gators’ matchup against the Oregon State Beavers coming in as the No. 21 most watchable game this bowl season.
Oregon State had a very successful season, finishing with a 9-3 record for their best mark since 2012 while also becoming bowl-eligible for only the fourth time since 2009. Their three losses came in Pac-12 play at the hands of USC, Utah, and Washington — three of the top teams in their conference.
They finished the regular season with a 38-24 upset win over their rival, the Oregon Ducks. They played spoiler in that rivalry game, as the Ducks needed a win to make the Pac-12 championship game. Oregon State now has a chance to win ten games for the first time since 2006.
The Gators will field a depleted roster, with over a dozen players having left the program via the transfer portal. Some of the Gators’ top producers from this year, such as [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], O’Cyrus Torrence and [autotag]Ventrell Miller[/autotag] have also left the program after declaring for the NFL draft. With the bowl game just over a week away, reinforcements via the transfer portal and early signing day will not arrive in time for the matchup.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger’s pitch on why you should watch the Las Vegas Bowl:
Watch it because these two programs are meeting for the first time. The Beavers have only one bowl win since 2008 but have a great chance (they’re 9.5-point favorites) to take down an SEC team.
The Las Vegas Bowl will be played at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST with the game broadcast on ESPN.
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