Tag: College Football Predictions

Coaches Poll Top 25 Projection College Basketball Rankings Prediction Week 9

What will the latest Coaches Poll Top 25 college basketball poll possibly be on January 2nd? We make our best guess prediction before the real poll comes out on Monday morning

What will the latest 2022-2023 Coaches Poll potentially be? It’s our predicted best guess on the early college basketball rankings after Week 9

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Note that this is NOT the actual 2022-2023 college basketball Coaches Poll – it’s our prediction and projection of what it might be before it’s released.

Coaches Poll College Basketball Rankings Prediction Week 9

Number in parentheses is where each team finished in last week’s rankings.     

25. New Mexico Lobos 14-0 (NR)

24. Ohio State Buckeyes 10-3 (NR)

23. Kentucky Wildcats 9-4 (17)

22. Xavier Musketeers 12-3 (25)

21. Auburn Tigers 11-2 (23)

– AP College Basketball Top 25 Prediction

20. Baylor Bears 10-3 (13)

19. Iowa State Cyclones 10-2 (NR)

18. TCU Horned Frogs 12-1 (19)

17. Indiana Hoosiers 10-3 (18)

16. Missouri Tigers 12-1 (NR)

– AP Final Regular Season Football Rankings

15. Miami Hurricanes 13-1 (16)

14. Wisconsin Badgers 10-2 (15)

13. Duke Blue Devils 11-3 (14)

12. Arkansas Razorbacks 11-2 (7)

11. Virginia Cavaliers 10-2 (12)

– Coaches Final Regular Season Football Rankings

10. Gonzaga Bulldogs 12-3 (11)

9. Tennessee Volunteers 11-2 (10)

8. Alabama Crimson Tide 11-2 (9)

7. UCLA Bruins 13-2 (8)

6. UConn Huskies 14-1 (2)

5. Texas Longhorns 12-1 (6)

4. Arizona Wildcats 13-1 (5)

3. Kansas Jayhawks 12-1 (4)

2. Houston Cougars 14-1 (3)

1. Purdue Boilermakers 13-0 (1)

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Coaches Poll College Football Rankings 
All-Time Coaches Poll Rankings | AP All-Time Rankings

USC vs Tulane Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Prediction Game Preview Odds TV

USC vs Tulane game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Monday, January 2, 2023

USC vs Tulane prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Monday, January 2, 2023

USC vs Tulane Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Prediction Game Preview

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USC vs Tulane How To Watch

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: USC (11-2), Tulane (11-2)
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USC vs Tulane Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic 5 Things To Know

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Let’s put it this way. If you were to tell USC fans 12 months ago that their program that went 4-8 in 2021 was about to have a “disappointing” 11-2 season – complete with a Heisman-winning quarterback and a trip to the Sugar Bowl – you don’t think they’d have taken it in a heartbeat?

Yeah, it would’ve been great if Caleb Williams didn’t injure his hamstring in the Pac-12 Championship, but he did, the USC defense turned into wet tissue paper, and the team biffed its chance to make the College Football Playoff. But Lincoln Riley’s first year at the helm was a massive success, and it’s all just getting started.

– Cincinnati was coming off a year in the College Football Playoff. UCF had all the talent in place to make its own run to a possible playoff spot, and Houston was everyone’s darling with a loaded team returning. There wasn’t anyone from the Group of Five going into the CFP, and the Bearcats, Knights, and Cougars are all preparing for life in the Big 12 next year.

Meanwhile, all Tulane did was go win the American Athletic Conference with the program’s first double-digit win season since 1998. If you think USC was a shocker, Tulane was coming off a 2-10 campaign and came up with its first winning season in three years. That, and …

– Tulane hasn’t been to a bowl this big since losing the 1939 season’s Rose Bowl. Under Fritz this is the program’s fourth bowl game in five years – it went 2-1 in the first three. This is the chance to establish itself as the Group of Five’s biggest power going forward after the latest round of realignment kicks in next year.

– USC has been a relative dud lately on the bowl circuit. It hadn’t been in one of these things since 2019, and it hasn’t won once since the 2016 season’s Rose. After going 9-2 in bowls after Pete Carroll’s first year, the program is 1-3 in them. And for Riley, this is his chance to win his second bowl game in four tries. His first was part of the reason why …

– The Cotton Bowl is in need of a good game. Riley’s Sooners destroyed a bunch of Florida uniforms in a 55-20 Sugar in 2020. Last year Alabama went through the polite motions and disposed of Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff. In 2019 Penn State and Memphis put on a show – a 53-39 Penn State win – but that was part of a rough run of seven straight Cottons – and 14 of the last 15 – decided by eight points or more.

CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls

Why Tulane Will Win The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Here comes the Green Wave running game.

The offense is balanced with a strong passing attack for a Willie Fritz attack, but everything rocks when the ground game is rolling.

Tulane has been brilliant at being able to adapt and adjust on the fly, but it won the American Athletic Conference championship with 254 rushing yards against UCF averaging over eight yards per pop, and averages close to 200 yards rushing yards per game.

Time of possession doesn’t mean all that much to the Green Wave, but with the best defense in the AAC in points allowed and third down stops, the more the ground game rumbles, the more everything else works with this team.

And again, there’s a passing game. Tulane and QB Michael Pratt lead the AAC in passing efficiency.

And then there’s the USC run defense.

It got run over by Utah in the Pac-12 Championship, allowed 4.7 yards per carry, and can be moved on in chunks. But …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why USC Will Win The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

This is a BIG assumption that Caleb Williams will give it a go even with his banged up hamstring. (We’ll try to change this whole thing fast if he’s not able to play at the last second.)

He’s missing star WR Jordan Addison, and his offensive line isn’t intact, but the big play ability should still be there with the other weapons returning.

Tulane might have a terrific defense, but Houston’s passing game was okay, East Carolina pushed for close to 300 yards, and Memphis and SMU were able to bomb away on the secondary.

USC might not be smooth, but it’ll hit a few home runs.

On the other side, no, the defense hasn’t been anything great, but it’s masterful at taking the ball away. The definition of bending a whole lot without breaking, USC has forced two or more takeaways seven times with 29 on the year.

Tulane doesn’t have a massive turnover issue, but it lost the first time around against UCF when giving it away twice and …

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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LSU vs Purdue Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Prediction Game Preview

LSU vs Purdue game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Monday, January 2, 2023

LSU vs Purdue prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, Monday, January 2, 2023

LSU vs Purdue Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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LSU vs Purdue How To Watch

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game Time: 1:00 ET
Venue: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ABC
Record: LSU (9-4), Purdue (8-5)
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LSU vs Purdue Cheez-It Citrus Bowl 5 Things To Know

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– For the second straight bowl game, LSU is playing a bunch of guys wearing the uniforms, but the main men are done. The team will hardly be a proper representation of the 2022 self.

It was a great first season under Brian Kelly with a win over Alabama and a trip to the SEC Championship, but if it seems like just about everyone has opted out, or is injured, or both, it’s because that’s the deal. From WR Kayshon Boutte, to dangerous pass rusher BJ Ojulari, to … this could go on for a while.

– Purdue is playing a bunch of guys wearing the uniforms, but plenty of the main men are done, including the head coach. Jeff Brohm made a lateral move to Louisville, but another Brohm – brother Brian – will coach in the bowl while new head coach Ryan Walters waits in the wings. The coaching, though, isn’t the issue.

QB Aidan O’Connell is out, so is top TE Payne Durham, so is star WR Charlies Jones, so is … this could go on for a while.

– Purdue has been okay in bowl games, but it’s usually the team that has the full complement of players. Last year it won a Music City Bowl thriller over Tennessee, and was 2-1 in bowls under Brohm and 4-2 going back to 2007.

– LSU has been wonderful in bowl games over the years. Again, last year’s team was a shadow of its normal self in a sad Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State, but before that it won three straight before that – two of them in the College Football Playoff including the national title. Before last year it was 5-1 since 2014 and 17-7 since 1989.

– The Citrus Bowl hasn’t been too bad lately, but ie’s on a bit of a rough run over the last decade. Last year’s 20-17 Kentucky win over Iowa was interesting, even if there weren’t a ton of fireworks. Three of the last five have been close, but nine of the last 13 were decided by double-digits.

CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls

Why Purdue Will Win The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

The passing game should still work.

Aidan O’Connell might be out, but Austin Burton is a big passer who’s just seasoned enough to be okay. He stepped in against Florida Atlantic and hit 72% of his passes for 166 yards and three scores, but he hasn’t done anything since with O’Connell leading the way to the Big Ten Championship.

The midrange passing game might not be quite as sharp, but it’ll keep things moving, the offensive line should be able to hold up, and for a team that throws like Purdue does, the running game is every bit as important.

The Boilermakers are 6-0 when running for more than 111 yards, and 2-5 when they don’t. The backs are still in place to mix things up a bit.

LSU is 0-3 when allowing more than 210 rushing yards and 9-1 when it gives up fewer. Purdue has to at least give it a try with 35 carries or so.

But …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why LSU Will Win The Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

Jayden Daniels is supposed to give it a go.

The LSU quarterback is dinged up, but he’s coming back for the 2023 season and he should be able to play in this. In a game that’s missing a whole lot of key parts, having Daniels as a steadying factor might make all of the difference.

When the offense is moving, it’s great on third downs, there’s enough of a running game to balance things out, and when Daniels is in a groove, the passing attack can go off. It was in comeback/keep up mode, but the offense threw for over 500 yards against Georgia in the SEC Championship.

Oddly enough, Purdue wins when it gives up a ton of passing yards – it’s 6-2 when allowing 200 yards or more. It’s more about its own offense, and that’s where the LSU defense has to kick in.

As long as the defensive front can hold up against the run, and if the offensive line can give Daniels time …

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Illinois vs Mississippi State ReliaQuest Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Illinois vs Mississippi State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday, January 2, 2023

Illinois vs Mississippi State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. ReliaQuest Bowl, Monday, January 2, 2023

Illinois vs Mississippi State ReliaQuest Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Illinois vs Mississippi State How To Watch

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Illinois (8-4), Mississippi State (8-4)
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Illinois vs Mississippi State ReliaQuest Bowl 5 Things To Know

ReliaQuest Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– It’s the first game of 2023, and it’s the first game for Mississippi State without the late head coach Mike Leach. Overall this was a solid season under Leach with wins in three of the last four games – including a win over arch-rival Ole Miss – on the way to a good 2023 bowl game, but of course the season and this game will be remembered for Leach.

Nothing is going to immediately change under new head coach Zach Arnett. The Bulldogs are still going to throw the ball a bajillion times, the defense is going to be solid, and the team should be able to handle the Illinois style.

– Illinois was one of the 2022 season’s best surprises. Under head coach Bret Bielema, the offense was tough up front, the defense was among the best in the country, and it all worked well enough to destroy Wisconsin – and end the Paul Chryst era – beat Iowa, and push Michigan to the brink. It was a rough finishing kick with losses to Michigan State and Purdue keeping it out of Big Ten Championship, but this season was just the beginning of a strong new era of Illinois football.

Here’s the problem. It’s missing some of its key stars. Chase Brown was as good as any running back in the country, Luke Ford was a terrific tight end, and the opt-out losses in the secondary against this passing team is devastating.

– This is the first bowl game for Illinois since losing the 2019 Redbox to Cal. The last bowl win was against UCLA in the 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger, and the program is a rough 2-4 in bowls since 1999’s blowout win over Virginia in the Micron PC. Bielema has been decent in bowls – he went 2-1 at Arkansas – but he was just 2-4 at Wisconsin with two straight Rose Bowl losses before leaving for the Hog gig.

– Mississippi State was terrific in bowls games for a long stretch – going 9-2 in 11 bowls from the 1999 Peach up to the end of the Dan Mullen era with a win over Louisville in the 2017 TaxSlayer. Under Joe Moorhead and Mike Leach, the Bulldogs went 1-3, getting rocked by Texas Tech 34-7 last year in the Liberty.

– It’s the inaugural ReliaQuest Bowl, but you probably know it better as the old Outback Bowl. It’s been SEC vs Big Ten after Wisconsin beat Duke in 1995 with the SEC going 16-10 and winning the last two. Last year’s 24-10 Arkansas win over Penn State was better than the final score, and the previous five were all decided by one score.

CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls

Why Illinois Will Win The ReliaQuest Bowl

The defense really is that good.

It might be missing a few very, very important defensive backs – more on that in a moment – but the style and the D should still work. The Illini finished second in the nation in total defense behind Air Force, it was first in scoring defense allowing just 12.2 points per game, and most importantly in this, it’s No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency defense.

The defense allowed fewer than 2,000 yards this season and just eight touchdowns, and it picked off 22 passes. No, the team didn’t face a slew of high-powered passing teams, but the losses mostly came against teams that could throw.

There’s one massive difference between what Indiana, Michigan State, and Purdue did in their three wins and what Mississippi State does – downfield passes.

The Bulldogs will throw it 50 times, but there’s no rushing yards, and there’s nothing happening when it comes to the deep shots. The passing game averages under ten yards per completion – the third-lowest in college football – meaning the Illini will allow short passes, and then have to make the tackle. They can do that.

However …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Mississippi State Will Win The ReliaQuest Bowl

CB Devon Witherspoon and S Sydney Brown. Those are two NFL starting defensive backs Illinois won’t have around, and it’s going to matter.

The Illini defense will hold its own. Mississippi State will have a hard time moving the chains, it’ll have to deal with a ton of third down moments, and Illinois is as good as anyone in the country at coming up with third down stops. But the new parts in the Illinois secondary will hurt just enough to allow Will Rogers and company to keep things moving.

Yes, Illinois, Michigan State, and Purdue were able to stretch the field a bit, but none of them were Tennessee when it came to winging it around. Illinois lost four games this year, going 0-3 when giving up 208 yards or more, and the fourth loss came to Michigan State, who completed 66% of its passes – the best completion day by anyone against Illinois.

Mississippi State was below 208 passing yards just once – it threw for 203 against Kentucky – and was only below 60% three times. It’s 8-1 when it hits 60% or more of its throws.

There’s that, and …

ReliaQuest Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Penn State vs Utah game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Rose Bowl on Monday, January 2, 2023

Penn State vs Utah prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Rose Bowl, Monday, January 2, 2023

Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Penn State vs Utah How To Watch

Date: Monday, January 2, 2023
Game Time: 5:00 ET
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Penn State (10-2), Utah (10-3)
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Penn State vs Utah Rose Bowl 5 Things To Know

Rose Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Utah keeps on rolling. This might not be quite the team the 2021 version was, but it matched last year’s ten-win campaign, it won another Pac-12 Championship, and it’s going to another Rose Bowl.

It’s Utah. You know what you’re getting.

Great lines, great coaching, a smart style with a great combination of toughness and confidence – that’s Utah, and now it all has to come together to make this the program’s best season in the 12 years as a member of the Pac-12.

– Penn State is more about what’s coning than what this is. Sure, we’ve heard it all before about how Penn State has the talent, the upside, and the excitement to be on the verge of national championship-level status, but yeah, James Franklin might have that in place for 2023.

It’s a young team with a whole lot of superstar power about to make this one of Franklin’s best teams yet … potentially. Next year.

As is, the Nittany Lions are fantastic. They went 10-2 with the only blips coming against Ohio State and Michigan, but no one would buy into the idea that they might have one of the four best teams in college football.

They’re missing a few parts – not having star CB Joey Porter around hurts – but for the most part they should be fine.

– Utah has done a whole lot of big things over the years to prove it’s a big-time program. Utah – not USC, not Oregon, not UCLA – has become the power program in the Pac-12 over the last few years, but it doesn’t have one of these – at least it doesn’t have one as a Power Five program.

The Sugar Bowl win over Alabama came at the end of the 2008 season when Utah was still a Mountain West program.

In the Pac-12 it has a few Las Vegas Bowls, and a Foster Farms, and a Heart of Dallas, but the program that was 14-1 in bowl games from 1999 to 2017 is 0-for-its-last-3 in three big bowls including last year’s Rose Bowl.

Like Penn State, there are a few players missing, but not enough to be catastrophic. Tight end Dalton Kincaid is the one who matters.

– Penn State clunked in last year’s Outback Bowl loss to Arkansas, but it’s been okay under Franklin going 3-3 so far with wins in the Cotton and Fiesta, and a Rose Bowl loss to USC in an epic battle to end the 2016 season.

– GOOD LUCK hoping for this year’s Rose Bowl to be anywhere near as good as last year’s Ohio State 48-45 win over Utah. We won’t count the 2020 playoff game – that wasn’t played in Pasadena – so really, the last five true Rose Bowls have been amazing.

Last year’s was great, the Oregon 28-27 win over Wisconsin to kick off the 202 year was outstanding, the Ohio State 28-23 win over Washington was fun, and the 2018 54-48 Georgia double overtime win over Oklahoma ranks among the best bowl games ever – and certainly deserves to be in the team photo of best College Football Playoff games. Before that was the Penn State-USC thriller.

And we all deserved those games after what Christian McCaffrey and Stanford did to Iowa in the 2016 Rose.

CFN Experts Picks: Jan 2 Bowls

Why Penn State Will Win The Rose Bowl

The run defense should hold up.

This isn’t the USC defensive front the Utes are going against.

There was the outlier against Michigan, but that was it for bad moments for the Penn State defensive front. It allowed over 400 rushing yards to the Wolverines, held Minnesota to 165 in a blowout win, and stuffed Auburn allowing 119 rushing yards in a 41-12 road blasting.

No one else ran for more than 100 on this D, and now it’s rested. More than that, Michigan is the only team to average more than four yards per carry against the Nittany Lion defensive front.

Utah’s offensive line is phenomenal, and it’s great at keeping defenses out of the backfield, but now it’s dealing with the Big Ten’s best pass rush and the best D at generating tackles for loss.

On the flip side, Penn State got out of its running game in the two losses. It’s 9-0 when running for more than 111 yards, but …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Utah Will Win The Rose Bowl

The Utah defensive front is rested, too.

It got hammered on by Florida to start the season, and it couldn’t deal with UCLA. Those were two of the two losses, and there was a problem in the first meeting with USC. The Gators, Bruins, and Trojans, though, had quarterbacks who could take off. That’s not really Sean Clifford – he can run a little bit, but not really.

Everyone else had major problems running on the Ute defensive front the tallied fewer than 100 rushing yards seven times.

However, the real problem for the Nittany Lions might be control. As good as the running game is, and as terrific as the offense has been, it’s miserable on third downs.

In general they’re good at controlling the ball and the clock, but that’s going to be impossible to do against a Utah team that’s equal parts deliberate and explosive.

Few teams are able to dominate the clock like Utah can, with third down conversions coming at a 50% clip, and with the defense the best in the Pac-12 at coming up with third down stops.

Rose Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

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Michigan vs TCU College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Michigan vs TCU game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, December 31

Michigan vs TCU prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Saturday, December 31

Michigan vs TCU College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Michigan vs TCU How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 31
Game Time: 4:00 ET
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Michigan (13-0), TCU (12-1)
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Michigan vs TCU College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl 5 Things To Know

– Why Michigan will win. Why TCU will win
– College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– It didn’t seem like it was “just the beginning” for Michigan, as Jim Harbaugh suggested coming off a 34-11 pasting from Georgia in last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal.

Harbaugh was 50/50 on going to the NFL – and was probably the Minnesota Viking head coach if he wasn’t lowballed – Ohio State was going to be back to its normal unbeatable self, and the Michigan program was going to settle back into being very good, but hardly among the elite of the elite.

And then it not only did it again, it was even better in an undefeated season with a crazily consistent offensive style of play that held for a full 12 games on the way to winning a second straight Big Ten title.

Last year, the Wolverines had done enough. They broke through, exorcised the Buckeye demon, and proved it was possible to win massive things under Harbaugh.

Not this time. Just getting here won’t get it done like it does for …

– TCU was one of the massive pleasant surprises of the 2022 season. New coach, program coming off a mediocre year, some rebuilding to do, and a schedule that looked a tad too daunting – some genius actually predicted TCU was going to lose to Colorado to start the season … I sought out professional help after that.

But head coach Sonny Dykes put together something magical. QB Max Duggan took over early and morphed into Max Tebow, the team found every way possible to win close games and pull off comebacks, and even getting here despite losing the Big 12 Championship was a charmed moment for the program.

It’s not like TCU hasn’t been close. It was No. 3 in the penultimate 2014 College Football Playoff rankings and got pushed out in the final version. In the CFP era this is the fourth season in nine with 11 or more wins, it knows how to crank up the offense, and it can pull the “nobody believes in us” attitude.

– This is TCU’s first bowl appearance since winning the 2018 Cheez-It 10-7 in OT – unquestionably the ugliest-played event in the history of sporting contests. However, the program has won four of its last five and ten of its last 13. On the flip side …

– Michigan has been a bowl game disaster. It lost five straight and is 3-12 since winning the 2003 Outback over Florida. Even worse, the last three bowl appearances were brutal blowouts, and the team melted down in the 2018 Outback loss to South Carolina and 2016 loss to Florida State. This is the first time Michigan has ever faced TCU.

– No pressure or anything, Fiesta Bowl, but College Football Playoff semifinal or not, you’re supposed to be amazing. Last year’s Oklahoma State comeback win over Notre Dame was one of the wildest moments of the bowl season. The 2019 Clemson win over Ohio State in the CFP semifinal screwed up The entire university for a full year – OSU was out of its mind over the way that game ended.

LSU getting by UCF the year before that was fun, Penn State getting by Washington the year before that was fun, and in all, four of the last five Fiesta Bowls have been outstanding – they needed to be to make up for the 31-0 uggo of a Clemson College Football Playoff semifinal win over Ohio State in 2016.

– Why Michigan will win. Why TCU will win
– College Football Playoff Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History
CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

NEXT: Why Michigan will win the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl, why TCU will win the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl

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Georgia vs Ohio State College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Georgia vs Ohio State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31, 2022

Georgia vs Ohio State prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, December 31, 2022

Georgia vs Ohio State College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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Georgia vs Ohio State How To Watch

Date: December 31, 2022
Game Time: 8:00 ET
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Georgia (13-0), Ohio State (11-1)
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Georgia vs Ohio State College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl 5 Things To Know

– Why Georgia will win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, why Ohio State will win
– College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Georgia hasn’t exactly made greatness boring, but it’s not like this is a star-studded superpower with a slew of household names. It’s a rock-solid team that’s good at blocking and tackling and going about its business as it rolls towards what might just be a second straight national title. There’s one key difference from the 2021 version, though.

This one might run the table.

2022 Georgia had a perfect storm of positives to get here. Years of amazing recruiting built up the talent level, and it all matured enough to create a true Next Man Up system with future NFL stars replacing the NFL stars who left off of last year’s national champion team.

Combine that with a relatively down year by Alabama – and not having to face the Tide – a 44-year-old starting quarterback who knows what he’s doing (Stetson Bennett is actually 25), and all those new starters looking to prove the greatness of this team compared to last year, and this might be an even stronger run.

However …

CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

– You let them in the door. The Buckeyes were out. All it would’ve taken was USC’s Caleb Williams not hurting his hamstring, or Clemson and/or Tennessee not gacking the moment against South Carolina, or Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs making the late grab against Tennessee, or any one of a number of things that could’ve happened to put someone else in the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff.

But they’re in. They’re in the tournament at the 4, just like 2019 Alabama, and just like 2014 Ohio State – both of those teams won two games and the national title.

The team rolled through the season despite a slew of injuries, and all was set up to be the No. 2 seed. All it had to do was beat Michigan, take down Purdue in the Big Ten Championship, and it would’ve played TCU not Georgia in the CFP first round.

You have to win two no matter what, so Ohio State might as well get the Georgia game out of the way now.

There are 3.5 teams going with the same NFL talent level – Georgia, Alabama, the USC offense, and Ohio State. Even with a few key guys out – RB TreyVeon Henderson is out with a foot injury, WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba is nursing his injured hamstring as he gets ready for the NFL – the guys are still there to hang position for position with the defending national champs.

– Ohio State has lived in the biggest bowls for the last 30 years. In the eight-year playoff era, it’s 7-3 in bowl games with the three losses all in the CFP. It won an epic Rose Bowl over Utah last year, lost the College Football Playoff National Championship to Alabama in 2020, and it’s in the Peach for first time ever.

– Georgia has been a bowl god under Kirby Smart. The program has gone 9-3 over the last 12 bowls going back to the Mark Richt era. It won its last four – including two last season – with the last two losses the national title agains Alabama to end the 2017 season and in a tough Sugar loss to Texas in 2018. This is the program’s seventh Peach appearance, and …

– This is just the second time these two have met. Georgia beat Ohio State 21-14 in the 1992 Citrus Bowl, but that’s been it for these two powerhouses.

Between playoff games and close battles that defined the narrative for the participating teams, almost all of the last several Peach Bowls have mattered.

Last year’s Michigan State win over Pitt was entertaining at the end, the Georgia win over Cincinnati in the 2020 season was good, the 2019 version – LSU blowing out Oklahoma – was interesting theater, and UCF made a whole program around the win over Auburn at the end of the 2017 season.

The first two Peach Bowls as part of the College Football Playoff were lousy. This one shouldn’t be.

– Why Georgia will win the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, why Ohio State will win
– College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: Why Georgia & Ohio State Will Win The College Football Playoff Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

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College Football Expert Picks Predictions: Playoff, New Year’s Six, Bowls December 28-January 2

College Football Expert picks and predictions for the College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six, and bowls from December 28th to Januarry 2nd

College football expert picks, predictions: College Football Playoff, New Year’s Six games, and bowls between December 28th and January 2nd

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* next to the pick means the team will win, but not cover.
Click on each game for the game preview and CFN Prediction

Bowl Game College Football Expert Picks 
Military UCF vs Duke | Liberty Kansas vs Arkansas
Holiday UNC vs Oregon | Texas Texas Tech vs Ole Miss
Pinstripe Syracuse vs Minnesota | Cheez-It OU vs FSU
Alamo Washington vs Texas | Mayo NC St vs Maryland
Sun Pitt vs UCLA | Gator South Carolina vs Notre Dame
Arizona Ohio vs Wyoming | Orange Tennessee vs Clemson
Sugar Kansas St vs Alabama | Music City Kentucky vs Iowa
CFP Fiesta TCU vs Michigan | CFP Peach Ohio St vs Georgia
ReliaQuest Miss State vs Illinois | Cotton Tulane vs USC
Citrus Purdue vs LSU | Rose Penn State vs Utah
Results So Far | Bowls December 20-27

Bowl Schedule, Predictions | NFL Week 15 Expert Picks 

UCF vs Duke

Military Bowl

Line: Duke -3, o/u: 62.5

Eric Bolin, RazorbacksWire.com: UCF
Evan Bredeson, CornhuskersWire.com: UCF
Tony Cosolo, ColoradoBuffaloesWire.com: UCF
Jeff Feyerer, CFN: Duke
Pete Fiutak, CFN: Duke
Cami Griffin, LonghornsWire.com: Duke
Dan Harralson, VolsWire.com: UCF
Phil Harrison, BuckeyesWire.com: Duke
Jeremy Mauss, MWwire.com Duke
Kevin McGuire, NittanyLionsWire.com: UCF
Big Game Ben Niewoehner, CFN UCF
E, CFN Duke
Tyler Nettuno, LSUTigerswire.com UCF
Zack Pearson, TarHeelswire.com Duke
Johnny Rosenstein, SportsBookWire.com: Duke
Nick Shepkowski, FightingIrishWire.com: Duke
Scott Steehn, WinnersandWhiners.com: UCF
Joe Vitale, UGAWire.com: Duke
Clucko the Chicken (a coin flip), CFN: UCF
CONSENSUS PICK: Duke

NEXT: Kansas vs Arkansas Expert Picks Predictions

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5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions Against The Spread: CFP Semifinals, December 30, 31 Games

5 best college football bowl predictions and picks against the spread and point totals for the games on December 30th and 31st

5 best predictions for College Football Playoff Semifinals and other December 30th and 31st games. 

5 Best College Football Bowl Predictions College Football Playoff, December 30th, 31st Games

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Expert Picks Dec 28-Jan 2, NY6, CFP
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Results So Far: 82-70-1
Bowl Season: 8-7

I was about to be more insufferable than I already am.

After a rough start to the bowl season, I was right there. My picks for the last round of games were about to be 4-1 against the spread, all I needed was one Minnesota stop in the Pinstripe against Syracuse, I got it, and … 12 men on the field flag, an Orange score on 4th and goal, just like that, I’m back to being just okay.

But in this wacky bowl season I’ll take 60% for that last run. Now it’s time to do better with five to end 2022 on a high note, starting with …

Click on each game for the game preview

5. Capital One Orange Bowl: Tennessee vs Clemson

Friday, December 30, 2022, 8:00 ET, ESPN
ATS Line Clemson -6
Pick Tennessee

I’m still not sold on the Clemson secondary.

Tennessee is missing a ton. Combine that with the public having little faith in Joe Milton at quarterback, and Clemson is almost a touchdown favorite. The Tiger defensive line might have something to do with that, and overall, the losses for a team of this caliber were relatively minimal.

I’m still not sold.

Not to dog Jalin Hyatt or Cedric Tillman in any way, but I do believe Tennessee’s system has as much to do with the success – if not more – than the receivers and the parts in the roles.

I’m going with the idea that Milton can do enough with the returning receivers to hit the Tiger secondary sort of like Sam Hartman and Wake Forest did, sort of like North Carolina’s Drake Maye did – at least in terms of total yards – and sort of  like Florida State’s Jordan Travis did.

I do believe that the atmosphere in the Orange Bowl will be great, both teams will trade big offensive punches, and I’m even buying in that Clemson will probably win this.

I’ll take my chances walking into the stadium up 6-0 with the team that’s been through the SEC wars this season.

NEXT: College Football Pick Against the Spread No. 4: TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

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Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

Kentucky vs Iowa game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on Saturday, December 31

Kentucky vs Iowa prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. TransPerfect Music City Bowl, Saturday, December 31

Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction Game Preview

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– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Kentucky vs Iowa How To Watch

Date: Saturday, December 31
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
How To Watch: ABC
Record: Kentucky (7-5), Iowa (7-5)
– Sign up and live stream college football on ESPN+

Kentucky vs Iowa TransPerfect Music City Bowl 5 Things To Know

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

– Two teams with a bunch of players wearing Iowa and Kentucky uniforms will run onto the field, and a game of football will be played. After that, good luck trying to figure out what this is going to be.

Kentucky won’t have its top guys in the backfield – QB Will Levis is getting ready to possibly be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and heart-and-soul RB Chris Rodriguez isn’t going to play, either. It goes on from there with the depth taking a hit along with a few parts on the defensive side.

Iowa is trying to figure out its offense, too, without one of its normal quarterbacks expected to be around for an offense that wasn’t exactly rocking and rolling to begin with.

There are enough regular starters for both teams to make this interesting, but it’s going to be a bit rocky, especially because …

– Iowa had the second-worst offense in college football. There wasn’t any passing game, scoring was like pulling teeth, and there’s a rumor the attack converted on a third down. Even so, the defense was fantastic – a slew of the main men are supposed to be around – and the O managed to not screw it up over a five-game winning streak in the second half of the year.

Kentucky’s offense wasn’t a whole lot better thanks to a ragged offensive line, the defense couldn’t generate a pass rush, and yet it all worked in a Kentucky sort of way to get here. That’s not a knock because …

– Kentucky has been great in bowl games under Mark Stoops. UK lost four straight bowls – with Stoops dropping his first two – and then came the run of four great performances in bowl wins over the last four years. That includes last season’s 20-17 Citrus Bowl win over …

– Iowa was a disaster in bowls from 2011 to 2016, and then it all turned with three nice wins highlighted by a 49-24 whacking of USC in the 2019 Holiday Bowl. Last year’s bowl loss to Kentucky was tough, but it was a good fight.

– When the Music City Bowl hits, it’s cranks up a home run. Purdue’s 48-45 overtime win over Tennessee last year might have been the best bowl of the season. Throwing out the canceled 2020 bowl, 13 of the last 17 Music City Bowls have been decided by eight points or fewer. Considering how these two teams play, this should be low scoring, too.

CFN Experts CFP, NY6, Dec 28-Jan 2

Why Kentucky Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, this Iowa offense is just that stagnant.

It was only able to hit 200 yards passing twice, the overall attack never came up with 400 yards, and it only got to 300 three times. It’s not a stretch to suggest it’ll only take a few scores for Kentucky to put this away.

As is there’s no Iowa passing game, at least there’s nothing deep. Now it’s throwing out an untested option in Joey Labas as he tries to do something to get the chains moving.

But the Iowa O is the Iowa O. It’s the defensive side that has to own this game, and it starts with needing to come up with takeaways. Kentucky had issues over the first half of the season with giveaways, but it only turned it over twice in the last four games.

And the Wildcats can play a little defense, too.  It hasn’t allowed 200 passing yards in any of the last four games, and Iowa doesn’t have the running game to make up for it.

However …

Top 100 Bowl Players | Ranking Bowl Games So Far

Why Iowa Will Win The TransPerfect Music City Bowl

Really, the Kentucky offense is just that stagnant.

Will Levis is being panned as a possible top pick in the NFL Draft, but that’s partly because he didn’t get a chance to show what he could do behind an offensive line that was the worst in the SEC in sacks allowed.

That’s where the Iowa defense comes in. If all goes according to plan, a slew of key stars from the nation’s fourth-best D and sixth-best scoring defense. As is UK couldn’t get the attack moving. It’s supposed to rock without Levis and Rodriguez? Not really.

And no, the Iowa offense isn’t going to come out and hang 50 on the board. However, there won’t be anything big coming from the Kentucky pass rush and defensive front.

UK is 7-0 when allowing fewer than 165 rushing yards, and 0-5 when allowing that many or more. However …

TransPerfect Music City Bowl Prediction, What’s Going To Happen, History

NEXT: What’s Going To Happen, Kentucky vs Iowa Prediction, TransPerfect Music City Bowl History

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