Darnell Sallins
December 13, 2024, 3:05PM
The College Football Playoffs is what most people are waiting for now the 12 teams have been selected. However, bowl season is still a thing, as of now, as the holiday season sweeps the nation. Even with less national focus than past years, there still some interesting or intriguing bowl games to watch outside of the playoffs.
From December 27 to December 31 (New Year's Eve) there quite a bit of games to watch heading into the New Year. This list is chronological order by date and time to be played.
Armed Forces Bowl:
The Armed Forces Bowl will matchup the Oklahoma Sooners from the SEC against the Navy Midshipmen from the American down in Fort Worth, Texas on December 27, noon eastern. The Oklahoma Sooners had a rough debut season in the Southeastern Conference. The Sooners went 6-6 on the season and 2-6 in the SEC. However, the Sooners come in feeling good about themselves, because they are the reason why Alabama didn't make the College Football Playoffs. Yes, the Sooners lost 37-17 to LSU in the final game of the season, but no one cares about that. The Sooners come into the Armed Forces Bowl knowing that the 24-3 beating of Alabama kept the Tide out of the CFP.
The Navy Midshipmen had one of their best seasons in a long time. Going 8-3 on the season, just missing out on playing for the American Athletic Championship after losing to Tulane 35-0. They bounce back against East Carolina winning 34-20 to close the season. Navy has a Top Ten rushing attack (8th in the country) led by their QB Blake Horvath. Horvath leads the team in rushing with 895 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. However, Horvath is the QB for Navy and has thrown over 1,000 yards this season at 1,154 passing yards so passing is an option as well.
This matchup is intriguing because Oklahoma was ranked Top Five in defense in the SEC. Top Three rushing defense in the SEC, Top 15 in the country. That defense led by head coach Brent Venables against the Top Ten rushing attack of Navy. This will be Navy's second Power Four opponent this season. Notre Dame blew Navy out 51-14 back late October in Navy's lone ranked matchup.
Birmingham Bowl:
The Birmingham Bowl down in Birmingham, Alabama should be a good ACC vs. SEC contest between two teams that had surprising season. Representing the Atlantic Coast Conference will be the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech had a surprising 7-5 season that featured two Top Ten wins over No.10 Florida State, who fell off the map, to open up the season in Ireland and No. 4 Miami Hurricanes in November. The Yellow Jackets played the SEC Champions, Georgia Bulldogs in an eight Overtime game, where the Bulldogs left victorious 44-42 on Black Friday. QB Haynes Kings leads a Top Ten offense in the ACC, passing for 1,910 yards with 11 touchdowns and only one interception in 2024.
However, the other side, is school from Tennessee that also had a surprising season in the Vanderbilt Commadores. A 6-6 season in Nashville, that includes the biggest win in program history, knocking off No.1 Alabama in early October. Vanderbilt knocked off Tide in a high-scoring affair where the Crimson Tide never led in the game. This Commadores team plays with grit, toughness, and a will to fight on every play.
Haynes King and Diego Pavia lead the quarterback matchup of both teams and it's that matchup of two gritty and competitive QBs that will determine this game.
Pop-Tarts Bowl:
The Pop-Tarts Bowl down in Orlando, Florida could be the most intriguing game to watch during bowl if no key players entered the transfer portal and opted out of this. Two teams that had opportunities to make the CFP late in the season suffered devasting losses will face off in this Big 12 vs. ACC game. This only one of three ranked bowl games in Bowl Season. No. 18 Iowa State vs. No. 13 Miami December 28, 3:30PM.
The Cyclones of Iowa State are coming off that embarrassment beat down they took in the Big 12 Championship game against Arizona State. A game in which the Cyclones' defense could not tackle Cam Skattebo on his way to 170 yards rushing and three total touchdowns. Uncharacteristic of a Matt Campbell coached team in Amos, Iowa. Nevertheless, Iowa State went 10-3 on the season including wins over then No. 21 Iowa in Iowa city and then No. 24 Kansas State. However, Iowa State wants to get rid of that Big 12 Championship taste out of their mouth.
On the side, from the ACC is a team that knows they let their CFP hopes slip away in the Miami Hurricanes. The Canes had a simple job to do, and they did not do it. Miami was one win away from heading to Charlotte for the ACC Championship and then Syracuse happened. Cam Ward the Canes jumped out to a 21-0 on the Orangemen and then close to 14 minutes of game play, that lead was gone. Once that lead was evaporated by Syracuse, the Orangemen would not relinquish. A 42-38 win by Syracuse, knocked Miami out of the ACC Championship in favor of Clemson and in turn, knocked them out the playoff hunt.
Two teams trying to erase their last performances on the gridiron. Heisman finalist, Cam Ward, has been phenomenal this season for Miami. Ward is second in the country in passing yards at 4,123. Ward has thrown 36 touchdowns to seven interceptions which is a 5:1 TD-INT ratio. Just absurd! Iowa State has a QB that can sling the football around too in Rocco Becht. Becht has thrown for 3,235 yards with 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Alamo Bowl:
Going to keep this short and sweet. The Alamo Bowl is very intriguing because it's two Big 12 schools going against each other in a bowl game which is unheard of and it's the second ranked bowl game. What makes it more intriguing, these two schools didn't play each other this season. The No. 17 BYU Cougars and the No. 23 Colorado Buffaloes will meet in San Antonio December 28. BYU and Colorado were two of the four schools fighting to play of the Big 12 Championship game, obviously, Arizona State beat Iowa State for the Big 12 as mentioned earlier. It was a four-way tie between all four schools and now the other two are meeting.
Now waiting how is this even possible? Well, the bowl committee over the Alamo Bowl kept the tie-ins of the "PAC-12 vs. Big 12" format despite the PAC-12 dissolving after last season. So, the Alamo Bowl chose Colorado as it's "PAC-12" representative and BYU as the "Big 12" representative even though both teams are Big 12 teams.
Finally, this will be the last opportunity to QB Shedeur Sanders and two-way player, Heisman Finalist, Travis Hunter play in a Buffaloes' uniform.
Reliaquest Bowl:
The Reliaquest Bowl is interesting because one, Alabama is in this bowl game. Two, Michigan is in this bowl game, making a CFP rematch from last season. Thirdly, Alabama has a decision to make about playing in this game.
As mentioned earlier in this article, Alabama is not the playoffs thanks to a 24-3 beating at the hands of Oklahoma. SMU got in over Alabama, despite losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship. Alabama and Tide fans across the nation feel slated by the playoff committee, but getting beat by 21 to a 6-6 Sooners' team should their main focus. Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide will be rolling into Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on New Eve's Day at high noon for this game.
The Michigan Wolverines had a completely different season, than last season to say the least. Last season, the Wolverines were hoisting up the National Championship Trophy as champions. Then QB J.J. McCarthy was drafted along with RB Blake Corum. Jim Harbaugh went back to coach in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. So, this season was a whole new Michigan team led by Sherrone Moore and it was a struggle. However, the Wolverines are on a high because despite the struggles, they went into the Horeshoe of Columbus, Ohio and beat their rival Buckeyes for a four consecutive season.
Now, the real question and what makes this interesting is what will Alabama do? Kalen DeBoer in his first at Bama was up and down. The lost to Vanderbilt mentioned earlier, was the start as the No.1 team in the country. That was coming off a massive win over Georgia in a Top Five showdown. Obviously, the lost to Oklahoma will sting the Crimson Tide forever because the CFP snub.
Alabama is in a position that two teams were in last season after being snub from the playoffs in Florida State and Georgia. If you remember, after Alabama beat Georgia in the SEC Championship game last season and Florida State going undefeated, both Florida State and Georgia were left out of the playoffs in favor of ironically, Texas and Alabama. Florida State and Georgia would face each other in the Orange Bowl that season. We remember that Georgia dismantled Florida State in that game because of two different philosophies.
Florida State felt disrespected by the committee because of the injury to then QB Jordan Travis left the Seminoles out despite by undefeated. The Seminoles responded by having star players on offense and defense opt out of the bowl game against Georgia and Florida State still has recovered because this season 2-10. OUCH!
Georgia on the other hand, played most of the players outside TE Brock Bowers, to send a message to the committee about being snub after back-to-back championship seasons and losing only one game in two seasons.
Which philosophy will Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide choose for their bowl game against Michigan? That is what intriguing about the Reliaquest Bowl.
Other Noticeable Bowl Games:
Las Vegas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. USC Dec. 27 10:30PM
Independence Bowl: Marshall vs. Army Dec. 28 9:15PM
UPDATE: Marshall Opted Out, Louisiana Tech replacing Marshall
Cheez-It Bowl: South Carolina vs. Illinois Dec. 31 3PM
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