College Football Bowl Games What to Watch

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While the early bowl games do present some intriguing storylines, it is after Christmas where the bowl season really starts to heat up. It is here where we start seeing more teams from Power-5 conferences and thus as a result, more potential NFL prospects to monitor. With the NBA in control of the majority of Christmas day sporting events, the college football bowls return the following day with a solid slate continuing until the big time New Years’ games. In this article, I’ll take a look at the three New Year’s Eve games.

Chick-Fila-A Peach Bowl – 12:30 PM ET
Ole Miss vs. TCU
This will without a doubt be one of the more intriguing games to watch. It features two top 10 teams that both had playoff aspirations for most of the year. TCU, 11-1, was a team many thought might have deserved a spot in the playoff instead of Ohio State. They rolled through the Big 12 with their only blemish being a 61-58 shootout loss to Baylor. They boast a potent offense and a stout defense. The offense is led by superstar quarterback Trevone Boykin, who threw for 3714 yards and 30 touchdowns, while running for 642 yards and 8 more touchdowns. Stopping this elite offense proves to be a tough task for anyone, including the impressive Ole Miss defense.

The Ole Miss Rebels, 9-3, are one of many great teams out of the SEC. With wins over Alabama and Mississippi State, headcoach Hugh Freeze’s team isn’t going to be afraid of any opposition. The most impressive aspect of this Rebel’s squad is the defense, which is the number one scoring defense in the nation. However, the player that might be able to make the largest difference in this matchup is quarterback Bo Wallace. For most of his stay at Ole Miss, he has proved to be a little inconsistent. It will be important for him to be able to put up some points to keep up with Boykin.

Prediction: Ole Miss will try to make life tough for TCU’s high-powered offense in this one. At the same time, TCU’s defense is solid enough to keep Bo Wallace and the Rebel’s offense in check. Ultimately, while Ole Miss might slow down Boykin some, he should still be able to put up more points than the average Ole Miss offense.
TCU: 31 – Ole Miss: 17

Players to Watch (both in the game and in terms of the NFL):
TCU CB Kevin White – Not to be confused with West Virginia’s stud wide receiver Kevin White, the TCU defensive back looks to be a middle-round pick in the upcoming draft. He has lined up as their number one corner this year after playing alongside 2014 NFL draft pick Jason Verrett last year. At 5-foot-10, 174 lbs, the senior cornerback has great speed and a nose for the ball. He has already accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl, which will allow him to show his talents even more for scouts.

Ole Miss FS Cody Prewitt – The free safety from Ole Miss is considered to be one of the elite safeties in the nation. At 6-foot-2, 217 lbs, Prewitt is lengthy, which translates well to NFL play. His athleticism and ball hawking ability are strengths as well. More and more scouts today are looking for safeties that play with both physicality and ability to make a play of the ball in the air. With his consistent play over the course of his career, he has already received comparisons to Eric Reid and Deone Bucannon. However, plenty of NFL scouts have exhibited displeasure Prewitt’s overall physical play on the field. Look for Prewitt to have his work cut out for him against the up-tempo offense of TCU.

Vizio Fiesta Bowl – 4:00 PM ET
Boise State vs. Arizona
Playing in Glendale, Arizona makes it a safe bet that there will be plenty of Wildcats supporters in the stands. Arizona really jumped on the scene when they knocked off Oregon back in early October. However, they also posted impressive wins over a couple of tough squads in Utah and Arizona State, before getting annihilated by that same Oregon Ducks team in their final game. Quarterback Anu Soloman is one to watch after throwing for 3458 yards and 27 touchdowns with just 7 interceptions. Also look for linebacker Scooby Wright III to try to get the defense back on track after the Oregon debacle.

Another solid year saw the Boise State Broncos roll to an 11-2 record. The Broncos have had an impressive year offensively with a nice mix of run and pass. They put up nearly 40 points a game led by running back Jay Ajayi, who ran for 1689 yards and a staggering 25 touchdowns. Quarterback Grant Hedrick has also been respectable throwing for 3387 yards and 22 touchdowns. Don’t be surprised when Hedrick tucks it and runs as well. With this said Ajayi will need to keep the offense on the field to prevent the average Bronco defense from being exposed.

Prediction: I like Arizona in this game for a few reasons. First off, their playing close to home, which is always an advantage. Second, I’m not real impressed with the Broncos defense and will not be surprised if Soloman has a big game in this one.
Arizona: 35 – Boise State: 24

Players to Watch (both in the game and in terms of the NFL):
Boise State RB Jay Ajayi – The redshirt junior has decided that he’ll forgo his senior season to go pro. I already mentioned his impressive rushing numbers on the year, but he has also proved to be a solid receiver out of the backfield. At the moment, he looks to likely be a 2nd or 3rd round pick. His agility is above average. With an impressive showing in the Fiesta Bowl, I could see Ajayi’s name to continue climbing up draft boards. In the meantime, I’m sure plenty of people will compare him with former Broncos’ running back Doug Martin. One glaring weakness Ajayi will need to improve is ball security, as that is an easy way for NFL teams to bypass on a running back.

jay ajayi
Jay Ajayi has quickly become one of the elite running backs in the nation.

Capital One Orange Bowl – 8:00 PM ET
Mississippi St vs. Georgia Tech
Mississippi State was right in the playoff hunt till late when they dropped games at Alabama and Ole Miss. After an ending like that, it is easy to understand they’ll be disappointed, but they might at the same time be fired up. After all, for a while during this season, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were the best team in football. With an offense that scores 37 points a game and a defense that gives up only 19 points per contest, Mississippi State has clearly had an impressive season. If Dak Prescott is able to have similar success passing and running the football that he had throughout the season, the Bulldogs could easily put up some points in a hurry.

The Bulldogs will likely be the favorite by many in this one, but don’t count out Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets earned this Orange Bowl bid and have proved to be a worthy adversary to many top teams. With wins over Clemson and Georgia, as well as a narrow loss to Florida State in the ACC Championship, their resume is certainly impressive. Georgia Tech boasts a mediocre defense, but ultimately the show runs with the triple-option rushing attack. Led by quarterback Justin Thomas, you’ll see numerous players carry the rock.

Prediction: The triple option run by Georgia Tech is often tough to stop, especially when you don’t have much time to prepare. However, that is not the case here, as Mississippi State will have lots of time to break it down. Even if it is effective early, I think Prescott and the Bulldogs will end the year on a high note against the average Yellow Jackets’ defense.
Mississippi State: 41 – Georgia Tech: 24

Players to Watch (both in the game and in terms of the NFL):
Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott – The Bulldogs’ quarterback received a game from the NFL Draft Advisory Board about a week ago. With this said, he hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll leave a year early. Over the course of this season (particularly earlier on), Prescott quickly rose up draft boards. As I mentioned before, the dual-threat ability of Prescott has been a key to his success. Despite this, right now I see him as more of a 2nd round pick. While I wouldn’t be surprised if he entered now, I think it would be wise for him to stay in Starkville another year to hone his passing ability, mainly in footwork which remains a work in progress.

Georgia Tech SS Isaiah Johnson – The senior safety returned this season after missing his whole junior season due to a knee injury. He’s got good size at 6-foot-2 213 lbs and has proved to adequate in both the passing game and against the run. While he looks to be a 7th rounder or UDFA right now, I wouldn’t be surprised his he rose up the draft boards a little in the coming months. Johnson will nab an interception here and there, but his tackling ability and instincts against the running game will likely intrigue scouts the most.

 

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