Three more bowl games await us on Friday, December 28, which will ensure once again that football will be on tv for most of the day. There are some interesting matchups that I cannot wait to watch, and I know you can’t either. I will preview each of these games and make a prediction.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

Purdue vs. Auburn

1:30 p.m. ET

Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

This is one of the cooler venues for college football bowl season because the city of Nashville is so awesome. There is a lot to do for fans who attend this game, including so much great music. But enough about the city, let’s get to the game. Purdue comes out of the Big Ten going 5-4 in conference play, and 6-6 overall. Their six wins barely got them into a bowl game, so let’s see if they are able to prove they belong. A cold start to the season put them into an 0-3 hole, before they were able to put together a run to win 4 straight. The Boilermakers have had a real interesting season beating good teams like Boston College, Ohio State, and Iowa, but losing to teams like Eastern Michigan and Indiana. Their 49-20 win against #2 Ohio State was most impressive, as they dealt them their only loss of the season. So the question in this game is which Purdue team will show up? Auburn is another interesting team, only going 3-5 in the SEC and 7-5 overall. But you get the feeling that they are better than their record indicates. Losses to LSU, Georgia, and Alabama were inevitable, but losses against Mississippi State and Tennessee were games they needed to win. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, they did have an extremely tough schedule. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham will need to have a big game like he is more than capable of doing. But just like the question is with Purdue, which Jarrett Stidham will show up in this game? It may come back to bite me, but I believe in the SEC and its strength of schedule it provides to make me pick Auburn in this one, even with their weak SEC record.

Prediction: Auburn 29 Purdue 28

Camping World Bowl

West Virginia vs. Syracuse

5:15 p.m. ET

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

We’re starting to get to some of the better games now, with this one featuring two ranked teams. West Virginia is ranked #16 and went 8-3 on the season. Like most Big 12 teams, they are capable of putting up a lot of points. They beat Texas and Texas Tech in shootouts, and lost to Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in shootouts. A huge, huge problem facing the Mountaineers in this one however, is the fact that star quarterback Will Grier (from Charlotte) is skipping the game to prepare for his NFL future. Can West Virginia find a replaceable quarterback to still get the job done? Those are tough shoes to fill. Syracuse is a team that had a very good season with nine wins. They are ranked #20 in the nation, even though it still doesn’t feel right, considering it’s football and not basketball. Two of their three losses came at the hands of powers Clemson and Notre Dame, who will face off against each other in the playoff. Even though the ACC was down this year, that is an impressive resume. I’m a big fan of Orange coach Dino Babers and his enthusiasm. It’s no wonder every player would play their absolute hardest for him. If Will Grier was playing in this game, I’d have to go with the Mountaineers. But since he’s not, I’m going to give the edge to the Orange.

Prediction: Syracuse 32 West Virginia 30

Valero Alamo Bowl

Iowa State vs. Washington State

9:00 p.m. ET

Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas

Iowa State was tied with West Virginia as the third best team from the Big 12, winning eight games this year, six of them within the conference. They hold the advantage over the Mountaineers though, because they beat them 30-14 during the season. The two better teams from the Big 12 (Texas and Oklahoma) both beat the Cyclones during the season. Iowa State seems to be a solid football team every year, but with a bowl victory over Washington State, they would have a nine-win season for just the third time in its history. Can their freshman quarterback continue to play like a veteran for one more game this season? Washington State is a team I pull for now because I like coach Mike Leach. How can you not? I think he is a football genius, and comes across in a lot of the same ways to me as Joe Maddon does in Major League Baseball. The Cougars won ten games this season, with their only two losses coming within their conference to USC and Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. I wish they would have played a stronger non-conference schedule though, so I could get a better feel for them. Ten wins is always impressive, but nobody can deny the Pac-12 was really weak this season. Quarterback Gardner Minshew, a transfer from East Carolina, was extremely dominant this season, leading the nation in passing with 4,477 passing yards. I’m going to go with Mike Leach’s club in this one, as I think he will use his magical powers to summon up a victory in a really close game.

Prediction: Washington State 23 Iowa State 21

Garett

College Football Bowl Preview: December 28