There are some GREAT college football games coming on today, with two of them being the first round of the playoff. In this preview, I will JUST preview the first three games of the day, which are bowl games and not part of the playoff. However, these are some pretty good games as well. The two playoff games will be previewed in a separate blog to be published in a few hours. In this article, I will also make a prediction for each game.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

#10 Florida vs. #7 Michigan

Noon, ET

Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Anything that has to do with Chick-fil-A is good, and this bowl game should be no different. We’ll kick the Saturday off with two top-10 ranked teams in the beautiful new stadium in Atlanta. Florida comes in at 9-3, with all three losses occurring to SEC opponents (Georgia, Kentucky, and Missouri). Even though Kentucky had a great year, that was a game Florida should have won, along with the Missouri game. The Gators are making a comeback after years of dominance, followed by several years of misery. I don’t feel like they are all the way back, though. They still have work to do, as you can see from those two losses. They were able to beat a #23 ranked Mississippi State team, along with the #5 ranked LSU Tigers, which was really impressive. The Gators definitely have the firepower to get it done, but will have to rely on its defense to win what will most likely be a defensive showdown. Michigan had a great year under coach Jim Harbaugh, winning ten games and losing only two. They lost the first game of the season to Notre Dame, and the last game of their season to Ohio State. If you want to talk defense, the Wolverines certainly bring it. They had the #1 ranked defense for part of the season, which makes giving up 62 points to rival Ohio State a head scratcher. But I believe they will be fired up and ready to prove to the country that the Ohio State game was just a fluke. In a low scoring affair, I believe Michigan will get it done.

Prediction: Michigan 18 Florida 15

Belk Bowl

South Carolina vs. Virginia

Noon, ET

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

This game takes place in our backyard here at the Sports Chief at Bank of America Stadium, so it always has a little more significance to us. South Carolina finished about in the middle of the pack in the great SEC going 4-4 in conference and 7-5 overall. The Gamecocks are nowhere near the team they used to be, definitely going through a rough patch. They aren’t bad, but they just aren’t that good. When you look at their schedule, one of the first things you’ll notice is they didn’t win any of their games against ranked opponents. They lost to Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Florida, and Clemson. So, they won the games they should have won, but couldn’t get any big wins. They also had very close games with Tennessee and Ole Miss, both of whom had very disappointing seasons. It certainly won’t help matters that their best receiver, Deebo Samuel, is skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft. Virginia also went 4-4 in conference play and 7-5 overall. The problem is that their 4-4 within conference is worse than South Carolina’s because the ACC had a disappointing year overall. The Cavaliers didn’t have any big wins on the season either, even though they beat Miami when they were #16. But we all know the Hurricanes were overrated. Virginia also lost its last two games of the season. Expect this game to be a back-and-forth affair, with the winner being the team who makes the least mistakes. It’s as simple as that. With that being said, I think South Carolina will be that team.

Prediction: South Carolina 24 Virginia 17

NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl

Arkansas State vs. Nevada

1:15 p.m. ET

Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

This game takes a step back on the interesting level. We have the fourth best team out of the Sun Belt Conference (Arkansas State) playing the fourth best team from the Mountain West Conference (Nevada). Arkansas State lost the bigger games on its schedule, and when I say bigger games I mean Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, and Louisiana. I don’t mean Alabama, because they didn’t stand a chance against the Tide. The Red Wolves have a solid team though, led by senior quarterback Justice Hansen, who holds the school record for touchdown passes. They have also won their last four games, so let’s see if they can keep on rolling. Nevada is part of the second tier of teams in the Mountain West Conference, behind giants Boise State, Utah State, and Fresno State. The Wolfpack are in the same realm as Hawaii, who got blown out in their bowl game. Nevada also won four straight games towards the end of their season, before losing their season finale against UNLV, which wasn’t a very good loss. After the three giants I mentioned in the MWC, I’m just not a big believer in the rest of the conference this year. Since I’m a Sun Belt guy, I’ll be pulling for Arkansas State in this one, but I also believe they’ll win.

Prediction: Arkansas State 32 Nevada 23

Garett

College Football Bowl Preview (December 29)