This is the last day of bowl season in college football until next year. Let’s all take a moment and perhaps shed a few tears. The only thing that will be left is the national championship game and eight long months until next season. Since there are only five games scheduled for New Years, I will cover all five in this article and make a prediction for each. I hope you all have enjoyed my bowl game previews, and I look forward to making this last one for all of you.

Outback Bowl

#18 Mississippi State vs. Iowa

Noon, ET

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Mississippi State enters this game with eight wins and a 4-4 SEC record. They finished in about the middle of the pack in what I consider the best conference in college football. While victims to some of the conference’s top teams, they also beat #8 Auburn and #16 Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have a solid-enough offense, but it’s their defense that carries them. They have two defensive linemen with 1st round potential that have been wreaking havoc on offenses all season long, and they will look to do the same on Tuesday. Iowa posts almost the same records, 8-4 overall and 5-4 within conference. But the Hawkeyes don’t really impress me that much. They had a very easy Big Ten schedule, as the only ranked teams they played were Penn State and Wisconsin…which they lost both. They did feast on weaker opponents such as beating Illinois 63-0 and Maryland 23-0. At the end of the day, nothing about their resume really convinces me that they’re ready for this game. Quarterback Nate Stanley will have to go off if the Hawkeyes want to win this one, but I just don’t see that happening with Mississippi State’s stellar defense.

Prediction: Mississippi State 27 Iowa 10

VRBO Citrus Bowl

#14 Kentucky vs. #12 Penn State

1:00 p.m. ET

Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida

How weird is it that we’re talking about Kentucky playing in a New Year’s Day bowl game? But they had a very good season, going 9-3 and 5-3 in the SEC. All season long I kept waiting for them to fall off, but they never really did. They beat a really good team in Florida and Mississippi State. Their worst, and most confusing loss, was to Tennessee. It’s hard to figure that one. The Wildcats’ offense is led by running back Benny Snell Jr, who has 1,305 yards and 14 touchdowns on the season. They will look to feed him in this game and center the offense around him. Their defense is led by Josh Allen, the linebacker who will definitely be playing on Sundays. While I am a believer in Kentucky, some people still may not be, so this is a great chance for the Wildcats to prove to America they are the real deal. Penn State has a very solid team as well, with nine wins on the season. Two of their three losses came to powers Ohio State and Michigan, but they only lost to the Buckeyes by a point. The Nittany Lions will need a big game from quarterback Trace McSorley, and he is more than capable of providing it. The question is, “will he?” Head coach James Franklin deserves a lot of credit for this program, and he can have his third ten-win season in a row with a victory here. I expect this one to be a close game with Franklin’s crew pulling it out by a late game field goal.

Prediction: Penn State 28 Kentucky 25

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

#11 LSU vs. #8 UCF

1:00 p.m. ET

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

First of all, this is a VERY INTERESTING game. The UCF Knights are undefeated for the second year in a row, and many fans feel slighted they didn’t get a spot in the final four playoff. They went undefeated last year without a playoff invitation as well, and those same fans claimed they were the true national champions. This game is a huge opportunity for the Knights to prove to the college football world that they belong, because the LSU team they will face is very good. If UCF gets blown out, they will probably never get considered again…and if they win, they just may get picked for the playoff if they were to go undefeated again next year. The problem with the Knights is they play out of the American Athletic Conference, so they really aren’t challenged throughout the year. Their biggest games were Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, both of which they won pretty easily. Quarterback McKenzie Milton was injured late in the season, which hurts, but if backup Darriel Mack Jr. can play like he did in the conference championship game, they should be fine. LSU was the third best team out of the SEC, going 9-3 overall and 5-3 in the conference. The Tigers played seven teams throughout the regular season who were ranked in the top-25, so they are battle tested. LSU has so much talent across its roster it’s crazy. They are almost on the same level as Alabama in that category, so I believe they will just overwhelm UCF in this game. I look at this game almost like it’s the best minor league team playing one of the best major league teams. The major league teams always win.

Prediction: LSU 35 UCF 15

Rose Bowl

#9 Washington vs. #6 Ohio State

5:00 p.m. ET

Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Washington was the best team from the Pac-12 this year, going 10-3 and winning the conference championship. They consistently played good ball all year long, with just a couple of slip-ups. But they finished the season strong with four wins in a row, including victories over the other two best conference teams, Utah and Washington State. Quarterback Jake Browning will be seeking to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks in college with this opportunity on the big stage. It will be running back Myles Gaskin who will shoulder the load, though. Gaskin is the all-time leading rusher in Husky history, and is the first player in Pac-12 history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four straight seasons. That’s impressive! They will face a very dangerous Ohio State team, who was in the conversation for landing the last playoff spot. They didn’t get it, so coach Urban Meyer ends up in the Rose Bowl for his first time. Ohio State was the best team in the Big Ten, going 12-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Purdue, of all teams. That 29-point loss didn’t make any sense, but the Buckeyes were able to win out and win the conference championship. They are led by Heisman finalist quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who will be getting drafted real soon. So this is a great chance for him to improve his already high draft stock. Ohio State is among the elite teams every year in terms of possessing talent. They recruit as well as anybody, and I believe that will play a big factor in this game. Lastly, this is Urban Meyer’s last game before he retires his brilliant career, so there’s no chance the Buckeyes send him out with a loss.

Prediction: Ohio State 40 Washington 29

Allstate Sugar Bowl

#15 Texas vs. #5 Georgia

8:45 p.m. ET

Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

In what will be the last bowl game of the year, we have two very good teams with rich histories squaring off against each other in New Orleans. We’ll start with Texas. After many recent years of struggling, it appears the Longhorns are finally back. Head coach Tom Herman has done great things with this program, and is looking to increase his resume with a win here. While the Longhorns did have a great year, they did lose four games. The Maryland loss was really a head-scratcher, but they also lost to some very good teams in Oklahoma and West Virginia. However, their first matchup with the Sooners resulted in a 48-45 shootout victory. Texas has the ability to play with the best of teams, but sometimes they can also come out flat. Sam Ehlinger will attempt to continue to be a gun slinger under center, as he has compiled over 3,100 passing yards and 25 touchdowns on the season. His favorite target, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, will also look to be very active in this one. While the Longhorns have plenty of weapons, the team they are playing has more. Georgia enters with an 11-2 record, and are the second best team from the SEC. They challenged the powerhouse Crimson Tide more than anybody else could, only losing by a touchdown. Their only other loss came to a very good LSU team. Jake Fromm is easily one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and should be an NFL starter someday. Running back D’Andre Swift has really been tearing it up recently as well, which has helped put him over the 1,000 yard mark on the season. This game will be a collision of two powerhouses, but I believe Georgia is the stronger team and will emerge victorious. While Texas is very good, they are not quite on the same level as the Bulldogs are.

Prediction: Georgia 32 Texas 24

Garett

College Football Bowl Preview: January 1