2016 College football look ahead: Bowl games

Photo Credit: Chris Asbrock (FTI Sports)

by Chris Asbrock

Like many before, this college football season has been exciting, dramatic and of course, controversial. The coaching carousel has been in full motion, as expected, since the final weekend of the season. The bowl games are set and the teams have been preparing. This bowl season should be intriguing with the college football playoff and the performance of some teams that were denied entry into the playoff. 

The bowl season kicks off on Saturday, Dec. 17 with a slate of six games. The marquee game is Houston taking on San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl. That game is easily the best looking bowl game until we get to close to the New Year‘s bowl games. One of the more interesting games pins the Miami Redhawks and the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Miami became the first team to start the season 0-6 and finish 6-6 and making a bowl. Coach Chuck Martin took over a Redhawks team that was bottom of the barrel in college football and has worked hard to turn the program around. While there is a lot of work still to be done, this is a big step in the right direction for Miami.

The playoff and the New Year’s Six games should deliver as we will see the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Urban Meyer and Nick Saban, just to name a few of the coaches who will be leading their teams into their respective bowl games. One of the more intriguing games is Wisconsin taking on Western Michigan. The Western Michigan Broncos rolled through the MAC and are one of two undefeated teams left, with Alabama being the other. Western Michigan has shown most of the year they deserved to be in this position and will face a very stout Badger defense. In another game, Penn State, who deserved to be in the playoff after beating Ohio State earlier in the season and winning the Big Ten championship, faces a USC Trojans team that is playing some of the best football in the country. Below is the complete bowl schedule and the picks for the winners. 

Bowl (Away vs. Home)	Location	Time (ET) / TV
AFR Celebration Bowl NC Central vs. Grambling State	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA	Noon / ABC
Gildan New Mexico Bowl New Mexico vs. UTSA	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	2pm / ESPN
Las Vegas Bowl Houston vs. San Diego State	Sam Boyd Stadium Las Vegas, NV	3:30pm / ABC
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl Appalachian State vs. Toledo	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	5:30pm / ESPN
AutoNation Cure Bowl UCF vs. Arkansas State	Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL	5:30pm / CBSSN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Southern Miss vs. UL Lafayette	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA	9pm / ESPN

Miami Beach Bowl                                   Central Michigan vs. Tulsa	Marlins Park Miami, FL	2:30pm / ESPN

Boca Raton Bowl Memphis vs. Western Kentucky	FAU Stadium                 Boca Raton, FL	7pm / ESPN

San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl BYU vs. Wyoming	Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA	9pm / ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Idaho vs. Colorado State	Albertson’s Stadium                    Boise, ID	7pm / ESPN

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion	Thomas Robinson Stadium Nassau, Bahamas	1pm / ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Louisiana Tech vs. (25) Navy	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	4:30pm / ESPN
Dollar General Bowl Ohio vs. Troy	Ladd-Peebles Stadium Mobile, AL	8pm / ESPN

Hawai’i Bowl Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee	Aloha Stadium                  Honolulu, HI	8pm / ESPN

St. Petersburg Bowl Miami, OH vs. Mississippi State	Tropicana Field St. Petersburg, FL	11am / ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl Maryland vs. Boston College	Ford Field Detroit, MI	2:30pm / ESPN
Camping World Independence Bowl NC State vs. Vanderbilt	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA	5pm / ESPN2

Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl Army vs. North Texas	Cotton Bowl Stadium        Dallas, TX	Noon / ESPN
Military Bowl (24) Temple vs. Wake Forest	Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium       Annapolis, MD	3:30pm / ESPN
National Funding Holiday Bowl Minnesota vs. Washington State	Qualcomm Stadium       San Diego, CA	7pm / ESPN
Motel 6 Cactus Bowl Boise State vs. Baylor	Chase Field       Phoenix, AZ	10:15pm / ESPN

New Era Pinstripe Bowl (23) Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern	Yankee Stadium        Bronx, NY	2pm / ESPN
Russell Athletic Bowl (16) West Virginia vs. Miami, FL	Camping World Stadium        Orlando, FL	5:30pm / ESPN
Foster Farms Bowl Indiana vs. (19) Utah	Levi’s Stadium        Santa Clara, CA	8:30pm / FOX
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl Texas A&M vs. Kansas State	NRG Stadium        Houston, TX	9pm / ESPN

Birmingham Bowl USF vs. South Carolina	Legion Field Birmingham, AL	2pm / ESPN
Belk Bowl Arkansas vs. (22) Virginia Tech	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC	5:30pm / ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl (12) Oklahoma State vs. (10) Colorado	Alamodome San Antonio, TX	9pm / ESPN

AutoZone Liberty Bowl Georgia vs. TCU	Liberty Bowl Memphis, TN	Noon / ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl (18) Stanford vs. North Carolina	Sun Bowl Stadium El Paso, TX	2pm / CBS
Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City Bowl Nebraska vs. (21) Tennessee	Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN	3:30pm / ESPN
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl South Alabama vs. Air Force	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	5:30pm / ASN/CI
Capital One Orange Bowl (6) Michigan vs. (11) Florida State	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	8pm / ESPN

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl (20) LSU vs. (13) Louisville	Camping World Stadium         Orlando, FL	11am / ABC
TaxSlayer Bowl Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky	EverBank Field         Jacksonville, FL	11am / ESPN
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (4) Washington vs. (1) Alabama	Georgia Dome         Atlanta, GA	3pm / ESPN
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (3) Ohio State vs. (2) Clemson	U. of Phoenix Stadium         Glendale, AZ	7pm / ESPN

Outback Bowl (17) Florida vs. Iowa	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	1pm / ABC
Goodyear Cotton Bowl (15) Western Michigan vs. (8) Wisconsin	AT&T Stadium Arlington, TX	1pm / ESPN
Rose Bowl Game (9) USC vs. (5) Penn State	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	5pm / ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl (14) Auburn vs. (7) Oklahoma	Mercedes-Benz Superdome New Orleans, LA	8:30pm / ESPN

CFP National Championship Semifinal Winner vs. Semifinal Winner	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	8:30pm / ESPN