N CAROLINA vs TEXAS A&M
When: 1/2/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: TEXAS A&M, N CAROLINA

Oddsmakers currently have the TEXAS A&M listed as -7 point favorites versus the N CAROLINA, while the game’s total is sitting at 67.5.

Motivation could be a huge factor for the Orange Bowl participants as No. 13 North Carolina collides with No. 5 Texas A&M on Jan. 2 in Miami.

Texas A&M (8-1) was one spot away from making its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Instead, the Aggies will go to the Orange Bowl for the first time since a 1944 loss to LSU.

Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said his team shouldn’t be frustrated by the CFP rankings.

“You get in, you get out, and you’ve got to move on,” Fisher said. “You go to the future, and listen, we get an opportunity to play in the Orange Bowl, like I said, one of the great bowl games in the history of this (sport).”

The Aggies were second in the Southeastern Conference’s West Division behind top-ranked Alabama, which delivered the lone blemish on the Texas A&M record. Since then, they’ve won seven straight games.

North Carolina (8-3) tied for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but the Tar Heels are the highest-rated team in the league other than CFP selections Clemson and Notre Dame. With the ACC’s tie-in with the Orange Bowl, that reserved a spot for North Carolina.

“There will never be a team that will be more excited about coming to the bowl game than ours,” coach Mack Brown said.

The Tar Heels and Aggies have never previously met. All in the past decade, Texas A&M has faced the other three ACC teams from the state of North Carolina in bowls, defeating Duke (2013 Chick-fil-A Bowl) and North Carolina State (2018 Gator Bowl) and losing to Wake Forest (2017 Belk Bowl).

Fisher said his team shouldn’t need to draw motivation or express anger by the CFP committee decision.

“I hope we’re doing our job as a football team and what we want to do and accomplish as a program because that’s what we do at A&M,” Fisher said. “It’s to play great football when the next game steps up, whatever the circumstances, whatever the consequences.”

Both teams are coached by men who’ve guided national championship efforts at other schools and have directed quick turnarounds in their current jobs.

North Carolina running back Michael Carter, who was part of a record-setting rushing duo with Javonte Williams, receiver Dyami Brown and linebacker Chazz Surratt all announced the day after the bowl pairings were announced that they would skip the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft. Carter rushed for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns this season, Brown became the first player in school history with two 1,000-yard receiving seasons and Surratt is the top pro prospect on the defense.

North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell has a connection to Fisher, who was involved in initial recruiting contact with the strong-armed thrower while he was still Florida State’s coach. Howell later pledged to play for Florida State before altering his decision and stay in his home state to suit up for the Tar Heels.

“He is a tremendous football (player), tremendous leader but he’s not the only guy they got,” Fisher said.

Texas A&M has a stellar quarterback with Kellen Mond, whose four-year credentials include school records. This year, he has 19 touchdown passes with three interceptions. Running back Isaiah Spiller has rushed for 993 yards and seven touchdowns.

Brown is familiar with Texas A&M’s program because after leaving his first stint as North Carolina’s coach he had a long-term run as the Texas coach.

“This will be a tremendous challenge for us but one that we’re looking forward to because it just gives us another opportunity to see how far we need to go to get where they are,” Brown said. “… What you want is verification to your players and your staff that what you’re doing is working, and they’re reaping a reward at the end of the second year that most people don’t get a chance to do.”

North Carolina was in position for this bowl bid by winning in Hard Rock Stadium, where the Orange Bowl will be played, in its Dec. 12 regular-season finale with a 62-26 upset of Miami. Carter and Williams combined for 544 rushing yards in the game, setting a Football Bowl Subdivision record for a twosome.

This is North Carolina’s first time slotted for the Orange Bowl. The Tar Heels will make their first major bowl appearance since the 1950 Cotton Bowl.

This marks the school-record 12th consecutive year that Texas A&M heads to a bowl, though it’s the school’s first appearance in a CFP-era New Year’s Six bowl.

“I think it shows the trajectory we’re on and what we’re trying to accomplish, that we are being relevant in the national conversations and where we’re going,” Fisher said.

Fisher’s coaching bowl record is 7-2, including a 2-0 mark in Orange Bowls with Florida State (defeating Northern Illinois in 2012 and Michigan in 2016). Brown has been to the Orange Bowl twice, both as an assistant coach (with LSU and Oklahoma).

Following a pair of nine-loss seasons under Larry Fedora that prompted the rehiring of Brown, North Carolina is in the postseason for the second year in a row.

“Our guys are very excited to be where we were two years ago to now,” Brown said. “A&M has been in this neighborhood before. This is new for us. So we’re not familiar with this, but we’re learning each week something new.”

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OLE MISS vs INDIANA
When: 1/2/2021 12:30 PM
Where:

TV: 12:30 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: INDIANA , OLE MISS

Oddsmakers currently have the INDIANA listed as -7 point favorites versus the OLE MISS, while the game’s total is sitting at 66.5.

Indiana is looking to make the most of its second straight bowl trip to Florida when it faces Ole Miss at the Outback Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2.

The Hoosiers, No. 11 in the CFP rankings, were spurned from a New Year’s Six Bowl bid in the Fiesta Bowl based on Iowa State being ranked one spot ahead of them. Indiana (6-1) posted its most Big Ten wins since 1987 and its highest AP ranking (No. 7) since 1968.

“It’s another chip on our shoulder,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “Something to go out and prove.”

Indiana hasn’t won a bowl game since 1991, a string of five straight bowl losses. Last year, at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., the Hoosiers let a 13-point lead slip away in the final five minutes in a 23-22 loss to Tennessee.

The game will be a homecoming for 10 Indiana players from the Tampa Bay area, including All-Big Ten linebacker Micah McFadden (Tampa Plant HS), All-Big Ten wide receiver Whop Philyor (Tampa Plant) and All-Big Ten safety Jamar Johnson (Sarasota-Riverview).

Allen, too, has Tampa ties, having started his high school coaching career there and serving a one-year stint as defensive coordinator at USF in 2015.

Quarterback Jack Tuttle will make his second career start for the Hoosiers after passing for 140 yards and two TDs in Indiana’s 14-6 win over Wisconsin on Dec. 5. Indiana had its final two games of the season canceled due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the team that involved 28 players and coaches.

Ole Miss (4-5), under first-year coach Lane Kiffin, was among the best offenses in the SEC this season, ranking first in the conference in rushing (217.67 yards per game), third in scoring (40.7 points per game) and third in passing (344.8 yards per game).

“The big play is definitely a huge emphasis for them,” Allen said. “They live off those. The deceiving part is that they also rush for 220 yards per game.”

Ole Miss will be playing in its first bowl game since the 2016 Sugar Bowl, a game in which it beat Oklahoma State 48-20.

The Rebels are led by starting quarterback Matt Corral, who has passed for 2,995 yards with 27 TDs and 14 interceptions on the season. But Corral will be without two of his top targets for the second straight game, as wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah opted out for the NFL draft.

Without both standout receiving threats, Corral struggled in his last start, throwing five interceptions in a 53-48 loss against LSU.

“It was not an effort issue that’s for sure,” Kiffin said. “It was just decision making and I didn’t think we called a great game. I don’t think we put him in the best spots at times.”

It won’t get any easier for Corral facing an Indiana defense that leads the nation with 17 interceptions.

“It should be good for our players to get motivated that you’re playing a great team,” Kiffin said. “Statistically, they have special things.”

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OHIO ST vs CLEMSON
When: 1/1/2021 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -7.5
PREDICTION: CLEMSON , OHIO ST

Oddsmakers currently have the CLEMSON listed as -7.5 point favorites versus the OHIO ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 66.

The impact of Ohio State’s 29-23 loss to Clemson in the 2019 College Football Playoff semifinal has reverberated for nearly a year among the Buckeyes.

On Jan. 1 they will have an opportunity to create happier memories at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans when they face the No. 2 Tigers (10-1) in a semifinal matchup for the third time in five seasons.

The Buckeyes (6-0) led 16-0 through 25 minutes last season before Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence led the comeback. Still, Ohio State drove to the Tigers’ 23 with a chance to potentially win the game until Justin Fields was intercepted in the end zone by Nolan Turner with 37 seconds left in the game.

“Fresh off of that game, it was right on our minds, and something that when we got back to work and winter workouts, January, February, it was right there for us,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Sunday. “Coming off that game, we just didn’t get over it in one day. It took time.

“As we got into spring ball, we started to move forward, and then the quarantine happened. The goal was to get back into the situation. … And we wanted – once that game was over, we wanted to get back here.”

There was even a sign with the score posted in the Buckeyes’ weight room – an honor usually reserved for rival Michigan.

After defeating Ohio State, Clemson was denied a second straight national title by losing to LSU. The Tigers also won the CFP title in 2016 following a 31-0 rout of the Buckeyes in the semifinal and they are 4-0 all-time in the series.

“If we’re playing Ohio State, it’s a playoff,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “Or it was a BCS bowl, back in 2013 in the Orange Bowl. We don’t have them on our regular schedule anytime in the near future, so you know it is a big, big postseason game when you play those guys.”

The No. 3 Buckeyes will try to establish the run using Trey Sermon, who gained a school and FBS conference championship game-record 331 yards during a 22-10 win over Northwestern in the Big Ten title game on Saturday.

Ohio State had 22 players out for the game, mostly because of COVID-19 issues, so the status of players such as top receiver Chris Olave and starting linebacker Baron Browning are unknown as they complete protocols. The Buckeyes might get a boost from the adjusted conference protocol for COVID quarantine, which is reduced to 17 days. Day said “a good number” of the players who missed the Big Ten title game should be cleared for the Jan. 1 game.

Lawrence tested positive earlier this season, missing the Nov. 7 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame. He showed he’s fully recovered by throwing for 322 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 90 yards and a score to down the Fighting Irish 34-10 to win the ACC championship Saturday.

He got support from running back Travis Etienne (124 yards and a TD on 10 carries).

Those two were lethal vs. the Buckeyes last season. Lawrence had 259 passing yards and a touchdown, plus 107 yards and a score on the ground while Etienne had 134 all-purpose yards and three TDs.

“I think (Lawrence) and Etienne are two of the most dynamic players in college football, and probably in the history of college football,” Day said.

Swinney’s opinion of Ohio State has been a hot topic since the release of the CFP rankings. Swinney said he felt the six-game resume of Ohio State, which began the season in late October, put the Buckeyes on a different playing field than many of the other contenders. Swinney backed up his feelings by rankings the Buckeyes No. 11 in the final coaches’ poll of the season.

“I think any time you step in between the lines, the game of football, there’s a lot that can happen. A lot,” Swinney said. “I mean, heck, in 2017, we lost to a three-win or four-win Syracuse team and still went to the playoffs. So anything can happen. Guys can get hurt. There’s a lot. So I think the fact that we’re going to have 11 games as well as the SEC teams — I mean, you look at Florida and Texas A&M and Alabama. I mean, these teams are going to have 11 games this year.

“It’s incredible and I think the Big Ten had the same opportunity and they chose not to play, and I think the only reason they ended up playing is because of the leadership of the SEC and the ACC and the Big 12, and have demonstrated that we can do it and do it in a safe way. So it’s been an unbelievably challenging season, that’s for sure. …

He continued: “Obviously, as coaches, we don’t control any of that stuff. So I do think that our team has played incredibly well. We had a double-overtime loss at the No. 2 team in the country now in Notre Dame, who’s a great team and an unbelievable game. Again, no matter what happens for Notre Dame or Clemson, nothing changes in my mind, as far as both of these teams being in the top four.”

Alabama head coach Nick Saban argued Sunday that, while Ohio State is talented, the psychological toll of the elongated season and the physical challenges of playing a full SEC schedule made for an unfair advantage to teams that are relatively rested and fresh entering January.

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BALL ST vs SAN JOSE ST
When: 12/31/2020 2:00 PM
Where:

TV: 2:00 PM
LINE: -9
PREDICTION: SAN JOSE ST , BALL ST

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN JOSE ST listed as -9 point favorites versus the BALL ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 62.5.

San Jose State coach Brent Brennan and Ball State coach Mike Neu have never coached against each other because they have primarily operated in two different regions of the country throughout their coaching careers.

They have achieved similar success, however, with programs that will take part in the Arizona Bowl on New Year’s Eve at Tucson.

“I’ve been following him since he took over there,” Brennan said of Neu, who was hired by Ball State, his alma mater, in 2016. “And there’s a really similar path to ours. I think this is a really fascinating matchup, if you look to where he was in 2017 and ’18. There’s some real similarities there. What they’ve been able to do this year has been awesome.”

The 22nd-ranked Spartans (7-0) were 3-22 in Brennan’s first two seasons in 2017 and 2018. After going 5-7 last season, his team is unbeaten and Mountain West champions for the first time in program history.

Brennan is becoming a noted coaching candidate, specifically at Arizona, where he was a graduate assistant in 2000. He is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson national coach of the year award.

Neu did not have more than four wins his first three seasons, but last year, the Cardinals went 5-7 and they are 6-1 this season with a Mid-American Conference title for the first time since 1996.

“(Playing in the Arizona Bowl) is a tremendous opportunity for our program,” Neu said. “A lot of hard work has to be done between now and then facing a great opponent in San Jose State. We’re really looking forward to it. A lot a lot of good preparation lies ahead here for the next several days before we get a chance to leave.”

Neu said that preparation includes becoming hydrated to better handle Tucson’s warmer weather than Muncie, Ind., this time of year. The last time Boise State has traveled this far west was in 1993 to play in the Las Vegas Bowl — when Neu was the starting quarterback.

“The first thing when we found out (when the bowl matchup was announced) we saw that it was 76 degrees in Tucson,” Neu said from Muncie, where the high was 44 with precipitation. “The first thing we have to communicate with our young men is hydration. That starts now.”

San Jose State features quarterback Nick Starkel, who completed 32 of 52 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns in the Mountain West title win over Boise State. He broke former Fresno State star Derek Carr’s championship record of 404 yards passing set in 2013 in win against Utah State.

“Nick has put up a huge year,” said Neu, who was a quarterback coach with the New Orleans Saints before his hire at Ball State. “We’ll have a lot of tape here to study and put a great game plan together and go take on that challenge.”

Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt has also had a productive season passing for 1,937 yards while completing 152 out of 232 pass attempts in only seven games. He has 16 touchdown passes and six interceptions.

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MISSISSIPPI ST vs TULSA
When: 12/31/2020 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: -2.5
PREDICTION: TULSA , MISSISSIPPI ST

Oddsmakers currently have the TULSA listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the MISSISSIPPI ST, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.

At Mississippi State, bowl appearances are an annual occurrence.

No. 24 Tulsa, meanwhile, is set to end a brief postseason hiatus.

The Bulldogs (3-7) will make a school-record 11th consecutive bowl appearance, while the Golden Hurricane (6-2) will play in their first bowl since 2016 when they meet on New Year’s Eve in the Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas.

Tulsa beat Central Michigan 55-10 in the Miami Beach Bowl in 2016. Then the Golden Hurricane went 2-10, 3-9 and 4-8 before having a breakout season this year.

“Throughout this time I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs,” senior running back Corey Taylor II said. “It’s been a blessing to see how a championship team is created, and I believe this Tulsa team is definitely a championship team.”

Tulsa isn’t an official championship team, but it did go 6-0 in American Athletic Conference regular-season play to reach the conference title game against undefeated Cincinnati on Dec. 19. The Bearcats escaped with a 27-24 victory on a field goal as time expired.

“It has been a magical year for this group,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “Now we get an opportunity to continue to play one more game.”

The Golden Hurricane had four games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, including a contest at Houston. Tulsa has 62 Texans on its roster who get a chance to play in their home state after all.

“Generally we’re playing at least one game a year down there whether that’s an SMU or a Houston,” Montgomery said. “For the guys (from Texas), it will be special to play this game in Fort Worth.”

Any location would be special for the Bulldogs, who usually have a winning record going into their bowl game.

Mississippi State played the two best games of coach Mike Leach’s first season in the first and last games of the season. The Bulldogs opened with a 44-34 road victory against defending national champion LSU, then lost seven of eight before finishing Dec. 19 with a 51-32 home victory against Missouri.

“We have been competitive all year,” said Leach, who has led 17 of his 19 teams as a head coach to bowl games. “We practice hard and play hard, we just do it incongruently. We just do it in spurts and kind of segmented.”

In between the first and last wins came a victory came against Vanderbilt. None of the Bulldogs’ triumphs came against a team that currently sports a winning record.

Mississippi State gained 446 total yards in the finale, including its first 100-yard rushing game of the season (151).

“It’s been a gradual process,” Leach said. “We’re not there yet, but we took a step (against Missouri).”

The season began with KJ Costello, a graduate transfer from Stanford, passing for a Southeastern Conference-record 623 yards against LSU, but gradually Leach transitioned to a youth movement.

Freshman Will Rogers took over the starting position at midseason, and he has passed for 1,828 yards. The Bulldogs’ true freshmen have combined for 146 receptions, the most among any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

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ARKANSAS vs TCU
When: 12/31/2020 8:00 PM
Where:

TV: 8:00 PM
LINE: -5.5
PREDICTION: TCU , ARKANSAS

Oddsmakers currently have the TCU listed as -5.5 point favorites versus the ARKANSAS, while the game’s total is sitting at 57.

Arkansas brings an unsightly 3-7 record and a four-game losing skid into the Texas Bowl to face TCU on New Year’s Eve in Houston.

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman isn’t making any apologies.

“We’ll always have folks who will say we were 3-7 and things of that nature. If you look at our schedule and look — obviously we played 10 SEC games, certainly played four I think of the top nine teams in the country,” said Pittman, whose three wins were against Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

Teams did not need a winning record or a minimum number of victories this season to be eligible for a bowl due to the uncertainty of COVID-19.

The Horned Frogs (6-4), winners of three straight and five of their last six games, last faced the Razorbacks when they split a home-and-home series from 2016-17. TCU’s winning streak includes a 29-22 victory over then-No. 15 Oklahoma State on Dec. 5.

The Texas Bowl will mark the Frogs’ ninth game out of 11 played in Texas this season.

“Most of our kids are very excited, even the Louisiana kids because this is going to be an opportunity for their families to come watch them play,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “If it would have been somewhere out of state, going west or really further east, it would have been harder for them to do that.”

Former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks is a big reason why Arkansas won its three games this season and lost three others — to Auburn, LSU and Missouri — by a combined seven points.

Franks has revived his career at Arkansas after suffering a gruesome ankle injury with the Gators in the third game of last season.

“A game here and there, we were in every game and we were competing and we did a good job with that,” said Franks, who was the 2018 Peach Bowl MVP with Florida. “I think the program is turned around and definitely headed in the right direction with Coach Pittman and all of the staff and everybody did a great job of getting the program going in the right direction.”

He has thrown for 2,107 yards at a 68.5 percent completion rate with 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

While other NFL prospects are opting out of bowls, Franks said he will play in the Texas Bowl.

“I feel like it’s just my duty,” he said. “Not necessarily my duty, but for me, I want to stay and I want to finish the season out. I want to finish what I started.”

TCU’s running game dictates its performances.

It leads the Big 12 at 216.0 rushing yards per game. The Horned Frogs are 6-0 when running for at least 200 yards. They have averaged 275.0 yards per game rushing in their six wins and 124.3 in the four losses.

Quarterback Max Duggan leads TCU in rushing with 526 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has completed 146 of 240 passes for 1,795 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

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AUBURN vs NORTHWESTERN
When: 1/1/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: -3.5
PREDICTION: NORTHWESTERN , AUBURN

Oddsmakers currently have the NORTHWESTERN listed as -3.5 point favorites versus the AUBURN, while the game’s total is sitting at 43.5.

Eleven years to the day after facing off in a thrilling bowl game, the Auburn Tigers and No. 14 Northwestern Wildcats meet again on New Year’s Day in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.

The teams played in the 2010 Outback Bowl, with the Tigers pulling out a 38-35 overtime victory. Current Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka completed 47 of 78 passes for 532 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions for the Wildcats.

Northwestern scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes to tie the game, but the Tigers’ Wes Byrum kicked a 21-yard field goal in OT and the Wildcats were unable to equalize. Auburn went on to win the national championship the following season.

This year, the Wildcats (6-2) enter the bowl game coming off a 22-10 loss to No. 3 Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Northwestern led the Buckeyes 10-6 at the half, but three second-half turnovers and a tired defense gave way to a potent Ohio State rushing attack.

“We just didn’t make the plays we needed to make down the stretch in the fourth quarter to be Big Ten champions,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “But to have the opportunity to represent the Big Ten in Orlando, we are ecstatic.”

The Tigers (6-4) haven’t played since Dec. 12, and in that time they fired head coach Gus Malzahn and hired Boise State head coach Bryan Harsin.

Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has stepped into the interim head-coaching role for the bowl game.

“These guys have been resilient,” Steele said. “They’ve shown a lot of character, leadership and just the ability to adapt. We’ve actually had an additional bump in the road that we had a change at the top for us, which is something that’s hard on a football program. And so we’re going through that.”

Both teams have their conference’s freshman of the year.

Auburn running back Tank Bigsby was selected the Southeastern Conference’s top freshman after rushing for 834 yards on 138 carries in 10 games. He added 300 kick-return yards and 84 receiving yards for 1,218 all-purpose yards.

Northwestern safety Brandon Joseph won the Freshman of the Year award for the Big Ten, the first strictly defensive player to win the award since Deion Barnes in 2012. Joseph leads the nation with six interceptions.

The game will also be the last in the career of Northwestern’s defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz, who would reach 400 career wins if the Wildcats win the Citrus Bowl.

Hankwitz started his coaching career at his alma mater of Michigan and served as the defensive coordinator for Arizona, Western Michigan, Colorado, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Wisconsin before being hired by Fitzgerald before the 2008 season.

Hankwitz is a finalist for the Broyles Award, which goes to the best assistant coach in the country, and Fitzgerald believes Northwestern’s success on defense starts and ends with Hankwitz.

“You look at my head coaching career here and our success, I mean Mike Hankwitz is in the DNA, the fabric, the architect, take whatever you want to say,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m just so grateful for him.”

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NOTRE DAME vs ALABAMA
When: 1/1/2021 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: -19.5
PREDICTION: ALABAMA , NOTRE DAME

Oddsmakers currently have the ALABAMA listed as -19.5 point favorites versus the NOTRE DAME, while the game’s total is sitting at 65.5.

It’s a huge mismatch on paper and No. 4 Notre Dame can only hope it doesn’t lead to another bad memory when it takes on No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Jan. 1 at Arlington, Texas.

The powerful Crimson Tide, who have topped 50 points in each of the past three games, are overwhelming 19 1/2-point favorites in the contest, also known as the Rose Bowl after the game was moved from Pasadena to the Dallas area due to California’s COVID-19 protocols.

When the teams last met eight seasons ago in the BCS title game, Alabama trampled the Fighting Irish by scoring the first 35 points of a 42-14 romp. The Crimson Tide pummeled Notre Dame in the trenches, leading to a 265-32 edge in rushing yardage.

“We’re much better prepared than we were in 2012 in terms of the physicality on both lines,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said on a video call. “I think we have the ability to move the football, certainly.”

Notre Dame (10-1) doesn’t want to get into a shootout with the Crimson Tide, but it did top 40 points six times this season.

Its defense, which ranks 14th in scoring defense (18.6 points per game), was superb early in the season by limiting five of the first six opponents to 13 or fewer points. But it sprung many leaks down the stretch by allowing more than 30 in three of the last five games, including a 34-10 whipping at the hands of Clemson in last Saturday’s ACC title game.

“We’ve been humbled about the way we play,” said Kelly, “and this team has always come back with a resilience and an edge about them, and they will against Alabama.”

The Crimson Tide (11-0) topped 50 six times and averaged 49.7 points — second-best nationally — while being led by a trio of big-time performers.

DeVonta Smith has the opportunity to be the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan’s Desmond Howard in 1991. He has 98 receptions for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns. During last Saturday’s 52-46 win over Florida in the SEC title game, Smith (3,620 yards) passed Amari Cooper (3,463 from 2012-14) as Alabama’s all-time leader in receiving yardage.

Quarterback Mac Jones also is in the Heisman mix and has thrown for 3,739 yards and 32 touchdowns against four interceptions. Najee Harris has rushed for 1,262 yards and 24 touchdowns and also has three receiving scores.

“We’ve certainly been very productive on offense,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said on a video call. “This has been an unusual year for a lot of teams but I think our players have stayed focus on the right things amid a lot of abnormal things.”

The offensive fireworks aren’t just limited to the current season. Alabama has scored 35 or more points in a major-college record 24 consecutive games since losing to Clemson 44-16 in the CFP title game to end the 2018 season.

The Crimson Tide are 22-2 during the stretch but Saban isn’t much interested in hearing about how the semifinal matchup with Notre Dame is going to be some type of easy stroll in the park.

“I know they have a really good team,” Saban said on ESPN. “I know have a really good quarterback. They have a tough defense. They have some skilled guys who can make plays.

“You don’t win 10 games in a season without having really good players.”

Quarterback Ian Book has a 30-4 record as a starter for the Irish. He has passed for 2,601 yards and 15 touchdowns with only two interceptions in 314 attempts.

Book ranks second in school history with 8,719 yards and 72 touchdowns. Brady Quinn (2003-06) is the leader in both categories (11,762 yards, 95 TD passes).

Kyren Williams has excelled on the ground with 1,061 yards and 12 touchdowns for an offense averaging 35.2 points, which rates 22nd nationally.

Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had a team-best 11 tackles for loss and he was named winner of the Butkus Award on Monday as the nation’s top linebacker.

Malachi Moore has three interceptions for the Crimson Tide, who are 20th nationally in scoring defense (19.5).

The winner of this game will face either No. 2 Clemson or No. 3 Ohio State in the national championship game.

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KENTUCKY vs NC STATE
When: 1/2/2021 12:00 PM
Where:

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: 2.5
PREDICTION: NC STATE , KENTUCKY

Oddsmakers currently have the NC STATE listed as 2.5 point favorites versus the KENTUCKY, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.5.

By the end of the regular season, there were positive feelings for both No. 23 North Carolina State and Kentucky.

One of the teams will extend that good mood when they meet in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla.

“It’s been a very trying year for all of us and our team is ready to move forward with a fifth straight bowl game,” said Mark Stoops, the first Kentucky coach to lead the Wildcats to five consecutive bowl appearances.

“We’ve invested a lot to this point,” said NC State coach Dave Doeren, whose team’s late-season push resulted in a national ranking. “It’s the last time this group will get to play together, and we wanted to have one more ride.”

Despite NC State (8-3) holding twice as many victories as Kentucky (4-6), the Wildcats were listed as early favorites in this bowl matchup. Four of Kentucky’s losses came to nationally ranked teams.

Both teams ended their regular seasons by winning on Dec. 5 — NC State topping Georgia Tech while Kentucky throttled South Carolina.

“We’re at 100 percent so the guys are all back and out there practicing and working hard and having some fun,” Stoops said of early bowl preparations.

“The energy is high,” Kentucky defensive end Josh Paschal said. “We’re just ready to get to the bowl game and get ready to play.”

NC State went 2-3 against nationally ranked opponents, though the Wolfpack didn’t face Atlantic Coast Conference championship game combatants Clemson or Notre Dame.

The Wolfpack closed the regular season with four consecutive victories — the team’s best such stretch to end a regular season since 2008.

NC State’s most recent bowl outing came two years ago in the Gator Bowl, where it was blown out by Texas A&M. The Wolfpack are 1-3 all-time in the Gator Bowl.

“We’re a different team this year,” said NC State safety Tyler Baker-Williams, who pointed out that he didn’t like the team sitting out the 2019 postseason. “We have a bigger chip on our shoulder. We’re just ready to show out.”

Kentucky lost four years ago to Georgia Tech in its lone Gator Bowl appearance.

“We hope to play better this go around,” Stoops said.

The Wildcats won against Virginia Tech in last year’s Belk Bowl (now named Duke’s Mayo Bowl) in Charlotte, N.C.

Albeit playing 10 conference games (rather than the normal eight), NC State set a school record by winning seven ACC games this year. In 2019, it was 1-7 in league play.

“I think the record speaks for itself on what we accomplished this year and the way we accomplished it,” Doeren said.

Linebacker Payton Wilson of NC State leads the ACC with 10.8 tackles per game. Wilson joined defensive lineman Alim McNeill as All-ACC first-team selections.

Kentucky’s lone All-SEC first-team selection was senior center Drake Jackson.

The Kentucky-NC State series is tied 1-1. NC State won in 1909 at home and Kentucky won in 1970 at home.

The post KENTUCKY vs. NC STATE 1/2/2021 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

W VIRGINIA vs ARMY
When: 12/31/2020 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: ARMY , W VIRGINIA

Oddsmakers currently have the ARMY listed as 7 point favorites versus the W VIRGINIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 42.

When West Virginia coach Neil Brown gathered his coaches and players for practice on Dec. 21, they were preparing for a Liberty Bowl matchup with Tennessee on New Year’s Eve in Memphis.

Then 2020 intervened.

“We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another, but that’s how crazy 2020 has been,” Brown said.

Tennessee pulled out of the bowl game after coach Jeremy Pruitt and multiple players tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily enough for the Liberty Bowl, it had a better team ready to step in.

Army went from being an outrageous snub to being an attractive catch at 9-2. The Commander-in-Chief trophy winners after a 10-7 defeat of Air Force on Dec. 19, the Black Knights were originally ticketed for the Independence Bowl after winning their sixth game on Oct. 24.

But when the Shreveport-based bowl had to cancel because so many prospective opponents opted out, it left Army in a lurch not of its own making.

Coach Jeff Monken made it clear that he thought his team was getting the short end of the stick, and aside from a handful of ESPN talking heads who had no trouble lugging the Power 5 conferences’ water while leaving Group of 5 schools parched, Monken was preaching to the choir.

As the old saying goes, better late than never. The Knights have their bowl bid, and West Virginia (5-4) has a new, more formidable opponent.

“I have great respect for the Army football tradition and the sacrifice the cadets make daily for our country,” Brown said. “Coach Monken and his staff have done a great job at West Point.”

The Knights own 43 wins in the last five years under Monken, a disciple of former Navy and Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.

Much like Johnson, Monken believes in triple-option football, a staple at the military academies for most of the last 30 years.

Army finished fourth in the nation this year in rushing, averaging 281.3 yards per game despite having only one player rush for more than 500 yards. But it had four players between 401 and 502 yards, a testament to the balance it possesses.

Most importantly, the Knights played excellent defense, permitting just 14 points per game. Nearly a fourth of their allowance came in a 38-12 loss last month at Tulane. Their other loss was to Cincinnati, 24-10, in September. Cincinnati is now 9-0 and ranked No. 8 in the CFP poll.

“This is going to be a tremendous challenge for us to have any opportunity to win the game,” Monken said. “It’s exciting for our players. They came here to play big-time football against top-level opponents, and I’m glad they have the opportunity to play one in West Virginia.”

The Mountaineers could have easily been 7-2 were it not for one-possession losses at Texas Tech (34-27) and Texas (17-13) in a three-week span. Their final regular-season game with Oklahoma was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

West Virginia’s offense is led by Jarret Doege (2,428 yards, 13 TD passes) and Leddie Brown (945 rushing yards, nine TDs).

This will mark the first time the programs have met in 59 years. Army leads the series 2-1.

The post W VIRGINIA vs. ARMY 12/31/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.