Taking a quick-hit look at the Dec. 30 bowl menu, which today features three games in which all six participants hail from -- or are connected to -- Power Five conferences.
WHO: Notre Dame (7-5) vs. No. 23 LSU (8-4)
WHAT: The 17th Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
WHERE: LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.
WHEN: 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
THE SKINNY: The last meeting between these two venerable football programs was the 2007 Sugar Bowl, a 41-14 win for LSU. The previous postseason meeting was favorable for the SEC school as well, a Tigers win in the 1997 Independence Bowl. In between was a three-point Notre Dame regular-season win in South Bend in 1998. Of course, that history doesn’t mean anything; what matters is the present. And, at the present, the Irish ain’t a very good football team. Or, seemingly, their opposition either. After beginning the season at 6-0, and then 7-1, ND enters the postseason on a four-game losing streak. It’s not like the South Bender’s are facing a rampaging stalwart, though, as the Bayou Bengals have lost two of their last three heading in. In the end, the talent on both sides will speak volumes, with Les Miles’ charges being much, much, much louder than his counterparts on Brian Kelly‘s side.
THE LINE: Notre Dame +7½
THE PREDICTION: LSU 31, Notre Dame 20
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WHO: No. 13 Georgia (9-3) vs. No. 21 Louisville (9-3)
WHAT: The 13th Belk Bowl
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: Maryland (7-5) vs. Stanford (7-5)
WHAT: The 13th Foster Farms Bowl
WHERE: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Cali.
WHEN: 10 p.m. ET on ESPN
THE SKINNY: This game, the first-ever between the two football programs, features the biggest line of the 2014-15 postseason, with Maryland a whopping two-touchdown underdog; no other game remaining on the bowl calendar has a double-digit favorite. Three of the Terps’ five losses this season have come by 22 or more points -- their other two losses by three points each -- with the Cardinal beating five FBS teams by 17 or more points in 2014. Maryland will be seeking its first bowl win since the 2010 season, the last year under Ralph Friedgen, while Stanford is playing in its first non-New Year’s Six née BCS bowl game since the 2009 Sun Bowl. The Terps struggled to score points to close out the regular season, averaging less than 21 points per game in their last five. That trend doesn’t bode well for the Big Ten school as the Cardinal is second in the country in scoring defense at 16 points per game. The Cardinal has given up 20 or more points just three times this season, all of them losses -- Arizona State, 26-10; Oregon, 45-16; and Utah, 20-17 (2OT). This game will essentially serve as a home contest for The Farm boys -- they’ve already played at the new home of the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers this season, and Santa Clara is less than a 20-mile drive from Stanford -- further adding to the checkmarks in the negative column for the Terps.
THE LINE: Maryland +14
THE PREDICTION: Stanford 27, Maryland 17