Taking a quick-hit look at the Jan. 1 bowl menu, which features the first day of this postseason cycle with nothing but Power Five teams being served up for your hangover consumption.
WHO: Northwestern (10-2) vs. Tennessee (8-4)
WHAT: The 30th Outback Bowl
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
WHEN: Noon ET, ESPN2
THE SKINNY: The first of back-to-back Big Ten vs. SEC games on the first day of the New Year, one day after two teams from the same conferences tangled in the College Football Playoff for the second year in a row. Not only will Northwestern be looking for wins in back-to-back bowl games for the first time in the program’s history, but they’ll be looking for an 11th win that would set a school record for a single season. Tennessee, meanwhile, could win consecutive bowl games for the first time since winning three in a row from 1994-96. Both teams will enter with rather lengthy winning streaks, with each having won five straight to close out the regular season; none of those wins, however, came against teams that are currently ranked. For the Wildcats to be successful, they must run the ball effectively as quarterback Clayton Thornton has completed just 51.6 percent of his passes, and his pass efficiency rating of 99.7 is 107th nationally and worst among Big Ten quarterbacks who have attempted at least 200 passes. The Vols are a middling 49th against the run, so the opportunity could be there for the Wildcats to make some hay on the ground. The X factor in this game could be special teams, especially when it comes to the Vols as Evan Berry, former Vol great Eric Berry‘s younger brother, leads the nation in kick return average and is second in kick returns touchdowns (three).
THE LINE: Northwestern, +8
THE PREDICTION: Northwestern 23, Tennessee 21
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WHO: Michigan (9-3) vs. Florida (10-3)
WHAT: The 71st Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
WHERE: Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Florida
WHEN: 1 p.m. ET, ABC
THE SKINNY: Both Michigan and Florida will be led into the postseason by first-year head coaches for their respective programs, but neither will be a bowl novice. UM’s Jim Harbaugh led Stanford to a pair of bowl games before heading off to the NFL, ultimately returning to the college game at his alma mater. His counterpart at UF, Jim McElwain, put Colorado State in back-to-back bowl games before coming to Gainesville. The Gators won the SEC East, but limps into the postseason on a two-game losing streak thanks in (very) large part to an impotent offense that hasn’t scored more than 28 points since Oct. 3, and totaled just 17 in those two losses. The Wolverines’ three losses, meanwhile, came to teams currently ranked third (Michigan State), seventh (Ohio State) and 22nd (Utah) in the most recent College Football Playoff poll. UM, with a win, would double its win total from a year ago. Both teams bring extremely stingy defenses into the contest -- the Gators are No. 9 nationally in scoring defense at 16.5 points per game, the Wolverines No. 11 at 17.2 -- but the difference in the game should be a UM offense that has the ability to actually put points on the scoreboard, unlike its counterparts on the opposite sideline. One final note: The SEC has won five straight Citrus Bowls, beating the Big Ten in each of those games by at least 10 points and by an average of 16.7 points per game.
THE LINE: Florida, +4½
THE PREDICTION: Michigan 23, Florida 10
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WHO: Notre Dame (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1)
WHAT: The 45th BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl
WHERE: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
WHEN: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
THE LINE: Off the board
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: Stanford (11-2) vs. Iowa (12-1)
WHAT: The 102nd Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
WHERE: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
WHEN: 5 p.m. ET, ESPN
THE LINE: Iowa, +6
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. Ole Miss (9-3)
WHAT: The 82nd Allstate Sugar Bowl
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
THE LINE: Off the board
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.