Taking a quick-hit look at the Dec. 29 bowl menu, which today features the only two postseason games that truly matter... until the national championship game in a week and a half, that is.
WHO: No. 10 Florida (9-3) vs. No. 7 Michigan (10-2)
WHAT: The 51st Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
WHEN: Noon ET on ESPN
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
THE LINE: Florida, +5½
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: South Carolina (7-5) vs. Virginia (7-5)
WHAT: The 17th Belk Bowl
WHEN: Noon ET on ESPN
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
THE SKINNY: South Carolina has won five of its last six bowl appearances, and are 1-1 in the postseason under Will Muschamp. ... Virginia, meanwhile, hasn’t won a bowl game since the 2005 Music City Bowl, going 0-3 in that stretch. ... The Gamecocks didn’t win more than two games in a row this season -- they did that once -- but they also didn’t lose two games in a row at all in 2018. All five of USC’s losses this season were followed by wins the following game. ... The Cavaliers come in having lost two games in a row, although both of those losses were by a combined six points. Those twin defeats also came on the road. ... The two schools are actually former conference rivals as South Carolina played in the ACC from the league’s founding in 1953 before leaving following the 1971 season and, after a stint as a football independent, joining the SEC in 1992. They have met 34 times in football, the first coming in 1912 and the most recent in 2003. The Gamecocks lead the overall series 21-12-1. ... Over the last five games of the regular season, Jake Bentley topped 300 yards passing on three different occasions, including a school-record 510 yards in USC’s loss to Clemson. He also tossed 16 of his 27 touchdown passes in that five-game span. ... The Gamecocks will be down three starters, two because of injuries (defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, cornerback Keisean Nixon) and one, leading receiver Deebo Samuels, who decided to skip the game to focus on draft preparations. ... With a win, the Cavaliers would post its best record since going the same 8-5 back in 2011.
THE LINE: Virginia, +5½
THE PREDICTION: South Carolina 38, Virginia 34
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WHO: Arkansas State (8-4) vs. Nevada (7-5)
WHAT: The 4th NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
WHEN: 1:15 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
WHERE: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
THE SKINNY: If there is ever a bowl game to get lost in the viewing wash it’s this one as it kicks off in the middle of a Big Ten-SEC postseason clash and will end after the first of two playoff semifinals has started. ... To pique your interest, though, this is the only 2018-19 bowl game in which both teams have the word “Wolf” or a derivative in their nickname -- the Red Wolves of Arkansas State, the Wolf Pack of Nevada. ... Arkansas State will be making its school-record eighth bowl appearance in a row, with three wins and four losses in that postseason stretch. ... Nevada will be playing in its first bowl game since the 2015 season. ... After starting the year a pedestrian 4-4, the Red Wolves ripped off four straight wins to close out the regular season. They won all four of those games by at least 14 points. ... The Wolf Pack also ended the season on a run, although a loss to in-state rival UNLV in the finale snapped what had been a four-game winning streak. ... Speaking of which, the two teams had one common opponent this season: UNLV. ASU beat UNLV 27-20 in late September, while Nevada fell 34-29 late last month. ... Nevada holds a 3-2 edge in the all-time series, with the last meeting coming in 1999. ... The Wolf Pack, though, will be without its leading receiver as McLane Mannix announced his transfer to Texas Tech earlier this month.
THE LINE: Nevada, +1½
THE PREDICTION: Arkansas State 31, Nevada 27
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WHO: No. 2 Clemson (13-0) vs. No. 3 Notre Dame (12-0)
WHAT: The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
WHEN: 4 p.m. p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
THE LINE: Notre Dame, +10½
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: No. 1 Alabama (13-0) vs. No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1)
WHAT: The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
THE LINE: Oklahoma, +14
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.