2023-12-27 05:51:20
Bryan Fischer
College Football Writer
The 2023-24 college football postseason is fully upon us for a hefty heap of intersectional gridiron matchups during the most wonderful time on the calendar.
This year’s bowl games feature some extremely compelling matchups, from a delightful set of College Football Playoff semifinals to an incredible Orange Bowl meeting between top teams, plus a host of Group of 5 sides facing off once morest each other or their Power 5 brethren.
Who has the edge, and what should you watch for in each matchup? Here’s a look at every bowl game and a pick for each contest.
Check out the complete schedule with dates, times, and TV channels below. And return for the results of every game.
2023-24 College Football Bowl Game Predictions
(All times are ET)
SATURDAY, DEC. 16
Myrtle Beach Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Ohio
The pick: Ohio
The result: Ohio wins, 41-21
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Jacksonville State vs. Louisiana
The pick: Jacksonville State
The result: Jacksonville State wins, 34-31 (OT)
Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl
Miami-Ohio vs. Appalachian State
The pick: Miami-Ohio
The result: App State wins, 13-9
Isleta New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico State vs. Fresno State
The pick: NMSU
The result: Fresno State wins, 37-10
LA Bowl Hosted by Gronk
UCLA vs. Boise State
The pick: Boise State
The result: UCLA wins, 35-22
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl
Cal vs. Texas Tech
The pick: Texas Tech
The result: Texas Tech wins, 34-14
MONDAY, DEC. 18
Famous Toastery Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion
The pick: ODU
The result: Western Kentucky wins, 38-35 (OT)
TUESDAY, DEC. 19
Scooters’s Coffee Frisco Bowl
UTSA vs. Marshall
The pick: UTSA
The result: UTSA wins, 35-17
THURSDAY, DEC. 21
Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
USF vs. Syracuse
The pick: USF
The result: USF wins, 45-0
FRIDAY, DEC. 22
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. UCF
The pick: UCF
The result: Georgia Tech wins, 30-17
SATURDAY, DEC. 23
Birmingham Bowl
Troy vs. Duke
The pick: Troy
The result: Duke wins, 17-10
Camellia Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois
The pick: Arkansas State
The result: Northern Illinois wins, 21-19
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Air Force vs. James Madison
The pick: Air Force
The result: Air Force wins, 31-21
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Georgia State vs. Utah State
The pick: Utah State
The result: Georgia State wins, 45-22
68 Ventures Bowl
Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama
The pick: EMU
The result: South Alabama wins, 59-10
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Utah vs. Northwestern
The pick: Utah
The result: Northwestern wins, 14-7
Easypost Hawai’i Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State
The pick: SJSU
The result: Coastal Carolina wins, 24-14
TUESDAY, DEC. 26
Quick Lane Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Minnesota
The pick: Minnesota
The result: Minnesota wins, 30-24
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Texas State vs. Rice
The pick: Texas State
The result: Texas State wins, 45-21
Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Kansas vs. UNLV
The pick: Kansas
The result: Kansas wins, 49-36
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 27
Military Bowl Presented by Go Bowling
2 p.m. on ESPN (Annapolis, Maryland)
Virginia Tech vs. Tulane
When it comes to wanting to play in this game more, you have to figure the Hokies are ecstatic over their postseason return, while the Green Wave have to be a tad disappointed regarding missing out on the AAC title, losing their coach and landing here. The Pick: Virginia Tech.
Duke’s Mayo Bowl
5:30 p.m. on ESPN (Charlotte, North Carolina)
North Carolina vs. West Virginia
Does Drake Maye play in this game one more time in Carolina blue before heading to the NFL Draft? Even if he doesn’t, this has the potential to be a fun back-and-forth between two offenses that know how to find the end zone. The Pick: West Virginia.
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl
8 p.m. ET on FOX (San Diego, California)
USC vs. Louisville
Couldn’t have asked for a better matchup on FOX in what might be a game between two of the best offensive playcallers in college football — Jeff Brohm and Lincoln Riley. The Pick: Louisville.
TaxAct Texas Bowl
9 p.m. on ESPN (Houston, Texas)
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State
Mike Elko will have a close eye on his new team in this one, as the Aggies aim to get a victory over their former Big 12 rivals, while the Cowboys will look to put their performance once morest Texas well behind them. The Pick: Oklahoma State.
THURSDAY, DEC. 28
Wasabi Fenway Bowl
11 a.m. on ESPN (Boston, Massachusetts)
SMU vs. Boston College
Poor SMU, which memorably won its first conference title since 1984 but is sent to the newest bowl game around, playing an Eagles side very lucky to make it to .500 on the year. The Pick: SMU.
Bad Bow Mowers Pinstripe Bowl
2:15 p.m. on ESPN (The Bronx, New York)
Rutgers vs. Miami
Greg Schiano will be thrilled to head over to the Bronx and rekindle an old Big East rivalry once morest the Hurricanes, whose motivation may be similar to a team arriving at Yankee Stadium on a getaway day. The Pick: Rutgers.
Pop-Tarts Bowl
5:45 p.m. on ESPN (Orlando, Florida)
N.C. State vs. Kansas State
If you love scrappy, hard-nosed football, this is the bowl game for you. Quarterback drama takes away somewhat from the matchup, but it’s still a great one. Plus, there’s an edible Pop Tart mascot to look forward to at the end. The Pick: Kansas State.
Valero Alamo Bowl
9:15 pm on ESPN (San Antonio, Texas)
Oklahoma vs. Arizona
No doubt regarding it, this is the best of the non-New Year’s Six bowls as it pits two teams that were right near the cutoff line for the selection committee. There’s a fascinating chess match between the two head coaches, too, given their specialties on either side of the ball. The Pick: Oklahoma.
FRIDAY, DEC. 29
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
12 p.m. on ESPN (Jacksonville, Florida)
Clemson vs. Kentucky
We’re going to read way too much into this game for whoever emerges victorious, but there’s little question that it might be huge for both head coaches to take a little momentum into the offseason. The Pick: Clemson.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
2 p.m. on CBS (El Paso, Texas)
Oregon State vs. Notre Dame
Sombreros for everybody! This is an excellent matchup between top-20 teams out in El Paso, and the first bit of good news in the past month for the Beavers in particular. The Pick: Notre Dame.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
3:30 p.m. on ESPN (Memphis, Tennessee)
Memphis vs. Iowa State
Matt Campbell had one of the better coaching jobs in the Big 12 to get ISU to this game, while the Tigers quietly improved by a good amount to contend in the AAC. The Pick: Iowa State.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
8 p.m. on ESPN (Dallas, Texas)
Missouri vs. Ohio State
How motivated will the Buckeyes be, and will key players like Marvin Harrison Jr. be around for this one? Don’t sleep on the Tigers trying to validate their season and notch a first major bowl victory. The Pick: Missouri.
SATURDAY, DEC. 30
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
12 p.m. on ESPN (Atlanta, Georgia)
Ole Miss vs. Penn State
This has a chance to be a compelling meeting of one of the best offenses in the country once morest one of the best defenses. Typically the latter travels better as the Nittany Lions get some more wind in their sails going into 2024. The Pick: Penn State.
Transperfect Music City Bowl
2 p.m. on ABC (Nashville, Tennessee)
Auburn vs. Maryland
Defense might just be optional in this one given the two head coaches involved, who also enjoy calling plays. The Pick: Auburn.
Capital One Orange Bowl
4 p.m. on ESPN (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Georgia vs. Florida State
Will the ‘Noles proclaim themselves national champions if they emerge victorious in this one? Both sides can play up the “nobody believes in us” card ahead of this extremely compelling CFP-caliber bowl. The Pick: Georgia.
Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
4:30 p.m. on Barstool (Tucson, Arizona)
Toledo vs. Wyoming
The Rockets can at least see the silver lining in a trip to Tucson despite their MAC title game loss, but they’ve got a tough opponent to get past in a scrappy Cowboys outfit. The Pick: Wyoming.
MONDAY, JAN. 1, 2024
ReliaQuest Bowl
12 p.m. on ESPN2 (Tampa, Florida)
LSU vs. Wisconsin
Will this game feature the Heisman Trophy winner? Even if it doesn’t, this is a nice opportunity for Luke Fickell to showcase that he’s got the Badgers back on track, while opposite number Brian Kelly is certainly hoping not to put an exclamation point on a disappointing year. The Pick: LSU.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl
1 p.m. on ABC (Orlando, Florida)
Iowa vs. Tennessee
You can’t spell Citrus without UT this year, as the Vols are going to be looking for yet another win in the Sunshine State. More intriguing will be seeing what the Hawkeyes will have going on offense following a month to figure out literally anything on that side of the ball. The Pick: Tennessee.
VRBO Fiesta Bowl
1 p.m. on ESPN (Glendale, Arizona)
Liberty vs. Oregon
Even if Bo Nix and a handful of other NFL players opt out of this one, stick around for the chess match that comes from Dan Lanning’s defense trying to stop what Jamey Chadwell does on offense, as the Flames try to cap off their first year in C-USA as an undefeated. The Pick: Oregon.
College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl
5 p.m. on ESPN (Pasadena, California)
Michigan vs. Alabama
It’s hard to dream up a better matchup, with Jim Harbaugh and the winningest FBS team taking on the grandmaster himself in Nick Saban, and the most successful CFP team of this era. Throw in that beautiful sunset at the Grandaddy of them all, and the first of the two semifinals will be hard to top. The Pick: Alabama.
College Football Playoff semifinal at the Sugar Bowl
8:45 p.m. on ESPN (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Washington vs. Texas
There’s an incredible collection of skill position talent on hand down in New Orleans, plus the added storyline of Steve Sarkisian facing his former program. Both the Huskies and Longhorns played each other in a bowl last year and, even with some new faces, that might inform who has the upper hand when it comes to winning this one and advancing to Houston. The Pick: Washington.
MONDAY, JAN. 8
College Football Playoff national championship
7:30 p.m. on ESPN (Houston, Texas)
TBD
Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
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