By Skeeter Smith
Cotton Bowl: 7 Ohio State vs. 9 Missouri
Luther Burden & Theo Wease vs. The Buckeyes’ Secondary
Ohio State comes in statistically with the best pass defense in the country, giving up less than 150 yards a game through the air. Missouri will by far present the most dynamic offense they’ve seen this year, as the Tigers have a plethora of weapons on that side of the ball.
Two of those weapons include Luther Burden and Theo Wease, who’ve combined for over 1,800 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. The winner of the battle on the outside will be a significant determinant of who comes out on top in this game.
Peach Bowl: 10 Penn State vs. 11 Ole Miss
Quinshon Judkins vs. The Nittany Lions’ Defense
Everything the Rebels want to do on the offensive side of the ball revolves around star running back Quinshon Judkins, who is coming off his second 1,000-yard rushing season. Judkins has been the bell cow for this team for the past two years, as he can completely take over a game with the ball in his hands.
On the other side of the ball, you have a Penn State team that specializes in stopping the run, surrendering less than 70 yards a game on the ground. The Nittany Lions will be one of the toughest challenges Judkins has seen all season.
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Orange Bowl: 5 FSU vs. 6 Georgia
The Seminoles’ Backups vs. The Bulldogs
The excitement for this matchup continues to dwindle as it seems each day, a new player opts out or enters the transfer portal from the Seminoles’ side. With the opt-out number well over 20 players at this point, the Florida State team we see on Saturday will merely be a shell of the one we saw all season long.
Barring some type of miracle, this should be a game where Georgia can sleepwalk to victory.
Fiesta Bowl: 8 Oregon vs. 23 Liberty
The Flames’ Run Game vs. The Ducks’ Defense
Liberty comes into this game with their perfect season on the line, facing by far the best team they’ve seen all year. For the Flames, no one has been able to stop them on the ground all year, leading all of college football in rushing yards. They will need that running success to carry over into the New Year if they want to pull off this massive upset.
The task won’t be an easy one, as Oregon boasts one of the better run defenses in the country, holding opponents to less than 100 yards per game.
Rose Bowl: 1 Michigan vs. Alabama 4
JJ McCarthy vs. The Crimson Tide Secondary
Michigan has cruised through this season without having to ask quarterback JJ McCarthy to do much, but that may change as they face an Alabama defense that’s loaded with talent and has improved on that side of the ball all year long.
Expect the Crimson Tide to come out early and force the Wolverines out of the run game, putting the ball into the air. If Alabama is successful in slowing down Blake Corum, the pressure will shift to McCarthy to provide an offensive spark with his arm.
Sugar Bowl: 2 Washington vs. 3 Texas
The Huskies’ Run Game vs. The Longhorn Defense
While Michael Penix has been the driver of that high-powered offense all season long, a big reason the Huskies got past Oregon in the Pac-12 championship was because of how well they were able to run the ball. They will need that balance of attack to show up again in this game if they want to get past the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Texas, on the other hand, has been stellar against the run all season, giving up less than 80 yards a game on the ground and even held one of the best backs in college football, Ollie Gordon, to only 34 yards in the Big 12 championship game. The battle of the trenches should be a good one between these two teams
