As the season comes to a close and we get closer to Christmas, post season begins to take place. Many bowl games are a big accomplishment for teams while others keep their star players out due to the draft. Bowl games start around December 16 and last until early January. The bowl games that aren’t as important are typically first while the big ones are closer to New Year’s Day. It will be interesting to see which teams prevail in the last year of the 4 team playoffs bracket.
First Up
The first bowl game of the post season is the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 16th. This bowl game will take place in Brooks Stadium located in Conway South Carolina. The two teams facing off in this matchup will be the Georgia Southern Eagles against the Ohio Bobcats. Both teams are looking to finish up the season strong and a win here would help solidify that. There is a plethora of other good games on during the day of December 16th as well.
Notable Games
Other notable games from the 16th include California verses Texas Tech, UCLA verses Boise State, and Miami (Ohio) verses Appalachian State. These games will carry through the rest of December 16th and will give college football fans some entertainment. Although these games may not be as vital and important as ones ahead, it is still interesting to see the outcome. During December 18th through the 22nd, there’s only one game being played each day. These games aren’t as big and notable as ones coming up but will also be fun to watch around.
Games On 23rd
During the 23rd, there are big games that continue to move through bowl season. The biggest game on the 23rd is the JMU verses Air Force game. Both teams are making an impression to the college football world and a win could bring more attraction to them next season. James Madison is 11-1 wrapping up the season while Air Force is not far behind at 8-4 on the season. Air Force is looking to wrap up the season with a potential upset to the Dukes of JMU.
Momentum & Game Changers
Air Force has gone on a good run this season, but things started to slow down as they had lost a few games. If they keep momentum for this game, then it can potentially be a game changer for the outcome to close out the season. The next day of bowl games will be the 26th of December. There are 3 games that will keep college football fans entertained until the big finale. Bowling Green verses Minnesota is the first game of the day followed by Texas State verses Rice. The final game on the 26th is a matchup between Kansas and UNLV.
Better Games
As the days progress the games get better and better. The next day of games will be the next day on the 27th of December. This day has decent matchups throughout the whole day. Up first is the Military Bowl with Virginia Tech facing off against Tulane. The next two games are North Carolina verses West Virginia and Louisville verses USC.
Looking Ahead
The last game on the 27th is TAMU verses Oklahoma State. All of these teams have had decent seasons, and a win could help all of these teams carry confidence into the off season. These are all great teams with good leadership on their rosters. Using this leadership to the best of their abilities will make all the difference. With the 12 team playoffs coming next season, it will be interesting how the rest of the bowl games will fall into place.
Games On 28th
The 28th of December is also filled with 4 decent bowl games. The first game is SMU verses Boston College, and the second game is Rutgers verses Miami. The last two games on the 28th are NC State verses Kansas State and Arizona verses Oklahoma. Oklahoma finished the season 10-2 so this bowl game might be controversial for Sooners fans. Many teams will be using backup players as starters will prepare for the NFL Draft and forego their last game.
Beavers vs. Irish
December 29th has a great set of bowl games as well. There are only three games on the 29th, but they’re all highly competitive games. Up first on the 29th Clemson will face off against Kentucky in the Taxslayer Bowl. The next game on the list is against Oregon State and Notre Dame which will be an interesting one. Notre Dame has star leadership in Sam Hartman while Oregon State has found success in Clemson transfer D.J. Uiagalelei.
Wrapping Up Season
The final game on December 29th is the Liberty Bowl which will be played by Memphis and Iowa State. Memphis is 9-3 looking for success and a 10-win season to wrap up the final game. Iowa State can still be a threat to Memphis even though they haven’t had as good of a season as the Tigers. Wrapping up 2023, there are 4 competitive games on December 30th. Those games are the Music City Bowl played by Auburn and Maryland, then the Arizona Bowl played by Toledo and Wyoming. Wrapping up the year of 2023, it will be a matchup between Ole Miss and Penn State while the final game is between Georgia and Florida State.
Bigger Bowls
With the New Year’s bringing in the bigger bowls, it will be exciting to see the outcome of those games. January 1st is the next day of bowl games and there are quite a few. The first game is a matchup between Wisconsin and LSU. The second matchup of the New Year’s Day is between Tennessee and Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. The final one before the playoffs begin is a matchup between Oregon and Liberty.
The Playoff Picture
The playoffs consist of Alabama, Michigan, Washington, and Texas. The first playoff game begins at 5 PM with Alabama facing off against Michigan. The last playoff game will begin at 8:45 PM with Texas facing off against Washington. There are a lot of newer faces in the playoffs this year. Washington and Texas are new to the playoffs which adds a twist to end the season.
Veteran vs. Rookie
Michigan and Alabama have been here before multiple times. It is interesting that the veteran teams will face off first while the rookie teams face off as well. This will guarantee that one rookie team will face off against a veteran team in the national championship. Many fans want to see a rematch between Texas and Alabama as Texas got the upper hand earlier in the regular season. Both matchups make for interesting games and fans are eager to support their teams.
Memorable Season
This season of college football was an interesting one to say the least. There was never any team who had the clear dominance this season. All teams were battling equally amongst the playing field and many one loss teams proved why they deserve a spot in the playoffs. There are two one loss teams in the playoffs this season while the other two teams are the final undefeated ones. Regardless of the outcome, this season has been an amazing and memorable season of college football. Fans are eager for the 12 team playoffs next season which will make it all the more exciting.
