January 2 Bowl games: TV Schedule, game notes, prospects to watch

After a full plate of games on New Years Day, we're back for another big dose of college football on the first Friday of 2015. Today features mostly mediocre clubs squaring off, but there's still talent and excitement to be found nonetheless.

Armed Forces Bowl: Houston (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6), 12 P.M. ET on ESPN

The game being played in Fort Worth, Texas will give Houston a sizable home field advantage in this bowl, but can they turn that into a victory? Houston linebacker Ephrem Oliphant will be looking to bottle up a prolific runner in Pitt's James Conner. Oliphant has 130 tackles on the season, while Conner has rushed for 1,675 yards and 24 touchdowns. For a full preview of the matchup go here.

Taxslayer Bowl: Iowa (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6) 3:20 P.M. ET on ESPN

What an honor it must be to win the Taxslayer Bowl, right? If you're not doing anything in the afternoon this game will be on. The game does feature a first round talent in Iowa left tackle Brandon Scherff, who was a finalist for the Outland Trophy. He will be set to square off against Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett. Putting together 10 sacks on the year, Barnett can pressure the quarterback effectively.

Alamo Bowl: No. 14 UCLA (9-3) vs. Kansas State (9-3) 6:45 P.M. ET on ESPN

The Alamo Bowl features the only nine win teams today and the only ranked one. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley will be playing in his final game, as it is expected he will be turning pro. Bruins running back Paul Perkins led the PAC-12 in rushing with 1,381 yards. On the defensive side for UCLA they have Butkus award winner Eric Kendricks (135 tackles this season). For Kansas State to have a chance their all time leading receiver must have a big game. Tyler Lockett will be a guy I'll be watching closely at the combine after racking up 93 receptions for 1,351 yards and 9 touchdowns.

Cactus Bowl: Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Washington (8-5) 10:15 P.M. ET on ESPN

With the stingy defense Washington plays and the fact all their losses were to ranked teams, I expect the Huskies to roll in this one. What Oklahoma State has going for them is the stat the Big-12 having an 8-3 record over the PAC-12 the past five seasons. Washington is led by Shaq Thompson, the Paul Hornung award winner for most versatile player. Evans played both at linebacker and running back this year, scoring four defensive touchdowns and rushing for 451 yards on just 61 carries. Thompson was a first team All-American.

Enjoy the games! Nothing else is on besides Maury and soap operas during the day anyway.