We are back for more college football. Today we have the New Year's six bowl games. In this post I will break down the Outback, Citrus and Fiesta bowls, also providing draft prospects for every team. In another post, later today, I will provide a team intro along with draft prospects for the Rose and Sugar bowl. And obviously this morning is kind of big with Jim Harbaugh in his first bowl game since his time at Stanford. Enjoy!
Outback Bowl - Tennessee vs. Northwestern
Game time: 9:00 a.m.Channel: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Talented running backs is one of the biggest reasons you should watch this intriguing matchup of two teams with talented defenses. For Tennessee, the bulk of the carries go to sophomore running back Jalen Hurd. Heard rushed for 1,158 yards on 253 carries in the regular season and added 11 touchdowns. He is also a viable receiver out of the backfield, making defenses have to respect more than him running the ball. As for the Volunteer's quarterback, Joshua Dobbs hasn't been asked to do much. However, the junior is still effective and limits turnovers, which is always a plus. Tennessee is sixth all time with 26 bowl wins, yet they have never won back-to-back bowl games in the 21st-century can they stop the skid?
TENNESSEE DRAFT PROSPECTS:
- #7 Cameron Sutton, CB, 5'11", 186 lbs.
- #56 Curt Maggit, DL, 6'4", 252 lbs.
A win would give Northwestern it's most wins in a season in program history with 11, while the last bowl game for the Wildcats was the gator bowl after the 2012 season. The last appearance in the Outback Bowl for northwestern was a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Auburn. The advanced statsin this game most definitely favor Tennessee, but the heart of Northwestern will absolutely keep them in the game. The strength of schedule for Northwestern was definitely up there in the top of the country, and they handled business against their toughest opponents.
NORTHWESTERN DRAFT PROSPECTS:
- #42 Dan Vitale, TE/HB, 6'2", 225 lbs.
- #94 Dean Lowry, DL, 6'6", 290 lbs.
- #23 Nick Vanhoose, CB, 6'0", 190 lbs
Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl - Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Game time: 10:00 a.m.
Channel: ESPN
Live stream: WatchESPN
Notre Dame rolled into Palo Alto with a 10-1 record, and a win was their last chance to squeeze into the College Football Playoff. However, they fell short, a last-second field goal sealed the victory for Stanford, 38-36. Nonetheless, the Fighting Irish are still a very productive football team. They lost quarterback Malik Zaire to an ankle injury early in the season, but sophomore DeShone Kizer stepped up, and played big. Notre Dame had marquee wins on top of Navy, USC, Temple, and Pittsburgh.
NOTRE DAME DRAFT PROSPECTS:
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#78 Ronnie Stanley, LT, 6'5", 315 lbs.
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#9 Jaylon Smith, LB, 6'2", 240 lbs.
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#20 C.J. Prosise, RB, 6'0", 220 lbs.
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#91 Sheldon Day, DL, 6'2", 285 lbs.
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#6 KeiVarae Russell, 5'11", 196 lbs.
Ohio State, to many's surprise, missed out on a chance to play for a National Championship. A 17-14 loss at home to Michigan State kept them out of the playoff, even with with a blow out win in Ann Arbor the very next week. Here are my five reasons Ohio State can knock off Notre Dame: A dominant defense, the offense is heating up, Notre Dame's defense is inconsistent, coaching edge (Brian Kelly is still a very good coach, though), and showing the committee why they should've been chosen over Michigan State who got obliterated by Alabama.
OSU DRAFT PROSPECTS:
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#23 Tyvis Powell, FS, 6'3", 210 lbs.
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#11 Vonn Bell, SS, 5'11", 205 lbs.
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#97 Joey Bosa, DE, 6'6", 275 lbs.
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#15 Ezekiel Elliot, RB, 6'0", 225 lbs.
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#1 Braxton Miller, WR, 6'2", 215 lbs.
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#92 Adolphus Washington, DL, 6'4", 290 lbs.
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#68 Taylor Decker, OT, 6'8", 315 lbs.
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#13 Eli Apple, CB, 6'1", 200 lbs.
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#3 Mike Thomas, WR, 6'3", 210 lbs.
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl - Michigan vs. Florida
Game time: 10:00 a.m.
Channel: ABC
Live stream: WatchESPN
No. 14 Michigan comes into this game looking to notch their first bowl game victory since 2012. The health and availability of Michigan quarterback Jake Rudock is their biggest question mark heading into this matchup. He was slammed into the ground on his left shoulder during the Ohio State game and he did not return. However, upon arrival in Orlando this week, he said he does not feel the same limitations he had felt after the injury occurred. Jim Harbaugh landed in Michigan and turned a 5-7 team from the previous season, to a 9-3 football squad with notable wins over Northwestern and BYU (not to mention a punt away from knocking off Michigan State). With losses in all three of their toughest contests, Harbaugh and the Wolverines look to end the season on a positive note.
MICHIGAN DRAFT PROSPECTS:
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#26 Jourdan Lewis, CB, 5'10", 176 lbs.
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#35 Joe Bolden, LB, 6'3", 232 lbs.
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#43 Chris Wormley, DE, 6'5", 300 lbs.
Florida is definitely an overrated, one-dimensional team. Many people fell in love with Gators after they smoked formerly ranked no. 3 Ole Miss, a team that had beat Alabama two weeks before. The Gators offense will limit them tremendously, as they did during the season, so Florida will have to rely on their rigid defense to shoulder most of the work.
FLORIDA DRAFT PROSPECTS:
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#1 Vernon Hargreaves III, CB, 5'11", 199 lbs.
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#90 Jonathon Bullard, DL, 6'3", 283 lbs.
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#20 Marcus Maye, FS, 6'1", 207 lbs.