Welcome back for another day of bowl action. Today is a big win in particular with a couple high profile prospects in action. Pass rusher Myles Garrett and Texas A&M square off against Kansas State at 6 p.m. PT in the Texas Bowl. At 5:30 p.m. PT, Brad Kaaya and the Miami Hurricanes face No. 16 West Virginia in the Russell Athletic Bowl. The 49ers have a desperate need for developmental options at quarterback. Opinions are wildly varied about Kaaya, but he will be a player to watch today and into the draft season process.
Here is a rundown of today’s bowl action. We’ve got top five prospects on both sides of the ball, and then some basic info about each game.
Top five offensive NFL Draft prospects
1. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
2. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
3. Garett Boiles, OT, Utah
4. David Njoku, TE, Miami
5. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh
Top five defensive NFL Draft prospects
1. Myles Garret, DE, Texas A&M
2. Marcus Williams, FS, Utah
3. Justin Evans, SS, Texas A&M
4. Lowell Lotulelei, DT, Utah
5. Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia
Prospect that fits the 49ers
Brad Kaaya is arguably the most pro-ready quarterback in the 2017 NFL Draft. He may not be worth a top five pick, but a trade back wouldn’t be such a bad idea to acquire more picks and get a QB that can play right away.
New Era Pinstripe Bowl: No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern
Date: Wednesday, December 28th
Game Time: 11:00 A.M. PT
Location: Yankee Stadium, New York, NY
TV: ESPN
This game is shaping up to be an offensive shootout, surprisingly. Both of these teams are supposed to be defensive-oriented squads, however that hasn’t been the case this year. Lookout for a high scoring game.
Russell Athletic Bowl: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Miami
Date: Wednesday, December 28th
Game time: 2:30 P.M. PT
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
TV: ESPN
This should be one of the best games of the year. West Virginia is solid on both sides of the ball, as well as Miami. Pro-ready quarterback Brad Kaaya is the X-factor Miami. If he plays well in this game and their underrated defense steps up, the Hurricanes can come out with a win. For the Mountaineers, their defense needs to continue their dominance and shut down the high-flying Miami offense.
Foster Farms Bowl: Indiana vs. No. 19 Utah
Date: Wednesday, December 28th
Game time: 5:30 P.M. PT
Location: Levis Stadium, Santa Clara, California
TV: FOX
Indiana and No. 19 Utah square off at Levi’s Stadium. This is another intriguing matchup between two teams that are good on both offense and defense. Utah will likely pull out the win, but it won’t come easy
Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Kansas State
Date: Wednesday, December 28th
Game time: 6:00 P.M. PT
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: ESPN
Kansas State comes into this game hot, winning five of their last six games following a 3-3 start. The Aggies, however, are not so hot right now, losing three of their last four games after what looked to be a promising season early in the year.