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SALT LAKE CITY — After a long, suspenseful college football season, make sure to catch these bowl games before the New Year's Six games roll around.
Starco Brands LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. MST (ABC/ESPN+)
Mountain West Champions Boise State (8-4) finished the regular season by winning five of their last six games with an average of 24 points per game. Under the direction of new coach, Spencer Danielson, the Broncos seem to have stepped up their performance at the tail of the season and will enter this bowl game hot; however, Boise State will be missing their quarterback Taylen Green as he is transferring to Arkansas.
UCLA (7-5) is not coming off the best end to their 2023 season after losing three of their last four games. Despite these unfortunate losses, the Bruins have one of the best defenses in the country ranking second in the Pac-12 for scoring defense at 18.1 per game just behind Oregon at 17.3. Maybe UCLA will have more fans at this bowl game than their regular season games since, interestingly enough, SoFi stadium is closer to campus than Rose Bowl Stadium.
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: California vs. Texas Tech
Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023 at 7:15 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Cal (6-6) is coming off a strong win against foes UCLA to end their average season. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza had a decent start for his freshman season by completing 62.4% of his passes for 1,447 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Texas Tech (6-6) tied for seventh in the Big 12 with Kansas and concluded their regular season with a devastating 57-7 loss to Texas. The Red Raider's quarterback Behren Morton heads the offense with a 62% completion rate of passes totaling 1,498 yards, but he is not alone as running back Tahj Brooks has contributed a total of 1,443 yards on 268 carries.
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. UCF
Friday, Dec. 22, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Georgia Tech (6-6) will be playing in their first bowl game since 2018 when they played in the Quick Lane Bowl against Minnesota and lost 34-10. The Yellow Jackets had a very inconsistent 2023 season with their only consecutive wins coming against North Carolina and Virginia.
UCF (6-6) finished 9th in their inaugural season as members of the Big 12. The Knights had a tough run in the middle of the regular season with a five game losing streak; however, they did have some marquee wins including a 45-3 blowout over Oklahoma State.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Georgia State vs. Utah State
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Georgia State (6-6) became bowl eligible early on in the season with a 6-1 start, but, as one can presume from their ending record, they quickly fell off into a five game losing streak to end the regular season.
Utah State (6-6) on the other hand, had a solid end to their regular season with a 44-41 double-overtime win against New Mexico. Quarterback Cooper Legas threw for 1,815 yards completing 64.8%
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Northwestern
Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. MST (ABC/ESPN+)
Utah (8-4) had a hot start to the season, but ended the regular season fifth in the Pac-12 after multiple injuries across the team. With one of those injuries coming to quarterback Bryson Barnes, there are hopes that he will be returning to the field for this game.
Even though this will only be the fourth time these two teams have met, Northwestern (7-5) holds the record 3-1 in the series with Utah's only win coming in 1981. The Wildcats' offense this season might have a difficult time staying ahead of the Utes as Northwestern ranks No. 121 in total offense in the nation.
Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas vs. UNLV
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023 at 7 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
With Kansas (8-4) backup quarterback Jason Bean stepping in halfway through the season and throwing 1,681 yards, there are high hopes for a win. However, the Jayhawks recently lost their offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to Penn State which means they are scrambling for a plan before the game. This program is certainly hungry for a bowl game win as their last victory came in the 2008 Insight Bowl, and last year their hopes to end this drought were crushed in a triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl.
UNLV (9-4) had a five game winning streak during the regular season and eventually lost in the Mountain West Championship. The Rebels have only appeared in five bowl games in program history, with their last appearance coming in a 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl loss to North Texas.
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl: No. 15 Louisville vs. USC
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023 at 6 p.m. MST (FOX)
Following what was a mostly disappointing season, the Trojans (7-5) will be tasked with playing the ACC runner-ups, the Louisville Cardinals (10-3). Due to the opt-out decisions by USC star quarterback Caleb Williams and other key players, most expect Louisville to come out victorious.
Despite averaging 30.9 points per game this season, Louisville only managed 6 points in the ACC championship game against Florida State. The Cardinals will hope to get their offense back into form in this game.
Due to the 2020 demolition of the Holiday Bowl's historic home, San Diego Stadium, this game will be played at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.
TaxAct Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State
Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023 at 7 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Oklahoma State (9-4), whose appearance in the Big 12 championship may have come as a surprise because of their slower start to the season, will face old friend Texas A&M (7-5) at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Aggies will start quarterback Jaylen Henderson, as Conner Weigman is out for the year and Max Johnson has transferred to UNC. Henderson proved to be an offensive threat the last two games where he threw for 554 yards on a 71% completion rate.
The Cowboys' chances will ride on the play of Doak Walker Award winner, Ollie Gordon. The nation's leader in rushing yards has been a stronghold for this somewhat unpredictable Oklahoma State team. Texas A&M is in a bit of a transition state as they let go of head coach Jimbo Fisher last month and will not have the benefit of receiver Ainias Smith for this game as he prepares to enter the NFL Draft. With all the uncertainties between these two teams, there should be an exciting finish in this one.
Pop-Tarts Bowl: No. 18 NC State vs. No. 25 Kansas State
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 at 3:45 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Kansas State (8-4) will debut quarterback Avery Johnson in this matchup against NC State (9-3) as quarterbacks Will Howard, Adryan Lara, and Jake Rubely all enter the transfer portal. In addition to the quarterback change, the Wildcats' offense should be interesting to watch with offensive line coach Conor Riley taking the helm as interim offensive coordinator as Collin Klein will leave to join Mike Elko's new staff at Texas A&M. NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong has been solid for the Wolfpack this season, and although he hasn't had as strong of numbers as he has had previously in his career, the talent is certainly there. This will be the first meeting ever between these two teams.
Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 12 Oklahoma
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 at 7:15 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
In their first bowl game in six years, Arizona (9-3) enters the postseason on a six game winning streak. Oklahoma will be without star quarterback Dillon Gabriel, as he will transfer to Oregon. In his place, 5-star freshman Jackson Arnold will get the start. In the few snaps he has taken this season, he has thrown for 202 yards on 75% completion. This game should prove to be a thrilling one, as both teams are used to putting up high point totals with the Wildcats averaging 34 points per game and the Sooners averaging 43.
