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SALT LAKE CITY — With the final bowl games of the 2023-24 season quickly approaching, here are the top games to watch going into the new year.
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: No. 19 Oregon State vs. No. 16 Notre Dame
Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 at 12 p.m. MST (CBS)
Friday's Sun Bowl will mark the first time since 2004 for Oregon State (8-4) and Notre Dame (9-3) to play against each other. Not only that, but the two teams have only met two times previously with both meetings coming in bowl games. The first in 2000 at the Fiesta Bowl where the Beavers took the victory 41-9 and again in 2004 at the Insight Bowl with another Oregon State win at 38-21. Both teams are facing some major losses from coaches and players as they go into this bowl game. Former Beavers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has opted to enter the transfer portal while quarterback Sam Hartman has chosen to opt out of this game for the Fighting Irish.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 at 6 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Ohio State's (11-1) perfect season was destroyed with a 30-24 loss to Michigan which effectively end their playoff contention. In addition to this loss, which marks the third straight against Wolverines, the Buckeyes will be missing their top two offensive players as quarterback Kyle McCord has entered the transfer portal and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. looks ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Missouri (10-2) ended their season with a three-game winning streak and a 48-14 blowout against Arkansas in the final week. The Tigers will be led by quarterback Brady Cook who has had a solid season after throwing for 3,189 yards, 20 touchdowns, and a pass completion rate of 66.4%.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 at 10 a.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Ole Miss (10-2) and Penn State (10-2) will be facing one another for the first time in program history at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart completed the regular season throwing 2,985 yards for 16 touchdowns and looks to continue off that strong momentum in this matchup. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions have stellar offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu who was awarded the Big Ten Rimington Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award for his outstanding performance this season by allowing no sacks in 324-pass blocking snaps.
Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023 at 2 p.m. MST (ESPN/ESPN+)
Florida State (13-0) and Georgia (12-1) had the College Football Playoff in sight until the decision committee had the final say. The Seminoles had high hopes of playing in one of the semifinal games with their perfect season, but ultimately lost their opportunity partially due to a heartbreaking leg injury sustained by star quarterback Jordan Travis back in November. As the team tries to overcome their loss and anger, they look forward to their second-ever 14-0 season.
Georgia, on the other hand, lost their chance at the Playoff after falling 27-24 to then No. 8 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference title game. The Bulldogs will be marking their 27th consecutive bowl game appearance this weekend, the longest active streak in the nation.
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: No. 23 Liberty vs. No. 8 Oregon
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 at 11 a.m. MST (ESPN)
Oregon (11-2) unfortunately met their match against Washington this season with a two three-point losses to the Huskies. However, quarterback Bo Nix did not let those losses get him down as he led the nation in passing touchdowns with 40 while throwing 4,145 passing yards.
Liberty (13-0) may have had an undefeated 2023 season, but could be partially thanks to the fact that they had the literal weakest schedule in FBS this season. Oregon will be a wake up call to the Flames as they will have to fight tooth and nail to even attempt a win.
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 21 Tennessee
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 at 11 a.m. MST (ABC)
Iowa (10-3) had an impressive season while also making it to the Big Ten championship game; however, they did get blown out by Michigan 26-0 which was their biggest loss of the season. Two Hawkeyes, Tory Taylor and Cooper DeJean, were voted as Unanimous All-American for Taylor's 86 punts with an average of 47.9 yards per punt and DeJean's 46 tackles and two interceptions.
Tennessee (8-4) will be visiting the Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium for the sixth time. The Volunteers will be missing offensive leader and quarterback Joe Milton as he prepares for the NFL Draft which could leave the results of this game up in the air.
CFB Semifinal at the Rose Bowl: No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 at 3 p.m. MST (ESPN)
After surprising the nation with the final pick for the Playoff, Alabama (12-1) looks forward to yet another CFB appearance. This is only the sixth meeting between these two storied programs with the most recent matchup being at the Citrus Bowl in 2020 where Alabama secured the victory 35-16. Michigan (13-0) has yet to truly make their mark in the CFP era of college football, with last year's devastating loss to TCU which was proceeded by a blowout loss to Georgia the year before.
CFB Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl: No. 3 Texas vs. No. 2 Washington
Monday, Jan. 1, 2024 at 6:45 p.m. MST (ESPN)
Washington (13-0) hopes to continue their perfect season in what will be their second appearance in the College Football Playoff. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was the Heisman Runner-up as he put up stellar numbers across the board including 4,218 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and two marquee wins against Oregon. Texas (12-1) holds what may be the most impressive win in college football this year—a 10 point victory in Tuscaloosa. This game will likely be a high scoring affair, as both teams average over 36 points per game.
Texas leads the all-time series 3-2, with the most recent game coming in the 2001 Holiday Bowl in which the Longhorns defeated the Huskies.
