Football Bowl Season: Let the Games Begin

It's the most wonderful time of the year - College Bowl Season! Over the next three+ weeks, prop your feet up, get the popcorn out, and enjoy 41 bowl games plus the National Championship Game!

"It's the most wonderful time of the year, with bowl teams footballing, and everyone telling you be of good cheer, it's the most wonderful time of the year."

"It's the hap-happiest season of all, with those college teams meeting, and spectators tweeting, when football fans call, it's the hap-happiest season of all."

College Bowl Season is here! For the next three weeks, fans will have a plethora of football games to enjoy. There are so many games this year, it will take you three weeks just to understand the difference between a Gasparilla and a Camellia. Or why favorite eats like Cheez-It and Tony the Tiger cereal get a football game in their honor.

This year, there's a 41 bowl games featuring 82 teams plus the National Championship Game. The first games started today, December 17. And the championship game will be on January 9- three weeks of college football bliss!

On Friday, December 16, there are two games followed by six more on Saturday, December 17. The first game, the Bahamas Bowl, ended in a dramatic fashion with UAB holding on to a 24-20 win. The game ended with Miami (Ohio) coming up one yard short of the go-ahead touchdown. 

Here is a look, though, at the rest of the opening weekend's games:

All times are Eastern Standard Time.

Duluth Trading Cure Bowl: No. 24 Troy (11-2) vs. No. 25 UTSA (11-2)

Friday, December 16, 3:00 p.m., ESPN
Exploria Stadium (Orlando, FL); Line: UTSA -3

This will be the first-ever meeting between these schools. Both schools have won ten straight games. The only FBS teams with longer win streaks are Georgia (15)  and Michigan (13). Troy last played in a bowl game in 2018. They are 2-29 against AP-Top 25 teams, with the last win coming against LSU in 2017. This is the third straight bowl game for UTSA and its fourth overall. The Roadrunners have yet to win a bowl game. Could their first come in the land of magic? 

Wasabi Fenway Bowl: Louisville (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (9-3)

Saturday, December. 17, 11:00 a.m., ESPN
Fenway Park (Boston, MA); Line: Louisville -2.0

We referred to this game earlier this week as the Awkward Bowl. Cincinnati's coach, Luke Fickell, left to take the job at Wisconsin. Cincy then hired Scott Satterfield, Louisville's head coach, the day after both teams accepted offers to this bowl.  These two teams once were conference mates (AAC, C-USA, and Big East) but haven't met since 2013 in the Teddy Bridgewater era. Cincinnati holds a 30-22-1 all-team series lead. The last eight games between these two have been decided by eight points or less.

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl: Florida (6-6) vs. No. 14 Oregon State (9-3)

Saturday, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, NV); Line: Oregon State -8.5

This is the first time these two Power 5 teams have met. It's also the first time for Florida to appear in the Las Vegas Bowl. Oregon State has appeared in this bowl two other times. In 2003, they beat New Mexico by 41 points, which remains the largest margin of victory in bowl history. Oregon State is 0-12 in its last 12 games against an SEC team. Florida starting quarterback Jack Miller III will be taking his first snaps as a Gator after suffering a preseason injury that had him not see any action after transferring from Ohio State. 

Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl: Washington State (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-4)

Saturday, December 17, 3:30 p.m., ABC
SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, CA); Line: Fresno State -4.0

These two teams have met four times previously, but have not met since 1994 when Washington State won in Fresno 24-3. It will be the first time the two teams have met in a bowl game. Fresno State has won its last three bowl games and has scored at least 30 points in each game. That ties a current streak with Air Force, Wyoming, and Duke. Washington State is 2-6 all time in bowl games played in California. They are 6-3 in bowl games not played in California. 

LendingTree Bowl: Southern Miss (6-6) vs. Rice (5-7)

Saturday, Dec. 17, 5:45 p.m., ESPN
Hancock Whitney Stadium (Mobile, AL); Line: Southern Miss -6.5

For 17 seasons, these two teams were conference mates in the C-USA until Southern Miss moved to the Sun Belt Conference this season. Over those 17 years, the two teams met 12 times, each winning six of them. This is Southern Miss' 19th bowl game since joining C-USA in 1996. Among non-Power 5 teams over that duration, only BYU (21), Boise State (20),and Notre Dame (20) have more bowl game appearances. 

PUBG New Mexico Bowl: BYU (7-5) vs. SMU (7-5)

Saturday, December 17, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
University Stadium (Albuquerque, NM); SMU -3.5

If you are betting on this game, you might want to take the over. Both of these teams have explosive offenses. SMU averaged 38.4 points per game, best in the AAC. They also averaged 479.8 yards per game, second in the AAC. BYU, in its last three games, averaged 39.3 points per game and 450 total yards. BYU is 3-0 all time over SMU. This will be the second time the teams have met in a bowl game. The last bowl game was in 1980 when Jim McMahon had to lead his team from 20 points down to beat SMU 46-45.

Frisco Bowl: Boise State (9-4) vs. North Texas (7-6)

Saturday, December 17, 9:15 p.m., ESPN
Toyota Stadium (Frisco, TX); Line: Boise State -10.5

If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with no plans on Saturday night, this might be the place to go. The Frisco Bowl is always an exciting time, and this game could live up to that reputation. Boise State is hoping to end its season with double-digit wins, while UNT is dealing with a sudden coaching change. These two teams have met six times overall, and the series is tied at 3-3. The Broncos defeated the Mean Green 59-0 in their last meeting back in the 2000 season.

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