Cnotes All You Need To Know About 2016 - 2917 College Bowl Season Picks-Trends- Stats !

Opening Line Report - Bowls
December 4, 2016


There was plenty of drama in Columbus, State College and Seattle shortly after noon Eastern on Sunday. The College Football Playoff committee announced this year’s invites and the Penn State Nittany Lions were left disappointed.


As expected and deserved, unbeaten Alabama was named the No. 1 seed. The Crimson Tide rolled past Florida for a 54-16 win as a 24-point favorite at the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta on Saturday night.


By virtue of its 35-28 win over Virginia Tech at Saturday night’s ACC Championship Game, Clemson moved up one spot to the No. 2 seed. With that development, there were many anxious moments on the Ohio State campus.


The Buckeyes were off on Saturday because Penn State won the Big Ten East thanks to its head-to-head win over Ohio State. James Franklin’s team won the Big Ten Championship Game by rallying from a 28-7 deficit to beat Wisconsin 38-31 as a three-point underdog in Indianapolis. The Nittany Lions have won nine in a row while covering the spread at an 8-0-1 clip.


Was the committee going to place the two-loss Big Ten champs in the CFP ahead of the Buckeyes, who lost just once at Beaver Stadium? The answer came in as a ‘no’ when Ohio State’s name came on the screen in the No. 3 spot.


Then the last question was, Washington or PSU? Chris Petersen’s team closed its resume in style by blasting Colorado 41-10 at Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game in Santa Clara.


The committee went with the Huskies, who will face Alabama at the Ga. Dome in Atlanta on New Year’s Eve. Most books opened the Crimson Tide as a 14-point favorite. There was no total late Sunday afternoon, but William Hill had the UW at +700 on the money line (risk $100 to win $700).


When listed as an underdog of 7.5 points or more during Petersen’s three-year tenure at Washington, the Huskies are 4-2 against the spread (ATS) with one outright victory. Alabama is a double-digit favorite for the 13th time this year. Nick Saban’s squad has compiled an 8-4 spread record in 12 such spots.


The other semifinal matchup will take place in Glendale, where Clemson and Ohio State will square off. Most books opened the Buckeyes as three-point favorites, with the Tigers +130 on the money line.


These schools met at the Orange Bowl in January of 2014 to close out Urban Meyer’s second season in Columbus. Dabo Swinney’s team captured a 40-35 win as a 2.5-point underdog.


With New Year’s Day falling on a Sunday this year, three of the New Year’s Six bowl games will be on Monday, Jan. 2. Florida and Iowa will face each other in Tampa at 1:00 p.m. ET. There was no line yet late Sunday, but I anticipate the Gators being short favorites. I’ll say UF -4.


These teams have met three times in the postseason. UF beat the Hawkeyes 14-6 at the 1984 Gator Bowl. They’ve already met twice at the Outback Bowl. When Ron Zook was coaching the Gators, Iowa smashed them by a 37-17 count. Then in 2006, UF beat Iowa 31-24.


Western Michigan, the only other team that’s still unbeaten besides Alabama, will collide with Wisconsin at the Cotton Bowl. A few offshore books had the Badgers as seven or 7.5-point favorites.


I feel like this number is short. I made Paul Chryst’s team an 11-point ‘chalk.’ One think to monitor with the Broncos, who slipped past Ohio 29-23 in the MAC Championship Game on Friday night, is whether or not head coach P.J. Fleck becomes a candidate for another job in the coming days or weeks.


In what’s the most intriguing bowl game outside of the CFP, a pair of red-hot squads will collide at the Rose Bowl. Southern Cal will take on Penn State in Pasadena. A number of offshores were listing the Trojans as 6.5 or seven-point favorites. I fell like that a tad high, as I made USC -5. My total is 57.5 points.


Oklahoma will return to the Sugar Bowl to meet Auburn at the Superdome in the primetime slot. Most offshore shops had the Sooners installed as 5.5-point ‘chalk.’ They return to New Orleans for the first time since beating a third-ranked Alabama team 45-31 as 15-point underdogs in January of 2014.


Auburn owns a 3-1 spread record in four games as an underdog this year, while OU has posted a 2-0 spread record as a single-digit favorite.


The other New Year’s Six game is the Orange Bowl in Miami, where Michigan will face Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium. The Westgate SuperBook opened the Wolverines as seven-point favorites.


All of the other bowl games were also announced Sunday. The list for Dec. 30 includes Georgia vs. TCU (Liberty in Memphis), North Carolina vs. Stanford (Sun, El Paso), South Alabama vs. Air Force (Arizona, Tucson) and Nebraska vs. Tennessee (Music City, Nashville).


Before the CFP games on New Year’s Eve, there are a pair of afternoon games. I love the matchup of LSU vs. Louisville at 11:00 a.m. ET when these schools collide at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.


LSU does have several key players listed as ‘questionable’ due to injuries, including star LB Kendell Beckwith (knee) and WR Travin Dural. There’s also the situation with Leonard Fournette, who is expected to play but with his Draft status and the presence of stud Derrius Guice, you have to wonder how much Fournette will play.


Kentucky and Georgia Tech also meet at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on ESPN. This is the first postseason appearance for the Wildcats on Mark Stoops’s watch.

Drop out of CFP leaves Wolverines with sour taste
December 6, 2016


Dropping two of its last three games sent Michigan spiraling from a spot in the College Football Playoffs to unhappy outsiders.


The Wolverines finished sixth in the final CFP rankings and instead of the playoff party, that placement sends them to the Orange Bowl against Florida State on Dec. 30.


But Michigan (10-2) had higher aspirations and being upset at Iowa was the first defeat that torpedoed its campaign. A season-ending loss at Ohio State that was billed as a CFP elimination game proved to be just that as the Buckeyes are part of the field.


The Orange Bowl might be a sweet consolation under most circumstances but it had a sour taste on Sunday's bowl announcement day.


"It's disappointing, it is," senior tight end Jake Butt told reporters. "But again, you've got to remind yourself that we put ourselves in that position. We had plenty of opportunities to change outcomes. The season was in our hands, and we didn't get done what we needed to get done."


A 9-0 start had players and coaches feeling that a playoff spot was a mere formality. But the failure to take care of business left the Wolverines pointing fingers -- at themselves.


"We put ourselves in this position to leave it up to other people," sophomore quarterback Wilton Speight told reporters. "Four points away from sitting here in front of you guys undefeated. It's tough, but at the same time we've got a lot to prove and we can really make a statement in Miami."


This marks the third meeting between the Wolverines and Seminoles with the teams splitting the previous two. The most recent matchup was in 1991.


Florida State (9-3) is led by star junior running back Dalvin Cook (1,620 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns) and averages 35.2 points per game. The defense gives up an average of 24.4 points, and has a star attraction in sophomore cornerback Tarvarus McFadden, who is tied for the national lead with eight interceptions.


The Seminoles are just three years removed from being national champions and remain one of the biggest names in college football. They definitely have the attention of the Michigan players despite the disappointment of the bowl destination.


"I know what this win could mean for us if we get the win," Butt said. "Playing a great team like Florida State, I'm really excited about that. I'm not really focusing on how hard it is or what could have been. I'm just focused on winning this game."


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--QB Wilton Speight is battling a sore left collarbone but the break between the regular-season finale against Ohio State and the Orange Bowl will give him time to heal. The sophomore wasn't on his game in the regular-season finale against the Buckeyes as he rushed his way back on to the field and he tossed two of his six interceptions in that game. Speight was a third-team All-Big Ten choice while passing for 2,375 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first season as a starter and will have to know the whereabouts of Florida State cornerback Tarvarus McFadden, who won the Jack Tatum Award as the nation's top defensive back.


--TE Jake Butt was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for the second consecutive season and is a finalist for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation's top tight end. The senior caught 43 receptions for 518 yards and holds the school career marks for a tight end of 135 catches and 1,618 yards. Butt can be counted on when Michigan needs a big reception as 29 of his catches went for first downs.


--OLB Jabrill Peppers compiled 16 tackles for losses and his spectacular versatility led him to be named a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. The sophomore was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year by recording 72 total tackles, four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble. He is one of the nation's top return specialists -- averaging 26.0 on kickoffs, 14.8 with one touchdown on punts -- and his role on offense (167 rushing yards, three scores) keeps evolving.


--CB Jourdan Lewis was named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and also is a finalist for the Thorpe Award, which is awarded to the nation's top defensive back. The senior allowed just eight receptions during the regular season while breaking up 12 passes. Lewis intercepted only two passes and will be aiming to add to that total against Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois, who was picked off just six times in 373 attempts.

Western Michigan finishes dream season in Cotton Bowl
December 6, 2016


Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck is no stranger to overcoming odds or beating established teams. Coming out of Sugar Grove, Ill., Fleck earned a scholarship to Northern Illinois. Then-NIU coach Joe Novak decided to offer Fleck a scholarship over the objection of most of his staff members.


Four years later, in 2003, Fleck was involved in a memorable photo, pointing to his NIU helmet after the Huskies defeated Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Yes, the Alabama Crimson Tide.


Thirteen years later, Fleck is the driving engine behind No. 12 Western Michigan earning a berth in the Cotton Bowl against No. 8 Wisconsin.


Dreams do certainly come true. On Jan. 7, Fleck displayed a Cotton Bowl logo on a screen for his players to see, serving as a motivation to be the Group of 5 champion. The Broncos defeated Ohio 29-23 in the Mid-American Conference Championship game. The Broncos, adopting Fleck's Row the Boat mantra, will be heading to Arlington, Texas with finishing undefeated as their main goal. Fleck, in his fourth year, guided the Broncos from a 1-11 mark in his first season to a 13-0 record.


"Who would have thought that here we are accepting a bid to the Cotton Bowl 10 months later," Fleck said. "It's pretty amazing to really kind of see it in full force and really pan out the way hit has. It's a credit to our players."


Many things happened in the final weekend to make Fleck's vision become a reality. The Broncos received some help when Navy lost to Temple, helping the Broncos edge out a number of one- and-two-loss Group of 5 teams for their at-large berth.


"We're the best Group of 5 team in the country," Fleck said. "We didn't lose a game. Whoever they put on our schedule, we beat. There's two undefeated teams in the country -- us and Alabama -- and there is no argument."


With wins over Northwestern and Illinois on the road, the Broncos hope to cap the best season in school history with win No. 14. Western Michigan is only the second MAC program to earn a New Year's Six or BCS bid. Fleck's alma mater, Northern Illinois, lost to Florida State in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2013.


"If you go undefeated in sports, it's very special, no matter what," Fleck said. "To go undefeated takes a ton of resolve, resilience, energy, commitment, trust and belief."


Still, the odds are stacked against the Broncos. The Badgers (10-3) nearly won the Big Ten title, but Penn State stormed back in the second half to knock off Wisconsin. The Badgers do own big wins over LSU, Nebraska and Iowa and battled highly ranked Ohio State to overtime and lost by seven points at Michigan.


Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, a 1,000-yard rusher, is one of the best backs the Broncos have faced in the past few years. The Broncos will look to make the Badgers a one-dimensional team, applying pressure to the quarterback duo of Alex Hornibrook and Bart Houston. The Badgers are not a high-scoring team, with WMU quarterback Zach Terrell and wide receiver Corey Davis one of the best combinations in the country.


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH


--QB Zach Terrell, a redshirt senior, headlines WMU's explosive offense with pinpoint passing and making sure to throw many passes in the direction of senior wide receiver Corey Davis. Terrell has to avoid throwing interceptions and targeting Davis at all costs. Davis has caught 91 passes for 1,427 yards, but Wisconsin's secondary is athletic and has the ability to contain Davis.


--WR Corey Davis is a big-play threat who is one of the top players in the country, regardless of conference. Davis averages 15.7 yards per catch and hauled in 18 touchdowns. How Davis shapes up against Wisconsin's secondary of Sojourn Shelton, D'Cota Dixon and Derrick Tindal is a key element.


--RB Jarvion Franklin headlines a trio of talented backs that Western Michigan's offense relies on. Franklin leads the team with 1,300 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. The Broncos can't rely on the passing game alone to beat Wisconsin. Moving the ball on the ground is essential, starting with Franklin.


--LB Robert Spillane tops the Broncos with 105 tackles. His play in the middle is key. He has three interceptions and four quarterback hurries. He's all over the field, and must not allow Wisconsin running back Corey Clement to break free for long gains.

Alamo Bowl bound Buffaloes happy to go bowling again
December 6, 2016


After missing out on bowl games since 2007, Colorado was just happy to be invited to a postseason party this year.


Yet amid the excitement of being invited to the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma State, there was some disappointment that the Buffaloes did not get into a bigger bowl.


At 10-2, Colorado was ranked No. 9 in the College Football playoff last week giving it a longshot chance of reaching the playoff if it had beaten Washington in the Pac-12 Conference title game on Friday night. However, a 41-10 loss not only ended that possibility, it also wiped away Colorado's hope of making the Rose Bowl when USC jumped one spot ahead of the Buffaloes at No. 9 to earn a match-up with Penn State in Pasadena.


"They will bounce back," Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre said. "They are resilient and we will get them going. They will be excited about playing in a bowl game. None of them have ever been in a bowl game so it will be exciting for them."


No. 10 Colorado (10-3) accepted an invitation to play No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-3) in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29.


"We're excited to play in the Valero Alamo Bowl," MacIntyre said. "San Antonio is a tremendous town. It's a fun, fun town and they love football there. We'll play our first Big 12 opponent since leaving. It'll be a heck of a game."


Colorado and Oklahoma State were longtime rivals in the Big 12 who last played in 2009. Two years later, Colorado moved to the Pac-12 Conference.


The Buffaloes have an all-time-record of 26-19-1 against the Cowboys, but Oklahoma State won the last two matchups.


The match-up with the Cowboys features one of the Pac-12's top defenses against one of the top offenses in the Big 12


Oklahoma State ranks third in the conference in scoring offense with 38.7 points per game while ranking second with 322.8 passing yards per game. Colorado allowed 18.8 points per game to rank second in the Pac-12 while having the top pass defense that allows 187.8 yards per game through the air.


Colorado should have success running the ball against Oklahoma State, which gives up an average of 204.4 yards per game on the ground. Led by 1,000-yard rusher Phillip Lindsay, Colorado is averaging 201.1 yards per game on the ground.


Colorado did not qualify for a bowl game in each of the past eight seasons, but will return to the postseason for the first time since it lost to Alabama, 30-24, in the 2007 Independence Bowl. After winning just two conference games in MacIntyre's first three years at the school, Colorado had eight this year.


"These seniors and fourth-year juniors brought Colorado football back," MacIntyre told the Pac-12 Network after the loss to Washington. "They rose out of the ashes and made us great again. To win seven games, that has only been done 10 times at Colorado."


The Buffaloes are coming off one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent college football after going 10-3, including an 8-1 record in Pac-12 play to win the South Division. It's three losses came against Michigan, USC, and Washington, three schools in the Top 10 of the final CFP poll.


"An 11th win would be awesome and put this team in the conversation with the best teams in program history," MacIntyre said.


Colorado finished 11th in the Associated Press poll, its highest mark at the end of the regular season since 2001.


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--RB Phillip Lindsay has 47 catches on the season to break the school record for most catches by a running back of 45 set by Rodney Stewart in 2011. He has 17 touchdowns, including 16 on the ground, for a total of 102 points that ranks sixth in single-season history for CU and the most at the school since 2002. The junior ranks third in school history with 3,953 all-purpose yards and 13th in rushing at 2,233. He was held to 53 rushing yards in the loss to Washington and that has been a trend this season. CU has not run for 100 yards in any of its three losses and will likely need to get over the century mark to beat Oklahoma State.


--QB Sefo Liufau was injured and ineffective in the loss to Washington in the Pac-12 championship game. He missed most of the first half due to an injury, but returned in the second half to finish with three interceptions to go with three completions for 21 yards. The senior holds the school career records with 10,509 yards of total offense and 9,568 passing yards. He should be back to full strength for the bowl game and CU will need him to be more effective than he was against Washington to have a shot at beating Oklahoma State.


--LB Kenneth Olugbode had a career-high 19 tackles in the loss to Washington including six solo tackles and one-half sack. He leads the team with 135 tackles on the season. The senior also led the Buffs in tackles two years ago with 83. He earned honorable mention, all-Pac-12 honors and will need to be stout against Oklahoma State to give the Buffaloes a chance to win the Alamo Bowl.


--DB Ryan Moeller earned first-team, all-conference honors on special teams. The junior has nine tackles, including six solo, on special teams to rank second on the team. He also made eight starts as a nickel back and registered 45 tackles, including nine in the Pac-12 championship game against Washington. Special teams could be a big part of the Alamo Bowl and Moeller was voted as the conference's best player on those units as he looks to keep Oklahoma State from getting any big plays in the return game

Rosy finish for Trojans after rough start
December 6, 2016

USC, with three losses, was never in the discussion for the College Football Playoff. In fact, the Trojans wouldn't have made the playoff even if it featured eight teams and not just four.


But, know this, nobody wants to play USC right now.


The Trojans ended the season on an eight-game winning streak, and although they fell one game short of winning the Pac-12 South, they were chosen ahead of the Buffaloes to represent the league in the Rose Bowl after league champ Washington earned a No. 4 seed in the playoff.


USC (9-3) will play Big Ten champion Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.


The Nittany Lions, which were No. 5 in the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings are mighty hot, too, making this, arguably, the best of the non-semifinal matchups. Penn State (11-2) is one-up on USC in that it has a nine-game winning streak that includes a home victory over Ohio State and a 38-31 triumph over Wisconsin in the league title game.


So, each team has a similar comeback story this season, led by coaches -- USC with Clay Helton and Penn State with James Franklin -- who were considered to be on varying degree of hot seats back in September. The Trojans started 1-3, starting with a 52-6 blowout loss to Alabama in Arlington, Texas. They lost their first two conference games -- at Stanford and at Utah.


"You know, when we started 0-2, we have talked about, we kind of went into playoff football mode," Helton said.


"We understood that being able to do something special throughout the season that we were going to have to go on a run and go on a run in conference. And to be able to win seven straight conference games, eight total for the second season in a row, along with that Notre Dame game, put us in this position to play in a very, very special game."


For USC, the turning point coincided with the insertion of redshirt freshman Sam Darnold into the starting lineup in the fourth game. Although USC lost to the Utes 31-27, it was more because of a defense that allowed a touchdown in the final seconds.


Since that game, the Darnold-led offense has racked up at least 400 yards in each game, with the Trojans beating opponents by an average of 20.5 points during their winning streak.


USC -- ninth in the selection committee rankings -- will be making its first Rose Bowl appearance since after the 2009 game, when it played ... Penn State.


Soon after, each program went through tough times because of NCAA sanctions and scholarship limitations. The NCAA punished USC over illegal benefits to running back Reggie Bush; Penn State was hit because of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual-abuse scandal.


Now, it's all Roses again.


"Credit to our players and credit to what they've accomplished," Helton said. "These are the things that you dream about as a little kid."

NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--RB Ronald Jones II, after an early rib injury and often playing behind Justin Davis, came on strong in the second half of the season. He rushed for 1,027 in the regular season, with 742 yards coming in the final five games. He has the kind of explosive skills that Penn State saw in the Big Ten title game, when Wisconsin's Corey Clement ran for 164 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown.


--CB Adoree Jackson is in any discussion of the most electric players in college football. He scored on a 55-yard punt return, a 52-yard pass and a 97-yard kick return against Notre Dame, in addition to breaking up two passes. He usually hasn't seen more than a couple of plays on offense in as game this season (if at all), but the junior is likely off to the NFL after this, so it might be a case of "anything goes."


--WR JuJu Smith-Schuster is another USC junior who seems likely to declare for the NFL Draft. Smith-Schuster will be a big test for a Penn State secondary, which is the most vulnerable part of the Nittany Lions' defense, especially because the Trojans have so many other targets that bear watching. Smith-Schuster was dealing with a hip-pointer late in the season, so the time off will serve him well.


--LB Cameron Smith, a sophomore, has a team-high 79 tackles, including seven for loss, and he's known to be a super run-stuffer. We'll see how he holds up on those inside runs by Penn State RB Saquon Barkley, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Tigers, Cardinals meet for first time ever
December 6, 2016


At the beginning of the season a trip to the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl would have been considered a huge disappointment for LSU.


Now that the bowl pairings have been finalized, that destination for the Tigers Dec. 31 match-up with Louisville (11 a.m. CST) in Orlando, Fla., still isn't exactly what LSU had in mind, but all in all it'll do.


That's because a tumultuous season that began with a 2-2 start that knocked the Tigers way down the bowl pecking order and led to the firing of coach Les Miles was followed by a fresh start under interim coach-turned new head coach Ed Orgeron. Under Orgeron, LSU was rejuvenated, went 5-2 and his hiring was well received within the team.


The Tigers came up a bit short against the two best teams they faced under Orgeron -- Alabama (10-0) and Florida (16-10) -- but they won each of the other five games by double figures, including a 38-10 victory at Arkansas, a 38-21 victory over Ole Miss and a 54-39 win at Texas A&M in the regular-season finale.


Now a chance to face No. 13 Louisville (9-3, 7-1 in the ACC) and quarterback Lamar Jackson -- the ACC Player of the Year and a Heisman Trophy finalist -- gives No. 20 LSU (7-4, 6-3 SEC) a chance to add a win against a highly ranked team and use it as a springboard into recruiting and the rest of the offseason.


"I'm excited for our seniors, the guys that pulled together," Orgeron said. "This is going to be a fun trip, an exciting trip."


This is the first time LSU and Louisville have met in football.


Jackson has run for more than 1,500 yards, thrown for more than 3,300 yards and has accounted for 51 touchdowns.


"Dynamic," Orgeron said of Jackson. "The last guy I've seen like that was called Michael Vick."


The LSU defense ranks 13th in yards per game (323) and sixth in scoring (16.4 points per game). It has allowed the second-fewest touchdowns (16) in the country.


"Tremendous challenge," Orgeron said. "I like (defensive coordinator) Dave Aranda in all our challenges. I like our defense. I know Lamar Jackson and the offense is going to pose problems, but it's something that we'll be able to do. We have a very good defense."


Aranda is in his first season after coming over from Wisconsin and already he has been rewarded with a new three-year contract, which includes a raise and the title of associate head coach, sources told NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune.


The deal is for between $1.8 and $1.9 million, according to a report by Foxsports.com, which says Aranda, 40, is believed to be the highest-paid coordinator in the country.


Aranda got a one-year extension in the new deal. His original contract paid him $1.3 million in 2016.

NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--RB Leonard Fournette will all but be playing his final game at LSU, if his sore ankle allows him to. He has been slowed all season by the injury, but the five weeks between the end of the regular season and the bowl game could leave him healthy enough to play. He was considered one of the top Heisman Trophy contenders before getting hurt and in his finale, if healthy, he will be looking to show what could have been had he been healthy all along.


--RB Derrius Guice has been mostly what Fournette was supposed to have been when he has filled in and the Tigers have found ways to keep both involved when Fournette has been available. When LSU has been successful it has been because of the way it has run with Fournette or Guice or both. The Tigers hope to be able to get both rolling in this game and send Fournette to the NFL on a high note and also show the future is still bright with Guice.


--LB Duke Riley will be a busy man to trying to keep an eye on Louisville's elite dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson. With ILB Kendell Beckwith, the Tigers leading tackler, out because of a knee injury, Riley takes on an even bigger role than usual.


--OLB Arden Key is back after being suspended for the regular-season finale against Texas A&M because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He leads the team with 10 sacks and he will be an important player in the Tigers attempts to disrupt Jackson.

Runners prominent in Pinstripe Bowl
December 6, 2016


New York's Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium looks to feature a duel of running backs when Pittsburgh and Northwestern meet on Dec. 28.


Each team goes into the game with a 1,000-yard rusher with junior running back James Conner leading the 22nd-ranked Panthers (8-4) with 1,060 yards and junior running back Justin Jackson leading the unranked Wildcats (6-6) with 1,300.


It is one of 14 bowls that have a 1,000-yard rusher on each team.


It's kind of appropriate since the last time the two teams met back in 1973 Tony Dorsett rushed for 265 yards for their Panthers in a 21-14 victory that tied the series at 3-3.


Conner and Jackson also have figured in their team's passing game as well.


Jackson, who ranks in a tie for 23rd in the FBS in rushing, has caught 33 passes for 210 yards. Conner, who is 46th in rushing, has 20 receptions for 299 yards. He has scored four times on receptions, but Jackson has yet to record a touchdown reception.


And they will be going up against pretty good run defenses, at least statistically. Pittsburgh's run defense has held opponents to under 109 yards a game and ranks ninth in the country in the category. Northwestern has yielded just over 136 yards a game and ranks 32nd.


That could leave things up to the respective quarterbacks. They both have completion percentages under the 60-percent threshold, but will be throwing against somewhat soft pass defenses.


Northwestern has yielded nearly 265 yards a game to opposing quarterbacks, Pittsburgh a whopping 343.


Wildcats sophomore Clayton Thorson, who has completed 58.1 percent of his attempts for 247 yards a game, may have a slight advantage over Pitt's Nathan Peterman.


Peterman has a similar completion percentage (59.7) and has come on strong down the stretch to average just under 217 yards a game, but his top target, wide receiver Jester Weah, has only 34 receptions for 795 yards and nine scores.


Northwestern wide receiver Austin Carr has had a breakout year with 1,196 yards (15th best among FBS receivers) on 84 catches (a 7.0 average that ranks in a tie for 13th) with 12 touchdowns (tied for 12th).


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--RB James Conner recorded a third-career 1,000-yard season when he finished the regular season by rushing for 115 rushing against Syracuse, giving him a season-total of 1,060 yards. He topped the 100-yard mark in six games, including four of the last five outings. In addition to his 14 rushing touchdowns, he also had four scores on receptions.


--WR Quadree Henderson gives the Panthers a big-play threat in the running game as well as being the team's No. 3 receiver with 23 catches for 241 yards. Henderson rushed for 555 yards five touchdowns on just 54 carries. He is a major asset in the return game as well with three kickoff returns and one punt runback for scores.


--DE Ejuan Price is a first-team all-ACC selection for a second straight year after finishing second nationally in tackles for loss (1.8 per game) and fifth in sacks (1.0 per game). Half of his 42 tackles were for losses. He could be in store for a big game against a Northwestern team that gave up 35 sacks on the year.


--CB Ryan Lewis goes into the bowl game as Pitt's leading tacklers with 77 stops. He has a sack among his 1.5 tackles for loss and also has picked off two passes to share the team lead in the category with CB Avonte Maddox. Northwestern is likely to test the Pitt secondary, just as recent Panthers' opponents have done.

Near-miss against Clemson sends Hokies to Belk Bowl
December 6, 2016


The Virginia Tech football team won't be travelling far to play in its 24th straight bowl game.


The 19th-ranked Hokies went 9-4, won the ACC's Coastal Division championship and took No. 2 Clemson down to the wire in Saturday night's ACC title game. Their reward is a trip to Charlotte to play Arkansas in the Belk Bowl.


The Hokies and Razorbacks (7-5) will face off Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium. The game will be televised by ESPN.


It'll be the first appearance for either team in the Belk Bowl. That's more remarkable for the Hokies, whose campus is less than a three-hour drive from downtown Charlotte.


Tech fans travel well, particularly when road games are in North Carolina -- they came out in droves for games at UNC and Duke this season -- so a strong Hokies turnout is expected for the bowl game.


"Our fans have been fabulous all season, and I know Hokie Nation will be anxious to join us in Charlotte for the Belk Bowl," Tech first-year coach Justin Fuente said in a written release. "As I told the team after [Saturday's] game, our seniors deserve to end their careers out on a positive note. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to this senior class and our staff will do everything possible to prepare our squad to face a quality foe from the SEC."


This will be the first matchup between Virginia Tech and Arkansas in football. The Razorbacks are making their third consecutive and 42nd overall bowl appearance.


The Hokies, who had a fourth-quarter comeback thwarted in a 42-35 loss to Clemson on Saturday night in Orlando, possess the longest current bowl streak recognized by the NCAA.


"[Former Hokies coach Frank] Beamer and his teams built Virginia Tech into the nation's most consistent postseason participant and we appreciate the standard we're expected to uphold," Fuente said. "For myself, these seniors and this entire squad, we felt an obligation to extend Coach Beamer's bowl streak. Now, our objective is to prepare and play to the best of our ability to conclude this season with a victory. I can't thank Hokie Nation enough for their unwavering support and our team looks forward to seeing the stands packed with Maroon and Orange in Charlotte."


The Belk Bowl has been a matchup of teams from the SEC and ACC since 2014. The SEC team has won both games -- Georgia over Louisville, 37-14, in 2014 and Mississippi State over N.C. State, 51-28, last year -- since the current selection format was adopted.


Tech faces an Arkansas team that faced a gauntlet of formidable foes this season. The Razorbacks went 3-4 against ranked teams, with wins against then-No. 15 TCU, then-No. 12 Ole Miss and then-No. 11 Florida.


Arkansas won its first three games and was 5-2 after taking down Mississippi at home on Oct. 15, but it sputtered at the end with three losses in its final five games.


Junior quarterback Austin Allen, a Fayetteville, Ark., native, has led a balanced offensive attack for the Razorbacks. He has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 3,152 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.


Sophomore running back Rawleigh Williams III has paced the Arkansas running game with 1,326 yards and 12 touchdowns.


Senior linebacker Brooks Ellis leads the Razorbacks with 78 tackles and seven tackles for loss.


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--QB Jerod Evans has made quite an impression in his first season with the Hokies after transferring from Trinity Valley Community College in the offseason. Evans, a junior, has set school records this season in passing yards (3,303), passing touchdowns (27), total yards (4,062) and total touchdowns (37). The threat he poses as a passer and rusher, as well as his ability to limit mistakes -- he has thrown only seven interceptions -- has led Tech's offense to new heights. With one game remaining, the Hokies have already broken their single-season record for total yards (5,821 and counting).


--WR Isaiah Ford needed only three seasons to rewrite Tech's receiving record book. And as a projected early-round NFL pick, this may be the end of his run as a college player. Ford became the first player in program history to gain 1,000 yards in a season in 2015, and he duplicated the feat this season. He leads the team with 73 receptions (two off his single-season record), 1,038 yards and seven touchdowns. Ford holds every major career receiving record at the school, including receptions (204), yards (2,911) and touchdowns (24).


--DT Woody Baron has enjoyed a stellar senior season, racking up big numbers and accolades in the process. He has 17.5 tackles for loss this season, the most of any interior lineman at a Power 5 school this season and the most by a Tech defensive tackle since J.C. Price had 23 during an All-American season in 1995. Baron, who has 52 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season, was the Hokies' only first-team selection in media voting for the All-ACC team.


--LB Andrew Motuapuaka has a nose for the football. The third-team All-ACC pick has three interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries this season and he increased his career touchdown total to four when he returned a fumble 70 yards for a score against Virginia on Nov. 26. Motuapuaka, who leads the Hokies with 106 tackles and is tied for the team interception lead, has three fumble return touchdowns and one interception return touchdown for his career.

Disappointed Cougars look to finish strong
December 6, 2016


This is not the matchup that Houston fans were hoping for halfway through the season, when it had a top-10 ranking, a rising star at coach and an outside shot at being one of the four teams selected for the college football playoffs.


But the Cougars lost three of their final seven games, including a 48-44 defeat at Memphis in their regular-season finale, and accepted a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl to take on Mountain West champion San Diego State. It will do with a new coach -- Todd Orlando is serving as the interim coach in place of Tom Herman, who left to take the head coach position at Texas. He's also had to readjust staff duties with four assistants leaving along with Herman.


Orlando and Major Applewhite -- the offensive coordinator -- will interview for the fulltime coaching duties as well. Both are also candidates for other jobs, so this bowl game will be part of their resumes going forward. Expect both to have their units ready to go to take on the Aztecs.


San Diego State is a challenging opponent. It has an excellent running game, led by running back Donnel Pumphrey. Houston is one of the top run defenses in the country, but it's also struggled against top teams. There's ample film out there for the SDSU staff to study on how to find the cracks in Houston's defensive armor.


However, that cuts both ways. Houston's Ed Oliver is battling injury, but should be ready to go for the Las Vegas Bowl. One of the top freshmen in the country, he and senior linebacker Steven Taylor lead an opportunistic defense that prides itself on getting into the opposing backfield and disrupting the play. The Cougars punish opposing lines for blocking mistakes.


Offensively, this team revolves around quarterback Greg Ward Jr. The winningest quarterback in school history by percentage, he's adept at running with the football, finding the safe and open option on third down, and hitting the deep ball.


The Las Vegas Bowl kicks off on December 17, which has a couple of disadvantages. The early date means that the Cougars won't be able to use all of the practice sessions it's allowed to by the NCAA, limiting the benefit of the extra reps. It also means that the Houston players suffering minor injuries -- including quarterback Greg Ward Jr. and defensive tackle Ed Oliver -- won't have as much time to recover.


"My point to Ed Oliver, and even to Greg Ward Jr., is we will monitor their practice reps," Orlando said. "Greg has to make sure he throws the football to keep his rhythm. I told Ed to get better. Get rested and get better because ... I want the 100 percent Ed Oliver. I already know what he can do so there's no need to make him do 1,000 reps before this game. We know what Ed can do. If we manage and rest him correctly, I expect for him to be full throttle come bowl game."

NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--QB Greg Ward will exit Houston after the Las Vegas Bowl as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history., He enters the postseason with 52 passing touchdowns, and just passed Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware to move into fifth place on the career passing yards list. He's equally dangerous when he runs with the football, but he'll have to be careful. Backups Kyle Postma and D'Erqi King will both miss the bowl game with injuries, so Hunter McCoy will have to step in if Ward gets hurt.


--DT Ed Oliver not only won the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honor, he was a unanimous All-AAC First Team selection. He finished the regular season with 19.5 tackles for loss, and his 43 solo tackles are the fourth-most of any defensive lineman in college football, regardless of class. He also forced three fumbles. The Cougars have a lot of defensive playmakers, but even among this group Oliver stands out as a force to be reckoned with.


--LB Steven Taylor made the All-AAC First Team as a senior after earning second-team honors a year ago. He led the team with 71 tackles in his 11 games, and his 8.5 sacks were the third-most in the league.


--Todd Orlando will be the interim head coach for the Las Vegas Bowl. He's the Cougars defensive coordinator, while Major Applewhite will serve as offensive coordinator. Both will be candidates for the permanent position, and Orlando will use the game and its preparation as a chance to audition for Houston and other programs. One of the top assistants in the game, he should be ready for the challenge.

Defense vs. offense in Sugar Bowl
December 6, 2016


Auburn coach Gus Malzahn spent some time last weekend watching Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 38-20 to win the Big 12 title, and there was no doubt about his take on the Sooners.


"Very impressed," Malzahn said. "You're talking about a big-time offense to go with a very good defense. We have a lot of respect for them."


Malzahn will be making an even more extensive evaluation of the seventh-ranked Sooners (10-2) between now and Jan. 2, when his 17th-ranked Tigers (8-4) take them on in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.


"It's going to be a huge challenge," Malzahn said. "There's no doubt about that."


The game will be a matchup of classic irresistible force versus immovable object.


The Sooners have the third-highest scoring team in the country (44.7 average) and also rank No. 3 in total offense with their average of 557.3 yards per game.


The Tigers rank No. 5 in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 15.6 points a game, and are No. 20 in total defense. They have limited their foes to 348.4 yards per game.


Led by quarterback Baker Mayfield (305.8), Oklahoma nearly averages that passing (319.8) before adding in another 237.5 yards a game rushing (No. 21).


"The thing that stands out to me is they run the football so well," Malzahn said. "They've got the explosive guys down the field. They've got one of the better quarterbacks in college football.


"It'll be a good challenge. I think that will probably be a key to the game, their offense versus our defense."


Auburn's chances of pulling the upset could very well lie in the health of the team. Injuries hit the Tigers hard down the stretch, sidelining key performers like quarterback Sean White and running back Kamryn Pettway on offense and free safety Johnathan Ford and cornerback Josh Holsey on defense.


But Malzahn expects his team to benefit from the time between games.


"I feel pretty certain we'll be close to 100 percent," Malzahn said. "We had some key injuries to impact players late in the season that really hurt us."


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH


--QB Sean White should be recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered late in the season. White was hurt against Ole Miss and played just one half against Vanderbilt, but after starting against Georgia, when he re-aggravated the injury, he did not play in the last two games. He is not a deep passing threat but his ability to run the offense could be a key as neither senior Jeremy Johnson nor junior John Franklin III has exactly lit it up in their appearances.


--RB Kamryn Pettway returned for the Iron Bowl after missing the previous two games with a leg injury but rushed for only 17 yards on 12 carries against Alabama. Despite missing three games, he still finished as Auburn's leading rusher with 1,123 yards, an average of 124.8 per game. If he is healthy, Oklahoma is going to see a different runner from the one who struggled against the Crimson Tide.


--DE Carl Lawson stayed healthy after two injury-plagued seasons, and it showed in his production. He led the Tigers in sacks with 9.0 among his 28 tackles, which means about one in every three of his stops was involved in a sack. He now faces the job of keeping versatile Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield contained.


--SS Tray Mathews, a transfer from Georgia who earned a starting job last year, led Auburn in tackles with 73 stops, had an interception, and was credited with forcing a fumble. He also broke up two passes, one of them in the loss to Alabama in the regular-season finale. He likely will carry a big responsibility in slowing Oklahoma's running game in the bowl as well as containing the Sooners' passing game.

Cardinals moonwalk into Citrus Bowl
December 6, 2016

Louisville entered November with an outside shot at the college football playoffs, with its only defeat to that point a defeat at Clemson that wasn't decided until the game's final play. But losses to Houston and Kentucky to end the regular season dropped this team from the ranks of the contenders, and even out of a spot in the Orange Bowl.


Instead, the Cardinals will play Louisiana State in the Florida Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31. For the high-powered Cardinals offense, the Tigers imposing defense will be perhaps the biggest test of 2016 on the year's final day.


It says something about the Cardinals that a matchup like this would be a disappointment. But a season that seemed to offer more tantalizing possibilities following a 63-20 blowout of Florida State instead ended with the bitterness of seeing the Seminoles snake the Orange Bowl bid away from the Cards thanks to a stronger finish.


That said, the Cardinals remain one of the more entertaining teams in the country, and the Citrus Bowl managed to create one of the more intriguing matchups of the postseason in this ACC-SEC clash.


LSU has the sixth-best scoring defense in the country, allowing just 16.4 points per game. Only Texas A&M broke the 21-point barrier on the Tigers this season. While the LSU offense has been better the second half of the season, it's the defense that's the star of the show for the Tigers most of the time.


On the other hand, Lamar Jackson is often good for that many points by himself -- he was responsible for 51 touchdowns during the regular season, 30 passing and 21 rushing. The Cardinals can score quickly or grind out drives, through the air or on the ground. Jackson is a human highlight film and has shredded defenses all season long.


It will be a contrast in styles between a Tigers team that runs the ball and chews up clock and a Cardinals team that flies through the air and scores early and often. Or, more pessimistically, between an LSU team that sometimes struggles to score with a Louisville defense that lately has had a hard time stopping anyone.


Jackson will be the player to watch. The Cardinals quarterback is one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy despite a difficult finish to the regular season. As he captures more postseason hardware, he'll have more eyes on him to see if he's been the benefit of bursting onto the scene and dominating subpar defenses, or whether he can handle one of the best defenses in college football.


NOTES, QUOTES


PLAYERS TO WATCH:


--QB Lamar Jackson has already been named ACC Player of the Year, the first of many postseason honors he's likely to get. He was responsible for 51 touchdowns, 30 passing and 21 rushing. He's thrown for more than 400 yards twice in 2016, and set the school's single-season rushing record. That said, teams lately have had success by pressuring him while forcing him to stay in the pocket. If he breaks free of the initial attack, however, few are capable of chasing him down.


--LB Keith Kelsey isn't as flashy as some of his teammates, but he's the most reliable performer. The three-year starter led the team with 81 tackles, and will be looking to end his college career on a positive note.


--LB Devonte Fields was an All-ACC First Team selection, with five sacks and 42 tackles in his senior season. Fields can be as dominant as anyone in football, but he also has games where he's been neutralized with relative ease. If Fields is at his best in the Citrus Bowl, LSU will have a hard time keeping him out of its backfield.


--S Josh Harvey-Clemons finished fourth on the team with 61 tackles despite missing two games to injury. He's an aggressive defensive back who's strong both in run support and pass defense.

Gophers bring better vibe to bowl game this time
December 5, 2016


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Last year, Minnesota took a losing record and winter clothes to the postseason.


The Gophers will bring a better vibe to their bowl game this time, making sure to pack the flip-flops, too.


After qualifying for the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit at 5-7 on the strength of their graduation rate because there initially weren't enough eligible NCAA FBS teams to fill all the slots, the Gophers (8-4) were picked for the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The game is Dec. 27.


''Beautiful spot,'' wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. ''I think the guys will be pretty amped to go and be able to kind of free roam and hit the beach and enjoy ourselves. I think that the energy will be up and a lot more positive, for sure.''


When they lost the last game on their schedule last year to Wisconsin, the Gophers figured they were done. They had to rally to beat a non-power-conference opponent, Central Michigan, in an indoor stadium in a northern city.


''A lot of guys had checked out, having such a disappointing season, but our ability to come back and win that was big,'' Wolitarsky said. ''I think that can lead us to have some momentum to win this one too.''


The venue shift from drab to sunny sure helps, a selling point not lost on the university in the form of a Gophers helmet planted in the sand on the front page graphic on the athletic department website.


Facing a daunting Pac-12 foe, Washington State, adds meaning. So does the opportunity to reach nine victories for the first time in 13 years and only the second time since 1905.


''We wanted it to be Pasadena,'' Wolitarsky said, referencing the Rose Bowl, ''but it didn't go as we planned, obviously. But we're very fortunate to be here and get those nine wins.''


This will be the program's 14th appearance in a bowl game in the last 18 seasons, a stretch during which the lineup of postseason games has swelled considerably. Gophers fans have been presented with opportunities to visit Nashville, Tennessee, and Tempe, Arizona, three times each and El Paso, Texas, and Houston twice. That's a glaring example of why the Big Ten recently shuffled the allocation process, and Minnesota this year will benefit. The Citrus Bowl two seasons ago on New Year's Day is the only other bid in the last 15 years that Gophers fans were fired up for.


For Wolitarsky, the senior from Santa Clarita, California, he'll get to play in his home state in front of more than 100 family members and friends instead of the usual 10 or so at a regular-season game.


''So I've got find some tickets,'' Wolitarsky said.


For coach Tracy Claeys, the game is confirmation from athletic director Mark Coyle that he's staying on the job for the foreseeable future.


''Whenever you have a new boss you don't know how they feel and some of them, they want to bring in their own person,'' Claeys said. ''So I trust him and respect him an awful lot. He chose to come back here, and that was important to a lot of us. We'd like to have somebody in place who's not looking for the next job.''

NC Central and Grambling State meet in Celebration Bowl
December 5, 2016


Grambling State (10-1, SWAC) vs North Carolina Central (9-2, MEAC), Dec. 17, noon EST


LOCATION: Atlanta


TOP PLAYERS

Grambling State: QB Devante Kincade is the SWAC offensive player of the year.


North Carolina Central: QB Malcolm Bell, 2,191 passing yards, touchdowns; 544 rushing yards, nine touchdowns.


NOTABLE


Grambling State: Overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit to beat Alcorn State in the SWAC championship game. Won its league games by an average of 31.7 points.


North Carolina Central: Earned its third straight conference title and first FCS national ranking. Central shared the title in the previous two seasons.

LAST TIME


Grambling State 45, North Carolina Central 14, Sept. 21, 1985.


BOWL HISTORY


Grambling State: 1-0.


North Carolina Central: First.

Not title shot, but resurgent Penn State headed to Rose Bowl
December 5, 2016


STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) Penn State players and coaches rolled hopefully back into Happy Valley on Sunday, greeted as Big Ten champions by cheers and honking car horns.


They got off the team bus, filed into a meeting room and huddled around a giant projector screen as the College Football Playoff selection committee made its picks.


As the contenders were announced, it became clear - this unexpectedly triumphant season was going to fall frustratingly short of college football's biggest stage.


The fifth-ranked Nittany Lions - winners of nine straight, including a huge comeback against No. 8 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game - won't be part of the four-team playoff. Despite a head-to-head win against No. 2 Ohio State, the Big Ten title and a run fueled by one of the country's most explosive offenses, Penn State was ranked fifth by the selection committee.


Instead of playing for a national title, Penn State (11-2) will face No. 9 Southern California (9-3) in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.


''I would say there were a handful of guys that obviously showed a little bit of frustration and body language and things like that,'' Penn State coach James Franklin said. ''But 99 percent of the guys in there are just excited about staying together as a family and being able to play in such a historic bowl game.''


News about the bowl destination quelled a bit of that disappointment, and some, including quarterback Trace McSorley , tweeted their excitement with rose emojis Sunday.


Franklin didn't sleep much on the flight back from Indianapolis and is about to start a six-day recruiting trip, but he was still clearly amped for the Rose Bowl during a phone call with reporters - even though he believed his team had done enough to go to the playoff by winning what he called ''the toughest conference in football.''


''Obviously, our guys would've loved to have the opportunity to go to the playoffs and compete for a national championship,'' Franklin said. ''But like I said during the week, I thought our guys would be appreciative of the opportunity to be able to stay together as a family for another week and play the great game of football.''


They'll do so against a team that's on a similar trajectory.


The Nittany Lions and Trojans have combined to win 17-straight games and are among the hottest teams in college football. Both have mounted striking turnarounds after ho-hum starts, energizing historically strong programs that had struggled with the weight of NCAA penalties in recent years.


Franklin arrived at Penn State in 2014 and took over a program heavily sanctioned by the NCAA for the university's role in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal. Although the Nittany Lions have a full scholarship load this season, they're still feeling the impact from reduced scholarship numbers and start just five seniors, with only 17 on the roster.


USC, meanwhile, incurred NCAA penalties, including the loss of 30 scholarships, in the wake of a scandal involving former football player Reggie Bush and basketball player O.J. Mayo, who the NCAA determined accepted gifts in the mid-2000s.


This will be the third time the programs match up in the Rose Bowl - the first was in 1923 and the other in 2009.


''I think it makes for fabulous TV, that's for sure,'' USC coach Clay Helton said. ''And it makes for a great bowl experience and that's what this time is all about.''

Sub-.500 bowl teams now becoming almost routine
December 5, 2016


The Heart of Dallas Bowl will be a rematch between two teams that played in October - and one of them is heading into the game with a 5-7 record.


Unusual? Yes. But scenarios like this simply come with the territory now.


With 80 bowl spots to fill, some postseason games ended up with odd matchups this year. North Texas will play in the Heart of Dallas Bowl after going 5-7, and the game will be a rematch against an Army teams it met six weeks ago. Mississippi State is also going to a bowl at 5-7. The Bulldogs face Miami (Ohio) in the St. Petersburg Bowl.


''We're fortunate to have the opportunity,'' North Texas coach Seth Littrell said. ''At the end of the day, we didn't even feel like we could get in this way, but we did, and so we're going to take it.''


Hawaii is also heading to a bowl with a losing record. The Rainbow Warriors (6-7) will play in the Hawaii Bowl against Middle Tennessee. The reason some sub-.500 teams were given a reprieve is because there weren't enough eligible teams to fill all the spots.


That shortage also allows Army (6-5) and South Alabama (6-6) to go to bowls even though both have multiple wins over FCS schools. Teams are only supposed to count one FCS win for bowl eligibility purposes, but since there were openings, the Black Knights and Jaguars are in.


South Alabama faces Air Force in the Arizona Bowl. The Jaguars were supposed to play LSU in November, but that game was canceled when the Tigers needed to play a rescheduled game against Florida. South Alabama played Presbyterian instead and won, so that switch may have been the difference between reaching a bowl and missing the postseason.


There were sub-.500 teams in bowls last season too, so this may be the new normal in college football. Last season, Nebraska, Minnesota and San Jose State were 5-7 going into their bowls, and all three of them won.


North Texas and Mississippi State weren't exactly apologizing Sunday. The Bulldogs' Twitter account boasted that Mississippi State is one of only five Southeastern Conference schools to reach a bowl every season this decade.


Since the Academic Progress Rate plays a role in which sub.-500 teams play on, coaches can take pride in that.


''This is a great opportunity for one of the winningest senior classes in school history and for our program to build momentum for 2017,'' Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said in a statement. ''It also speaks volumes of our student-athletes for their commitment in the classroom to qualify for a bowl based on our successful APR.''


North Texas lost four of its last five games in the regular season, but reaching a bowl - no matter how it happened - is still a big step forward after the Mean Green went 1-11 in 2015.


North Texas won 35-18 at Army on Oct. 22. Regular-season rematches are rare in bowls, but there are some positives for the Heart of Dallas Bowl in this matchup. The bowl was supposed to match Conference USA against the Big Ten, but with one Big Ten team in the playoff and three more in New Year's Six bowls, there weren't enough left for every bowl with ties to the league.


''We know that Army is going to bring a large contingency because the Texas area is one of their hotbeds,'' said Brant Ringler, the bowl's executive director.


North Texas in Denton, of course, isn't far from Dallas. Ringler said that was appealing as well.


''In the past couple years, you probably have noticed, the Conference USA championship has occurred, we received usually the champion or the runner-up, and it was probably going to look to be that way possibly this year as well,'' Ringler said. ''But when we had an opening in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl game that we also control, we did work out an agreement with Conference USA to have (runner-up Louisiana Tech) play in the Armed Forces Bowl. Therefore, it allowed us to be able to slide in the University of North Texas into the Heart of Dallas Bowl, which is a win-win for all of us all around.''

No conference title? No problem. It's happened before
December 5, 2016

Ohio State didn't win the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes will play for a much bigger prize. Their national title hopes are still very much intact.


That's rare, but not unprecedented.


Ranked second by the AP and third by the playoff committee, the Buckeyes will take on Clemson in a national semifinal . Ohio State is the first team in the playoff's three-year history to be included despite failing to win its conference.


During the Bowl Championship Series era, however, three teams made it to the title game after falling short within their conferences. Here's a look at how it happened:


NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (2001)


Why They Didn't Win Their Conference: The Cornhuskers were undefeated heading into their regular-season finale at Colorado, but the Buffaloes drubbed Nebraska 62-36. That prevented the Cornhuskers from even playing in the Big 12 championship game.


''We really had a big dream,'' Nebraska QB Eric Crouch said after the game. ''Those are over with now. This is going to be a tough one to swallow.''


What Happened Next: Nebraska fell from first to fourth in the BCS standings after the loss, trailing Miami, Florida and Texas. Florida lost to Tennessee the following week, and Texas fell to Colorado in the Big 12 title game. Tennessee briefly held the No. 2 BCS slot before losing to LSU in the SEC championship game.


Nebraska, which hadn't played at all since being routed by Colorado, ended up back at No. 2 in the BCS standings, just ahead of Colorado and Oregon. Both major polls had Oregon No. 2.


What Happened In The End: Nebraska was ranked No. 4 in the AP poll when it took the field for the BCS title game at the Rose Bowl. The Cornhuskers were overmatched. Miami led 34-0 at halftime and went on to win 37-14.


---


OKLAHOMA SOONERS (2003)


Why They Didn't Win Their Conference: The Sooners went unbeaten during the regular season but were routed 35-7 by Kansas State in the Big 12 title game.


''I'm not going to sit here and lobby for any bowl,'' Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said afterward. ''We just got whipped. They outplayed us in every part of the game.''


What Happened Next: Stoops didn't need to lobby. Oklahoma was No. 1 in the BCS standings before it lost to Kansas State - and still No. 1 afterward. The Sooners ended up facing LSU in the BCS title game. Southern California was left out despite being No. 1 in both polls.


The Final Result: Playing in its home state at the Sugar Bowl, LSU held off Oklahoma 21-14 to take the BCS title. USC, which beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, won the AP national title.


---


ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE (2011)


Why They Didn't Win Their Conference: Alabama hosted LSU in a matchup of unbeatens on Nov. 5, with the Tigers prevailing 9-6 in overtime. Neither team lost for the rest of the regular season, so it was the Tigers who represented the SEC West in the league title game.


''I'd be honored to face that team again,'' LSU coach Les Miles said after the victory over the Crimson Tide.


What Happened Next: Alabama fell only one spot to No. 3 in the BCS standings after losing to LSU, but there were a few undefeated teams still to contend with - Oklahoma State at No. 2, Stanford at No. 4 and even Boise State at No. 5. Stanford and Boise State lost the following weekend, and Oklahoma State's double-overtime loss to Iowa State on Nov. 18 opened the door for an LSU-Alabama rematch in the BCS title game.


The Final Result: In another defensive struggle, Alabama held LSU to five first downs, beating the Tigers 21-0 to claim the national title.

Navy going to Armed Forces Bowl against Louisiana Tech
December 4, 2016


FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) Navy (9-3, American Athletic Conference) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5, Conference USA), Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m.


LOCATION: Fort Worth, Texas


TOP PLAYERS


Navy: QB Will Worth, 1,397 yards, eight TDs passing; 1,196 yards, 25 TDs rushing.

Louisiana Tech: QB Ryan Higgins, 4,208 yards, 37 TDs, eight interceptions passing; 284 yards, three TDs rushing.


NOTABLE


Navy: The Midshipmen were contractually obligated before the season to play in the Armed Forces Bowl, if they were bowl eligible. Navy lost the American Athletic Conference championship game to Temple, and still has its annual game against Army to play next Saturday.


Louisiana Tech: Had a seven-game winning streak before losing their regular-season finale at Southern Miss and then at Western Kentucky in the Conference USA championship game.


LAST TIME


Navy 37, Louisiana Tech 23, Sept. 18, 2010.


BOWL HISTORY


Navy: This is the 13th bowl in 14 seasons for Navy after a 17-year postseason drought. Also 22nd bowl overall, including an Armed Forces Bowl victory over Middle Tennessee three years ago.


Louisiana Tech: Third consecutive bowl, and ninth overall

Mississippi State, North Texas headed to bowls at 5-7
December 4, 2016


Mississippi State and North Texas are heading to bowls with 5-7 records.


North Texas is even facing a team it already played six weeks ago.


With 80 bowl spots to fill, some postseason games ended up with odd matchups - and teams with losing records. It's similar to last year, when there when there also weren't enough .500 teams to fill all the spots.


North Texas faces Army in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 27. It's a rematch of their game at Army on Oct. 22, which North Texas won 35-18.


Mississippi State takes on Miami (Ohio) in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26.

Hot K-State, cold Aggies will square off in Texas Bowl
December 4, 2016


Kansas State (8-4, Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (8-4, SEC), Dec. 28, 9 p.m. EST.


LOCATION: Houston.


TOP PLAYERS:


Kansas State: Jesse Ertz is the leading rusher among Big 12 QBs with 945 yards and 10 TDs; DL Jordan Willis leads the conference with 11.5 sacks.


Texas A&M: QB Trevor Knight is throwing for 212 yards a game, with 16 touchdowns; freshman RB Trayveon Williams is a 1,000-yard rusher and DL Myles Garrett has 8.5 sacks.


NOTABLE:


Kansas State: The Wildcats finished fourth in the Big 12 after having been picked eighth in the preseason. They've won five of their last six games and have gone over 200 yards rushing in six straight.


Texas A&M: Aggies are third in the SEC at 35.4 points and 468 yards a game but lost four of six after a 6-0 start.


LAST TIME: In their last meeting before the Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC, Collin Klein scored on a sneak in the fourth overtime for his sixth TD of the game to give Kansas State a 53-50 home victory in 2011.


BOWL HISTORY


Kansas State: The Wildcats are in a bowl for a seventh straight season and are 7-12 all time. They played in the inaugural Texas Bowl in 2006, losing to Rutgers.

Texas A&M: Aggies are 17-20 and in a bowl for a school-record eighth straight year. They had won four straight before losing to Louisville in the Music City Bowl last year.

Idaho reaches bowl as it gets ready for farewell FBS season
December 7, 2016


It's been a rough year for the Idaho football program, but the Vandals are ending it on a high note.


Idaho (8-4) has qualified for a bowl game in what is its second-to-last year playing major college football.


The Vandals were unceremoniously kicked out of the Sun Belt Conference earlier this year, and the administration decided it had had enough of FBS football and chose to become the first program in modern times to voluntarily drop to the FCS ranks.


In two decades as an FBS program, Idaho has qualified for a bowl only three times. The Vandals will face Colorado State on Dec. 22 at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho. Their other bowl appearances have been in Boise as well.


Coach Paul Petrino acknowledged it is sweet vindication to reach the postseason.


''It was a great feeling,'' Petrino said. ''That's one reason I'm so proud of our players. They've been kicked out of a conference and told they were going to change divisions. They never worried about that. They worried about playing one game at a time.''


Idaho won six of its final seven games to finish with a 6-2 mark in the Sun Belt, a collection of teams in the southeastern U.S. whose closest member is 2,000 miles from the Vandals' campus in tiny Moscow, Idaho.


The Sun Belt found that it didn't need Idaho or New Mexico State any longer in order to host a conference championship game and gave both the boot earlier this year.


Idaho President Chuck Staben decided the two-decade experiment as an FBS program was producing only high expenses, with few wins and few fans to compensate. The Vandals averaged fewer than three wins per season as an FBS program since 1996, with eight 10-loss seasons.


Crowds were sparse in the 16,000-seat Kibbiedome, a giant wooden stadium built in the shape of a Quonset hut.


After next season, the Vandals will return to the FCS Big Sky Conference, a league they dominated in the 1980s and early 1990s.


That will mean lower overall costs, especially with 22 fewer scholarships to provide, and lower travel costs.


Staben said there was no chance the decision will be revisited now.


''In the long term, this well-deserved bowl invitation does not change factors that informed our decision to join the Big Sky after the 2017-2018 season, versus pursuing an unsustainable future as an FBS independent team,'' Staben said.


''Right now, we're focused on celebrating the accomplishments of our student-athletes,'' Staben added.


With all the turmoil surrounding them, you might have thought the Vandals would resume their losing ways, and at first they did.


They opened the season with a victory over Montana State then were blown out by No. 4 Washington and Washington State of the Pac-12. They improved after that and finished the season with a four-game winning streak.


''We played two tough Pac-12 teams and got our butts whupped a little bit,'' said Petrino, the brother of Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. ''Our guys just kept fighting. Our kids got better and better. They found a way to win games.''


The Vandals are led by junior quarterback Matt Linehan, a son of Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator and former Vandal quarterback Scott Linehan.


Matt Linehan said the Vandals were pleased to be headed to Boise, a city where they have a lot of alumni and are likely to draw a big, friendly crowd.


''It didn't matter what bowl we were going to,'' Linehan said. ''There was just a sigh of relief that we knew we were going.''


Linehan has thrown for 2,803 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season. Five of his receivers have caught passes for at least 350 yards.


Vandals players expressed satisfaction that the game will be the only televised bowl game on Dec. 22 and will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN.


''This is my first time ever playing in a nationally televised game,'' said defensive back Jayshawn Jordan. ''It's a great way to end my college career.''


Linehan and other Vandals players have endured some lean seasons, and appreciate the success now.


''We've gone through enough adversity to fight through it,'' Linehan said. ''We're happy to be here at this point.''