What better way to start the New Year than with five exciting college football bowl games? January 1 will be filled with festivities from starting with the Outback Bowl contested by the Wisconsin Badgers and the Auburn Tigers to the primetime showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sugar Bowl.
Read on for more on what will be an incredible day of college football action. That said, there is plenty of quality bowl action coming in 2014. Check out our complete previews for the Chick-Fil-A-Peach Bowl’s Ole Miss vs. TCU and the Capital One Orange Bowl’s Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech, on for an overview of every bowl game on the schedule, click here.
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Picks and Predictions for the New Year’s Day Bowl Games
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Auburn Tigers (12:00 PM ET)
[sc:NCAA240banner ]The Wisonsin Badgers and the Auburn Tigers open the festivities on New Year’s Day with a matchup between two of the nation’s top rushing offenses. The Badgers have leaned on running back Melvin Gordon’s 2,336 yards and 26 touchdowns to bolster their offense this season. Meanwhile, the Tigers have been led by running back Cameron Artis-Payne (1,482 yards and 11 touchdowns) and dual-threat quarterback Nick Marshall (780 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns) on their running game.
Between the two teams, Marshall has displayed a better arm (2,315 yards and 18 touchdowns) than Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave (1,229 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions). With how evenly their rushing offenses matchup, this game may be decided by better quarterback play.
For more on this game, see our full preview of it here.
Writer’s Prediction: Marshall flashes his arm in a win and cover by the Tigers (-6.5).
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: Michigan State Spartans vs. Baylor Bears (12:30 PM ET)
The Baylor Bears go where their quarterback Bryce Petty takes them. Petty has led the Bears to a joint Big-12 title by racking up 3,305 yards with 26 touchdowns and only six interceptions this season. The Baylor quarterback may meet his match in the Michigan State Spartans’ defense. The Spartans had more interceptions (17) than they allowed touchdowns (13) this season, while limiting their opponents to 196 yards passing per game.
The Missouri Tigers missed out on the SEC title, losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide. However, they managed to nab a spot in a New Year’s Day bowl game.
The Tigers take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ high-octane running game at the Citrus Bowl. Minnesota running back David Cobb is ranked 10th in the nation with 1,548 rushing yards and has a team-high 13 rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, quarterback Mitch Leidner also loves to run with 462 yards and 10 scores with his legs this season.
Missouri also has a dynamic duo powering its running game. Running backs Russell Hansbrough (970 yards and nine touchdowns) and Marcus Murphy (767 yards and four scores) should be able to handle a Minnesota front seven which has allowed 4.5 yards per carry this season.
Writer’s Prediction: Missouri (-5.5) runs away with the Citrus Bowl trophy with a big win and cover.
Rose Bowl: Florida State Seminoles vs. Oregon Ducks (5:00 PM ET)
The Florida State Seminoles capped off an undefeated season to clinch a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff. The Noles’ defense has been less than spectacular giving up over 30 points each against their last three ranked opponents. This defensive struggle may be highlighted when they take on the newly-crowned Heisman winner Marcus Mariota. The Ducks quarterback has thrown for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns with only two interceptions this season.
The ‘Noles will be led by 2013 Heisman winner Jameis Winston. The Florida State quarterback has led the team to nine comeback wins, including four game-winning fourth quarter drives. However, Winston has also thrown a whopping 17 interceptions this season.
Writer’s Prediction: Florida State’s luck runs out as the Ducks (-9.5) roll to a win.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (8:30 PM ET)
The Ohio State Buckeyes lost a couple of quarterbacks in Heisman contender Braxton Miller and remarkable backup T.J. Barrett. However, they were in good hands in the Big Ten Championship game as third-stringer Cardale Jones went 12-for-17 for 257 yards and three scores against one of the nation’s best defenses, Wisconsin. Running back Ezekiel Elliott also had a monster game rushing for 220 yards and two touchdowns.
If there’s a team that could stop Ohio State, it may be the nation’s No. 1 team, the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Tide have allowed only 312.4 total yards per game, top-15 in the nation. On the other side of the ball, ‘Bama may be able to pull ahead due to the excellent playmaking of wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Tide receiver has racked up 1,656 yards on 115 catches, both ranked first in the nation.
Writer’s Prediction: The Tide run away with the win. Take Alabama to cover -9.5.
Now that you have everything you’ll need to know heading into the New Year, create a betting account now and get your picks in before it’s too late.
