Kentucky vs. No. 22 Clemson
Friday, Dec. 29 — EverBank Stadium — Jacksonville, Florida
11 a.m. on ESPN
While opt-outs have shuffled Kentucky’s depth chart, the Wildcats will retain most of their starting lineup for the Gator Bowl — and that includes senior running back Ray Davis and senior quarterback Devin Leary.
Davis earned second-team All-SEC honors this season, while Leary will face a familiar opponent in Dabo Swinney’s Tigers: Leary went 1-2 against Clemson while at NC State.
Swinney’s message to the media? “We’re down a few guys, but we got what we got.”
What the Tigers have “got” won’t be enough this time.
Prediction: Kentucky 21, Clemson 17
No. 9 Missouri vs. No. 7 Ohio State
Friday, Dec. 29 — AT&T Stadium — Arlington
7 p.m. on ESPN
One of these teams is incredibly thankful to be playing in the Cotton Bowl. The other is dreadfully disappointed.
Ohio State was likely a win over arch-rival Michigan away from a spot in the College Football Playoff. Now, they’re headed to a New Year’s Six Bowl — possibly without several key contributors. Junior QB Kyle McCord is off to Syracuse, while junior wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and junior RB TreVeyon Henderson have yet to announce their plans for the game.
Meanwhile — despite not being able to usurp Georgia for the SEC East title — Missouri is having its best season in years. During the season, this is easily an Ohio State victory. But in bowl season, sometimes the team who wants to be there the most is the team that comes out on top.
Prediction: Missouri 34, Ohio State 21
No. 13 LSU vs Wisconsin
Monday, Jan. 1 — Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, Florida
11 a.m. on ESPN2
Senior QB and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels will not be with the Tigers for the ReliaQuest Bowl — which may be one of the only things keeping this from being a massacre.
This is a 7-5 Wisconsin team that lost to Washington State, Northwestern, and Indiana, and they’ll have the usual contingent of players opting out.
And while LSU loses their big man on campus, they still have most of the SEC’s top offense, including junior WR Malik Nabers, who finished second place for the Biletnikoff Award.
The bottom line: LSU’s ceiling is much higher than Wisconsin’s, especially with their respective opt-outs. Bowl game conference tie-ins sometimes produce mismatches. This is one of them.
Prediction: LSU 38, Wisconsin 14
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 1 Michigan
Monday, Jan. 1 — The Rose Bowl — Pasadena, California
4 p.m. on ESPN
Every year it appears the Alabama dynasty may finally be over, Nick Saban snaps his fingers and the Crimson Tide find themselves fighting for a national championship at the end of the year,
After an early-season loss to Texas, struggles against Arkansas and South Florida, and needing a couple of miracles to beat Auburn, Alabama is back in the College Football Playoff with a semi-final Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan.
If anyone can beat Saban and the Tide, it’s this Michigan team. Alabama’s offense has been weaker than in previous years — only eclipsing 30 points in half its games, and twice against teams ranked by the end of the year.
Michigan can shut teams down, leading the nation in scoring defense and holding teams to 9.46 points per game. The Wolverines’ come out on top in a slugfest, but Nick Saban and the Tide will be back in the playoff soon — from now seemingly till the end of time.
Prediction: Michigan 27, Alabama 17
No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Friday, Dec. 30 — Hard Rock Stadium — Miami Gardens, Florida
3 p.m. on ESPN
The Orange Bowl, or the battle for who doesn’t want to be here the most.
Georgia’s 29-game win streak was broken by a loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, and the Bulldogs won’t have a chance to go for the three-peat.
Florida State went undefeated, won an ACC title, had their starting QB get injured and subsequently were snubbed from the College Football Playoff in what will go down as the most baffling decision that defined the four-team playoff record.
This won’t be the full-strength battle. It would have been if this was a playoff game, and Florida State may have gotten the job done if this was the case. But the Seminoles will be missing their top three leading receivers, their sack leader and their top RB.
Georgia’s current opt-out number? Zero. That may change, but I’ll take the Bulldogs over the short-handed Seminoles.
Prediction: Georgia 42, Florida State 20
No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Penn State
Saturday, Dec. 30 — Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
11 a.m. on ESPN
This will be a classic “Big Ten defense meets SEC offense” matchup.
Ole Miss and Penn State each rank third in their respective conferences in yards per game — but Ole Miss holds a full 64-yard advantage in that category. Offense just means more in the SEC.
But the Big Ten has its own strengths: Penn State’s defense leads the nation’s best defensive conference in yards conceded per game.
In this battle, give me the immovable object over the unstoppable force.
Prediction: Penn State 28, Ole Miss 27
