So you have had your New Year’s Eve festivities, you have managed to open your eyes just enough to make it through all of the New Year’s Day bowl games and semi-final games, and now you get to January 2nd and you feel a little lost. What to do? Do you finally have to take down the Christmas tree? Return all those clothes that you got for Christmas that people thought would look good on you? Wisely, you have turned to LWOS for your answers to these difficult challenges. Thankfully, under the new college football system, there are still some fine bowls to be played and we have your previews right here.
January 2nd Bowl Game Preview
Houston (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6); Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl; 12 noon ET ESPN
This is the “game without….” Without coaches that is. Pitt’s Paul Chryst left after three seasons to return to his alma mater, Wisconsin. Offensive coordinator Joe Rudolph will coach the bowl game and Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi will take over as head coach next season, (Pitt AD Steve Pederson was fired during all of this turnover).
Houston fired head coach Tony Levine on December 8th, just six months after giving him a new five year contract. Defensive coordinator David Gibbs will coach the team Friday before Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman takes over the program next season.
Got all that straight? Ok, now turn back to the TV and see there is actually a game going on. Pitt will give you a look into its future as the Panthers have one of the youngest rosters in the country with 80 freshmen and sophomores. Running back James Conner (sophomore), rushed for nearly 1,700 hundred yards and 24 touchdowns this season on his way to the ACC Player of the Year award. Houston has the 11th best scoring defense in the country, giving up only 19.5 points per game. Some of that statistical swagger came, however, in blowout wins over the likes of Grambling State and SMU, after a season opening loss to Texas-San Antonio.
Iowa (7-5) vs. Tennessee (6-6); TaxSlayer Bowl; 3:20pm ET, ESPN
The former Gator Bowl has two teams going in opposite directions and if you just now looked up at the records we posted, you are going to be fooled. Iowa backed into the bowl game after dropping four of its last six games and finishing fourth in the Big Ten West. Hawkeyes running back Mark Weisman doesn’t have a rushing touchdown in the last three games and Iowa has scored a total of only 29 first half points over the last four games.
Tennessee, on the other hand, is on the upswing of its rebuilding program under second year head coach Butch Jones. The Vols won three of their last four games to end a three-year-long bowl drought and earn Jones a contract extension through 2020. Looks can be deceiving with Tennessee. Running back Jalen Hurd has only 777 yards rushing on the entire season. Quarterback Josh Dobbs is averaging only six-and-a-half yards per pass. Sound bleak? Keep that channel right where it is. The Vols have gone from averaging 23 points per game to 35 points per game since inserting Dobbs at quarterback in early November. The sophomore is as much a threat to pick up yards scrambling as he is with his arm. Hey, he is an aerospace engineering major, so seeing all the moving pieces on a football field should be easy for him.
Kansas State (9-3) vs. UCLA (9-3); Valero Alamo Bowl; 6:45pm ET, ESPN
The connection here is obvious; if only Davey Crockett had gassed up the car with Valero premium fuel earlier, maybe the Battle of the Alamo turns out differently. Ok, maybe not!
Both of these teams lost their regular season finale. Kansas State fell to Baylor as the Bears won a share of the Big 12 title. UCLA had a chance to go to the Pac-12 championship game, but got manhandled by Stanford. So where do we go from here? Which team recovers the best from the disappointing end of the season?
The quarterback stats are eerily similar. Kansas State’s Jake Waters has thrown for 3,100 yards, 20 touchdowns and six interceptions. The senior holds the school record for passing efficiency. UCLA’s Brett Hundley has thrown for just over 3,000 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. Hundley is more of a threat to run, but will he?
This season has seen multiple versions of Hundley. There was the one trying to stay in the pocket more to impress NFL scouts, there was the one who scrambled for his life because his offensive line had a difficult time protecting him, and there was the one who has the athletic instincts and physicality to see the holes and run through tackles.
The redshirt junior is leaving for the NFL after this season, (the only loss on offense for the Bruins for next season), so which quarterback will he be Friday? Defensively, UCLA is high octane with linebacker/running back Myles Jack and linebacker Eric Kendrick, (winner of the Butkus and Lott Impact trophies). Kansas State is highly disciplined, giving up only 18.5 points per game, if not under the radar, with three starters who came to the program as walk-ons.
Washington (8-5) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6); TicketCity Cactus Bowl; 10:15pm ET, ESPN
We know it has been a long couple of days and the game starts late for many of you, but come on now…it’s not like you had plans for Saturday morning anyway.
Oklahoma State needed a last minute miracle versus Oklahoma to become bowl eligible. A 92-yard punt return by Tyreek Hill with under a minute left sent the game into overtime. The Cowboys got a game winning field goal in overtime and the bowl bid. They also lost Hill, who was kicked off the team in December after being arrested for choking and punching his girlfriend.
The highs and lows symbolize OSU’s rollercoaster season. The Cowboys lost their opener to Florida State but then rattled off five straight wins, which was followed by five straight losses, and then the miracle win over Oklahoma. OSU freshman quarterback Mason Rudolph will be starting only his third game behind an offensive line that has given up 37 sacks this season.
Washington will be in its fifth straight bowl game, but first under new head coach Chris Petersen. All of the Huskies’ losses came against teams that were ranked in the top 25 when they played. All of the Huskies’ wins against FBS schools were against teams that finished at or below .500. Still, the game bears watching for the appreciation of special talent. Washington has three All Americans on defense, (only Florida State has as many All Americans). Linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha leads the nation in sacks with 18, while Shaq Thompson is one of the better all-around athletes in the country as an All-American linebacker, a running back and even a slot receiver.
After this game, you’ll have a full 10 hours to rest up, replenish, and get ready for the Saturday bowl games. Time well spent.
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