College football’s bowl season kicks off on Dec. 20 with a four-game slate that includes the Arizona Wildcats’ matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl against the BYU Cougars.
A total of 34 bowl games will be contested over a 20-day period, beginning with the EagleBank Bowl on the morning of Dec. 20 and culminating with the BCS National Championship Game on the night of Jan. 8.
Along the way, five Pac-10 teams will participate in the post-season. In addition to the Arizona-BYU clash, California will play Miami in the Emerald Bowl on Dec. 27, Oregon will line up against Oklahoma State in what figures to be a Holiday Bowl shootout on Dec. 30, Oregon State will take on Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl on Dec. 31, and the USC Trojans will go toe-to-toe with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in what could turn out to be an epic defensive struggle.
Here is a rundown of the entire bowl schedule, complete with a fearless forecast for each game. All times listed are Eastern standard.
Wake Forest (7-5) vs. Navy (8-4); EagleBank Bowl at Washington, D.C.; 11 a.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Wake Forest 21, Navy 17
Fresno State (7-5) vs. Colorado State (6-6); New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.; 2:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: Colorado State 20, Fresno State 19
South Florida (7-5) vs. Memphis (6-6); St. Petersburg Bowl at St. Petersburg, Fla.; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN2. Prediction: South Florida 35, Memphis 24
Arizona (7-5) vs. BYU (10-2); Las Vegas Bowl at Las Vegas, Nev.; 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on ESPN. Prediction: BYU 24, Arizona 17 - Las Vegas Bowl preview
Troy (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (6-6); New Orleans Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 8:15 p.m. Dec. 21 on ESPN. Prediction: Troy 28, Southern Miss 20
TCU (10-2) vs. Boise State (12-0); Poinsettia Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 23 on ESPN. Prediction: Boise State 24, TCU 21
Hawaii (7-6) vs. Notre Dame (6-6); Hawaii Bowl at Honolulu, Hawaii; 8 p.m. Dec. 24 on ESPN. Prediction: Notre Dame 26, Hawaii 21
Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Florida Atlantic (6-6); Motor City Bowl at Detroit, Mich.; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 26 on ESPN. Prediction: Central Michigan 34, Florida Atlantic 20
North Carolina (8-4) vs. West Virginia (8-4); Meineke Bowl at Charlotte, N.C.; 1 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: West Virginia 23, North Carolina 20
Florida State (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (7-5); Champs Sports Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: Florida State 24, Wisconsin 16
California (8-4) vs. Miami (7-5); Emerald Bowl at San Francisco, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 27 on ESPN. Prediction: California 23, Miami 16 - Emerald Bowl preview
Northern Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (7-5); Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.; 8:15 p.m. Dec. 28 on ESPN. Prediction: Northern Illinois 17, Louisiana Tech 14
Rutgers (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (6-6); PapaJohns.com Bowl at Birmingham, Ala.; 3 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: North Carolina State 31, Rutgers 27
Missouri (9-4) vs. Northwestern (9-3); Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, Texas; 8 p.m. Dec. 29 on ESPN. Prediction: Missouri 35, Northwestern 13
Nevada (7-5) vs. Maryland (7-5); Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho; 4:30 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Maryland 35, Nevada 28
Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Oregon (9-3); Holiday Bowl at San Diego, Calif.; 8 p.m. Dec. 30 on ESPN. Prediction: Oregon 45, Oklahoma State 41 - Holiday Bowl preview
Rice (9-3) vs. Western Michigan (9-3); Texas Bowl at Houston, Texas; 8 p.m. Dec. 30 on NFL Network. Prediction: Rice 30, Western Michigan 27
Houston (7-5) vs. Air Force (8-4); Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Texas; noon Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Air Force 34, Houston 28
Oregon State (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (9-3); Sun Bowl at El Paso, Texas; 2 p.m. Dec. 31 on CBS. Prediction: Oregon State 23, Pittsburgh 7 - Sun Bowl preview
Boston College (9-4) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6); Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.; 3:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Boston College 27, Vanderbilt 24
Kansas (7-5) vs. Minnesota (7-5); Insight Bowl at Tempe, Ariz.; 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on NFL Network. Prediction: Kansas 34, Minnesota 21
Georgia Tech (9-3) vs. LSU (7-5); Chick-fil-A Bowl at Atlanta, Ga.; 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 on ESPN. Prediction: Georgia Tech 28, LSU 24
Iowa (8-4) vs. South Carolina (7-5); Outback Bowl at Tampa, Fla.; 11 a.m. Jan. 1 on ESPN. Prediction: Iowa 21, South Carolina 17
Georgia (9-3) vs. Michigan State (9-3); Capital One Bowl at Orlando, Fla.; 1 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: Georgia 31, Michigan State 10
Clemson (7-5) vs. Nebraska (8-4); Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.; 1 p.m. Jan. 1 on CBS. Prediction: Clemson 27, Nebraska 21
USC (11-1) vs. Penn State (11-1); Rose Bowl at Pasadena, Calif.; 4:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on ABC. Prediction: USC 17, Penn State 10 - Rose Bowl preview
Cincinnati (11-2) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4); Orange Bowl at Miami, Fla.; 8:30 p.m. Jan. 1 on Fox. Prediction: Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 17
Texas Tech (11-1) vs. Mississippi (8-4); Cotton Bowl at Dallas, Texas; 2 p.m. Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Texas Tech 38, Mississippi 30
East Carolina (9-4) vs. Kentucky (6-6); Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.; 5 p.m. Jan. 2 on ESPN. Prediction: East Carolina 30, Kentucky 24
Alabama (12-1) vs. Utah (12-0); Sugar Bowl at New Orleans, La.; 8 p.m. Jan. 2 on Fox. Prediction: Alabama 27, Utah 20
Connecticut (7-5) vs. Buffalo (8-5); International Bowl at Toronto, Ontario; noon Jan. 3 on ESPN2. Prediction: Connecticut 26, Buffalo 20
Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2); Fiesta Bowl at Glendale, Ariz.; 8 p.m. Jan. 5 on Fox. Prediction: Ohio State 24, Texas 23
Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3); GMAC Bowl at Mobile, Ala.; 8 p.m. Jan. 6 on ESPN. Prediction: Ball State 28, Tulsa 21
Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1); BCS Championship Game at Miami, Fla.; 8 p.m. Jan. 8 on Fox. Prediction: Florida 41, Oklahoma 38
By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer