Valero Alamo Bowl: Iowa State (8-4) vs. Washington State (10-2)
Date: Friday, Dec. 28 | Time: 9:00 p.m. ET | Channel: ESPN
Had Gardner Minshew and the Washington State Cougars won the Apple Cup matchup against the Washington Huskies, they would’ve been in the Pac-12 Championship Game and had an opportunity to make the College Football Playoff. Instead, they came up short in that snowy game, which now puts them up against an intriguing Iowa State Cyclones team in the Alamo Bowl.
Mike Leach’s team, which has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, is up against a solid defense in the Cyclones. However, what’s overlooked is that Wazzu is not far off in terms of what they can do defensively, allowing only 23.1 points per game. Subsequently, with the fact that Iowa State’s offense is merely fine and not much more, the Cougars get the edge in this contest.
Prediction: Iowa State 27, Washington State 44
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: Florida (9-3) vs. Michigan (10-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 29 | Time: 12:00 p.m. ET | Channel: ESPN
Looking at the offensive numbers this season for the Florida Gators and the Michigan Wolverines, you might think that these are two teams that thrive off of their ability to put up a big number on the board. However, that’s not fully the case, despite the Gators averaging 34.5 points and the Wolverines 36.8 points per game. Instead, these are two teams that thrive off of what they can do with their defense.
Thus, expect points to be at a premium in this game, even with Rashan Gary skipping this game for Michigan. And with that, I believe that the Wolverines simply have the better unit on that side of the ball and, perhaps more importantly, have better playmakers in Shea Patterson and Karan Higdon on offense, which should give them the win in the Peach Bowl.
Prediction: Florida 13, Michigan 21