The fun should begin after the first round of bowl games.
There will be a lot of bowl games because of the College Football Playoff. Teams like Oklahoma, USC, Texas A&M, and Kansas State wanted to be in that 12-team thing. This stretch should be fine as long as they all show up with enough players to make a run.
From December 24th to the 27th, there are a few other events besides bowl games. Here are the bowls that people would choose without doing any research.
Bowl Game First Thought Predictions, Analysis: December 24 to 27
Hawaii Bowl
USF vs San Jose State
Tuesday, December 24
8:00 pm ET
This is a big moment for both of the shows, as shown in No Research Instant Analysis. Under Ken Niutmatalolo, San Jose State had a great first season, but it was not always good in the end. USF did not really build on its strong performance in 2023, but its offense is good enough to make this fun.
USF did not beat any good teams; their best win was… Charlotte? In a bit of a shootout, the Spartans’ passing game will work too well.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
San Jose State 34, USF 26
Line: San Jose State -2.5, o/u: 62.5
GameAbove Sports Bowl
Pitt vs Toledo
Thursday, December 26
2:00 pm ET
Both of these teams will be affected by the transfer portal, but Pitt has a lot more problems than these two. The Panthers have lost five straight games, and Toledo has not scored in its last two games as it fell out of the running for the MAC title. It is been a grind, but this might be kind of fun on a Thursday afternoon.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Pitt 26, Toledo 13
Line: Pitt -9.5, o/u: 51.5
Rate Bowl
Rutgers vs Kansas State
Thursday, December 26
5:30 pm ET
Did not Do Any Research: These two will never have a problem with effort. There are some key losses for Rutgers, but the team should be able to get by, and the offense got better at the right time in November. I think Kansas State will be missing a few more pieces. This is just a guess here. The style from Rutgers will get through.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Rutgers 26, Kansas State 24
Line: Kansas State -7, o/u: 51.5
68 Ventures Bowl
Bowling Green vs Arkansas State
Thursday, December 26
9:00 pm ET
No Research Instant Analysis: The head coach of Arkansas State has a new contract, and Bowling Green’s star tight end Harold Fannin is likely to play. This could be one of the best and most true bowl games of the season. As a general rule, you should always play against the MAC in bowls unless you have to. If Bowling Green is really close to full strength, it is better.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Bowling Green 30, Arkansas State 20
Line: Bowling Green -6.5, o/u: 49.5
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Navy vs Oklahoma
Friday, December 27
12:00 or 3:30, ESPN
There are no problems with transfers at Navy. The question is whether the offense can get back on track after having a hit-or-miss second half of the year.
It did a good job getting ready for the bowl game with the Army game, but now it will go up against an Oklahoma defense that should be fine.
The Sooners’ offense will not have Jackson Arnold at quarterback, but the offensive line and a conservative attack will help them get the job done. Even if you have a lot of twos, the D will take care of the rest.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Oklahoma 31, Navy 13
Line: Oklahoma -8.5, o/u: 46.5
Birmingham Bowl
Georgia Tech vs Vanderbilt
Friday, December 27
12:00 or 3:30, ESPN
No Research Instant Analysis: Get ready for the Diego Pavia show. He’s still around for Vanderbilt, and so far the team has been able to hold the line with transfers. The same is true for Georgia Tech – for now.
If all things are equal the Yellow Jackets pull this off in a fun back-and-forth shootout, but December 27th in a long ways away. This is guessing that Vanderbilt will be a bit more intact and Pavia will go full Pavia.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Vanderbilt 34, Georgia Tech 30
Line: Georgia Tech -2.5, o/u: 52.5
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Texas Tech vs Arkansas
Friday, December 27
7:00, ESPN
It is a shame that there was no research or easy analysis. The star power is missing, especially with Texas Tech RB Tajh Brooks not there. These two teams will not be completely destroyed, but they will not be great either. Arkansas does, however, lack a little more in every way.
Even though this is sloppy, both fan bases should enjoy it. Even stranger things will happen if the bad Texas Tech defense does not get off the bus. It should be fine to go through the Hog lines.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Arkansas 38, Texas Tech 26
Line: Arkansas -2.5, o/u: 59.5
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl
Syracuse vs Washington State
Friday, December 27
8:00, FOX
It looks like Syracuse is mostly intact so far, and Washington State quarterback John Mateer is still around as of right now.
Both teams will play hard, but the Orange will really shine with quarterback Kyle McCord still on the field. It should be fun to play the passing games, but if Mateer is in the portal, forget about it.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
Syracuse 45, Washington State 20
Line: Syracuse -6.5, o/u: 61.5
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M vs USC
Friday, December 27
10:30, ESPN
There is no need for research to say this: this is going to be a terrible bowl season. Let us hope that this game saves it. QB Jayden Maiava of USC is a great player, and Texas A&M should have enough to make this a fight.
Both teams have enough depth to make this at least somewhat like real football. However, keep an eye on the Texas A&M lines now that Shemar Stewart and Nic Stewart have chosen not to play. There will be many more.
First Thought Bowl Prediction
USC 27, Texas A&M 23
Line: Texas A&M -2.5, o/u: 50.5
