Welcome to the final edition of Mapping Out Your College Football Weekend for the 2022 year. It has been a blast writing up these games for you, and now we get to the culmination of the season. Almost every bowl remaining looks excellent on paper (no offense, UCLA-Pitt), and we have four winner-take-all games on the docket: the three College Football Playoff games and the FCS title match.

Some of the year’s storylines have already been forged and some of the top hardware awarded, but the sport’s ultimate prize is on the line. We also will set the table for 2023 hype: teams like Penn State and LSU and players like Donovan Edwards, Jaishawn Barham, and Cade Klubnik can set the table for their next step into stardom. 

Everything culminates this weekend. Happy watching.

Below I’ve listed the nationally televised games, sorted by viewing window for you to keep track. All times are Eastern, because, well, duh. Included is each team’s rank in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings to give you a sense of the matchup.

Friday, December 30:

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: (31) Maryland vs. (48) NC State — 12 PM on ESPN

The loser of this game is the real winner, as their coach avoids getting a 10-gallon bucket of mayonnaise dumped right onto their noggin. Mayo is delicious on your sandwich but horrifying if you are cleaning it out of your ear canal. 

Sun Bowl: (42) Pittsburgh vs. (21) UCLA — 2 PM on CBS

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi has made a habit in recent years of getting in front of a microphone and complaining about trends in college football that don’t appeal to him – even if it has nothing to do with his program. Expect bowl opt-outs to join the list of things Narduzzi publicly hates, as his Panthers will be without almost all of their 10 or so most impactful players. 

Gator Bowl: (35) Notre Dame vs. (25) South Carolina — 3:30 PM on ESPN

The “We Beat Clemson” club will determine their true champion. Both parties of the electric Spencer Rattler to Antwane Wells Jr. connection will suit up for the Gamecocks, but they will otherwise be without crucial players like Austin Stogner, Jaheim Bell, MarShawn Lloyd, Zacch Pickens, Cam Smith…. if you name an important Gamecock, chances are they are sitting out. South Carolina has a pretty fantastic pass defense but can’t defend the run at all; that is a tough matchup against a Notre Dame team that will largely look to pound the rock with breakout star RB Audric Estimé. 

Orange Bowl: (11) Clemson vs. (5) Tennessee — 8 PM on ESPN

Our esteemed writer Gray dubbed this the “Shane Beamer’s Your Daddy Bowl,” and I’m not going to top that, so let’s move on to the Saturday slate.

Saturday, December 31:

Sugar Bowl: (4) Alabama vs. (8) Kansas State — 12 PM on ESPN

The shocking part of this game is how many Alabama upperclassmen with NFL futures are participating. I guess that doesn’t fit the narrative of player opt-outs ruining bowl season. Enjoy one last run of college legends like Bryce Young, (perhaps) Deuce Vaughn, Will Anderson Jr., and *checks notes* Adrian Martinez. 

Music City Bowl: (28) Iowa vs. (24) Kentucky — 12 PM on ABC

This is a rematch of last year’s Outback Bowl (RIP) but without literally any of the offensive players that made it interesting. This is for punting aficionados only. 

CFP Semifinal — Fiesta Bowl: (2) Michigan vs. (6) TCU — 4 PM on ESPN

The case for TCU: The Horned Frogs have two of the sharpest coordinators in the sport and have been one of the best second-half adjustment teams in the sport all season. Their offense has three bona-fide big-play threats, and their defense has corners that can match up with Michigan’s receivers. The month of rest will be crucial for a team that was running out of gas down the stretch because their bye was in September. They are battle-tested and know how to win close games. They run a defensive scheme (the 3-3-5) that is popular in the Big 12 but will be unfamiliar to Michigan.

The case for Michigan: The Wolverines are heavy favorites for a reason and just need to take care of business. While they had some cupcakes on their schedule, their impressive wins over Ohio State and Penn State were better than anything on TCU’s resumé. Their offensive line is dominant and might be the best position group in the entire sport; just lean on the big uglies and eventually the dam will break. 

CFP Semifinal — Peach Bowl: (1) Georgia vs. (3) Ohio State — 8 PM on ESPN

The case for Georgia: The Bulldogs have replaced Alabama as the sport’s inevitability, and once again they have the top collection of agile beef in the tournament. The defense is not as good as last year’s historic unit, but it is still best-in-class. They have the recipe for slowing down Ohio State’s vaunted passing attack: a host of talented coverage players in the secondary, and a monster interior pass rusher in Jalen Carter. Tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington are a matchup advantage against every roster in the country. Kirby Smart has imbued his team with the hunger and ferocity of the early Nick Saban-era Alabama teams. The Dawgs remain the safest bet in the game right now. 

The case for Ohio State: Have you re-watched the Michigan game? Take away the shock of the big plays at the end, and the Buckeyes actually outplayed the Wolverines over the course of the game. The defense is physical again and vastly improved from recent poor seasons. Ryan Day and Jim Knowles are two of the best schematic minds in the country on their respective sides of the ball, and they had a month to prepare. (See Day’s gameplan in their last CFP appearance when he tortured Brent Venables for four straight hours). Georgia won’t be able to exploit the Buckeyes’ biggest defensive weakness – stopping big pass plays – which will allow Knowles to focus on stopping other elements of the Bulldogs offense.  And, oh yeah, they have C.J. Stroud, the best quarterback of any of the four playoff teams.

Monday, January 2:

ReliaQuest Bowl: (15) Illinois vs. (19) Mississippi State — 12 PM on ESPN2

Mississippi State will look to honor Mike Leach’s legacy by winning a bowl game in a stadium with a pirate ship in it. 

Cotton Bowl: (23) Tulane vs. (13) USC — 1 PM on ESPN

Tulane is this year’s Group of Five representative in the New Year’s Six, and the Green Wave have a legitimate shot to steal this win over a limping and banged-up USC team. The Trojans were about one half of football away from making the playoff; instead they find themselves facing Tulane’s funky triple-option offense on a Monday afternoon. We already know they play a defense-optional style, and that was when they were in high stakes games; how much interest will the Trojans actually have in stopping Michael Pratt, Tyjae Spears, and company?

Citrus Bowl: (18) LSU vs. (47) Purdue — 1 PM on ABC

A few years ago, the Boilermakers made the Music City Bowl against Auburn and got a 63-spot hung on them. That kind of blowout is in the cards again. LSU is a young team full of stars playing hard to continue building on its dream season, while Purdue is turning the page from the Jeff Brohm era and will be without a host of key contributors. Austin Burton will be under center for the Boilermakers, and he was uninspiring in his lone start against FAU. Now, he has to look across and see Harold Perkins coming for him. I’m sorry, Austin.

Rose Bowl: (9) Penn State vs. (10) Utah — 5 PM on ESPN

The Grandaddy of Them All showcases the Utes for the second straight year. Two excellent cornerbacks — Utah’s Clark Phillips III and Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. — are opting out, but a host of other good players will be competing, including the true freshmen blue-chip backfield duo for the Nittany Lions of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Each went over 800 yards for the season while playing in the Big Ten, despite being just a few months out from graduating high school. 

Sunday, January 8:

FCS National Championship Game: (FCS 1) South Dakota State vs. (FCS 3) North Dakota State — 2 PM on ABC

A baffling decision by the FCS decision makers to throw this one up against the final regular season slate in the NFL. Try to give it some love anyway. This is a ferocious rivalry, of course. It has been played in the playoffs four different times before; all four were home wins in the Fargodome by the Bison. While some of those matchups were “de facto” title games, this is the first time it is actually for a ring. South Dakota State has slayed the dragon before in the regular season – actually, the Jackrabbits have won the last three meetings – but will be desperate to finally get over the hump in the postseason. The Jackrabbits’ defense was dominant in the second half of the team’s comeback victory in Fargo earlier this year, and it will need to repeat that performance to achieve a monumental win for the program. 

While some other teams flashed in FCS this year, these are the two best programs and the most complete squads this season. It has all the makings of an instant classic. 

Monday, January 9:

CFP National Championship Game: TCU/Michigan vs Georgia/Ohio State — 7:30 PM on ESPN

You know this one. For all the marbles/Tostitos, when the chips are down, etc. Be there or be square.