CFP semifinals: What makes Michigan vs. Alabama so fascinating
USA TODAY Sports' Dan Wolken previews Alabama vs. Michigan and why it's an exciting College Football Playoff.
College football's bowl season begins Saturday with what could be described as a soft start.
The slate of half-dozen contests includes no teams ranked in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll, and only one of the games features teams from so-called power conferences. However, there are some league champions on the field, and the day's lineup offers programs that don't often get the top slots on television a chance to grab the spotlight, at least for a few hours.
Here's a quick look at the day's lineup, with stops from Carolina to California and points in between.
The day begins with this encounter between first-time opponents. The Eagles enter with a four-game losing streak, although two of them counted for just one point. The Bobcats have won three straight and are looking for 10 wins for the second straight year. Georgia Southern QB Davis Brin isn't afraid to vent with 22 TD throws, but also 16 picks. He faces a Bobcats defense that is one of the stingiest in the country, with LB Bryce Houston the team leader in tackles (119), stops for loss (12½) and interceptions (3). Ohio State quarterback Kurtis Rourke switches, leaving the offense in the hands of two-man Parker Navarro. His main pursuer will be Eagles DE Isaac Walker.
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While some might argue that there are too many bowls, the Gamecocks and well-traveled coach Rich Rodriguez are happy to have found an open spot in just the first year after being promoted from the Football Championship Subdivision, where they were regular playoff participants . The Ragin' Cajuns have been in the FBS for much longer and are participating in the event in their home state for the seventh time, having won it five times. Jax State likes to play fast and does most of its damage on the ground, with RB Malik Jackson and QB Zion Webb combining for just under 1,500 rush yards. The Cajuns can move the ball in a variety of ways, with RB Jacob Kibodi leading the ground attack and QB Chandler Fields providing more of a downfield threat since taking over for the injured Zeon Chriss.
The second match of the day between the MAC and Sun Belt pits the former's champions, the RedHawks, against the SBC's runners-up. The Mountaineers fell to Troy in the conference finals, but have an impressive 6-1 bowl record since moving up from the FCS. App State is usually involved in a lot of high score affairs and would like this game to develop that way too. The triggerman is QB Joey Aguilar, with WR Kaedin Robinson serving as the primary target. Defense is the stronger side of the ball for the RedHawks as QB Brett Gabbert was injured midway through the season and Aveon Smith has entered the portal. Miami will count on RB Rashad Amos to keep the chains moving and PK Graham Nicholson, the Lou Groza Award winner, to take advantage of every opportunity on the short field.
Even though both teams had good seasons, there is still an idea of what could have been for both teams. The Aggies reached the Conference USA title game in their first year in the league and drew national attention by throttling Auburn, but fell twice at Liberty. The Bulldogs cracked the top 25 several times and appeared to be well on their way to an appearance in the Mountain West title game, but lost their last three contests, including a devastating setback to New Mexico on the same field. They will be without coach Jeff Tedford for this game as he is struggling with health problems. New Mexico State isn't flashy, but it rarely makes mistakes and averages 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. It's all about veteran dual-threat QB Diego Pavia, who was banged up in the C-USA title game but should be available. Fresno State will need QB Mikey Keene to return to the efficient passer he was at the start of the season.
Boise State is a proud program that is used to winning championships. But this year's Mountain West title may have been the Broncos' most unlikely trophy in their history, coming off a five-loss season that also featured a late coaching change. UCLA had its moments in 2023, such as a season-ending rivalry win against Southern California, but overall the results left both fans and players dissatisfied. The Broncos' strong finish was driven by defense, led by sack machine DE Ahmed Hassanein, who helped DC and interim coach Spencer Danielson nab the starting role full-time. Unfortunately, he'll be without QB Taylen Green, who transferred to Arkansas, so rookie CJ Tiller will make his first career start and expects to rely even more heavily on dynamic RB Ashton Jeanty. Bruins quarterback Dante Moore is also in the portal, but Ethan Garbers still has a few more reps to show.
The day ends with this power struggle, in which there were no significant factors in the respective twelfths. The Golden Bears are back in the bowl lineup for the first time since 2019, so they could enjoy some “lucky to be here” advantage despite playing closer to Texas Tech's home turf. The Red Raiders began the season ranked, thanks in part to last year's bowl triumph against Ole Miss, but sputtered out of the gate, barely managing to hit .500. Texas Tech QB Behren Morton took a lot of punishment after taking over for injured starter Tyler Shough but should be ready. He should be able to take advantage of the Bears' secondary, which wasn't exactly airtight. But Cal is here primarily because it increased its scoring output to 31.6 points per game from 23.9 last season. Freshman QB Fernando Mendoza is a big part of that, but the Bears are at their best when RB Jaydn Ott has room to maneuver.