Bowl Game Viewer's Guide: These are the must-watch matchups
USA TODAY Sports' Dan Wolken breaks down the must-watch games this bowl season.
As a public service announcement, we are obliged to make it clear that no boxing is planned on Boxing Day. However, there is football.
After a brief holiday break, the College Bowl season continues Tuesday with three games, all in the four-letter network.
There is no real overarching theme for the day. Representatives from six different conferences will take part in the three games. Nobody is a champion, but one of today's participants was a finalist. So the offerings later in the day as we move further west seem to make for a more compelling viewing, but every bowl game has the potential to surprise. Here are the encounters of the day.
Yes, we know what we just said about this sport's ability to produce unexpected results in these uncertain bowl environments. But in all likelihood this game will be a difficult affair. The Falcons lost to New Mexico State in the same bowl a year ago, and Minnesota comes into the game after a winless November. The Golden Gophers, like the rest of the Big Ten West, struggled to put points on the board even in the games they managed to win. With QB Athan Kaliakmanis now in the portal, long-time backup Cole Kramer will get the starting shot. Falcons QB Connor Bazelak will be there, but he may be vulnerable to picks.
The “happy to be here” factor will be more evident in this competition. It's the first bowl appearance in program history for the Bobcats, the last of 12 Sun Belt teams to take the field this postseason. The Owls went bowling as a 5-7 team last year, but this spot certainly seems more deserving within the program. As an added bonus, they are the only one of the three American Athletic teams with owl mascots to produce a bowl. Isn't that a joke? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Texas State scores a solid 36 points per game with QB TJ Finley and RB Ismail Mahdi leading the way. The Rice offense is led by QB AJ Padgett, who took over when starter JT Daniels was sidelined with a concussion and led the Owls to a decisive victory over Florida Atlantic in the regular-season finale.
That should be good. These are two schools more known for their indoor performance, but both appear to have found the right coach to make them relevant on the gridiron. It took Barry Odom just one year to get the Rebels to the Mountain West title game. It doesn't matter that UNLV is on a two-game skid. The chance to get 10 wins for the first time since 1984 will have the team ready to go. Lance Leipold, a winner at all of his coaching stints, has made steady progress in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have had their ups and downs this year, but their win over Oklahoma was the undisputed highlight. UNLV QB Jayden Maiava has handled the controls well, but the star of the Rebels offense is WR Ricky White, who is averaging over 17 yards on his 81 catches for 1,386 yards. QB Jason Bean has taken the most snaps for KU this season, while Jalon Daniels has been sidelined for most of the season due to previous issues. Daniels will be back in 2024, but Bean and the Jayhawks will continue to rely on standout RB Devin Neal to keep the sticks moving in the meantime.