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What we're watching in the non-CFP college football bowl games
The College Football Playoff will be here before we know it, as four teams are making final preparations before they battle for the national championship.
But bowl season is about so much more than that.
[Predictions, picks and more for every bowl game]
It's filled with unusual matchups, oddball names, and even — on rare occasions — edible mascots.
So before we get into breaking down the semifinal matchups in the coming days, let's take a spin through the schedule and look at the other top bowl games.
What should fans be looking for? Who are the players to watch? Who is primed to use a bowl win to springboard into a successful 2024 season?
FOX Sports college football experts Bryan Fischer, Michael Cohen, Laken Litman and RJ Young are here to answer these questions and more.
The Alamo Bowl is an interesting matchup between Arizona and Oklahoma, two programs that made huge strides in 2023. What are you most interested in watching in this one?
RJ Young: While I think we're all interested in seeing how quarterback Jackson Arnold looks as the man behind center, I'm more curious to find out how co-offensive coordinators Seth Littrell and Joe Jon Finley run things.
Each of these coaches was recruited and developed — in part — by Brent Venables, and he's watched them grow into outstanding coaches. Littrell, his offensive coordinator, recently served as head coach at North Texas. Littrell tutored UNT standout Mason Fine, a little-known high school product out of Locust Grove, Oklahoma, who left the Mean Green as its most decorated passer.
Littrell, whose father played at OU, is right where he'd like to be: On the cusp of leading OU into one of its most difficult and highly-anticipated seasons in school history.
Throwing down a marker against a top-25 opponent like Arizona would do wonders not just for the confidence of the play-callers and players, but for that of the fan base, too. All eyes will be on OU heading into SEC competition next season, and dispatching the Wildcats would build momentum into winter training, spring football and the summer buildup to the season.
Laken Litman: With Dillon Gabriel off to Oregon, this will be our first real chance to get a glimpse of Arnold. The former five-star prospect is from just outside Dallas and was Venables' first QB commit. But he'll be operating the offense under new leadership as the Sooners lost offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who helped OU's offense improve to No. 3 in the country in scoring (43.2 points per game) and No. 6 passing (321.8 yards per game), to Mississippi State. The Sooners will also be missing a few starting offensive linemen, who have either opted out of the bowl game to focus on the NFL or entered the transfer portal. Regardless, this will still be a low-stakes opportunity to get a look at Oklahoma's new star quarterback before they join the SEC next year.
Michael Cohen: The biggest storyline ahead of this game is what Oklahoma's offense will look like after losing so many key pieces the last few weeks. Lebby and Gabriel are gone, as are offensive linemen Andrew Raym (center), Tyler Guyton (right tackle) and Cayden Green (left guard), with the first two opting out of Oklahoma's bowl game to enter the NFL Draft and the latter making a surprising move to the transfer portal. That's a lot to process for newly minted starting quarterback Arnold. But Arnold was one of the most coveted quarterbacks in the 2023 recruiting cycle, a five-star prospect rated No. 8 overall and the No. 4 signal-caller in the country by the 247Sports Composite. He's only attempted nine passes since mid-September, but the matchup with Arizona gives Arnold a chance to earn valuable playing time and experience entering next season.
Bryan Fischer: Jackson Arnold. Jackson Arnold. Jackson Arnold. Period and (almost) end of story. It feels like between the opt-outs and transfers, the bowls are becoming even more of a preview of next season for these teams, and that is certainly going to be the case with Oklahoma as their freshman quarterback gets his first start against a top-15 team. It will be fun to see Noah Fifita and those star wide receivers for Arizona on a big stage too, but, with the Sooners going into the SEC next season, seeing how Arnold performs will inform a lot of what their ultimate floor and ceiling will be in 2024.
Oklahoma, Ohio State others with a lot to play for
What will you be most curious to see from Ohio State in its Cotton Bowl matchup against Missouri?
Laken: Similarly to the Alamo Bowl, what I'm most looking forward to watching in the Cotton Bowl is Ohio State's QB situation. After Buckeyes' starter Kyle McCord made the splash of the postseason by transferring to Syracuse, former backup Devin Brown will get his shot. This is a massive opportunity for Brown to get a leg up in the competition heading into 2024. And he may have to do so without some playmakers, potentially including Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr., who has not yet made it public if he will play or sit out while he prepares for the NFL.
Michael: From an Ohio State perspective, this game is all about Brown. The shocking departure of McCord opened the door for Brown to state his case as the potential trigger-man for next season, an opportunity he otherwise wouldn't have had in a competitive setting. Brown pushed McCord for the starting job in a competition that began last winter and continued into the regular season, but head coach Ryan Day ultimately tabbed the latter as the team's No. 1. After logging 58 snaps in Ohio State's first three games combined, including a season-high 35 in the win over Youngstown State, Brown was limited to just 14 snaps for the remainder of the year. An ankle injury suffered in mid-October lessened his availability both in practice and in the personnel package Day hoped to design around Brown's mobility, which far exceeded that of McCord (minus-65 rushing yards this season). Now healthy, Brown will be given a chance to run the show without looking over his shoulder at McCord. It's the best audition he could have asked for entering 2024.
Bryan: Naturally there's some curiosity as to what this OSU offense is going to look like with new starters at quarterback, receiver and plenty more. But I might be more intrigued over how good Jim Knowles' defense will look and whether it can handle this very dynamic Mizzou offense that has a ton of playmakers. The Buckeyes have been really good at limiting big plays this season, and we'll see if that can continue into the Cotton Bowl given the personnel losses and a handful of new names seeing extended playing time.
RJ: Of course, the starting quarterback at Ohio State will be one of the largest storylines to follow. However, I'm more curious to find out which Buckeye picks up the mantle Harrison will no doubt vacate for the NFL as the program's best offensive weapon. Harrison managed to inspire that level of confidence during OSU's 2021 Rose Bowl win — even as Jaxon Smith-Njigba enjoyed the best bowl game by a receiver ever.
With Julian Fleming entering the transfer portal and Miyan Williams electing to enter the NFL Draft, all-purpose player Emeka Egbuka and big play-threat TreVeyon Henderson will likely get a chance to showcase their skills.
Buckeyes impacted by transfer portal: What’s next for Ryan Day?
What do you want to see from James Franklin's Penn State squad against Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl?
Michael: In what is beginning to feel like a semi-annual tradition, Franklin made a change at offensive coordinator by relieving Mike Yurcich of his duties several weeks before the regular season ended. And in a continuation of that tradition, Franklin made one of the flashier coordinator hires of this year's coaching carousel by snagging Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas. The hope at Penn State is that Franklin's latest splash hire turns out better than his last splash hire, as Yurcich was never able to replicate the success he had while overseeing three consecutive top-10 offenses from 2015-18 at Oklahoma State. Though Kotelnicki won't serve as Penn State's full offensive coordinator for the bowl game — that responsibility belongs to interim co-coordinators Ja'Juan Seider and Ty Howle — it will be fascinating to see which elements of his scheme the Nittany Lions choose to employ. Kotelnicki's penchant for using pre-snap motion and trick plays have earned him a reputation as one of the most creative offensive minds in college football, and he improved the Jayhawks from 114th in total offense in 2021 to 28th in 2023. He might not be taking the reins until after the Peach Bowl, but Kotelnicki's presence in meetings and bowl game practices will surely influence Penn State's offense.
Bryan: In so many ways, this Peach Bowl feels like a decent referendum on whether James Franklin goes into 2024 as a certified 12-team CFP contender. I love the two coordinator hires that Franklin has made, and you have to think that at least some of the ideas of Kotelnicki and DC Tom Allen will seep through and have an impact on the outcome of this one. This team definitely felt like it carried some of that momentum from the Rose Bowl win in January into the season, so it will be notable for the Nittany Lions to do the same against a much better opponent in the Rebels.
RJ: An offense with a pulse. Given that Franklin is looking at his fifth offensive coordinator since taking the PSU job, this Kotelnicki hire needs to work. And there's every reason to believe it can given Kotelnicki's success at Kansas.
However, a win against Ole Miss would only do so much for a program that has never made the College Football Playoff and can't manage to beat both Ohio State or Michigan with anything like consistency. Still, Ole Miss is a 10-win program with losses to Georgia and Alabama — the class programs of the vaunted SEC. If Penn State can bring home a win, that will do quite a bit to inspire confidence.
Laken: Despite disappointing losses to Ohio State and Michigan, the Peach Bowl is a chance for Penn State to make a statement and win 11 games for the second straight season. Sticking with the theme of quarterbacks here, I will be interested to see how Drew Allar looks in another big game. Under Yurcich, Penn State's passing game lacked explosiveness and averaged 204.3 yards per game (ranked No. 8 in the Big Ten, No. 92 nationally). Allar only threw for more than 300 yards in one game — the season opener vs. West Virginia. While we don't expect drastic changes to the offense just yet, perhaps we'll get a sneak peek of what things will look like in 2024.
Penn State vs. Ole Miss, other predictions
If Florida State beats Georgia in the Orange Bowl, do the Seminoles have a legitimate claim to a piece of the national title? Why or why not?
Bryan: If UCF can claim a national title from the year they went undefeated but were left out of the playoff, Florida State has every right to do the same. Given how tenuous the decision to leave the Seminoles out of the CFP was — coming down to basically "their QB was hurt" — their case is certainly legitimate. But how valid an argument they have will, I think, come down largely to who ends up taking the national championship trophy home next month. If it's, say, one-loss Alabama or Texas, then I'm sure there will be people who view an undefeated Power 5 champion as having every right to earn a split title. If it ends up being Michigan or Washington, who ran the table out of much tougher leagues and won an extra game to do so, the argument dies down a little more. Either way, some fan base is sure to be mad online about the final result.
RJ: Yes — hell yes.
Forget the CFP. Forget the BCS. If you run the table, you've won a share of the national title — period.
And if you did so in a Power 5 league, you're right to claim one. Look, the CFP selection committee not only made an egregious error in leaving out FSU but made a mockery of the sport by doing so. FSU will have to whoop a mighty Georgia team in an Orange Bowl to secure that title though. FSU could beat Directional State in a Swift Kick to the Groin Bowl, and I'd still see them hold up a national title banner.
It would be right, true and fair. I'm tired of this sport being unfair to the men who play it. The scoreboard has to matter. Win ‘em all. You win the whole damn thing.
Laken: No. The College Football Playoff selection committee kept them out, and you have to imagine no one is going to try and make nice by giving Florida State a piece of the title as an apology. While there is sense to the argument that it depends on who wins, the committee made its decision and now everyone has to live with it.
Michael: Let's start by acknowledging it was wrong of the College Football Playoff's selection committee to leave Florida State out of the field. The Seminoles are champions of a Power 5 league that placed four teams in the final CFP rankings — a number that can increase to five if the scheduling partnership with Notre Dame, which faced six ACC teams this season, is considered — and emerged from the regular season unscathed. That their star quarterback, Jordan Travis, was injured a few weeks before the playoff bracket was unveiled should make no difference to the selection committee in a sport where the games have to matter. And no team won more games than Florida State.
That said, even if Florida State beats Georgia in the Orange Bowl, it doesn't have a legitimate claim to a split national title. While it was wrong to keep the Seminoles out of the CFP, the fact remains that the CFP was designed to crown a national champion in the same way the NCAA Tournament crowns a champion in college basketball. Teams who aren't included, even unjustly, don't get to proclaim themselves winners simply because they deserved to be involved. Transfer portal defections and NFL opt-outs that deaden the non-CFP bowl games have further eroded the mystique surrounding Florida State's matchup against Georgia, which is a problem the actual semifinalists won't be dealing with ahead of games that still count. Awarding the Seminoles a split national title would be even sillier than leaving them out of the playoff in the first place.
Was Florida State snubbed?
Wild card question: What is one other thing you're excited about in a non-CFP bowl game?
RJ: Liberty vs. Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. But I'm a member of the Sicko Committee. I love this stuff. I love this one because it's exactly the kind of game that can lead to yet another unlikely claim to a share of the national title.
We all think Oregon is gonna stomp a mudhole in the Flames and walk it dry. The Ducks are beginning to look like Gordon Bombay's Team USA, and Liberty ain't no Iceland.
However, if Liberty pulls the upset, I can't wait to talk about what it means for the evangelist university in Lynchburg and the newly minted Big Ten school in Eugene. Bring me chaos. Bring me carnage. Bring what can only happen in college football — a perfect sport.
Laken: 100% the Pop-Tarts Bowl. The winner gets to take a bite of the mascot, which is a Pop-Tart! The No. 1 question then becomes, what flavor will this edible mascot be? Strawberry? Blueberry? Brown Sugar Cinnamon? Will it be frosted? The matchup between NC State and Kansas State isn't bad, either.
Michael: The sendoff for Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, son of head coach Kirk Ferentz, whose tenure with the Hawkeyes will end after the Citrus Bowl against No. 21 Tennessee. From the moment his contract was revised to include an unusual provision requiring the Hawkeyes to score 25 points per game, Ferentz became one of the storylines of the season. Injuries decimated an Iowa offense that lost starting quarterback Cade McNamara and top tight ends Luke Lachey and Erick All for the season, but Ferentz's group never came close to meeting the scoring incentive. The Hawkeyes enter the Citrus Bowl ranked 130th out of 133 FBS teams in scoring at 16.6 points per game and rank dead last in total offense at 239.3 yards per game. A shutout loss in this year's Big Ten Championship game was the unsightly nadir for a team that did not come close to the end zone against Michigan. So what will Ferentz do in his final game on his father's staff? Will the Hawkeyes limp across the finish line running the same system and same scheme that failed them the last two seasons? Or will Ferentz go out with a blaze of glory by having Iowa chuck the ball around the yard? It's a twisted brand of must-see TV.
Bryan: I'm always excited to see some of these bowl games be a celebration of the remarkable season we saw from teams that maybe we didn't expect coming into fall camp in August. Who saw USF mounting this massive turnaround and winding up in a bowl game in Year 1 under Alex Golesh? It's going to be so cool to see UNLV in the postseason, which has been a very rare occurrence in pretty much anybody's lifetime. Plus, how cool is it for Liberty to cap off its first year in a conference (with a new staff) in the Fiesta Bowl regardless of the result? There are dozens of similar examples in the non-CFP games that reinforce this — even if rosters or coaching staffs may have changed from the end of the regular season to kickoff.
Oh, and I'm also really excited to see what the heck is going to happen with that "edible" mascot in the Pop-Tarts Bowl because the mind starts to wonder what the heck the organizers have planned for the postgame in that one.
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Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. Follow him on Twitter at @Michael_Cohen13.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast "The Number One College Football Show." Follow him on Twitter at @RJ_Young and subscribe to "The RJ Young Show" on YouTube.
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