Birmingham Bowl
Auburn (6-6) vs. Memphis (9-3)
Memphis was primed for a New Year's Six bid before Navy derailed their season and they ran into a streak of three straight losses. However, they dynamic offense of the Tigers is still around. Even though Head Coach Justin Fuente has moved on to Virginia Tech, the Tigers still have QB Paxton Lynch, and he is primed for a big game. Since Auburn Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp has left for South Carolina, he has taken Auburn's Secondary Coach as well. Both offenses should have a hay-day against two defenses that struggle very much, especially against the pass. I expect a good amount of scoring to be done, but I think that the problems at QB will hurt Auburn. The leadership Paxton Lynch brings to the Tigers team is going to be in this game. I have the Memphis Tigers winning this battle of the cats 52-42.
Belk Bowl
NC State (7-5) vs. Mississippi State (8-4)
Dak Prescott's final Collegiate Football game. Just like in the Navy-Pitt game, I can't pick against him. Prescott is a great athlete and a fantastic QB. He has thrown for 3413 yards this season with a 25:4 TD to INT ratio. He's also added 541 yards rushing with 10 TDs which leads the Bulldogs this season. There are not many other players in the country that mean as much as Dak Prescott does to State's offense. NC State won't be able to keep up with Prescott in this game, and I doubt they'll be able to do much against the Bulldogs defense. I expect a comfortable 45-20 victory for the Bulldogs. HAIL STATE!
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Texas A&M (8-4) vs. Louisville (7-5)
This one is going to be a very tough game to pick on considering that Texas A&M has lost their top two QBs over the past couple weeks. The Cardinals are a very young team, but a very deadly one. Freshman QB Lamar Jackson leads the teams in both passing and rushing. He's caused headaches for opposing defenses all season, but he has not faced the pass rush of the Aggies yet. Myles Garrett leads the SEC in sacks and will be looking to add to his total with more today. It should be a good game, but I'm not sure how A&M will come out. I think that there are too many issues going on for them to play well in this game, especially with a 3rd string QB. I'm going to take the Cardinals in this one 35-24.
National Funding Holiday Bowl
25 USC (8-5) vs. Wisconsin (9-3)
Very good BIG 10 vs. PAC-12 match-up in this game. Wisconsin doesn't have very much offense, but their defense is giving up a nation's best, 13.1 points per game. USC is averaging 35.1 per game under the Cody Kessler lead passing attack. However, their run game has picked up late in the season, and they are becoming more balanced. Wisconsin has almost nothing to show on offense, and the Trojan's defense shouldn't have too tough of a time shutting them down. I think that this one might be a little more on the low side for scoring. I would love to stick with the BIG 10, and I would be happy to see the Badgers win, but they just don't have the fire power to stick with USC in my opinion. Trojans 34, Badgers 21.
Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
18 Houston (12-1) vs. 12 Florida State (10-2)
This is an interesting game since Florida State will be without QB Everett Golson. Backup QB Sean Maguire has plenty of game experience however, and should have a lot of help from star RB Dalvin Cook. My big key to victory for the Seminoles is to get Cook the ball. He is by far their most dynamic player, and one of the best backs in the nation. He hits the hole so quickly that defenders almost only have enough time to stick an arm out, which isn't going to stop him. On the other side, Greg Ward Jr. leads the high-powered Cougar offense with over 3600 total yards and 35 TDs. He's a tough player to stop, and even FSU's stingy defense will have a tough time. There's going to be a good amount of points in this one, but I think that Dalvin Cook will take this game over and win it for the 'Noles. FSU 48, Houston 42.
CFP Semifinal Capital-One Orange Bowl
4 Oklahoma (11-1) vs. 1 Clemson (13-0)
The first of two playoff matches, and I don't think that either will disappoint. Despite being undefeated, the Tigers find themselves as an underdog with many people believing that out of the Final 4, they don't belong. Clemson just sent home 3 players today, including Freshman WR Deon Cain after they failed drug tests. Not a crippling loss, but never good for a team to have that happen. Deshaun Watson is going to have to play the best game of his life as OU's defense has been nothing short of dominant since their loss to Texas. Baker Mayfield has followed suit. They way Mayfield and OU's offense has played since their loss to Texas is insane. They are averaging 52 points per game and around 450 yards per game. Samaje Perine will be a big factor as Clemson's stout defense will face their toughest challenge yet. They will try to contain Mayfield, which is dangerous if they forget about Perine. I think that OU is the strongest team in this playoff race, and they're going to avenge that terrible beat down from the Tigers last year. High-scoring and close, I've got the Sooners in a 49-42 victory.
CFP Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl
3 Michigan State (12-1) vs. 2 Alabama (12-1)
Lots of people believe that this will be a tough, grind it out, low-scoring affair. I believe it will be a tough, rugged game, but I also think that there will be a good amount of points scored in this game. Both teams have very sturdy defenses, and very consistent offenses. The Heisman Winner, Derrick Henry, looks to run all over Sparty's tough defense, while Connor Cook looks to finish out his stellar career on a positive note against the toughest defense in the nation. Michigan State's best chance to win is to make Bama QB Jake Coker beat you. That requires shutting down Derrick Henry, but it can be done. On the other side of the ball, MSU needs to stay ahead of the chains. If Bama's defense gets Connor Cook (who is phenomenal on 3rd downs) into 3rd and long, they are going to be too strong for even Cook to convert a good amount of them. I would love to see MSU take down the Tide, but I don't think that they'll get it done. I really think that Ohio State is still the best team in the BIG 10, and had they used Ezekiel Elliot against the Spartans, things would be very different. Hopefully they prove me wrong, but I see the Tide Rolling in this one 35-23.
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