I used to write every year that college football delivers the best regular season in sports followed by the worst postseason.
And even though a 12-team field out of 130 schools is more equitable than a four-team bracket, the presence of the bowls continue to make college football’s finish the most unwieldy. And that’s before one accounts for the transfer portal that causes schools such as Marshall to withdraw from a bowl berth they earned (although those Independence Bowl T-shirts with the Herd facing Army are now a lot more valuable).
Think of the bowl games as the necessary scaffolding for the construction of a better postseason — with an expansion to perhaps a 16-team field on the horizon — or, perhaps more apt when one considers the world of college athletics the skin a snake sheds as is matures and grows.
Let the fun begin!
Friday’s Game
Indiana (11-1) at Notre Dame (11-1), 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Nugget: Despite being in the same state, this is just the second meeting between the Fighting Irish and the Hoosiers since 1958. The first was a 49-27 triumph by ND in 1991.
Skinny: Both schools receive sneers as the Fighting Irish remain above playing in a conference — for football that is; they’re more than happy to rent space in the ACC for sports that don’t turn a profit. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, reek of new money. IU hasn’t ever won 10 let alone 11 games in a season and hasn’t been this good since 1967.
Players to watch: Two transfers take center stage. Former Wake Forest quarterback Riley Leonard has 16 touchdowns passing with 14 rushing this fall and is shining in his first season at Notre Dame. For the Hoosiers, former James Madison defensive lineman Mikail Kamara has 10 sacks and is settling in at Indiana.
Presto’s Pick: Irish end the Hoosiers’ Cinderella season with a 41-20 victory.
Saturday’s games
SMU (11-2) at Penn State (11-2), noon, TNT/Max
Nugget: This is the first meeting between these two schools since 1978, which resulted in a Nittany Lion win. But these teams do have postseason history, as the two teams finished 1-2 in the Final Poll of 1982. That year 11-1 Penn State was voted National Champion over 11-0-1 SMU.
The Skinny: Both schools get second lives after losing their respective Conference Championship games, and both are no stranger to heartbreak. The Nittany Lions lost their two games by seven and eight points while the Mustangs dropped a pair of three-point games this fall.
Players to watch: Penn State’s running back tandem of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton helped the school lead the Big Ten in rushing. Each back gained 100 yards in the Conference Championship Game. Meanwhile SMU allowed an ACC-low 93.4 yards per game on the ground thanks to linebacker Kobe Wilson, who’s notched 110 tackles, with 15 coming in the Conference title tilt.
Presto’s Pick: Nittany Lions hand the Mustangs a third three-point loss, 26-23.
Clemson (10-3) at Texas (11-2), 4 p.m., TNT/Max
Nugget: Call this the Rick Barnes Bowl, as the current Tennessee men’s basketball coach left Clemson for the Longhorns before bolting UT in Austin for the UT that’s in Knoxville. Man, that guy has to have a ton of gear in every shade of orange.
The Skinny: Clemson is back in the playoff, where it was a semipermanent resident last decade after playing its way into an automatic berth. And while Texas may be back, they’re still looking for their first-ever win in the CFP.
Players to watch: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers may be playing at home, but Clemson QB and Austin, Texas, native Cade Klubnik beat Ewers in 2021 for the Texas 6A State Championship. Neither was able to beat Georgia this past fall, but the Bulldogs are in the other half the bracket.
Presto’s Pick: Ewers gets his revenge as the Longhorns loom large in a 30-17 win.
Tennessee (10-2) at Ohio State (10-2), 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN
Nugget: The only other meeting between these two schools took place in the 1996 Citrus Bowl, set up because the Volunteers couldn’t win at eventual SEC champ Florida while the Buckeyes were upset on the final Saturday of the season by Michigan. This year you can substitute Georgia for the Gators where the Vols are concerned, but keep the Maize and Blue living in OSU’s head rent-free.
The Skinny: It’s a duel of dominant defenses, with Tennessee allowing the fourth fewest points per game in the nation while Ohio State allows the fewest yards per game in all of FBS.
Players to watch: Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard may have completed 72% of his passes while tossing 27 touchdowns this fall, but he was held to 175 yards with two interceptions against Michigan. And his late run with zero timeouts against Oregon is another reminder that he’s somewhat shaky on the big stage.
Dylan Sampson was voted SEC Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,485 yards with 22 touchdowns while coming off a 178-yard performance in the Vols’ finale.
Presto’s Pick: Tennessee triumphs, 28-24.
Last week: 0-1.
Season: 83-44.
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