Taking a quick-hit look at the Jan. 1 bowl menu, which on the first day of 2015 features the first-ever College Football playoff semifinal games.
WHO: Auburn (8-4) vs. Wisconsin (10-3)
WHAT: The 29th Outback Bowl
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
WHEN: Noon ET on ESPN2
THE SKINNY: This the first of three Big Ten-SEC New Year’s Day matchups, and the former conference needs at least two wins -- with one coming in the big one to cap off the night -- to help its flagging reputation. That task, though, won’t be easy right out of the gate. Auburn lost its last three games of the 2014 regular season, including the last two, to Georgia and Alabama, by a combined 38 points. Wisconsin, meanwhile, closed out the season on a 7-1 run; that one loss, however, was a 59-0 embarrassment to Ohio State that setup tonight’s OSU-Alabama semifinal showdown. The Badgers also bring a four-game bowl losing streak into the game, while the Tigers have won 8 of their last 10 bowl games. Another bad sign for UW? AU runs an offense that some would consider eerily reminiscent of OSU’s, the same one that waylaid the Big Ten West champs in the conference title tilt. This meeting, incidentally, will mark the fourth between the two football programs, and the first since the 2006 Capital One Bowl.
THE LINE: Wisconsin +7
THE PREDICTION: Auburn 41, Wisconsin 34
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WHO: No. 8 Michigan State (10-2) vs. No. 5 Baylor (11-1)
WHAT: The 78th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
WHERE: AT&T Stadium, Dallas, Tex.
WHEN: 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: Missouri (10-3) vs. Minnesota (8-4)
WHAT: The 68th Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
WHERE: Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla.
WHEN: 1 p.m. p.m. ET on ABC
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: No. 2 Oregon (12-1) vs. No. 3 Florida State (13-0)
WHAT: The 101st Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
WHERE: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.
WHEN: 5 p.m. ET on ESPN
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
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WHO: No. 1 Alabama (12-1) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (12-1)
WHAT: The 81st Allstate Sugar Bowl
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, La.
WHEN: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
