Union

Bowl Game Previews: January 1-6

Bruce Matson Posted On January 1, 2020
Save To Favorites

We are wrapping up the college football bowl season. It is important that we take the time to consume these games because once the season is done we have to wait until August before we can watch college football again.

To some, these games might be meaningless, but to many, there’s a lot of meat on the bone when it comes to getting prepared for your future rookie and devy drafts. I recommend recording some of the games so you have the film available to analyze some of these prospects over the long boring off-season.

This might be the last time that you will see some of these players compete at the college level and it’s very important that we take the time to get to know who they are before we jump into draft season.

JANUARY 1

CITRUS BOWL – MICHIGAN VS. ALABAMA

This is the first time Alabama will not get the opportunity to compete for a National Championship since the commencement of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide are now on the outside looking in and will now have to settle playing the 9-3 Michigan Wolverines. Both teams had high hopes of winning their conferences but fell short. Now they will get to battle it out in the Citrus Bowl on New Years Day.

WHO TO WATCH

Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet is a force to be reckoned with. He has a bright future and will be showcasing his skillset against a tough Alabama defense. His freshman campaign ended with 642 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. He will be a key component to the Wolverines’ offense for the duration of his collegiate career.

Michigan’s wide receiver corps couldn’t live up to the expectations. Donovan Peoples-Jones was a five-star prospect who was the top-ranked wide receiver in the 2017 recruiting class. His career has been anticlimactic at best. Peoples-Jones caught 33 passes for 404 yards and six touchdowns while owning a 13.34 percent market share of Michigan’s passing offense.

Nico Collins might be the most impressive pass-catcher on Michigan’s roster. He has the ability to outleap defenders to reel in tough contested catches. He has made some amazing plays during the course of his career. Unfortunately, due to Michigan’s stagnant passing attack, he was only able to muster 681 yards receiving and seven touchdowns while owning a 22.49 percent market share of the team’s passing production.

Ronnie Bell is a resilient playmaker who led the team with 694 receiving yards. He is currently flying under the radar and will need to make some big strides next year if he wants to compete with some of the top wide receiver prospects.

Tarik Black was a highly decorated recruit. His career has been a disappointment so far due to injuries. He has entered the transfer portal and we will need to keep tabs on him to see where lands.

Alabama’s junior running back Najee Harris has improved his draft stock immensely this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he develops into the most productive running back from this year’s class. He has five games with over 100 yards rushing and has caught 27 passes for 304 yards and seven touchdowns. His size-adjusted athleticism turns heads and his ability to catch the out of the backfield makes him a potential three-down workhorse at the next level.

Even though he is projected to be one of the first wide receivers drafted, Jerry Jeudy will be playing in this year’s Citrus Bowl. He is one of the most gifted route runners to ever play college football and should transition seamlessly to the NFL game. He shared the field with some incredible young wide receivers and still managed to catch 71 passes for 959 yards and nine touchdowns.

Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs is a fascinating wide receiver prospect. He has unprecedented long speed. Once he gets the ball in the open field, he’s an immediate threat to take it to the house. Ruggs is very fun to watch. He’s not going to leave this game unnoticed. Look for him to make one of his patented splash plays.

Devonta Smith is going to rise draft boards this off-season. He is currently being overshadowed by Jeudy and the track-burning speed of Ruggs. Smith led the team with 1,200 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. He snuck into the first round in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft which could mature into a real possibility come draft day.

The Crimson Tide is not short of talent at the wide receiver position and Jaylen Waddle is yet another young prospect who is consider one of the best in the nation. He is not draft-eligible until 2021 and will have a full year to elevate his draft stock. Even with him competing with a locked and loaded wide receiver stable, he still caught 32 balls for 553 yards and six touchdowns.

OUTBACK BOWL – MINNESOTA VS. AUBURN

Auburn is entering the Outback Bowl on cloud-nine after upsetting Alabama in the final week of the regular season. They finished the season with a 9-3 record losing to Florida, LSU, and Georgia. They will be playing against Minnesota who also exceeded expectations with a 10-2 record. Their only losses came against 20th-ranked Iowa and 12th-ranked Wisconsin. There are a lot of interesting prospects in this game and it should be fun to watch.

WHO TO WATCH

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have two thoroughbreds lined up at wide receiver. Rashod Bateman is one of the most exciting wide receiver prospects in the nation. He has the speed and ball skills to make plays downfield. After finishing his sophomore season with 57 catches for 1,170 yards and 11 touchdowns, he proved that he is one of the most important pieces to Minnesota’s offense with a 38.82 percent market share of the Golden Gophers’ passing offense. Bateman has multiple highlight-reel catches and will be making his case for first-round consideration next season.

Tyler Johnson is one of the best route runners in college football. He is also gangster in contested catch situations. Johnson capped off his senior season catching 74 passes for 1,114 yards and 11 touchdowns, equating to a 36.96 percent market share of his team’s passing production.

The Gopher’s sophomore running back Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for 1,160 yards a season ago but a foot injury slowed him down this year. Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks have been Minnesota’s running back duo for almost a century or at least it feels like it. They are not considered premium prospects but they will be draft-eligible this spring.

Five-star freshman quarterback Bo Nix passed for 2,366 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. Nix flashed some talent this season and was able to produce some big plays. He is currently ranked eighth in DLF’s QB devy rankings. He will be closely monitored during the next couple of seasons.

Auburn has some interesting talent at running back. JaTarvious Whitlow led the Tigers with 739 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He had three games with over 100-yards rushing. His best game came during the last week of the regular season when he posted 114 yards against Alabama.

DJ Williams is a young freshman running back you need to watch. He pops on tape. I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks out and becomes one of the top running backs in the nation next year.

Seth Williams is listed at 6-foot-3 and 224 pounds. He has good size-adjusted speed and has the knack to make plays downfield. He caught 55 passes for 801 yards and eight touchdowns this season which led to a 31.77 percent ownership of the team’s passing offense. Williams will be draft-eligible in 2021.

ROSE BOWL – WISCONSIN VS OREGON

We are going to get the opportunity to see a fun game with the sixth-ranked Oregon Ducks facing off against the eighth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers. There are a lot of questions that will need to be answered in this game. Can Oregon slow down Wisconsin’s rushing attack? Also, does Wisconsin’s offense have enough firepower to keep up with Oregon whose offense is averaging 450.7 total yards per game?

WHO TO WATCH

Wisconsin’s star running back Jonathan Taylor will be the key player to watch in this game. He will be one of the top running backs in the upcoming draft. There’s a chance he could sneak into the first-round. Taylor finished his impeccable career with 6,444 yards and 55 touchdowns from scrimmage during his three-year collegiate career. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry on the ground while owning a 36.87 percent market share and a 42.51 percent dominator rating.

Quintez Cephus is a very important piece to Wisconsin’s passing offense. He caught 52 passes for 842 yards and six touchdowns which equated to a 32.19 percent ownership of Wisconsin’s passing production. He made a few clutch catches this season for the Badgers. Cephus is an under-the-radar prospect who could shine when given the opportunity.

Wisconsin’s tight end Jake Ferguson is another player to watch in this game. He is currently ranked 16th in DLF’s devy TE ranks. He finished the season ranked second on the team with 361 receiving yards. Ferguson isn’t a big-time prospect, but he is just a sophomore and he has plenty of time to improve his stock before he leaves for the draft.

Oregon is led by star quarterback Justin Herbert. He is one of the top quarterback prospects in all of college football. There’s a very real possibility that he could be a top-15 pick come April. Herbert has passed for 10,403 yards and 95 touchdowns during his four-year collegiate career.

Sophomore running back CJ Verdell is the team’s workhorse running back. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his two seasons. Verdell also has accumulated 41 receptions on his career. He is a key piece to Oregon’s offense, owning a 22.12 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.

SUGAR BOWL – GEORGIA VS. BAYLOR

The Georgia Bulldogs are entering the Sugar Bowl after getting dusted by LSU 37-10. They have something to prove and they definitely want to finish the year off strong. The Baylor Bears are in the same boat. They previously lost to the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 Championship Game 30-23 in overtime. This will be the New Year’s Day nightcap game. Outside of the College Football Playoff, this will be the last major bowl game of the season.

WHO TO WATCH

D’Andre Swift is the man to watch in this game. He is currently the top-rated devy player in DLF’s rankings. He finished his junior season with 1,216 rushing yards and seven touchdowns while also catching 24 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown which equated to a 26.85 market share and a 33.43 percent dominator rating.

https://twitter.com/betmybookie/status/1058824214583672832?s=20

Swift is an explosive playmaker who can score from anywhere on the football field. He is dangerous in open space. On top of that, he is a solid pass catcher, making him a great option in PPR leagues. His ability to scoot past the opposition by using the “dead leg” makes him very tricky to tackle in one-on-one situations. He will be a bonafide first-round pick in rookie drafts this spring.

Zamir White is an up-and-coming running back prospect who could easily find his way to being one of the top running backs in college football next year. He has seen just 22 carries in his last six games but he’s a very talented athlete.

We could also see sophomore running back James Cook in this game. He is the younger brother of NFL star Dalvin Cook. There’s a chance that he might not be able to participate in this game since he was charged with possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage in a car a few weeks ago. Cook is a small shifty athlete who excels at catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s a name to have on your radar.

Freshman wide receiver George Pickens is a rising star. He’s a 6-foot-3 athlete who was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. Pickens finished his freshman season with a 19.22 percent market share of Georgia’s passing production and a 24.19 percent dominator rating. He should be a major riser in the ranks in the near future since his freshman season was filled with many highlight-reel plays.

Georgia’s quarterback Jake Fromm has experienced a lot of ups and downs during his career. He was a five-star recruit out of college and battled his way to being the starting quarterback for Georgia. His draft stock took a major hit after an anticlimactic junior season where he posted just 2,610 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He also came up short in some high-pressure situations. In order to silence the critics, Fromm will need a good showing. If he can do that, then maybe, he can regain some of his value.

Senior wide receiver Denzel Mims is the player to watch for Baylor. He finished his final season catching 61 balls for 945 yards and 11 touchdowns, equating to a 28.32 percent market share and a 38.07 percent dominator rating. Mims has been a key component to the offense for the last three years. He isn’t one of the top wide receiver prospects in the upcoming draft, but he does have the potential to make things happen at the next level if he lands in the right situation.

JANUARY 2

BIRMINGHAM BOWL – BOSTON COLLEGE VS. CINCINNATI

The barely bowl-eligible Boston College Eagles will be playing the 10-3 Cincinnati Bearcats who are looking to turn things around after they lost back-to-back games to Memphis. Their other loss on the season was a 42-0 shellacking from the Ohio State Buckeyes. The last time these two teams met was in 1997 when Cincinnati defeated Boston College 24-6.

WHO TO WATCH

Junior running back AJ Dillon rushed for 4,382 yards and 38 touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career at Boston College. He will not be participating in this game. Instead, he will be using the extra time to prepare for the NFL Draft. He’s a player who will receive a lot of attention during the NFL draft process. David Bailey is expected to take his place for this game.

The player to watch for the Cincinnati is junior running back, Michael Warren. He has 13 games with over 100 yards rushing during the course of his three-year career. Warren finished his 2019 season with 16 total touchdowns and a 26.31 percent market share of Cincinnati’s offensive production. He is currently ranked as the RB37 in DLF’s devy rankings.

GATOR BOWL – TENNESSEE VS. INDIANA

The Tennessee Volunteers finished third in the SEC East with a 7-5 overall record. They are averaging a lackluster 24.3 points per game. They will be playing the Indiana Hoosiers who finished fourth in the Big Ten East with an 8-4 overall record. Their offense ranks 31st in the nation, averaging 443.6 total yards per game.

WHO TO WATCH

Keep an eye out on senior wide receiver Jauan Jennings. You will need to look for him in the second half since SEC suspended him for the first half of the game for stepping on a player against Vanderbilt. He leads the team in receiving with 57 catches for 942 yards and eight touchdowns. Marquez Callaway is another wide receiver to take note of since he has been a key contributor to the passing offense for the last three seasons.

Freshman running back Eric Gray rushed the ball 25 times for 246 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt in the final game of the regular season. It appears the future might be bright for Gray going forward. Ty Chandler leads the team with 620 rushing yards and ranks 30th in DLF’s devy rankings.

The Indiana Hoosiers are led by stud 6-foot-2 231-pound sophomore running back Stevie Scott. He surpassed 1,000 yards rushing during his freshman season last year. Injuries prevented him from hitting his potential this season. Scott is questionable with a leg injury and there’s a chance he doesn’t suit up for this game. Whether he plays or not, remember his name, because he could be a major riser in 2020.

Keep a lookout for freshman running back Sampson James, who in Scott’s absence during the final week of the season was able to rush for 118 yards and a touchdown against Purdue. James was a four-star recruit who decomitted from Ohio State to go to Indiana.

JANUARY 3

IDAHO POTATO BOWL – NEVADA VS OHIO

The Nevada Wolf Pack finished the regular season with a 7-5 record. They upset the Purdue Boilers in week one 34-31 which was their best win on the year. The Ohio Bobcats are barely bowl eligible with a 6-6 record. They are averaging 443.3 total yards per game and they are rolling into this bowl game with two-straight wins.

WHO TO WATCH

Toa Taua is Nevada’s 5-foot-9 and 210-pound sophomore running back. He has 759 rushing yards on the season. He is also steadfast in the passing game, catching 30 passes for 185 yards. He has five games with over 100 yards rushing during the course of his two-year career.

Senior quarterback Nathan Rourke is the main player to watch for Ohio. He has passed for 7,313 yards and 60 touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career. He is currently ranked 31st in DLF’s devy QB rankings.

JANUARY 4

ARMED FORCES BOWL – TULANE VS. SOUTHERN MISS.

This will be the 30th meeting between the two schools. Southern Miss leads the series with a 23-7 record. They are rolling into this game with a third place finish in the Conference USA West. Tulane scraped by with a 6-6 record and placed fourth in the American Athletic West. This might not be the most exciting bowl game of the season, but it’s football!

WHO TO WATCH

Southern Mississippi has a pair of junior wide receivers who could break out in this game. Tim Jones led the team with 66 catches on top of his 840 yards and three touchdowns. He lines up on the opposite side of the field of Quez Watkins who has 55 catches for 1,024 yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Former LSU quarterback prospect Justin McMillan leads Tulane in both rushing with 704 yards and passing with 2,229 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has the Konami code and could make things interesting if he can get things going on the ground.

JANUARY 6

LENDING TREE BOWL – LOUISIANA VS. MIAMI (OH)

This will be Louisiana’s seventh bowl game in ten years. They finished the regular season with a 10-3 record, allowing them to earn the Sun Belt West division title. They will be battling the Miami Redhawks who are currently the champions of the MAC Conference with an 8-5 overall record.

WHO TO WATCH

Louisiana has a run-heavy offense that interchanges multiple running backs. Elijah Mitchell leads the team with 1,092 yards and 15 touchdowns. Junior running back, Trey Ragas, eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark a year ago and is averaging 7.3 yards per attempt. Raymond Calais is the senior running back of the group who is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and has 882 yards rushing on the season.

Former wide receiver Jaylon Bester leads Miami (OH) with 689 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, leading to an 18.81 percent market share of his team’s offensive production. Despite previously playing the wide receiver position, Bester only has 12 catches on the year.

bruce matson
Latest posts by Bruce Matson (see all)
Related Items:

Latest Articles

See All Articles

Dynasty Rankings

2024 Rookie Rankings

IDP Rankings

Devy Rankings

Podcasts

Videos

Devy Resources

Player Value Tools

Prospect Tools

Featured Tools

News & Research

Group-3386-min

Part of the Betsperts Media and Technology Group

Betsperts
FLA
Betsperts Golf
Bleachernation
4for4

Copyright 2024 Betsperts. All rights are reserved.

Find us here