Allstate Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. TCU
Jan. 1, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana
Rampant speculation surrounding Baylor and TCU on who’s more deserving of the College Football Playoff bid will finally come to a close. A K-State win in Waco, Texas Saturday night closes the discussion and the Horned Frogs will have the opportunity to be the second-straight Big 12 team to knock off Alabama head coach Nick Saban and company in the Sugar Bowl
A return of B.J. Catalon remains in question for TCU, however, a healthy Trevone Boykin, Aaron Green and Josh Doctson will be more than adequate for the Big 12 co-champions.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: K-State vs. Ole Miss
Jan. 1, 2015, 11:30 a.m.
AT&T; Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Missed opportunities from K-State’s 20-14 loss to Auburn on Sept. 18 will never disappear. However, a trip to AT&T; Stadium on New Year’s Day is not a bad conclusion either. Ole Miss and head coach Hugh Freeze are without Laquon Treadwell, their best player on offense, but they carry one of the strongest defenses in the nation.
Regardless of the outcome, the 2014-15 senior class for the Wildcats should be proud of bowl appearances against Arkansas, Oregon, Michigan and the Rebels.
Valero Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Arizona
Jan. 2, 2015, 5:45 p.m.
Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
After scoring a combined 123 points with Washington at the Alamo Bowl in December 2011, the Bears make their first return to San Antonio since the record-setting game. This matchup puts Art Briles and his high-octane offense against a very similar unit led by Arizona Wildcats’ head coach Rich Rodriguez.
The former West Virginia and Michigan head coach is flying high in Tucson after swimming through rough waters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Will they break the scoring record from three years ago? Probably not, but it’s bound to be entertaining.
Russell Athletic Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Clemson
Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m
Orlando Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida
Coming into the 2014-15 season, Oklahoma was deep in conversation for the inaugural College Football Playoff. The talent was there, but key mistakes in losses to TCU and K-State and a blowout against Baylor knocked the Sooners down the Big 12 pecking order. The health of quarterback Trevor Knight is a key question and head coach Bob Stoops is hopeful he can return for the bowl game.
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl: Texas vs. Texas A&M;
Dec. 29, 8 p.m.
NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas
Will Texas and Texas A&M; officials allow this to happen? There are some sour feelings due to the Aggies’ departure for the SEC, but an opportunity to play them without paying for a scheduled matchup in the regular season is one that won’t come frequently.
If this game comes to fruition, it’ll be easily one of the most anticipated games in the entire bowl schedule.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl: West Virginia vs. Arkansas
Dec. 29, 1 p.m.
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee
What a remarkable turnaround by Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema. His team fell short in an overtime loss to Texas A&M; and lost by one point to Alabama. Back-to-back shutouts against LSU and Ole Miss are the clear highlights to their 6-6 season.
For West Virginia, health of Clint Trickett is one of the biggest questions, but there is still plenty for the Mountaineers to build off of for 2015-16. Transfer quarterback Skyler Howard has performed admirably in Trickett’s absence and has shown he can perform at a high level.
Adam Suderman is a senior in mass communications.
