The end of the college football regular season is a strange time.
The excitement of conference championships is combined with the knowledge that Saturday’s filled with football has come to an end.
Michigan Wolverines defensive back Mike Sainristil raises the B1G Most Valuable Player trophy during the Big Ten Championship Game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Iowa Hawkeyes on December 02, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
That is until bowl season comes around.
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On Saturday, bowl season kicks off with seven matchups, followed by 40 games over the next 16 days before the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year’s Day.
Let’s take a look at five intriguing games outside the CFP as bowl season kicks off.
DIRECTV Holiday Bowl: USC vs. No. 15 Louisville, 12/27 at 8:00 p.m. ET
The USC Trojans and the Louisville Cardinals with square off in San Diego as two teams coming off very different seasons.
Louisville went 10-3 in Jeff Brohm’s first season as the former Louisville quarterback returned home.
The Cardinals played in their first ACC Championship Game after defeating two top-25 teams during the season, exceeding expectations and winning at least 10 games for the first time since 2013.
For USC and head coach Lincoln Riley, the opposite occurred as the Trojans fell well below the expectations set in the preseason.
Head coach Jeff Brohm of the Louisville Cardinals receives The Schnellenberger Trophy after defeating the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium on November 18, 2023, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
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USC was ranked No. 6 in the country to start the year as Caleb Williams returned for his junior season.
It quickly became obvious that the USC defense was still an issue.
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was fired after USC allowed 52 points to Washington in a loss that dropped them to 7-3 on the year. USC lost its final three games and finished the year 7-5, a far cry from its playoff hopes.
Williams will not play against Louisville as he’s expected to declare for the NFL Draft.
Valero Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona, 12/28 at 9:15 p.m. ET
It’s a matchup between one team entering the Big 12 conference while the other departs.
The Arizona Wildcats will leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12 starting in 2024 as the Oklahoma Sooners depart the conference for the SEC.
The two teams enter bowl season with very different situations under center.
Quarterback Noah Fifita of the Arizona Wildcats rolls back in the pocket against the Colorado Buffaloes in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field on November 11, 2023, in Boulder, Colorado. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
The Wildcats have their quarterback of the future in freshman Noah Fifita, who led Arizona to six straight wins to end the season after replacing the injured Jayden de Laura in Week 4.
Fifita finished the regular season with 2,515 passing yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions as Arizona entered the Associated Press Rankings for the first time since 2017.
It’s a bit of a different story for Oklahoma.
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Two-year starter Dillon Gabriel announced his decision to play out his college career at Oregon on Saturday after entering the transfer portal last week.
Sooners head coach Brent Venables said five-star freshman Jackson Arnold will likely get the start against Arizona, but the decision has yet to be finalized.
“I think Dillon had every intention to go to the NFL,” Venables said last week, according to the Arizona Daily Star. “In his mind, this was going to be his last season. He’s going to have a great year, put himself in a position to go chase his dreams in the NFL. He’s the best person to testify in regards to how he came to the decision to play another year collegiately.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel of the Oklahoma Sooners pumps his fist after running for a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth quarter at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2023, in Norman, Oklahoma. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
“But quite frankly, we did plan on going into the ‘24 season without Dillon Gabriel,” Venables added. “He knows the uniqueness of the situation. Dillon knows certainly he was more than welcome to stay, continue to compete, be the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma. But that’s just what decision he came to. Like I said, he would be the best person to really go into more depth and detail about what all went into that.”
The Sooners were the fifth-best offense in 2023, but that was also with offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, who took the head coaching position at Mississippi State.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri, 12/29 at 8 p.m. ET
Ohio State was unable to take down Michigan for the third consecutive year, causing the Buckeyes to miss out on the CFP for the second time in three seasons.
They were forced to settle for a New Year’s Six bowl against a Missouri Tigers team that won 10 games for the first time since 2014. The Tigers won three straight games to end the year after losing to Georgia in Athens.
“In my wildest dreams, I don’t know that I ever thought about being able to coach in the Cotton Bowl vs. Ohio State,” fourth-year Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “So, it’s something that I’m going to be very, very present in and really enjoy the moment.”
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz of the Missouri Tigers on the sidelines during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on November 24, 2023, in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Starting quarterback Kyle McCord won’t be under center after entering the transfer portal, giving sophomore Devin Brown the start.
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The two schools have not met since 1998 and the Cotton Bowl matchup will be their first postseason contest.
“They play a tough schedule in the SEC. So, they’ve got to bring it every week and have some really good wins this year against Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We know they’re a very good team, any time you’re playing that type of schedule and winning like they are. … But that’s what you expect when you get into a bowl game like this.”
Heisman Trophy finalist Marvin Harrison Jr. is still undecided on whether he will play in Ohio State’s bowl game as he mulls whether to enter the NFL Draft.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss, 12/30 at noon ET
It’s defense versus offense in the Peach Bowl as the SEC and Big Ten square off.
Penn State rolls into Atlanta with the top defense in the country for the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Nittany Lions allowed just 223.3 yards per game this season, going 10-2 in James Franklin’s 10th season in Happy Valley.
The two losses came against familiar foes as Penn State was unable to get anything going offensively versus Ohio State and Michigan. Franklin is now 3-7 against Michigan and 1-9 against Ohio State.
Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions checks the scoreboard during the first quarter of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on October 21, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. (Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
Ole Miss doesn’t have a problem on offense, averaging 455.6 yards and 34.8 points per game under Lane Kiffin.
The Rebels won 10 games for the second time under Kiffin and will be playing a New Year’s Six bowl for the second time in the past three seasons.
Quarterback Jaxon Dart was fifth in the SEC in passing yards, throwing for 2,985 yards and 20 touchdowns. Dart added seven scores on the ground.
Capital One Orange Bowl: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia, 12/30 4 p.m. ET
It’s not where the Seminoles expected to be, but a matchup against the two-time defending champions is one heck of a spot to be in.
Florida State was snubbed by the CFP committee despite going undefeated and winning the ACC title. The decision to put Alabama in the playoff set off a vicious response from Florida State and created a national argument that continues today.
Florida State will have a chance to prove that it belonged in the CFP despite the injury to quarterback Jordan Travis in the Orange Bowl.
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“I empathize with anybody that goes undefeated and doesn’t get in,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “I empathize with our players because I personally feel like we deserve to be in. We’ve got a really good football team, we’re considered No. 1 in the country all year and then fell. We’ve got a whole hornet’s nest around here of some players that are disappointed, too.”
Mike Norvell of the Florida State Seminoles holds up the trophy after the Florida State Seminoles defeat the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2023, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Georgia rolls into Miami winners of 29 of their last 30 games, but the one loss proved costly.
The Bulldogs fell to Nick Saban and Alabama and the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game, keeping Georgia from attempting a three-peat.
With all the storylines, the Orange Bowl should have the attention of the college football world.
“Of all the games that are out there in this bowl season, there’s not one that will be more exciting or probably more anticipated than having these two teams,” Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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