The main event of New Year’s week starts Tuesday night when the quarterfinal round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff gets underway with Penn State and Boise State meeting in the Fiesta Bowl. Before that, however, there’s a solid undercard to whet your appetite for the game that will ring in 2025.
Tuesday’s pre-playoff lineup features four bowl games, with the Sunshine and Lone Star States featured prominently. This foursome of contests involves plenty of name-brand football programs, though they’d all undoubtedly rather be playing later in the week.
Nevertheless, here’s a look at the teams on the slate that will help you plan your day of gridiron viewing.
ReliaQuest Bowl – No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan
Time/TV/location: Noon ET, ESPN, Tampa, Fla.
Why watch: It’s a juicy pairing from the standpoint of being a rematch of a playoff semifinal from a year ago, but it pretty much goes without saying that neither squad is delighted to be here. The Crimson Tide are likely the more disgruntled of the two having been the last team on the outside looking into the expanded field. The Wolverines showed some fight down the stretch by taking down Ohio State, but many of the players on both sides of the ball responsible for that won’t be taking part. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe will play, though whether he’ll be back next season remains the subject of speculation. Nevertheless, his presence here is good news for standout freshman WR Ryan Williams. Michigan’s top RBs Kalil Mullings and Donovan Edwards will be sitting out, which will limit QB Davis Warren’s options.
Why it could disappoint: Honestly, it probably will. Alabama was its own worst enemy in its losses this year, so as long as Milroe and Co. take care of the ball they should come up with more than enough points to overpower the offense-challenged Wolverines.
Sun Bowl – Louisville vs. Washington
Time/TV/location: 2 p.m. ET, CBS, El Paso, Texas.
Why watch: Oh what might have been for Louisville, which won at Clemson in dominant fashion and came within a touchdown of toppling Notre Dame but somehow let a win inexplicably get away at lowly Stanford. The Cardinals will now be shorthanded for this contest with QB Tyler Shough and WR Ja’Corey Brooks off to the draft. The offense will be in the hands of Harrison Bailey, who has made only mop-up appearances in 2024 but did complete all eight of his pass attempts. The Huskies had a few highlights in their first season in the Big Ten but for the most part didn’t enjoy life away from the west coast. Freshman Demond Williams took over QB duties late in the season and will keep the job in the bowl.
Why it could disappoint: A series of miscues by inexperienced hands could allow this one to get away for either squad. But it’s hard to discern a distinct talent advantage either way, so hopefully things will be competitive.
Citrus Bowl – No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 21 Illinois
Time/TV/location: 3 p.m. ET, ABC, Orlando, Fla.
Why watch: On its face, this presents as a solid matchup of power conference contenders with identical records. It might unfold that way, but the Gamecocks come in as favorites after finishing as one of the hottest teams in the SEC. They’ll hope for another strong outing from dynamic freshman QB LaNorris Sellers to get a jump start on next season. Unfortunately, he will not have draft-eligible RB Raheim Sanders with him in the backfield one more time, but WRs Mazeo Bennett and Nyck Harbor could be utilized often. Fighting Illini QB Luke Altmyer is a go, but his top target WR Pat Bryant is opting out. That will likely mean frequent targets for WR Zakhari Franklin.
Why it could disappoint: The Gamecocks fared much better against the top tier of their conference, while the Illini won their share of games in the Big Ten but weren’t particularly close to knocking off Penn State or Oregon. That may or may not be a harbinger here, but if there is a mismatch it would figure to go South Carolina’s way.
Texas Bowl – Baylor vs. LSU
Time/TV/location: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Houston
Why watch: Dave Aranda’s chair in Waco was starting to feel a wee bit warm as Baylor began the campaign 2-4 but cooled considerably as the Bears ran off six consecutive wins to close the regular season. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson and RB Bryson Washington put up big scores during the run and hope to keep the momentum going. The temperature trended the other way at LSU, where a three-game skid after the season’s midpoint derailed the Tigers’ SEC title hopes. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier announced he’d be back next year, in theory a positive development despite his occasionally incurring the wrath of fans. He’ll be short-handed here, however, with top WR Kyren Lacy and key OT Will Campbell headed to the draft.
Why it could disappoint: Baylor probably needs to make this a shootout, but given both teams’ regular struggles on defense that could very well be how things unfold. If that is indeed the case, we could have a fun one leading into the first quarterfinal.
Fiesta Bowl – No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State
Time/TV/location: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Glendale, Ariz.
Why watch: The first quarterfinal pits the rested Broncos with their Heisman runner-up against the tough Nittany Lions defense that passed its first postseason test with flying colors. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty brings his 2,497 yards and 29 rushing TDs into State Farm Stadium. He’ll be opposed by Penn State LB Kobe King, who will probably also get secondary support from DB Jaylen Reed. Broncos QB Maddux Madsen is more than capable of providing air cover for Jeanty and has only been picked three times this season, a number that must not increase since the Nittany Lions have amply demonstrated they know what to do with errant passes. Penn State can run the ball a little in its own right, with the platoon of RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for 1,820 yards themselves. The Broncos also deploy their secondary in ground support frequently, with sure tacklers like Ty Benefield and Seyi Oladipo often providing the finish. But QB Drew Allar’s ultimate weapon, TE Tyler Warren, will test Boise’s coverage schemes.
Why it could disappoint: If the Nittany Lions’ defense once again has its way in the game’s first few series, we might be in for another suspense-free contest. A Broncos’ rout seems less likely, but the turnover bug might bite Penn State with the pressure on.