College football bowl games 2020: Strong New Year's Day slate led by Rose Bowl and Sugar

College football bowl games 2020: Strong New Year's Day slate led by Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl

Breaking down the top storylines from the four bowl games on New Year's Day 2020

This is what New Year's Day has left us this season: no championship games, not even College Football Playoff semifinals. Just some really tasty major bowl games involving teams ranked among the top 20 in the nation.
Yes, the playoff has tended to overshadow the postseason. That doesn't mean we can't camp our eyeballs out for an all-day intake of four major bowl games.
What's at stake?
The Rising: For Minnesota, Baylor and Oregon, continued ascension in their conferences and in the national consciousness. All three programs forced us to consider them as national contenders this season.
Coaching changes: This might be the last game at Baylor for Matt Rhule (see below). Michigan isn't firing Jim Harbaugh, but a loss to Alabama in the Citrus Bowl won't sit well with fans. The Wolverines finished third this season in the Big Ten East.
Old-fashioned pride: Georgia expected to play for it all. Beating Baylor after falling back to the Sugar Bowl for the second straight season will require more than mental toughness. The same goes for Alabama, which lost (in order) to LSU, its quarterback and then to Auburn. The Crimson Tide are 2-2 under Nick Saban in postseason games that don't involve the BCS/CFP.
The Rose Bowl: I don't know about you, but I could watch a flag football game between FedEx delivery drivers and still get the warm and fuzzies about the Rose. Sun setting over the San Gabriels, the immaculate setting in Pasadena. Even if the game is out of the championship loop in the CFP era, it still matters. Here's hoping Oregon and Wisconsin do the it proud.

Comments

Post a Comment