A winning record awaits the victor of a showdown between the NC State Wolfpack and Vanderbilt Commodores in the 2016 Independence Bowl.  Both teams finished 6-6, riding strong end-of-season performances to go bowling. NC State, out of the ACC, won two of its last three contests, including a dismissal of a rival North Carolina team. Vanderbilt finished SEC play strong, claiming victories against Ole Miss and Tennessee to close the year hot and put a two-game skid ...

Setting the proper tone going into a new year is the theme around the 2016 Quick Lane Bowl, a showdown between the resurgent Maryland Terrapins and Boston College Eagles programs.  These teams know a thing or two about each other after time spent together in the ACC. It only makes it more interesting, as this game already classifies as a war of wills thanks to the potency of the Maryland (6-6) offense and Boston College (6-6) ...

The New Year's Six is coming, and OK, we're all excited. There are only so many times you can watch a bowl matchup with nine people, all family members, in the stands of a game played in the middle of Idaho before you start to feel sad. The Potato Bowl has feelings too, people. But soon enough, we'll see packed crowds and games with actual stakes. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson and Washington will battle for the national ...

The 2016 St. Petersburg Bowl features two of the better storylines bowl season has to offer, with the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks facing the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Redhawks (6-6), out of the MAC, suffered various injuries before the season began, adjusted and rattled off six consecutive wins to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. An SEC competitor, the Bulldogs (5-7) are one of three teams to back into a bowl game with a losing ...

The Hawaii Bowl was won by the team that had to travel the least. Hawaii was just 6-7 coming into the game, but the Rainbow Warriors showcased their offensive ability with a 52-35 win over Middle Tennessee. The official bowl account noted the final score for the victory for Hawaii: Mele Kalikimaka was the thing to say to Dru Brown on Christmas Eve. The quarterback was outstanding for the Rainbow Warriors, finishing with four passing touchdowns and a ...

So much of the focus during bowl season is directed toward the College Football Playoff semifinals and championship game, but plenty of other stellar showdowns deserve attention before the calendar flips over to 2017.   And it doesn't take much more than a quick scan of this year's slate to realize plenty of compelling games are fast approaching.  Whether that means meetings between Top 10 teams or serious stylistic clashes featuring Power Five competitors, there should be no ...

The Rose Bowl game between USC and Penn State may be the best bowl game outside of the College Football Playoff games. Penn State (11-2) went from being a middle-of-the-pack team in the Big Ten to the conference champions with shocking speed and ease. This is a team that that has proved time and time again that it knows how to make second-half adjustments that pay off with impressive victories. The Nittany Lions' win over Wisconsin in ...

The College Football Playoff has been set for weeks now, but there's still plenty of time left to dissect the two highly anticipated semifinal matchups that will get underway on New Year's Eve.  The first showdown will pit the No. 1-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide against the No. 4-seeded Washington Huskies in the Peach Bowl, while the second half of the holiday doubleheader will feature the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 3 Clemson Tigers.  But ...

Not everyone believes the 2016 Peach Bowl will be close, but in reality, the whole game will come down to a few key matchups for each team. Alabama is currently a 14.5-point favorite over Washington, per OddsShark, the highest of the 42 bowls of the season. Even after posting a 12-1 record with a Pac-12 championship, the Huskies aren't getting much respect in the national semifinals. Still, Washington has the ability to pull off the upset if ...

There might not be a closer bowl game on the postseason schedule than the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. Clemson and Ohio State have both impressed throughout the season and are each capable of bringing home a national title. Of course, they will first have to get through each other in the second national semifinal game. While it takes an entire team to win in this sport, a few individual matchups could end up making the difference in what ...