IAN BOYD is a history major graduate from the University of Texas, now based in southeast Michigan, who loves studying the trends and stories of college football. You can also find his work at two SB Nation blogs, Football Study Hall and Inside Texas.
College football's championship game could be decided by the health of Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
It's the New Year's Six bowls, and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Can Notre Dame pull the upset against the heavily-favored Crimson Tide? Will either team have an edge when Trevor Lawrence and Clemson face Ohio State?
Among the top bowl games over next week: Kyle Trask and the Florida Gators taking on the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Ready or not, bowl season is here! The premier matchup in the first round of bowls sees Khyiris Tonga and the BYU Cougars face the UCF Knights in the Boca Raton Bowl. Elsewhere, Tulane faces Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and Hawai'i meets Houston in the New Mexico Bowl.
It seems set in stone that the four playoff berths will be given to Power 5 teams, which begs the question: what happens if Cincinnati beats Tulsa to finish at 8-0 and AAC champions?
In the craziest college season in recent memory, with COVID cancellations running rampant, it's comforting to know that the Army Black Knights (led by fullback Jakobi Buchanan) will still face the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday.
Yes, there are big contests in the SEC (Texas A&M at Auburn) and Big 12 (West Virginia at Iowa State. But the week's real main event sees BYU travel to Conway, South Carolina, to play Grayson McCall and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the game you never knew you needed to see.
One of the biggest games this weekend sees Kyren Williams and Notre Dame continue their pursuit of an undefeated season against North Carolina. Elsewhere, Iowa State visits Texas in a key Big 12 game, while Auburn visits Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
One of the week's biggest games sees Chuba Hubbard and the Oklahoma State Cowboys face the Oklahoma Sooners in Bedlam. Plus, Indiana and Ohio State in a matchup of two AP (but not F/+) top-10 teams.
Big games this week include Penn State facing Nebraska, with both teams in search of their first win; Miami looking to continue its strong season as a surprising underdog against Virginia Tech; and Notre Dame facing Boston College (and former Fighting Irish quarterback Phil Jurkovec), one of the toughest opponents left on their schedule.
