Monday, December 29

OKLAHOMA (8-4) vs. CLEMSON (9-3); Russell Athletic Bowl; 5:30 PM ET; ESPN … You know one is getting closer to the start of the ‘real’ postseason when teams like OU and Clemson begin showing up on the schedule, although both were probably expecting better than a bid to this game entering the season; indeed, both had visions of getting into the playoff back in August so figure that both may have something to prove in this game. This game will also feature a chance to check out star Clemson DE/OLB Vic Beasley (#3, 6-3, 225), who leads all active college players with 32 career sacks, when he goes up against Oklahoma OTs Daryl Williams (#79, 6-5, 335) and Tyrus Thompson (#71, 6-5, 320). In fact, that match-up be a better test for the OU tackles as they appear to be all over boards around the league at this time. Oklahoma also has an interesting OLB prospect of its own in junior Eric Striker (#19, 6-0, 220), a late second/early third-round candidate who isn’t very big but can really run. Meanwhile, other later round OU prospects in tweener DE Geneo Grissom (#85, 6-3, 260), OG Adam Shead (#74, 6-3, 320) and QB-turned-TE Blake Bell (#10, 6-5, 265), the former ‘Belldozer’ as a wildcat QB who has the size and physical skills to rate as something of a sleeper at TE. At the same time, joining Beasley on what is a very talented Clemson defense is DT Grady Jarrett (#50, 6-1, 290), who has the quickness to sneak into the latter part of the third-round, along with underrated MLB Stephone Anthony (#42, 6-2, 235), DE Corey Crawford (#93, 6-5, 270) and CB Garry Peters (#26, 5-11, 195).

ARKANSAS (6-6) vs. TEXAS (6-6); Texas Bowl; 9 PM ET; ESPN … The Hogs and Longhorns will renew what was once one of the better conference rivalries in college football prior to Arkansas moving over the SEC. Unfortunately, neither team is coming off much of a season as both were 6-6; however, there are a number of prospects worth watching, especially emerging Texas junior DT Malcolm Brown (90, 6-3, 320), a massive interior defender who is reportedly starting to generate significant first-round buzz for the 2015 draft. The Longhorns also have a passel of third-day candidates including a second Malcolm Brown (#28, 5-11, 230) who has been a productive back in Austin. Meanwhile, other second-tier prospects on the Texas roster include LB Jordan Hicks (#3, 6-2, 245), DE Cedric Reed (#88, 6-5, 275), CB Quandre Diggs (#6, 5-10, 205),WR Jaxon Shipley (#8, 6-0, 195), MLB Steve Edmond (#33, 6-2, 255), and C Dominic Espinosa (#55, 6-3, 300). Meanwhile, Arkansas finished 2-6 and in 7th place in the tough SEC West for a reason; the Razorbacks just aren’t that talented. DE Trey Flowers (#86, 6-4, 270) is the only player in the program who is a lock to be selected this coming. Flowers, though, is a good one who had 5 sacks and 13.5 total tackles for loss this fall and figures to be a third round pick year. Meanwhile, OLB Martell Speight (#47, 5-11, 230), an active, albeit somewhat undersized WLB led the team with 123 tackles and should get some late-round consideration; same for full-sized RT Brey Cook (#74, 6-6, 335). The most intriguing Razorback prospects, though, are the RB duo of junior Jonathan Williams (#32, 5-11, 225) and super sophomore Alex Collins (#3, 5-10, 220) both of whom ran for over 1,000 yards this fall, but won’t be available to NFL teams until 2016 at the earliest.

Saturday, December 27

PINSTRIPE BOWL, BRONX, NY; 4:30PM ET; ESPN; BOSTON COLLEGE (7-5) vs PENN STATE (6-6) ... If you are planning a late dinner, this may be the game during which you take that nap, although there is perhaps abit of nostalgia in this game for fans of old-time Eastern college football. Coach ADDAZIO is retooling the BC football program with hard work and fundamentally solid play on the field. But he's still trying to restock the talent base. The EAGLES will pound the rock behind a very experienced OL. The best of that lot is C ANDY GALLIK (#59, 6'3/299), a decent second-tier prospect who is headed for the Senior Bowl. Not many folks are taking QB TYLER MURPHY (#2, 6'2/215) very seriously as an NFL QB prospect, but the Florida transfer led the the BC offense in both rushing and passing. Again his versatility and leadership may at least make him of interest to CFL teams. Though no one stands out as a highly ranked pro prospect there are a few more noteworthy players on the Eagles defense. The star of the unit is ILB STEPHEN DANIELS (#52, 6'0/257), although he is still only a junior. DANIELS was 2nd on a decent all-around D with 68 tackles, which included 7 for loss and 1.5 sacks. If he comes out he could be a 4-5th Rounder. At the same time, CB MANNY ASPILLA (#21, 5'11/180) is a solid all-around defender who recorded 61 tackles and had 9 PBUs. He's also key on Special Teams and probably ranks as a priority URFA type.

Penn State is still rebuilding from the Sandusky scandal and is very young and thin in talent, but there are at least some emerging young players led by star sophomore QB CHRISTIAN HACKENBERG (#14, 6'4/235), a strong-armed pocket passer who already has pro teams interested, although he won't be draft eligible until 2016. Meanwhile, junior TE JESSE JAMES (#18, 6'6/255) would likely be the team's highest potential draftee if he comes out early. PSU does have some senior talent in guys like safety ADRIAN AMOS (#4, 6'/210) who is scheduled to play at the Senior Bowl, and has intriguing potential having started his college career as a CB; he had 35 tackles as a senior, as well as 3 INT and is a mid-round prospect for the upcoming draft. Meawnhile, MLB MIKE HULL (#43, 6'0/232) lacks protype pro measurables, but makes plays all over the field. Indeed, he totaled 134 tackles as a senior, including 10.5 for loss and 2 sacks, while he also cipped in a pick and a forced fumble. Hull should be a third day pick on Special Teams potential alone. OG MILES DIEFFENBACH (#65, 6'3/305) miss most of the season with a knee injury, but is a gritty interior OL who could challenge for an NFL roster spot in time. The interest in this game is to gauge the progress both of these programs are making in rebuilding their football programs, but if you like crisp Offense.

HOLIDAY BOWL, San Diego; 8PM ET; ESPN NEBRASKA (9-3) vs SOUTHERN CAL (8-4) ... This could actually be an exciting contest to wrap up your evening viewing and get ione warmed up for Sunday's NFL regular schedule finales. For starters this could be an entertaining game between traditional football powers that can put points on the board; indeed, both USC and Nebraska were in the running in their respecive conferences until late in the year and have a little something to prove after having underachieved at times during the campaign. At the same time, this game offers the chance to compare and contrast two of the top prospects for the upcoming draft in junior DEs Randy Gregory (#4, 6-6, 240) of Nebraska and USC's Leonard Williams (#90, 6-5, 290). And compare and contrast may be the operative words, as while they both are nominally DEs, they are ery different players; indeed, both may end up playing different positions at the next level. Gregory, for example, is still a bit wiry and may have to convert to a 3-4 OLB as a pro, but you can't miss him in action with his ability to get to he pocket. He also blocks kicks with his length and vertical jump. Meanwhile, Williams, who many scouts consider to be the top non-QB prospect in this draft, is not the pure pass-rusher that GREGORY is, but he is incredibly strong and athletic and could ultimately play as either a DT in a 4-3 or a 5-tech DE in a 3-4 scheme. In fact, Williams reminds one of RICHARD SEYMOUR and should be a star as a pro.

NEBRASKA has one of the best all-purpose backs in the nation in junior RB AMEER ABDULLAH (#9, 5'9/195) who came close to 2000 yards in total offense for the season. Along the way he did surpass the legendary JOHNNY RODGERS as the Cornhuskers all-time yardage leader. Abdullah isn't necessarily all that big, but he's a solid runner who gets lots of yards between the tackles and is a Top 100 prospect in the eyes of most scouts. At the same time, WR KENNY BELL (#80, 6-1, 185) now holds most of Nebraska's receiving records after 4 solid years with the program, while other Cornhuskers to watch include OG JAKE COTTON (#68, 6'6/305) and SS COREY COOPER (#6, 6'1/215). Meanwhile, Southern Cal features an exciting offense team led by junior QB CODY KESSLER (#6, 6'1/215) who figures to be a leading prospect at the position in 2016, especially after one more year with QB-Whisperer STEVE SARKISIAN as his head coach. Kessler throws to a talented receiver corps led by junior WR WR/NELSON AGHOLOR (#15, 6-0, 185) who figures to get a second round grade if as expectedhe comes out early next month. The Trojans can also run the ball with junior RB BUCK ALLEN (#37, 6'1/215) carrying the mail; indeed, Allen may be one of the more underrated backs in the country despite the fact he rushed for almost 1,400 yards this fall and also also caught 40 balls. His running style reminds me of ex-Trojan MARCUS ALLEN. He slides, glides and cuts through small creases and pushes forward despite lack of elite speed. Meanwhile, other Trojans to watch include MLB HAYES PULLARD (#10, 6'1/230), DB JOSH SHAW (#6, 6'1/200); and OLB JR TAVAII (#58, 6-2, 270).

MILITARY BOWL, Annapolis, 1PM ET; ESPN; VIRGINIA TECH (6-6) vs CINCINNATI (9-3) ... Interesting contrast in Saturday's bowl opener as CINCINNATI has a high charged offense, while VA TECH lives or dies with it's tough D. So it's a perfect storm. Most of the Bearcats top skill players in that O are underclassmen, including sophomore QB GUNNER KIEL (#8, 6-3, 210) who is indeed the nephew of BLAIR KIEL who used to QB the Irish of N.D. The Bearcats best offensive draft prospect, though, is athletic LT ERIC LEFELD (#71, 6'6, 310) who has been a starter since his freshman season and is a solid mid-round prospect. On defense, Cincy has some interesting late round prospects in MLB JEFF LUC (#1, 6-1, 255), an FSU transfer who had 121 tackles in 2014. He's limited in range, but packs a wallop in a short area and looks like a 2-down pro. Tweener DE/OLB TERRELL HARTSFIELD (#95, 6-3, 250) also looks great in a uniform, but does not produce like you might expect. He had only 34 tackles this past season in 12 games, but could get drafted in the later rounds based on physical potential alone. Meanwhile, Cincinnati's most productive defender may be active, albeit undersized OLB NICK TEMPLE #3, 5-10, 220) who had 108 tacklesthis season including 10.5 for loss. Temple covers a lot of ground, but may be too short for the NFL so he could he highly sought after by CFL teams. At the same time, CB HOWARD WILDER (#3, 5-10, 180) is an interesting free agent prospect.

The VA TECH is led on D by DE DADI NICHOLAS (#90, 6'3, 220), a junior edge rusher with exciting pass rush potential who has already indicated he will be back at school next fall, although he will have to convert to OLB to fit at the next level; for the record, Nicolas had 63 tackles in 2014, including 17.5 total tackles for loss and 9 sacks along with 34 QB hurries. As usual, the key to TECH's D is in the secondary where 2 seniors have NFL possibilities including FS DETRICK BONNER (#8, 6-0, 195) who is headed fro the Shrine Game. His challenge is to prove that at his size he can play in-the-box as a pro. At the same time, rover KYSHOEN JARRETT (#34, 5'11, 190) may merit a sniff from the NFL as an URFA. It seems to me that TECH may be overmatched in this one unless their Defense is absolutely stellar.

SUN BOWL El Paso; 2 PM ET; CBS; DUKE (9-3) vs ARIZONA STATE (9-3) ...  This shapes up as a potentially exciting game between two teams that were just shy of winning double digits this past season. DUKE is led by CFL QB prospect ANTHONY BOONE (#7, 6-0, 230). BOONE looks a bit shy of NFL QB talent, but is versatile enough with good legs and a strong, if erratic, arm which should appeal to teams north of the border where way too many teams have QB clearly beyond their athletic prime. Boone's top target, WR/KR JAMISON CROWDER (#3, 5'9, 175) would be a Top 50 prospect if he were bigger after he caught 78 balls for 942 yards and 6 TDs in 2014. He also averaged over 10-yards per punt return. Crowder and OG LAKEN TOMLINSON (#77, 6-3, 320) are both scheduled to appear in the Senior Bowl. At the same time, junior FS JEREMY CASH (#16, 6-2, 210) comes out early he's also a likely Top 100 prospect. Also of interest could be TE-sized WR ISSAC BLAKENEY (#17, 6'6, 235) and LB DAVID HELTON (#47, 6-3, 245) who are both productive URFA types.

ASU has a solid first round prospect in junior WR JAELEN STRONG (#21, 6'4, 215), who caught 75 balls this fall and has already declared his intention to enter the 2015 draft. Meanwhile, LT JAMIL DOUGLAS (#74, 6-4, 300), switched to OT this season, but is a better pro prospect inside at OG. He's a very athletic big guy who is headed to the Shrine Game. Same for QB TAYLOR KELLY (#10, 6-2, 215) who battled several injuries in 2014, but is a quality prospect who will also be in St. Petersburg in January. Also keep an eye on junior RB D.J. FOSTER #8, 5'11, 205) who rushed for just over 1,000 yards this year and also caught 59 balls for another 646 yards. He's a tough kid who plays hard and has excellent balance with the ball in his hands. At the same time, FS DAMARIOUS RANDALL (#3, 6-0, 190) is talented enough to get an invite to the Senior Bowl, while a "sleeper" to watch for ASU is DE MARCUS HARDISON (#1, 6-5, 300),  a "man" on the outside who really came on in his second year out of the JC ranks. He had 40 tackles which included 10 sacks and 14 total tackles for loss while he forced 3 fumbles and also grabbed 2 INTs.

<>INDEPENDENCE BOWL, Shreveport, 3:30 PM ET; ABC; MIAMI (6-6) vs SOUTH CAROLINA (6-6) ... Realistically, there is no way either of these teams should not have had more wins in 2014. They were both held back by mediocre QB play. But there is plenty of potential NFL talent on these two squads. Indeed, there may be as many quality pro prospects in this game as any game outside the playoff games. Potential Top 100 talents include junior RB DUKE JOHNSON (#8, 5-9, 205), TE CLIVE WALFORD (#46, 6'4, 265), OT ERECK FLOWERS (#74, 6'6, 325), LB DENZEL PERRYMAN (#52, 6'0, 240) and junior safety DEON BUSH (#2, 6'1, 205) of Miami and junior RB MIKE DAVIS (#28, 5'9, 215), OG A.J. CANN (#50, 6'4, 320) and DT J.T. SURRATT (#97, 6'2, 305) of South Carolina. At the same time, other Day 3 prospects Miami WR PHILLIP DORSETT (#14, 5'10, 185), DE ANTHONY CHICKILLO (#71, 6'4, 277) and CB LADARIUS GUNTER (#37, 6'2, 200) and massive OT COREY ROBINSON (#53, 6'7, 348) of South Carolina. Scouts would also have liked to see USC junior WR SHAQ ROLAND but he left school 'really' early and reportedly will enter the upcoming draft. As well, there are probably another half-dozen marginal prospects who will get a sniff from the NFL so look for a lot of quality plays on both sides of the ball in what should be a game to savor.

Friday, December 26

Heart of Dallas Bowl; Illinois (6-6) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5); Noon ET; ESPN ...  Count us solidly among those who would never say there are too many bowls. However, even we be tested in this game between Illinois, which finished in 3-5 and in a tie for 8th place in the Big Ten and are only bowl eligible because of non-conference wins over Western Kentucky and Texas Statem, as well as FCS Youngstown State. Meanwhile, the betting here is that the majority of college fans out there are even sure what conference Louisiana Tech plays in; for the record, its Conference USA, and while the Bulldogs posted 8 wins this fall including a 7-1 record in league play, but were only 1-4 elsewhere including losses to FBS newbie Old Dominion and FCS Northwestern State. Making a stinker even a little stinkier is that neither team has a senior even remotely considered draftable. Indeed, the top graduating prospect in this game may be Illinois P Justin Duvernois (#18, 6-0, 190) who averaged 44.4 yards per punt this fall. In fact, the best players in this game are younger players including Illinois freshman WR Mike Dudek (#18, 5-11, 195), a freshman all-American after hauling in 69 passes this fall. Meanwhile, La Tech’s best player is versatile junior RB Kenneth Dixon (#28, 5-10, 215) who ran for 1,200 yards this fall and added another 300 on 26 pass receptions; along the way he scored a remarkable 26 TDs including 21 on the ground. The Bulldogs also have at least a couple of potential free-agent prospects in CB LaVander Liggins (#13, -10, 195) and DE Houston Bates (#94, 6-3, 250) who ironically transferred from Illinois last winter. Ilinois also has several free agent prospects including QB Reilly O’Toole (#4, 6-3, 220) and TEs Jon Davis (#3, 6-3, 240) and Matt LaCosse (#11, 6-5, 245).

Quick Lane Bowl; Rutgers (7-5) vs North Carolina (6-6); 4:30 PM ET; ESPN ... You know your bowl is not likely to be a classic when nobody is quite sure where its being played or what its named after. For the record, this game will be played in sunny Detroit and Quick Lane is an auto shop that changes oil and tires. And here we though it might be an actual bowling lane where they speed bowled! And all bad jokes aside, there isn't much more draft talent in this game than in today's first game. Indeed, like the Dallas game, there are no seniors from either North Carolina or Rutgers considered more than very late round or more likely free agent prospects. Rutgers does have at least a couple of juniors in WR Leonte Carroo (#4, 61, 200), who had over 1,000 receiving yards this fall, and TE Tyler Kroft (#86, 86, 6-5, 240) with second-day potential. although Carroo may not play because of an injury.  Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights top senior prospect is veteran OG Kaleb Johnson (#72, 6-3, 305), who could get some late round interest, while QB Gary Nova (#10, 6-2, 220), SS Lorenzo Waters (#21, 6-0, 205), C Betim Bujari (#55, 6-3, 295) and OT Taj Alexander (#78, 6-4, 290) are free-agemt types. UNC's best prospects including QB Marquise Williams (#12, 6-2, 220), WR Quinshad Davis (#14, 6-3, 215), and OG Landon Turner (#78, 6-3, 315) are also juniors while FS Tim Scott (#7, 5-10, 195) and OLB Norkeithous Otis (#8, 6-0, 235) are free-agent prospects.

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl; North Carolina State (7-5) vs Central Florida (9-3); 8:30 PM ET; ESPN ... This could be the best game of the day, but with two relatively young teams, again the pickings are slim when it comes to 2015 draft prospects on both teams. Indeed, P Wil Baumann (#36, 6-5, 200) could be NC State's best candidate for the upcoming draft, although OTs Rob Crisp (#78, 6-5, 300) and Tyson Chandler (#74, 6-6, 345) will get looks as will productive, albeit undersized defensive linemen Thomas Teal (#69, 6-1, 295) and DE Art Norman (#95, 6-0, 255). For its part, UCF has at least a couple of legitimate mid-round prospects in SS Clayton Geathers (#26, 6-1, 210) and WR Rannell Hall (#6, 6-0, 200), while MLB Terrance Plummer (#41, 6-0, 235) has some late-round possibilities and G/T Torrian Wilson (#72, 6-3, 305) is a free agent candidate.

Wednesday, December 24

BAHAMAS BOWL; CENTRAL MICHIGAN (7-5) vs WESTERN KENTUCKY (7-5); Noon ET; ESPN ... Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this game is the location in the Bahamas. I am most anxious to see the stadium and facilities. The game itself featres a couple of teams that are probably just happy to be in the post-season in CMU which survived a seriously injury-challenged season to earn a bowl bid, while WKU's big claim to fame was their upset win over previously undefeated MARSHALL in a 67-66 thriller. In fact, the key to that leftover PETRINO Offense is QB BRANDON DOUGHTY (#12, 6-3, 210), a steady veteran who completed 67.5 % of his throws this past season for over 4,300 yards and 44 TDs against only 10 INTs. Doughty had been considered to be a potential later round prospect for the 2015draft, but was just granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA and should be back at the helm for the Hilltoppers next fall. He should also be a top 10 QB prospect in 2016. The Hilltoppers also feature several serious pro prospects to watch for the upcoming draft including TE MITCHELL HENRY (#80, 6'4, 2450 who caught 29 passes this fall when he averaged a relatively high 15.2 yds per catch and OG CAMERON CLEMMONS (#52, 6'6, 305), who will be in Mobile for the Senior Bowl next month. On the defensive side watch for CB CAM THOMAS (#19, 6'1, 190) who is headed to the Shrine Game. Meanwhile, CMU also has some solid prospects of its own led by WR TITUS DAVIS (#84, 6'2, 190) who had 54 receptions this season despite playing in only 9 games while he averaged a very respectable 15.6 ypc and scored 9 TD; he's a Top 100 prospect who is also scheduled to play for the Shriners next month. Also going to St.Pete is mountainous DT LETERRIUS WALTON (#58, 6-'5, 325) who moves pretty well for such a big guy. The Chippewas defense is led by top tackler ILB JUSTIN CHEROCCI (#46, 6'0, 231, who tallied 107 tackles in his senior season. A sleeper in this game could be RB THOMAS RAWLS (#34, 5'10, 218) if he's eligible to play. The Michigan transfer was a key weapon for them early in the year, but the NCAA derailed his season with questions. A big key to this game will be for CMU to somehow slow down the WKU offense. Good luck guys!

HAWAII BOWL; FRESNO STATE (6-7) vs RICE (7-5); 8 PM ET; ESPN ... Let's not even try to sugar coat it I have a hard time getting fired up over a bowl game featuring a team with a losing record, but in truth Fresno State did a nice job the second half of their first post-CARR season. It's just that their current QB BRIAN BURRELL (#2, 6'3, 220) ain't no CARR, although the junior does have a big arm. However, the Bulldogs do have several solid draft prospects including WR JOSH HARPER (#3, 6'1, 185) their best pro prospect who caught 86 passes this fall for over 1,000 yards and 7 TDs despite breaking in a new QB; he is another Senior Bowl invitee. Same story for SS DERRON SMITH (#13 , 5-11, 200), a Top 100 prospect who also has committed to playing in Mobile come January, while DT TYELER DAVISON (#92, 6'2, 305), a Tasmanian Devil on the interior of the DL, is scheduled to be at the Shrine venue.  Joining DAVISON in St. Pete will be CB CURTIS RILEY (#7, 6'0, 190, who is on the cusp of being draftable, however, he won't play in Hawaii because of a sprained foot. For its part, RICE had an injury plagued season and is likely to be without it's best defender DT CHRIS COVINGTON (#1, 6'2, 95) who was injured late in the season. He's a Canadian who will get drafted by the NFL at some point. An interesting target for RICE is WR JORDAN TAYLOR (#15, 6-4, 210) a big target who caught 49 balls for almost 800 yards and 6 TDs last season in a predominantly running offense. This game could be good for tired parents as a sleep aid while waiting for Santa to drop off all those presents with "some assembly required".

Tuesday; December 23

BOCA RATON BOWL; MARSHALL (12-1) vs NORTHERN ILLINOIS  (11-2); 6 PM ET; ESPN …   Two perennial championship teams in their respective conferences, these two mid-major programs are solid winning teams that should make for a high-powered, action packed game. This game could be an incredible showcase for two excellent QB. The biggest name in this game would be Marshall QB RAKEEM CATO (#12, 6'0, 181), a very productive collegiate passer who is probably better suited as CFL candidate. Cato passed for over 3600 yards this and ran for over 500 more, while he threw 37 TD passes and ran for 6 more, but did post 13 INTs. Cato has a host of weapons at his disposal including mighty-mite WR TOMMY SHULER  (#1, 5'7, 168). The Thundering Herd also come at opponents with waves of defenders led by undersized LB NEVILLE HEWITT (#43, 6'2, 217) who wasn't even projected to be a starter last summer, but led the team in tackles with 114. DT JAMES ROUSE (#11, 6'5,270) is also somewhat undersized for an interior defender, but some think he has enough quickness to move outside to DE in an NFL 4-3 scheme. Meanwhile, NIU lost all-everything QB JORDAN LYNCH to graduation, but plugged in sophomore DREW HARE (#12, 6'1, 215) who proceeded to make the change look seamless. HARE is a dual threat, like CATO, who passed for almost 2,100 yards and 17 TDs while throwing only 2 INTs. He also rushed for 850 yards and 8 more scores. HARE's favorite target is emerging senior WR DA'RON BROWN (#4, 6'0,200) who caught balls for over 1000 yards, while bruising TB CAMERON STINGILY (#42, 6-0, 242) is a throwback to the days when teams, both pro and college, leading rushers were actually fullbacks; he‘d just as soon run over people than around them. Other Huskies to watch include OT TYLER LOOS (#75, 6'5, 305); S DECHANE DURANTE (#1, 6'2, 200; and DT DONOVAN GORDON (#94, 6'0, 300).

POINSETTA BOWL: NAVY (7-5) vs SAN DIEGO STATE (7-5); 9:30 PM ET; ESPN …  It was something an off year for the Midshipmen, but they still won 7 games this fall, including THE GAME over ARMY for the 13th straight time. The Midshipmen run, run, pass and then run some more. They win with tough play on both sides of he ball and tenacity. Playing this team always requires 60 minutes of competition. As always NAVY relies on their QB to keep the offense sailing and this year is no exception with junior KEENAN REYNOLDS (#19, 5-11, 195), who rushed for over 1,000 yards and threw just enough to keep defenses on their toes, running the show. Meanwhile, the Navy defense swarms to the ball and is not quite as small as many people might expect, but don‘t expect any to be drafted. The AZTECS took a while to get organized and start winning this past fall, but by season's end they were playing quite well. The AZTECS became a big time running team in 2014 so much so that leading WR EZELL RUFFIN (#3, 6-1, 210), who is good enough to get an invitation to the East-West Shrine game, only had a couple dozen catches. Meanwhile, the SDSU man to watch is undersized sophomore RB DONNEL PUMPHREY (# 19, 5-8, 170) who ran for over 1700 yards. However, the  Aztecs do have a few full sized pro prospects to watch including OT TERRY POOLE (#79, 6'5, 310); DE SAM MEREDITH (#98, 6'4, 290); and OLB JOSH GAVERT (#48, 6'2, 215), although none is more than a free agent type prospect. By the end of this one we could see a bowl record for rushes in one game. If you are a passing fancier go to bed and rest up for Christmas.

Monday; December 22

MIAMI BEACH BOWL; BYU (8-4) vs. MEMPHIS (9-3); 2 PM ET; ESPN ...  Memphis head coach JUSTIN FUENTE has the program headed up in his 3rd year at the helm. They can put some points up, but they live and die with their aggressive defense which includes 3 Tiger defenders who are headed to the Shrine Game: DE MARTIN IFEDI (#97, 6'3,265), CB BOBBY McCAIN (#21, 5'11, 190) and S FRITZ ETIENNE (#15, 6'2,210). McCLAIN led the team in INTs for the second season in a row. IFEDI battled injuries, starting only 8 games, but is a sack master when healthy. The Offense is fairly conservative with RB BRANDON HAYES (#38, 5-8, 200) leading the rushing attack with just under 1000 yards. Meanwhile, BYU is their usual solid, all-around team under head coach BRONCO MENDENHALL. Expectations for a 10+ Win season were dashed when QB TAYSON HILL broke a leg at mid-season. In fact, injuries seem to be the team bye word this season. Junior RB JAMAAL WILLIAMS (#21, 6'0, 200) also missed significant playing time as well. So, as with Memphis, BYU has also had to rely on their defense to keep them in games. Their best pro prospect may be junior DE BRANDON KAUFUSI (#96, 6-7, 265) who is a real pass rush threat when healthy, while S SKYE POVEY (#7, 5'11,200), the team's leading tackler, is a potential URFA for an NFL Training Camp. At the same time, NT MARQUES JOHNSON (#99, 6'2, 308) carries on the BYU tradition of churning out stout interior DL for pro consideration, while OG SOLOMONE KAFU (#73, 6-3, 315) also has pro potential. In the end , the Memphis defense may give them the edge in this ball game and spring a minor upset, but MENDENHALL and his Band of Brothers are always a tough out.

Saturday; December 20

Louisiana -Lafayette (8-4) vs Nevada (7-5); New Orleans Bowl; 11 AM ET; ESPN ... You know your bowl is probably not a classic when the kick-off time is barely after breakfast. And that's pretty much the case in this year's New Orleans Bowl, although Louisiana-Lafayette did win 8 games to finish second in the Sun Belt Conference, while Nevada won 7 including a win over Washington State of the Pac-12. Both teams have a pretty good QB in Cody Fajardo (#17, 6-2, 215) who could get some third-day consideration at the upcoming draft, and ULL's Terrance Broadway (#8, 6-2, 225), an athletic two-way type , who could ultimately end up playing the CFL.  However, Fajardo is probably the only player in this game with a legitimate chance to be drafted this year, although each time has several potential free agent candidates including DE Brock Hekking (#53, 6-3, 255) and OT Kyle Roberts (#66, 6-5, 305) of Nevada and RB Alonzo Harris (#46, 6-0, 235), DT Justin Hamilton (#74, 6-2, 310), and OG Daniel Quave (#67, 6-3, 325) of Louisiana.

Utah State (9-4) vs Texas-El Paso (7-5); New Mexico Bowl; 2:20 PM ET; ESPN ... Maybe the best thing about this game is that neither team has to travel very far to get there, although Utah State is a better-than advertised 9-win team that had to overcome a slew of injuries, including the loss of its top 3 QBs, jst to get to then post-season.  Utah State also has a couple of possible late round prospects including active MLB Nick Vigil (#41, 6-1, 230) and OG Bill Vavau (#68, 6-3, 315), while DE B.J. Larsen (#99, 6-5, 275) and RB Joe Hill (#32, 5-11, 190) could be premium free agents. Meanwhile, UTEP is probably just happy to be anywhere this December as the Miners had their first winning season in a decade. UTEP also hasn't had a player drafted since 2008 and that likely won't change this coming spring, although TE Eric Tomlinson (#87, 6-6, 265) could be a bit of a sleeper.

Colorado State (10-2) vs Utah (8-4); Las Vegas Bowl; 3:30 PM ET; ABC ... This could be Exhibit A of what's wrong with the bowls as ten-win Colorado State certainly deserves a better post-season fate, but play in the wrong conference. Indeed, this would be a very representative game on December 31st if most of the good bowls spots weren't already divvied up among the 5-power conferences. This match-up is also features as much draft talent as any bowl outside the playoffs games. In particular, this game could feature one of the best one-on-one match-ups of the post-season when Utah DE Nate Orchard (#8, 6-4, 255), who had 17.5 sacks this fall, goes up against emerging CSU LT Ty Sambrailo (#51, 6-5, 310). Both are second-round prospects. Meanwhile, Colorado State also has one of the better second-tier QBs in the 2015 draft class in Garrett Grayson (#18, 6-2, 220) who threw for almost 3,800 yards and 32 TDs - against only 6 picks - this fall, while the Rams also have a numer of potential later round or post draft free agent targets including CB Bernard Blake(#23, 5-11, 180), OG Mason Myers (#50, 6-2, 300), TE Kivon Cartwright (#86, 6-3, 245), LBs Aaron Davis (#37, 6-0, 220) and Max Morgan (#40, 6-0, 225) and PK Jared Roberts (47, 6-, 205). Colorado State also has one of the most productive receivers in college football in WR Rashard Higgins (#82, 6-1, 185), who had 89 catches for over 1,600 yards and 16 TDs this fall, but the NFL will have to wait for at least another year as he is just a true sophomore. For its part, Utah has several later round prsopects of its own including CB Eric Rowe (#18, 6-0, 205), OG Junior Salt (#58, 6-2, 315) and TE Westlee Tonga (#80, 6-4, 255).

Air Force (9-3) vs Western Michigan (7-5); Idaho Potato Bowl; 5:45 PM ET; ESPN ... If the previous game has one of the deepest draft groups of any bowl, this game may have the fewest. Of course, as one of the academies, Air Force has an excuse, while WMU has one of the youngest rosters in the country.

Bowling Green (7-6) vs South Alabama (6-6); Camelia Bowl; 9:15 PM ET; ESPN ... This is what first night bowl games are supposed to be all about: two teams with a combined record of 13-12 battling it out! Pro scouts, though, will be tuning in to see South Alabama QB Brandon Bridge (#7, 6-5, 220), a transplanted Canadian with impressive size, mobility and arm strength, although he is still a very much a work in progress. South Alabama has a second potential mid-round prospect this year in veteran TE Wes Saxton (#13, 6-3, 245). On the other hand, the only way BGSU gets to the 2015 draft is to buy a ticket.

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