It’s the greatest season of the year. It’s a time when people are brought together, emotions run high, and happiness is in the air. Did you think I was talking about the holiday season? Of course not. It’s BOWL SEASON. Dozens of college football games are being played as players suit up for possibly the last time in their collegiate careers. Of course, the New Year’s Six games and College Football Playoff now steal the show during this time of the year, but there are still so many others that are fun to watch. Here are our top three 2023 college football bowl games.
Texas Bowl: Texas A&M vs. No. 20 Oklahoma State
December 27 – NRG Stadium (Houston) 9 p.m. ET
The Cowboys were absolutely embarrassed by the Texas Longhorns in the Big 12 Championship, so they want to end their year on a high note and what better way to do it than versus a Longhorn rival. The Aggies are obviously going through a big change now as Jimbo Fisher is out, and Mike Elko is in. However, Elko isn’t coaching in this game as all his efforts have shifted to 2024 and rebuilding this roster. The Cowboys should handle this game with ease, but the Aggies have something to play for. After the very public and controversial firing of Fisher who walks away with $76 million, this team likely wants to make right by the school and finish this year strong. Ultimately, the Cowboys defense should handle whatever is thrown their way by a flailing A&M offense. Prediction: Aggies 20 Cowboys 32
Alamo Bowl: No. 14 Arizona vs No. 12 Oklahoma
December 28 – Alamodome (San Antonio) 9:15 p.m ET
A top-15 matchup in a non-New Year’s Six Bowl Game? Yes please. The Arizona Wildcats were an incredible turnaround story in 2023 and Jedd Fisch deserves a ton of credit for what he’s done with the program in just a few seasons. It’s honestly a shock to me that Florida didn’t move on from Billy Napier and go after the Gator alum. Oklahoma on the other hand looked like a College Football Playoff team for most of the season but had a few very unusual losses. Overall, it feels like Brett Venables has this team moving in the right direction. The Sooners finished the year 10-2 but they will be without their starting quarterback in this game. Dillon Gabriel already announced his transfer to Oregon. My nod is to Arizona who seems like they will have more to play for in a shootout. Prediction: Wildcats 40 Oklahoma 34
Citrus Bowl: No. 21 Tennessee vs. No 17. Iowa
January 1 -Camping World Stadium (Orlando) 1 p.m. ET
This game will be incredibly interesting to watch for one reason. I want to see how many points Iowa can muster in their final game under offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz. The son of the legendary head coach is being dropped by the program after this game and for good reason. The Hawkeyes ranked 130th in the nation in scoring this season and the offense has become that of a meme after Ferentz was put on a point agreement, needing to average at least 25 points per game. Tennessee has a top 40 defense when it comes to points allowed. While this game could be ugly and sloppy, that’s exactly what we love to see out of a college football game going down on January 1st that isn’t overly important. Prediction: Vols 17 Iowa 10