CFP Semifinals: What makes Michigan vs. Alabama so intriguing
USA TODAY Sports’ Dan Wolken previews Alabama vs. Michigan and why it represents what should be a thrilling college football playoff.
College football’s bowl season gets underway Saturday with what one might think of as a soft launch.
The slate of a half-dozen contests features no teams ranked in the US LBM Coaches Poll, and just one of the games matches squads from so-called power conferences. There are, however, a couple of league champions taking the field, and the day’s lineup affords opportunities for programs that don’t often get the prime TV slots to enjoy the spotlight if only for a few hours.
Here’s a quick look at the day’s lineup, with stops from Carolina to California and points in between.
The day kicks off with this encounter of first-time opponents. The Eagles enter on a four-game skid, though two of those were one-score affairs. The Bobcats have won three in a row and look to reach 10 wins for a second consecutive season. Georgia Southern QB Davis Brin isn’t afraid to air it out with 22 TD throws but also 16 picks. He’ll be up against a Bobcats’ defense that is among the stingiest in the nation featuring LB Bryce Houston, the team leader in total tackles (119), stops for loss (12½) and interceptions (3). Ohio QB Kurtis Rourke is transferring out, leaving the offense in the hands of dual threat Parker Navarro. His primary pursuer will be Eagles DE Isaac Walker.
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While some might argue that there are too many bowls, the Gamecocks and well-traveled coach Rich Rodriguez are happy to have found a slot available in just their first year after moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision where they were regular playoff participants. The Ragin’ Cajuns have been in the FBS considerably longer and are making their seventh appearance in this home-state event having won it five times. Jax State likes to play fast and does most of its damage on the ground, with RB Malik Jackson and QB Zion Webb combining for just a shade under 1,500 rush yards. The Cajuns can move the ball in a variety of ways, with RB Jacob Kibodi leading the ground attack and QB Chandler Fields adding more of a downfield threat since taking over for an injured Zeon Chriss.
The day’s second MAC vs. Sun Belt matchup features the champions of the former in the RedHawks and the SBC runners-up. The Mountaineers came up short against Troy in the conference finale but have an impressive 6-1 bowl record since moving up from the FCS. App State tends to be in a lot of high-scoring affairs and would like this game to unfold in that manner as well. The triggerman is QB Joey Aguilar, with WR Kaedin Robinson serving as primary target. The defense is the stronger side of the ball for the RedHawks, as QB Brett Gabbert was injured midway through the campaign and Aveon Smith has entered the portal. Miami will count on RB Rashad Amos to keep the chains moving and PK Graham Nicholson, the Lou Groza Award winner, to take advantage of every short-field opportunity.
While both these teams had quality seasons, there’s nevertheless a sense of what might have been for both. The Aggies reached the Conference USA title game in their first year in the league and made a national splash by throttling Auburn but fell short twice at Liberty. The Bulldogs cracked the Top 25 on a couple of occasions and seemed well on their way to an appearance in the Mountain West title game but dropped their last three contests, including a damaging setback to New Mexico on this same field. They’ll be without coach Jeff Tedford for this game as he tends to personal health issues. New Mexico State isn’t flashy, but rarely makes mistakes and averages 5.1 yards per rushing attempt. It all revolves around veteran dual-threat QB Diego Pavia, who was banged up in the C-USA title game but should be available. Fresno State will need QB Mikey Keene to return to the efficient passer he was earlier in the campaign.
Boise State is a proud program accustomed to winning championships. But this year’s Mountain West title might have been the Broncos’ most improbable trophy claimed in its history, coming in a five-loss season that also prompted a late coaching change. UCLA had its moments in 2023, like a season-ending rivalry win against Southern California, but overall the results left fans and players alike unsatisfied. The Broncos’ strong finish was keyed by the defense, spearheaded by sack machine DE Ahmed Hassanein, which helped DC and interim coach Spencer Danielson land the head gig fulltime. Unfortunately, he’ll be without QB Taylen Green, who transferred to Arkansas, so freshman C.J. Tiller will make his first career start and figures to rely even more heavily on dynamic RB Ashton Jeanty. Bruins QB Dante Moore is also in the portal, but Ethan Garbers has quite a few more reps under his belt.
The day concludes with this power-conference clash, though neither were major factors in their respective 12s. The Golden Bears are in the bowl lineup for the first time since 2019 and as such might enjoy a bit of a ‘happy to be here’ advantage despite playing closer to Texas Tech’s home territory. The Red Raiders began the season ranked, fueled in part by last year’s bowl triumph against Ole Miss, but sputtered out of the gate and just managed to get to .500. Texas Tech QB Behren Morton took a lot of punishment after taking over for injured starter Tyler Shough but should be ready. He should be able to take advantage of the Bears’ secondary that wasn’t exactly airtight. But Cal is here mainly because it was able to increase its scoring output to 31.6 points a game, improving from 23.9 last season. Freshman QB Fernando Mendoza has been a big part of that, but the Bears are at their best when RB Jaydn Ott has room to roam.
2023-12-16 11:06:04
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