Previews of Today’s Bowl Games

Outback Bowl

No. 12 Northwestern (10-2) vs. Tennessee (8-4)

Kickoff: Noon at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (ESPN2).

Line: Tennessee by 81/2. Series: Tennessee leads 1-0

What’s at stake: Both teams ended the season on five-game winning streaks that came on the heels of disappointing losses that ruined any hopes the Wildcats and Volunteers had of winding up playing for conference championships. A victory would give Northwestern 11 wins in a season for the first time in program history. Tennessee beat Iowa in last season’s Taxslayer Bowl and is looking for wins in consecutive bowl appearances for the first time since beating Ohio State and Northwestern in the 1996 and 1997 Florida Citrus Bowl games.

Key matchup: Tennessee dual-threat QB Joshua Dobbs against a tough, physical Northwestern defense that ranks third in the nation in passing efficiency defense and 11th in total defense. Dobbs has thrown for 2,125 yards and 15 touchdowns, while being intercepted just five times in 319 pass attempts. The junior, who’s won 13 of his past 18 starts, has rushed for 625 yards and 9 TDs this season.

Players to watch: Northwestern — Sophomore running back Justin Jackson is the fifth player in school history to top 1,000 yards rushing in consecutive seasons, gaining 1,187 a year ago and 1,344 this season. Redshirt freshman QB Clayton Thorson has thrown for 1,465 yards, 7 TDs and 7 interceptions, and SB Dan Vitale is the Wildcats’ leading receiver with 33 receptions for 355 yards and 4 TDs. LB Anthony Walker is one of five defensive players named to the All Big-Ten team. Tennessee — Sophomore TB Jalen Hurd led the Volunteers in rushing with 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns. WRs Von Pearson is the leading receiver with 36 catches for 377 yards and 3 TDs, followed Alvin Kamara with 31 catches for 272 yards and 3 TDs.

Facts & figures: Tennessee won the only previous meeting between the teams 48-28 in the Florida Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 1996. ... Tennessee is making its 51st bowl appearance, tied for fourth all-time behind Alabama (62), Texas (53) and Nebraska (52). Northwestern is in a bowl for the sixth time under coach Pat Fitzgerald, 12th overall. ... The Volunteers are 2-1 in previous trips to the Outback Bowl. The Wildcats are 0-1. ... Butch Jones has Tennessee in a bowl game for the second straight year, the first time the Vols have done that under the same coach since 2006 and 2007, when Phillip Fulmer was leading the program.

Fiesta Bowl

No. 7 Ohio State (11-1) vs. No. 8 Notre Dame (12-2)

Kickoff: 1 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (ESPN).

Line: Oho State by 6. Series: Ohio State leads 3-2.

What’s at stake: Two teams that were in the mix for a College Football Playoff late in the season try to close on a winning note. With numerous potential NFL players on both rosters, it could be one of the most exciting games of the bowl season.

Key matchup: Ohio State DE Joey Bosa vs. Notre Dame T Ronnie Stanley. The Buckeyes like to move Bosa around, so he won’t be going head to head with Stanley on every play, but pay attention when they do. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said on Thursday that Bosa will skip his senior season and declare for the NFL draft, where he has been projected as the No. 1 pick in some mock drafts. Stanley is an athletic 6-foot-5, 315 pounder who could be a top-10 pick.

Players to watch: Ohio State — RB Ezekiel Elliott. The junior will be playing his last game for the Buckeyes after announcing he will skip his senior year and declare for the NFL draft. He had a superb final season, rushing for 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns, and will want to go out with a bang in the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame — WR Will Fuller. A second-team All-American, Fuller is Notre Dame’s most explosive player. The speedy junior averaged 20.5 yards per catch this season, finishing with 1,145 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had seven TD catches of at least 45 yards.

Facts & figures: The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are meeting as top-10 teams for the third straight time; the others were 2006 and 1996. ... Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett has accounted for 19 TDs in his past six games. ... Notre Dame’s Romeo Okwara has eight sacks. ... Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer is 9-2 in bowl games. ... Notre Dame is 17-17 in bowl games, appearing in 16 different bowls.

ROSE BOWL

Stanford (11-2) vs. Iowa (12-1)

Kickoff: 5 p.m. at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. (ESPN).

Line: Stanford by 61/2. Series: First meeting.

What’s at stake: The 102nd edition of the Granddaddy of Them All matches the two schools that barely missed out on the College Football Playoff. Iowa hasn’t been to the Rose Bowl in 25 years, while Stanford is in Pasadena for the third time in four postseasons.

Key matchup: Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey vs. Iowa LBs Josey Jewell and Cole Fisher. The Heisman Trophy finalist was Stanford’s leading rusher and receiver while gaining more total yards in a single season than anybody in college football history. The task of slowing down McCaffrey will fall heavily on Jewell and Fisher, the top two tacklers on an Iowa defense yielding just 114.9 yards rushing per game.

Players to watch: Stanford — LB Blake Martinez. The Pac-12’s leading tackler is the foundation of the Cardinal’s defense. Although this is his third Rose Bowl, he is eager to go out with a game to remember after making just one tackle in his first two appearances. Iowa — QB C.J. Beathard. His perfect record as a starter ended in the Big Ten title game, but the resilient junior with just one interception since mid-October has a chance at more history in Pasadena. From Chuck Long to Ricky Stanzi, no Hawkeyes quarterback has won the Rose Bowl since Heisman Trophy runner-up Randy Duncan in 1959.

Facts & figures: Stanford’s Kevin Hogan will be the third quarterback to start three Rose Bowls, joining Ohio State’s Cornelius Greene (1974-1976) and Michigan’s Rick Leach (1977-1979). Hogan won the 2013 meeting with Wisconsin, but is still stung by the Cardinal’s 2014 loss to Michigan State. ... Iowa is in the Rose Bowl for the sixth time, while Stanford is making its 15th appearance. ... The Hawkeyes’ 12 wins are already a program record after their first undefeated regular season since 1922. ... The Hawkeyes “defeated” the Cardinal in the annual Lawry’s Beef Bowl team dinner event at the famed Beverly Hills restaurant, eating 612 pounds of prime rib to Stanford’s 504. The Cardinal also lost the Beef Bowl in 2013 and 2014. ... Stanford has given up just 146.9 yards rushing per game, but Iowa racked up 192 yards per game and 35 touchdowns on the ground with its four quality tailbacks this season.

CITRUS BOWL

No. 17 Michigan (9-3) vs. No. 19 Florida (10-3)

Kickoff: 1 p.m. at Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, Fla. (ABC).

Line: Michigan by 4. Series: Michigan leads 2-0.

What’s at stake: Both Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and Florida coach Jim McElwain have engineered big turnarounds in the first year at their respective programs. Harbaugh said a victory would put a cap on the best year he’s had in football. McElwain led the Gators to an appearance in the Southeastern Conference title game in his first season in Gainesville and his hoping to give Florida consecutive victories for the first time since 2012.

Key matchup: Michigan defense vs. Florida defense. This game will likely be played in the defensive trenches. The Gators are ranked sixth nationally in total defense, allowing just 295.4 yards per game. They are also allowing just 4.49 yards per play, which ranks eighth nationally and third in the SEC. Michigan leads the nation in pass efficiency defense (94.98 rating). The Wolverines also allow just 122.6 yards per game rushing and 158.8 yards per game passing.

Players to watch: Michigan — QB Jake Rudock. Passed for 2,739 yards and 17 touchdowns this season, while throwing only nine interceptions. Florida — RB Kelvin Taylor. Taylor has rushed for 985 yards on 248 carries this season, with 13 touchdowns.

Facts & figures: This is the third meeting between the Wolverines and Gators, both coming in bowl matchups. Michigan won each time, taking both the 2003 Outback Bowl and 2008 Citrus Bowl. ...Michigan is makings its fifth appearance in the Citrus Bowl, going 3-1 in its previous trips to Orlando. ...This will be the 13th time that Michigan faces an SEC team in a bowl game. The Wolverines are 7-5 in those matchups. ...Florida is 2-3 in games played in Orlando Citrus Bowl stadium. ...The Gators are one of 10 teams in the nation to appear in a bowl game 14 of the past 15 seasons.

Sugar Bowl

No. 13 Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. No. 16 Mississippi (9-3)

Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans (ESPN).

Line: Ole Miss by 71/2. Series: Ole Miss leads 2-0.

What’s at stake: Ole Miss (No. 12 CFP) wants to prove that it’s one of the better teams in the country following an up-and-down regular season full of impressive wins and head-scratching losses. The Rebels would also like to show that last year’s embarrassing Peach Bowl trip — a 42-3 loss to TCU — was a fluke. Oklahoma State (No. 16 CFP) is trying to look more like the team that won 10 straight games to start the season than the one that lost its final two contests of the regular season to Baylor and Oklahoma.

Key matchup: Ole Miss LT Laremy Tunsil vs. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah. This should be an intriguing battle between players who have a chance to go in the first round of the NFL draft this spring. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Tunsil has been terrific protecting QB Chad Kelly’s blind side over the past five games since returning from a 7-game NCAA suspension. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Ogbah is a disruptive player on the Cowboys’ defensive line that is the NCAA’s active career leader in sacks with 28.

Players to watch: Ole Miss — QB Chad Kelly has thrown for 3,740 yards, 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season, generally improving as the year has progressed. He’s also run for 427 yards and 10 touchdowns. Oklahoma State — WR James Washington is the Cowboys’ major deep threat. He’s caught 52 passes for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns and averages nearly 21 yards per catch.

Facts & figures: Ole Miss hasn’t been to the Sugar Bowl since 1970. Oklahoma State returns for the first time since the 1946. ... Ole Miss’ Kelly leads the SEC with 311.7 passing yards per game and 347.3 yards of total offense per game. ... The Rebels will be playing without star DT Robert Nkemdiche, who was suspended for the Sugar Bowl after falling out a hotel window in Atlanta earlier this month and being charged with possession of marijuana. ... Oklahoma State is playing in a bowl for a 10th consecutive season. ... Oklahoma State will likely use two quarterbacks in the Sugar Bowl — Mason Rudolph has thrown for 3,591 yards and 21 touchdowns while J.W. Walsh has thrown for 663 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Associated Press