College football’s Bowl Season officially kicks off this weekend with seven bowl games on Saturday.
Here is a rundown of Saturday’s games:
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Georgia Southern (6-6, Sun Belt) vs. Ohio (9-3, MAC), 10 a.m. CT, ESPN
The Myrtle Beach Bowl on the Coastal Carolina University campus is up first. Georgia Southern had a promising start to the season but has lost its last four. Former Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin has been the team’s offensive standout, while linebacker Marques Watson-Trent leads the defense with over 100 tackles.
Ohio has won four of its last five but will be playing without starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke, who has decided to enter the transfer portal. The Bobcats only have one win in team history against Sun Belt opponents.
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Cricket Celebration Bowl: Howard (6-5, MEAC) vs. Florida A&M (11-1, SWAC), 11 a.m. CT, ABC
This is the annual Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) game between the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion and the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion that highlights Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and is part of the NCAA’s annual bowl season.
These teams have had very different seasons. Howard has just six wins but played early games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams and held its own for the most part. Meanwhile, Florida A&M went undefeated in conference play and only lost a nonconference game to South Florida.
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R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State (8-4, Conference USA) vs. Louisiana (6-6, Sun Belt), 1:15 p.m CT, ESPN
Jacksonville State is in the middle of transitioning from the FCS to the FBS and was not initially eligible for the postseason. However, a lack of six-win teams opened the door. Rich Rodriguez’s squad will get its first bowl opportunity against a Ragin’ Cajuns team experiencing a down year compared to its recent history.
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Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl: Miami OH (11-2, MAC) vs. Appalachian State (8-5, Sun Belt), 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC
Miami (OH) won the MAC championship over Toledo and will face Sun Belt powerhouse Appalachian State, which lost the Sun Belt championship game. While Appalachian State had fewer wins this year than usual, they knocked off a ranked James Madison team late in the year. Miami will bring a similar challenge with several award winners on its roster.
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Isleta New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State (10-4, Conference USA) vs. Fresno State (8-4, Mountain West), 4:45 p.m CT, ESPN
New Mexico State made a surprise run to the Conference USA championship game, where it lost to undefeated Liberty. The Aggies have shown significant improvement under head coach Jerry Kill and finished the year with unprecedented success for the program. Now, they get to face one of the more established and successful Group of Five programs in Fresno State.
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Starco Brands LA Bowl: UCLA (7-5, PAC-12) vs. Boise State (8-5, Mountain West), 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC
UCLA stays home for its bowl game after a disappointing end to its season. The Bruins began the year 6-2 but fell apart during the late stretch of conference play with three losses in their final four games. Starting quarterback Dante Moore was among the players to enter the transfer portal after the regular season, leading to changes in personnel.
Boise State finished in second place in the Mountain West after losing the conference championship game and firing head coach Andy Avalos, now the defensive coordinator at TCU. The Broncos have had many coaches over the years but remain one of the consistent Group of Five teams. The team will reportedly start CJ Tiller at quarterback after losing starter Taylen Green to the transfer portal.
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Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: California (6-6, PAC-12) vs. Texas Tech (6-6, Big 12), 8:15 p.m. CT, ESPN
Texas Tech is the first local team to play its bowl game and will do so on opening night. The Red Raiders did not live up to their lofty preseason expectations but did enough to reach a bowl game despite injuries.
They will face a Cal team that flew under the radar in a loaded PAC-12 and made a bowl game for the first time since 2019.
