Bowl Season Preview Part 2

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Good morning and welcome to 4th & Forever, Rand & Tate’s College Football Newsletter. We hope you all are enjoying the holiday break with your family and friends. Today, we’re wrapping up our non-playoff bowl preview with the remaining 22 bowls we did not get to in part 1. If you were not up until 12:30 am on Christmas Eve watching the SJSU-USF Hawai’i Bowl that went into 5OT, we do not care for your opinion on what’s best for the sport of college football. There needs a line to be drawn somewhere, or else we’re all hypocrites. So let’s get to the remaining bowls with sponsors ranging from defense contractors, cloud storage, lawnmowers, and life-size pastry mascots.

Bowl Season Preview: Part 2

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - Oklahoma (6-6) vs Navy (9-3): 

OKLA -6.5, O/U 43.5 - Friday, 12/27 12:00 pm ET ESPN

Location: TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium in Forth Worth, TX

Sponsor: Lockheed Martin happily defends our nation’s freedom and honor to the tune of trillions of dollars in government contracts. Being a college football coach and working on government contracts in the defense industry are similar if you think about it. Paid out the ass to do a shit ton of work behind closed doors and if it works, you’re regaled down Main St and if not, you’re paid millions to fuck off and get to point to Gen Z for being soft and not wanting to work hard enough. 

One Reason to Watch: That being said, you will never catch 4&F mincing words about Army, Navy, or any of our service branches whether they’re CFB-related or not. When is the Space Force starting a football team? Anyways, Oklahoma better come ready to play because Navy will be up for this one. Army and Navy are always a royal pain in the ass to play and that’s a compliment. They never quit, their offensive philosophy is a nightmare to gameplan against, and they hold the ball for three-fourths of the game. Remember when Army nearly beat Oklahoma when they had freaking Kyler Murray? Come ready to play OU, we won’t accept a lack of motivation as an excuse for why you lost.

Birmingham Bowl - Georgia Tech (7-5) vs Vanderbilt (6-6): 

GT -3, O/U 51.5 - Friday, 12/27 3:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: UAB’s Protective Stadium in Birmingham, AL

Sponsor: No title sponsor so instead story time. Wake played Memphis in 2018 Birmingham Bowl (sponsored by Jared back then fwiw) and of course, I (Rand) went. That game was played at Legion Field which is famous for hosting Iron Bowls, World Cup Matches, and being an absolute shithole. I’d heard horror stories about this place but nothing could prepare me for the level of decrepity I witnessed. I’ve never been to a soccer match in the USSR circa 1965 but I can imagine it’d be an upgrade from that stadium. That place needs to be condemned. 

One Reason to Watch: This rendition will be played in the much newer Protective Field which is UAB’s new fancy schmancy stadium. This should be a high-level football game between two of the biggest surprises in the P4 this season. If we applied the same enthusiasm we have in watching Diego Pavia v Haynes King in a gladiator match of QB draws to solving world hunger, it’d be eradicated by New Year’s.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Texas Tech (8-4) vs Arkansas (6-6): 

ARK -1.5, O/U 54.5 - Friday, 12/27 7:00 pm ET ESPN

Location: Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, TN

Sponsor: The two questions on an AutoZone employment application must be: A) knows everything about cars and B) inability to change windshield wipers. If you answered yes for both, you’re hired. I’ll be taking my lazy ass to Advanced Auto Parts next time my wipers are rubbing my windshield like nails on a chalkboard.

One Reason to Watch: Aside from the fact it’s a P4 matchup on a Friday night we might need to have an offseason discussion about what the Red Raiders are doing in the transfer portal right now. They have the #1 rated transfer portal glass and have been getting 2-3 high-level commits every day. Of note to Wake Forest fans, old friend Mitch Griffis has come out of retirement and committed to the Red Raiders. Fair warning that I’m sure you’re all aware of, high-level commits and NIL riches do not always equate to football success, just ask…Texas Tech.

We’ve mentioned 5* phenom WR Micah Hudson numerous times before but after a freshman campaign of 8 receptions for 123 yards, he hopped in the portal and is off to Texas A&M. However, a potentially dubious tweet went viral that claimed part of his NIL package at TTU included $700k, a Cadillac SUV and personal driver to take him to and from practice, and vehicles for his family went viral. Whatever the truth is there, we don’t care, that’s hilarious. But we’re interested to see if TTU can build upon their transfer portal momentum with a statement bowl win over an SEC squad. 

DirecTV Holiday Bowl - #21 Syracuse (9-3) vs Washington State (8-4): 

SYR -13.5, O/U 59.5 - Friday, 12/27 8:00 pm ET FOX

Location: SDSU’s Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, CA

Sponsor: DirecTV was at the heart of the public standoff with ESPN and Disney that led to ESPN programming being blacked out for a few days in early September for subscribers. Early September seems like an inopportune time to go without ESPN. Couldn’t be us though. We utilize YouTubeTV and Hulu which has not balked at ESPN’s price gouging and we don’t have an ugly white frisbee nailed to our roof. Get with the program Boomers, the future is online. 

One Reason to Watch: Ohff…this might be a beatdown of epic proportions. Wazzu will be playing this game without their Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, QB coach, RB coach, starting QB, and 22+ players in the portal. The only reason you’re watching this is for the love of the game. 

SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl - Texas A&M (8-4) vs USC (6-6): 

TAMU -3.5, O/U 51.5 - Friday, 12/27 10:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: Raiders Death Star in Las Vegas aka Allegiant Stadium

Sponsor: Instead of writing about a roofing company that’s currently being acquired by Home Depot, let’s focus on Allegiant Airlines which holds the naming rights to the Raiders Stadium. Unfortunately, I am not able to gloat with the fact that I have never taken an Allegiant flight but let me tell you, my life might be better had I not. There was not a worse flight experience in my life than a 7 am New Orleans to Concord, NC the Sunday morning after Mardi Gras. Maybe it was self-inflicted given my decisions earlier in the weekend but I’d be better off in a middle seat on Delta between two crying toddlers. 

Also, there should be a Harvard Business School Case Study on corporations preying on the vulnerable and Allegiant’s business practices. What are the two destinations Allegiant flies to the most? Orlando and Vegas. Actually, that’s genius and capitalism at work, no one is flying Allegiant to Lake Tahoe or 30A. They’re going to Disney and The Strip and plunging themselves into debt. 

One Reason to Watch: These two teams seem to be going in opposite directions heading into 2025 which is not something we would’ve said in Week 1. If you remember, that’s when USC beat LSU and TAMU lost to Notre Dame. Since then, USC has fallen on their face and boosters are 8 months away from asking themselves how they got bamboozled into giving Lincoln Riley a $90 million buyout. Luckily for them, they can rub elbows with the oil & gas guys of south Texas and ask how they made paying Jimbo Fisher $77 million seem palatable. 

Wasabi Fenway Bowl - UConn (8-4) vs UNC (6-6): 

UNC -2.5, O/U 53.5 - Saturday, 12/28 11:00 am ET ESPN

Location: Fenway Park

Sponsor: Once again, this is not Big Wasabi out of Japan. Instead, this is a boring ass cloud storage company. What’s the player's bowl gift for this? An extra gigabyte of iCloud storage?

One Reason to Watch: It’s poetic that Bill Belichick will be on the sidelines watching his new team play in Boston. While he won’t be coaching and we’re eight months away from that reality* the team to watch is UConn who can secure a nine-win season here. That’s impressive but their body of work is shoddy at best. Their four losses are to the only P4 teams they played this year: Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, and Syracuse. 

*We’re still skeptical that Belichick didn’t just leverage the UNC job into putting pressure on NFL teams. We know no current NFL team with an open position wanted to hire him - even the Jets - but it’s extremely telling that his buyout drops from $10 mil to $1 mil on June 1, 2025. We’d guess there’s only a 10% Bill never coaches a game in Chapel Hill but that’s 9% higher than what we’d guess for every other FBS head coach. 

Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl - Boston College (7-5) vs Nebraska (6-6): 

NEB -2.5, O/U 45.5 - Saturday, 12/28 12:00 pm ET ABC

Location: Yankee Stadium

Sponsor: A mowing company…fun. They should make an electric razor and sponsor this bowl to troll the Yankees and their arcane, fickle, and outdated ‘no facial hair’ rule. A lot of huffing and puffing from a franchise that has won the same number of World Series as the fucking Pirates in the last 15 years.

One Reason to Watch: The Yankees love talking about the 1920s and this game might resemble a rock fight from that era too. Let’s hope for a squall and a 3-0 Nebraska win over Boston College to honor Clawson.

Isleta New Mexico Bowl - Louisiana (10-3) vs TCU (8-4): 

TCU -13, O/U 57.5 - Saturday, 12/28 2:15 pm ET ESPN

Location: UNM’s University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM

Sponsor: Isleta is a local tribe that owns and operates a casino and resort south of Albuquerque. Rand went to ABQ this summer and let me tell ya, even though it’s hot as hell because of this whole desert thing, it’s super cool. Kinda want to go to Taos and ski, see the New Mexico Hot Air Balloon Festival or I guess go golfing and hit the craps tables in Isleta.

One Reason to Watch: TCU being a two-touchdown favorite here is a little surprising but shows you the disparity between a high-level Sun Belt team and a middling Big 12 team. However, don’t underestimate the Ragin’ Cajuns. Them boys went to Winston and put a beatdown on the Deacs and were chanting after the game that they wanted Bama. The second part might not be true but they’re a good team and have one hell of a kicker Kenneth Almendares who won the Lou Groza Award. Take an Ambien, I know your blood is pumping.  

Pop-Tarts Bowl - #18 Iowa State (10-3) vs #13 Miami (10-2): 

MIA -3, O/U 55.5 - Saturday, 12/28 3:30 pm ET ABC

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL

Sponsor: The Granddaddy of Them All: The Pop-Tarts Bowl. The Rose Bowl lost its trademark to that after they held college football hostage from a playoff because of their damn sunset for decades. We are honored to give this distinguished title to the Pop-Tarts Bowl which ran a marketing masterclass and broke the internet for all the shenanigans they employed with a few mascots and a pastry. Seriously, no one could tell you who played in this bowl game last year but everyone remembers watching a Frosted Strawberry Pop-Tart sacrifice himself to a massive toaster and then get eaten by the winning team. This is what bowl games should be in today’s age. Kansas State beat NC State last year for those wondering.

This year, the bowl game unveiled a new trophy that also functions as a working toaster while Hot Fudge Sundae, Cinnamon Roll, and Wild Berry will be competing to the death courtesy of the giant toaster. This is appointment television next weekend and we’ll be enjoying it with a copious supply of Brown Sugar Cinnamon which is the undisputed best Pop-Tarts flavor.

One Reason to Watch: Who’s playing in this game? Oh, two top 20 teams and Heisman finalist Cam Ward? That’s cool. Don’t care. Long live the Pop-Tarts.

Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl - Miami (OH) (8-5) vs Colorado State (8-4): 

M-OH -2.5, O/U 43.5 - Saturday, 12/28 4:30 pm ET The CW Network

Location: Arizona’s Arizona Stadium Tucson. Creative name Zona, those naming rights will be bought up by Saudi’s PIF in less than three years and the Arizona AD will champion the move as a creative revenue stream or some corporate jargon BS.

Sponsor: The cultural chokehold Snoop Dogg has over middle-aged white women will be studied by sociologists for centuries. This dude could narrate B-roll footage of squirrels and every mom on Facebook will have it reposted within the hour. Oh wait, he already did that. 

One Reason to Watch: Given weed is legal in Arizona expect Dee-Ohh-Double-Gee to be high as a kite in the press box watching a game between a MAC and MWC team in the freezing cold. Don’t let anyone tell you there are too many bowl games.

Go Bowling Military Bowl - East Carolina (7-5) vs NC State (6-6): 

NCSU -5.5, O/U 58.5 - Saturday, 12/28 5:45 pm ET ESPN

Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD

Sponsor: We said the Wasabi Bowl wasn’t sponsored by Big Wasabi but Go Bowling is literally Big Bowling. I don’t know how you market putting on those ugly ass shoes and drinking beer from taplines that haven’t been cleaned since the 80s but some people enjoy it, I guess.

One Reason to Watch: Ohhhhh these two teams hate each other. This is ECU’s Super Bowl and will be fired up for this one while NC State’s season went up like the Hindenberg. Remember when they opened the season two years ago and ECU’s kicker missed a game-tying extra point and then a game-winning field goal with less than three minutes remaining? We didn’t forget and we’re sure Pirate Nation didn’t either. Keep your eye on State QB CJ Bailey who announced he’s coming back next year and should be one of the best QBs in the conference.

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Valero Alamo Bowl - #17 BYU (10-2) vs #23 Colorado (9-3): 

COLO -3, O/U 54.5 - Saturday, 12/28 7:30 pm ET ABC

Location: Alamodome in San Antonio, TX

Sponsor: Was Valero the company behind the oil rig blowing up in the Gulf of Mexico and that caked Pelicans in oil? Oh, nope that was BP. Then they were the ones behind the oil tanker running aground in Alaska? Never mind that was Exxon. So, Valero must be the company that just got fined $82 mil (pocket change) for illegally releasing toxic fumes into the San Francisco air and another $2 mil for dumping waste in the Bay. Whatever, as long as gas prices are cheap and Russia doesn’t nuke us into oblivion. 

One Reason to Watch: If we asked you to bet your life savings on two college football players to opt out of their bowl games why would you pick Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders? We won’t hold you to it but they are playing which is very surprising. What’s also surprising is this is a game between two conference foes which is indicative of how damn big conferences are getting. We’ll save an argument for why bowl games should be between conference foes for another edition but in the meantime, this game should be a banger. 

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl - Louisiana Tech (5-7) vs #22 Army (11-2): 

ARMY -16.5, O/U 43.5 - Saturday, 12/28 9:15 pm ET ESPN

Location: Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA

Sponsor: “We provide Intelligence analysis and warfighter support to the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense to enable effective military operations and protect our troops from harm.” Yeah that’s great but please convince the government not to ban TikTok. If not, my sister might actually talk to me during Christmas which is a scarier proposition than a Chinese military invasion.

One Reason to Watch: Poor Army. After winning the AAC they got left out of the playoff (not surprising because Boise), got shipped to Shreveport, Louisiana, lost to Navy, and then Sun Belt Champ Marshall opted out of the game and got replaced with a 5-7 LA Tech team. Credit to the bulldogs for stepping up to the challenge on short notice but they’re going to get euthanized here. 

TransPerfect Music City Bowl - Iowa (8-4) vs #19 Missouri (9-3): 

MIZ -3, O/U 40.5 - Monday, 12/30 2:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN

Sponsor: TransPerfect is almost exactly what it sounds like which is counterintuitive given it’s a professional translation company. Maybe they can help Mizzou fans understand why a preseason #11 ranking with every important offensive starter back and the #1 DE in the country didn’t translate to a playoff bid. Iowa on the other hand…we got nothing for ya. Ferentz must speak in pig latin or something. 

One Reason to Watch: Iowa’s had an offensive renaissance of sorts but don’t mistake it for competent QB play because it was all thanks to their running back Kaleb Johnson…who opted out. Mizzou went from one of the best offenses in the country last year to one that scored a combined 10 points against TAMU and Bama. Their best offensive weapon WR Luther Burden III opted out too. There’s a reason this is the second lowest O/U of bowl season but we’ll be watching regardless, just this time our eyes might be taped open. 

ReliaQuest Bowl - #11 Alabama (9-3) vs Michigan (7-5): 

ALA -10.5, O/U 42.5 - Tuesday, 12/31 12:00 pm ET ESPN

Location: Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL

Sponsor: Amazon’s cybersecurity company. Lame as hell.

One Reason to Watch: No matter how lame this bowl game is on the field, everyone will be watching this helmet matchup. Therefore, let’s take a moment and look at what Alabama AD Greg Byrne said in a statement earlier this week. “You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama. It is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

I’m sorry did Alabama just cry poor? It’s not April 1 but that has to be a joke. This is hilariously tone-deaf but if I were in his shoes, what do I care, I’d do the same and pander to my audience. Last year, Alabama took transfers from Charlotte, Kennesaw State, Wake Forest, and Miami (OH). We’re guessing (read: know) they utilized their coffers of NIL money to lure those kids and also the ones from TAMU, USC, Washington, and Florida to make unmatchable NIL offers. Keep it up Byrne or old man yelling at cloud. 

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl - Louisville (8-4) vs Washington (6-6): 

LOU -2.5, O/U 49.5 - Tuesday, 12/31 2:00 pm ET CBS

Location: Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX

Sponsor: Tony the Tiger which is of course the mascot of Frosted Flakes. They’ve been a sponsor for a while and don’t do much except just have the mascot run around the sidelines. Here’s a free idea for you, Kellogg’s. Make this the Kellogg’s Cereal Bowl and have a fight to the death between Tony the Tiger, the Froot Loops toucan, the Rice Krispies elves, and the aptly named Cinna-Mon and Rastafarian head wrap-wearing mascot from Apple Jacks. Bonus points if they’re in a massive vat of milk. 

One Reason to Watch: Aside from the fact the Sun Bowl is one of the most historic bowl games in history, it usually snows, and fans climb up a mountain behind the stadium to watch the game, this should be a high level game between two P4 teams. Or watch it to see a tiger mascot do a cartwheel or something. Whatever floats your boat. 

Cheez-It Citrus Bowl - #15 South Carolina (9-3) vs #20 Illinois (9-3): 

SC -9.5, O/U 47.5 - Tuesday, 12/31 3:00 pm ET ABC

Location: Camping World Stadium in Orlando, FL

Sponsor: I woke up feeling cheesiest coach! When we’re 6 feet under, we’ll still be able to hear that damn saying. If Pop-Tarts Bowl is king, then Cheez-It Bowl is a knight. They do some weird, ridiculous stuff with a mascot that looks more like he escaped the Nutcracker than he does a king of cheese.

One Reason to Watch: Thanks to Cheez-It being ahead of the curve, they’ve signed almost every meaningful SoCar and Illinois player to a NIL deal to play in this game. LaNorris Sellers v Luke Altmeyer is a matchup we never thought we needed but are grate-ful (pun intended) we’re getting. 

Kinder’s Texas Bowl - Baylor (8-4) vs LSU (8-4): 

LSU -1, O/U 59.5 - Tuesday, 12/31 3:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: NRG Stadium in Houston, TX

Sponsor: Oh, fuck yes, pardon our French. A company that has BBQ sauces, mixes, seasonings & rubs? Kinder’s has just earned themselves a new customer. 

One Reason to Watch: This is the lowest spread in a bowl game so Vegas is expecting a close one here. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier announced he’s coming back next year and Baylor’s Sawyer Roberston was quietly one of the best QBs in the country down the stretch. With an O/U of 60 expect a good old-fashioned shootout which is a reprieve from gawking at how low-scoring some earlier bowl games are expected to be. 

TaxSlayer Gator Bowl - Duke (9-3) vs #14 Ole Miss (9-3): 

MISS -14.5, O/U 52.5 - Thursday, 1/2 7:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, FL

Sponsor: Death, taxes, and tax companies sponsoring bowl games. 117 days until April 15th!

One Reason to Watch: The Dave Cutcliffe Bowl would be interesting but who the hell is playing QB for Duke? Starter Maalik Murphy is already gone and in Corvallis, OR while backup Grayson Loftis is in the portal and probably not playing. That leaves third-string Henry Belin IV who has thrown for three more yards than the number in his suffix this season. This will be a whopping. 

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl - North Texas (6-6) vs Texas State (7-5): 

TXST -10, O/U 64.5 - Friday, 1/3 4:00 pm ET ESPN

Location: SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, TX

Sponsor: A commercial and residential restoration company. Got nothing here, don’t know what else to tell ya. 

One Reason to Watch: O/U of 64.5 (highest in the bowl season) between two of the highest scoring offenses in the nation that are allergic to playing defense in a game that’s leading into the bowl game where the winning coach gets a vat of mayo dumped on their head? Yeah, we’ll be watching. 

Duke’s Mayo Bowl - Minnesota (7-5) vs Virginia Tech (6-6): 

MINN -6.5, O/U 42.5 - Friday, 1/3 7:30 pm ET ESPN

Location: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC

Sponsor: Duke’s Mayo walked so Pop-Tarts could run. While Duke’s Mayo and the Charlotte Sports Foundation run a phenomenal bowl game, nothing beats seeing a coach having a vat of watered-down mayo dumped on his head. 

One Reason to Watch: The main reason we’ll be watching this game is to see how well Virginia Tech does here. If they lay an egg, Brent Pry will be coming into next season on the scorching hot seat. It’ll be 10 years since Beamer left town and after Fuente and Pry the good ole days will be just that. 

Bahamas Bowl - Buffalo (8-4) vs Liberty (8-3): 

BUFF -1.5, O/U 51.5 - Saturday, 1/4 11:00 am ET ESPN2

Location: Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas

Sponsor: No sponsor here because the Bahamas needs no introduction. Unless it’s Fyre Festival. That’s a sponsorship we could get behind. 

One Reason to Watch: Pour one out for the last non-playoff bowl game of the year. When you think you’ve had enough, we’ll be sure to ask how much you’d be willing to pay to watch a MAC and CUSA team play in the Bahamas come mid-June.

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Rand Fisher & Tate Smillie met a few years ago through their good buddy Dave Peljovich who went to college with Rand and high school with Tate. Tate went to Georgia and has spent the last two years collecting championship rings while traveling to watch the Dawgs. Rand went to known CFB powerhouse Wake Forest and currently pays rent in Atlanta but is rarely found there with all the work & CFB travel he does.