Here is the full schedule of college football bowl games on New Year’s Eve.
There are six bowl games on Monday, Dec. 31. The Sun Bowl, Redbox Bowl and Liberty Bowl all kickoff before 4 p.m. ET, then the Holiday Bowl and the Gator Bowl cap off the college football action in 2018.
MORE: 2018-19 Bowl schedule, scores
Military Bowl
Cincinnati (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6) | LIVE STATS
Noon ET, ESPN, Annapolis, Maryland
Series Record: Virginia Tech leads 6-5.
Key to the game
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder vs. Virginia Tech defense: Defensive coordinator Bud Foster is known as one of the best defensive minds in football. That just didn’t show in 2018. The Hokies have allowed almost 440 yards per game this season. In Cincinnati’s two losses, Bearcats quarterback Desmond Ridder completed less than 50 percent of his passes, but has mostly played well this season en route to 2,395 yards and 19 touchdowns with just five interceptions.
Players to watch
Cincinnati: RB Mike Warren II: Warren has rushed for 1,163 yards and is tied for fifth in FBS with 17 rushing touchdowns.
Virginia Tech: QB Ryan Willis: Willis has filled in nicely since starter Josh Jackson went down with injury against Old Dominion. Willis has thrown for 2,497 yards and 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions. He’ll now go up against the 24th-best pass defense in FBS.
RELATED: The record of every conference in bowl games this season
Sun Bowl
Stanford (8-4) vs. Pittsburgh (7-6) | LIVE STATS
2 p.m. ET, CBS, El Paso, Texas
Series Record: Pittsburgh leads 2-1.
We want that 🏆 #H2P pic.twitter.com/vm2OZyytAk
— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 31, 2018
Key to the game
Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello vs. Pittsburgh defense: Without star running back Bryce Love, who is sitting out to focus on the NFL draft, Stanford will have to find a way to replicate his production. One can only assume that Costello will be asked to do more without Love. The quarterback has thrown for 3,435 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. Pitt’s defense ranks 55th in the country in passing yards allowed.
Players to watch
Stanford: WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside: The 6-foot-3 wide receiver is Costello’s go-to target anywhere on the field, especially in the redzone. He’ll likely be more involved without Love.
Pittsburgh: DE Rashad Weaver: The sophomore defensive lineman leads Pittsburgh with 13 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
Redbox Bowl
Michigan State (7-5) vs. Oregon (8-4) | LIVE STATS
3 p.m. ET, FOX, Santa Clara, California
Series Record: Tied 3-3.
Key to the game
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert vs. Michigan State pass defense: Herbert made shocking news this week when he announced he will return for his senior season in 2019. For his final game of his junior season, he has to battle against the nation’s 12th-best scoring defense.
MORE: How Alabama and Clemson match up statistically
Players to watch
Michigan State: LB Kenny Willekes: He led the Big Ten with 20.5 tackles for loss and has been an issue for an opposing offensive line all season.
Oregon: WR Dillon Mitchell: Other than Herbert, Mitchell is the guy to watch. He has more than 1,100 receiving yards this year and a team-leading nine receiving touchdowns.
Liberty Bowl
No. 23 Missouri (8-4) vs. Oklahoma State (6-6) | LIVE STATS
3:45 p.m. ET, ESPN, Memphis, Tennessee
Series record: Missouri leads 29-23.
Key to the game
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock vs. Oklahoma State pass defense: This might sound like a broken record, but there’s a good quarterback against a mediocre pass defense. The Cowboys rank 107th in the country with 258.3 passing yards allowed per game. Lock has thrown for 3,125 yards this season and 25 touchdowns.
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 29, 2018
Players to watch
Missouri: WR Emanuel Hall: It’s unknown if tight end Albert Okwuegbunam will suit up for the Liberty Bowl. He has missed three straight games, so Hall is the playmaker in the receiving corps to watch.
Oklahoma State: QB Taylor Cornelius: This is going to be a blast to watch. Oklahoma State has a fantastic offense, ranked 10th in total offense (500.0 yards per game) and 14th in scoring offense (38.4 ppg). Cornelius is the catalyst with more than 3,600 yards.
RELATED: 3 stats that tell us who will win the national championship
Holiday Bowl
No. 22 Northwestern (8-5) vs. No. 17 Utah (9-4) | LIVE STATS
7 p.m. ET, FS1, San Diego, California
Series record: Tied 1-1
Key to the game
Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson vs. Utah pass defense: It sounds like a broken record, but this is the matchup to watch. Thorson is Northwestern’s best offensive threat due to its lack of a running game. The Utah defense ranks 52nd in passing yards allowed while its rushing defense ranks fourth in the country. No question the Wildcats will throw the ball often in the Holiday Bowl.
Players to watch
Northwestern: LB Blake Gallagher: Without linebacker Nate Hall (injured), the Wildcats leading tackler will assume a larger role to keep the Utah offense off the field.
Utah: LB Nate Hansen: Hansen does everything for the Utah defense. As the Pac-12 tackles for loss leader with 22.0 this season, the Northwestern offensive line will have to prevent Hansen from getting to Thorson to win this one.
NYE football? Yes, please. 🙌
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 31, 2018
Watch @oregonfootball face off with @MSU_Football in the Redbox Bowl at 2:30pm ET ➡️Then @Utah_Football vs. @NUFBFamily in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on FS1 at 6:30pm ET. pic.twitter.com/aoyYXldD5o
Gator Bowl
No. 19 Texas A&M (8-4) vs. North Carolina State (9-3) | LIVE STATS
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Jacksonville, Florida
Series record: First meeting
Key to the game
Texas A&M running back Trayveon Williams vs. North Carolina State rush defense: For those who haven’t watched Williams play this season, he is 172 rushing yards shy of the single-season rushing record. Only thing is he is going against a rushing defense that ranks 13th in the FBS with 109.1 rushing yards allowed per game.
MORE: 2019 championship game time, channel, preview
Players to watch
NC State: QB Ryan Finley: The first-team ACC quarterback needs 212 passing yards against the Aggies to surpass 4,000 passing yards for the season.
Texas A&M: RB Trayveon Williams: The second-team AP All-American has rushed for 1,524 yards and has scored 15 touchdowns this year.
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