• No. 5 Florida State-No. 6 Georgia: The two biggest College Football Playoff snubs meet in the Orange Bowl.
• No. 7 Ohio State-No. 9 Missouri: The Buckeyes and Tigers face off in the Cotton Bowl.
• No. 10 Penn State-No. 11 Ole Miss: The Nittany Lions and Rebels meet in the Peach Bowl.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Nowadays, there’s an overwhelming number of bowl games, 43 to be exact. However, there are six that stand above them all as the biggest: the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl. They’re so important that two of them host the College Football Playoff semifinals on a rotating basis, while the other four feature the highest-ranked remaining teams.
Before we preview the two playoff semifinals, here are the notable opt-outs, matchups to watch and predictions for the non-playoff New Year’s Six bowls.
No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. No. 9 Missouri Tigers (Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic)
How to watch: 8:00 P.M. ET on ESPN (Friday, December 29th)
Notable opt-outs
Ohio State: QB Kyle McCord, RB Chip Trayanum, WR Julian Fleming
As of now, Ohio State will be without starting quarterback Kyle McCord (Syracuse), No. 2 running back Chip Trayanum (Kentucky) and No. 3 wide receiver Julian Fleming. All three entered the transfer portal.
There’s also a chance the Buckeyes could be without superstar wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., edge defender JT Tuimoloau, running back TreVeyon Henderson and interior defensive lineman Michael Hall Jr. All four haven’t publicly announced their intentions of playing in the bowl game yet.
Missouri: N/A
With this being Missouri’s first New Year’s Six bowl in a decade, it should come as no surprise that the Tigers won’t be missing any key pieces in this game.
Matchup to watch: Missouri’s offensive line vs. Ohio State’s defensive line
Missouri’s front five has earned a 79.1 PFF grade this season, trailing only Oregon State and Georgia among Power Five offensive lines. The Tigers’ 85.9 PFF run-blocking grade ranks second among that same group. Meanwhile, Ohio State’s defensive line is the second-highest-graded in the country, trailing only Michigan. Whether or not Tuimoloau and Hall play is a massive X-factor in this matchup, but it’ll be a heavyweight bout regardless.
Prediction: Missouri 27, Ohio State 24
Missouri caps off a magical season with a Cotton Bowl victory over an Ohio State team that’s breaking in a new starting quarterback.
No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels (Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl)
How to watch: 12:00 P.M. ET on ESPN (Saturday, December 30th)
Notable opt-outs
Penn State: EDGE Chop Robinson
As of now, Penn State will only be without star edge defender Chop Robinson against Ole Miss. The junior is the No. 11 overall prospect on PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft big board and his 92.5 PFF grade since 2022 ranks third among FBS edge defenders. Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin was ecstatic about his decision.
Best of luck!! Congrats on a great career!! https://t.co/8zIPPjapta
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 5, 2023
The Nittany Lions’ other top-50 prospects, offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and cornerback Kalen King, have not announced their intentions yet. For what it’s worth, Fashanu is still practicing with Penn State and will travel to Atlanta for the bowl game even though he’s not sure if he’ll be playing yet.
Ole Miss: N/A
There isn’t a significant player on Ole Miss who’s in the transfer portal or opting out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.
Matchup to watch: Ole Miss’ offense vs. Penn State’s defense
Penn State fielded one of the nation’s best defenses all season. The Nittany Lions led the FBS in expected points allowed per play and were one of only three defenses in the country to earn 90-plus grades in run-defending, pass-rushing and in coverage. As mentioned earlier, Penn State will be without star edge defender Chop Robinson and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz won’t be available either since Duke hired him to be its next head coach.
Ole Miss’ offense meanwhile places in the top 20 of the country in overall grade (20th), passing grade (11th), receiving grade (18th) and rushing grade (sixth). The Rebels are only 84th in pass-blocking grade and 68th in run-blocking grade though, leaving opportunities for the Nittany Lions to win in the trenches even without Robinson.
Prediction: Penn State 28, Ole Miss 24
Penn State wins the battle in the trenches and becomes the first school in history to win every New Year’s Six bowl.
No. 5 Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs (Capital One Orange Bowl)
How to watch: 4:00 P.M. ET on ESPN (Saturday, December 30th)
Notable opt-outs
Florida State: RB Trey Benson, WR Johnny Wilson, TE Jaheim Bell, OT Bless Harris, DI Fabien Lovett, EDGE Jared Verse, LB DJ Lundy
Florida State will be without many of its key contributors in the Orange Bowl. Star running back Trey Benson, top-two receivers Keon Coleman/Johnny Wilson, All-ACC tight end Jaheim Bell, projected first-round edge defender Jared Verse and interior defensive lineman Fabien Lovett all opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Backup left tackle Bless Harris (TCU) and linebacker DJ Lundy won’t play either as they both entered the transfer portal.
Georgia: LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson
Georgia’s only significant contributor who we know won’t play in the Orange Bowl is linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, who transferred to Kentucky. His 80.2 PFF run-defense grade over the past two seasons is second among SEC linebackers.
The Bulldogs have plenty of other players who could opt out to declare for the NFL Draft. In particular, tight end Brock Bowers and right tackle Amarius Mims are first-round prospects on PFF’s big board.
Matchup to watch: Georgia’s passing game vs. Florida State’s secondary
One player the Bulldogs can rely on in the Orange Bowl is quarterback Carson Beck, who already announced his plans to return next season. His 91.9 PFF grade this season trailed only Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix among FBS signal-callers.
Florida State’s secondary has earned a 93.8 coverage grade this year, second to only Alabama among FBS schools. Beck’s worst grade this season came against the Crimson Tide (67.5), meaning similar struggles could come against the Seminoles, especially if Bowers doesn’t play.
Prediction: Georgia 27, Florida State 17
The Seminoles offense struggles to get anything going without Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell and the Bulldogs win their fifth straight New Year’s Six bowl.
No. 8 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 23 Liberty Flames (Vrbo Fiesta Bowl)
How to watch: 1:00 P.M. ET on ESPN (Monday, January 1st)
Notable opt-outs
Oregon: WR Troy Franklin, C Jackson Powers-Johnson, CB Khyree Jackson
While Oregon’s offense will still feature a couple of stars in quarterback Bo Nix and running back Bucky Irving, the Ducks will still be without a few key contributors. All-Pac 12 receiver Troy Franklin, Rimington Award-winning center Jackson Powers-Johnson and Oregon’s top corner Khyree Jackson all opted out of the Fiesta Bowl to declare for the NFL Draft.
Liberty: DI Kendy Charles, CB Preston Hodge
Liberty will be without a couple of key contributors on defense in interior defensive lineman Kendy Charles and All-Conference USA cornerback Preston Hodge. Both entered the transfer portal, with Hodge committing to Colorado.
Matchup to watch: Two elite run games
Both Oregon (tied for second) and Liberty (fourth) own top-five rushing grades in the country this season.
Oregon’s rushing attack is led by Bucky Irving, who forced the most missed tackles in the Pac-12 this season. Liberty’s ground game is a two-headed attack between running back Quinton Cooley and quarterback Kaidon Salter. Cooley led Conference USA in rushing yards (1,325) while Salter was second with 1,086. Both Oregon and Liberty are outside the top-35 schools in team run-defense grade as well so both rushing attacks should be able to find some success.
Prediction: Oregon 40, Liberty 24
Nix ends his collegiate career with a Fiesta Bowl victory for the Ducks.
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