#Scooby Axson

There will be some history made Monday night when Georgia and TCU face off in the College Football Playoff national championship game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Bulldogs can be the first team to repeat as champions in 10 years and would be just the ninth program to achieve the feat. With another upset in the playoff, the Horned…

A December showdown in Shreveport, Louisiana, is a bit of a letdown for two of the best Group of Five teams in 2021. Houston entered the year at No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after last year's 12-2 finish but suffered three losses in September, two in overtime. Louisiana-Lafayette's regression from last year's campaign was…

The Tennessee Vols are just two weeks away from a showdown with the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl in Miami. If Tennessee takes down Clemson, it'll give the Vols their 11th win of the season. It would be the first time since 2001 that Tennessee's got to 11 wins. Beating Clemson, however, will be a challenge. The Tigers looked like a different…

Baylor was ranked as high as No. 9 before sliding back to the middle of the pack in the Big 12. Air Force, making its sixth appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, is on a four-game winning streak, thanks to its steady running game. Here's what to know about the matchup. Thursday, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET at Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth,…

After allowing Kentucky to score the go-ahead points with under two minutes to play in last season's Citrus Bowl, Iowa has a golden opportunity to redeem itself against the Wildcats. But it'll have to do so on the shoulders of a third-string quarterback. Here's what to know about this matchup. Saturday, Dec. 31, noon at Nissan Stadium in Nashville,…

Missouri is in a bowl game for a second consecutive year, though the Tigers needed a squeaker of a 29-27 victory against Arkansas in the regular-season finale to qualify. Wake Forest is making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance. Here's what to know about the matchup. Friday, Dec. 23, 6:30 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa,…

East Carolina is aiming for eight wins for the first time in 2014 while Coastal Carolina navigates a coaching change and its starting quarterback entering the transfer portal. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Tuesday, Dec. 27, 6:45 p.m. ET at Protective Stadium, Birmingham, Alabama. ESPN is airing the game. With star quarterback…

UConn is one of the more remarkable stories in college football. The Huskies won four games in their previous three seasons (they did not play in the 2020 season due to COVID-19) and are appearing in the postseason for the first time since 2015. Meanwhile, Marshall is on a four-game winning streak and can mainly thank its stingy defense for its…

UCLA is 3-1 in Sun Bowls, including beating Virginia Tech 42-12 in 2013. Pitt is 2-2 and its last appearance was a 14-13 loss to Stanford in 2018. This is the first meeting since UCLA's 38-28 road win in 1972. Here's what to know about the matchup. Friday, Dec. 30, 2 p.m. ET at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. CBS is airing the game. UCLA QB Dorian…

A Florida team with major questions at quarterback runs into an Oregon State group finishing its season on a high note. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Saturday, Dec. 17, 2:30 p.m. ET at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada. ESPN is airing the game. The Beavers stunned Oregon in the final week of the season after trailing 31-10 in…

In the wake of Mike Leach's death on Dec. 13, the Mississippi State football team decided to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2. "The players are 100% behind playing this bowl game and doing what Coach Leach would expect them to do," Mississippi State interim athletic Director Bracky Brett told ESPN. "We all know that's what…

Ole Miss' promising season, which once had College Football Playoff hopes, unraveled with three straight losses in November. Meanwhile, Texas Tech won its final three games, including 51-48 over Oklahoma in overtime in the season finale. Here's what to know about the matchup. Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 9 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. ESPN is…

The "Sark Bowl" becomes a reality as Steve Sarkisian's current Texas squad goes up against his former school. The Longhorns have won six of their past eight contests. Washington started 4-0 and lost back-to-back games to UCLA and Arizona State before the current winning streak. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Thursday, Dec. 29, 9…

LSU and Purdue have been playing football for more than 100 years, but never against each other. That will change when the SEC runner-up Tigers and the Big Ten runner-up Boilermakers meet. Here's what to know about the matchup. Monday, Jan. 2, 1 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. ABC is airing the game. Purdue's defense has…

For Kansas State, a trip to the Sugar Bowl will serve as a hard-earned reward for an outstanding season, capped by an overtime win in the Big 12 championship game. For Alabama, it is effectively a consolation prize. Saturday, Dec. 31, noon at Caesars Superdome, New Orleans. ESPN is airing the game. Kansas State has been surprising people all…

North Carolina has lost three straight, including the ACC championship game to Clemson. Oregon dropped two of its past three games, though the victory came over eventual Pac-12 champion Utah. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Wednesday, Dec. 28, 8 p.m. ET at Petco Park in San Diego. Fox is airing the game. Teams with a month to stew…

SMU, which gave up 40 or more points four times and more than 6 yards a play, is just happy to be playing in a bowl as its last two scheduled postseason appearances were wiped out by COVID-19. This is BYU's last hurrah as an independent as it heads off to the greener pastures of the Big 12. Saturday, Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. ET at University Stadium in…

Because there are 82 bowl slots to be filled and not enough teams with six wins to fill them, Rice earned a postseason bid as the only team going bowling with a losing record. Southern Miss had to win its final game against Louisiana-Monroe just to qualify for a bowl game. Saturday, Dec. 17, 5:45 p.m. ET at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile,…

The last time Florida State and Oklahoma faced off in a bowl game, it was to decide a national championship. There's still plenty in play for this one. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Thursday, Dec. 29, 5:30 p.m. ET at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. ESPN is airing the game. With the momentum the Seminoles have built, and…

Wyoming wants to make history and get its fourth consecutive bowl win, matching a school record that dates to the 1950s and'60s. Meanwhile, Ohio will also chase a fourth consecutive bowl win after coming up short in its Mid-American Conference championship game. Here's what to know about the matchup. Friday, Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. ET at Arizona Stadium…

It seems fitting that a couple of teams with orange as a principal uniform color will square off in the Orange Bowl. It's also an attractive matchup of programs with long and storied football histories. Friday, Dec 30, 8 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida. ESPN is airing the game. If both teams were at full strength, this would…

Duke probably gets the edge in the "happy to be here" department. The Blue Devils are back in the postseason for the first time since 2018 following an 8-4 campaign under first-year coach Mike Elko. UCF is bowling for a seventh straight year but would probably rather be in another one after falling short in the American Athletic Conference…

Notre Dame entered the fall with lofty expectations and a top-five ranking before losses to Ohio State and unranked Marshall sent it sputtering. The Fighting Irish won eight of their final 10 games, including victories against BYU, Syracuse and Clemson. South Carolina also defeated Clemson this season and also routed Tennessee 63-38 as part of 7-2…

Mid-American Conference champion Toledo will look to put an exclamation point on its 2022 campaign in what should be an intriguing matchup against a Liberty team in transition. Tuesday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET at FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida. ESPN is airing the game. Toledo's continuity - coach Jason Candle is in his seventh full season -…

The matchup of these Big 12 and SEC teams pits two 6-6 teams looking to get over.500 to end the season. It features quarterbacks KJ Jefferson and Jalon Daniels and coaches Lance Leipold, in his second year with Kansas, and Sam Pittman, in his third season with Arkansas. Here's what to know about the matchup. Wednesday, Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m. ET at…

In 2022, Tulane finished the season 11-2, a near inverse of a miserable 2-10 campaign from a season ago. USC had its eyes on the College Football Playoff before faltering in the Pac-12 championship game against Utah. But the Cotton Bowl is a healthy postseason destination for the Trojans to cap off Lincoln Riley's first season on the West…

Kyle Whittingham is completing his 18th full season as head coach at Utah. James Franklin is completing his ninth season as head coach at Penn State. After Franklin and the Nittany Lions went 11-11 combined during 2020 and 2021, they have compiled a10-2 record this season while Whittingham and the Utes have gone 10-3. Monday, Jan. 2, 5 p.m. ET at…

The Pinstripe Bowl features two teams in two different places at this point in the season. Minnesota surged to end the regular season, while Syracuse limped to the finish line. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Thursday, Dec. 29, 2 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. ESPN is airing the game. Minnesota enters having won five consecutive…

Maryland and North Carolina State reignite an old Atlantic Coast Conference rivalry in a regional interest clash with some saucy history. NC State should have a bit of a home-field advantage. Here's what you need to know about the matchup. Friday, Dec. 30, noon at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. ESPN is airing the game. Each…

The long-planned bowl in Boston delayed by the pandemic finally makes its debut - and how juicy is this? Once an intense rivalry that has spanned four conferences, most recently the Big East and American, this series even has its own trophy, the Keg of Nails. Saturday, Dec. 17, 11 a.m. ET at Fenway Park in Boston. ESPN is airing the…

The fourth quarter of the college football season has arrived and that means the games get bigger and the pressure ramps up higher than at any point of the campaign. As the season heads toward the final weeks, the urgency of the College Football Playoff and conference races cause teams to raise their level of play - or stumble close to the finish…

The Georgia Bulldogs will play the Michigan Wolverines in Miami this Friday for a spot in the national championship game. Georgia is 1-0 in semifinal games since the start of the College Football Playoff era and will look to make it 2-0 when the Dawgs and Wolverines meet at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN from Miami on Dec. 31. Georgia is a 7.5-point favorite…

We've reached the penultimate weekend of the college football season and the races for the College Football Playoff and conference titles have recached critical stages. Berths in the semifinals and major bowls are on the line and can cause teams to raise their level of play or stumble close to the finish line. This leads to unexpected results -…

Fall is in full swing. The calendar is about to turn to November. What does that mean for the world of college football? Unexpected results. As the season heads toward the final weeks, there's bound to be surprises and head-scratching outcomes as the pressure of the College Football Playoff race and other factors cause teams to raise their level of…

It's finally here. The battle of the two remaining undefeateds in the Southeastern Conference, Georgia vs. Tennessee, kicks off this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. With both teams sitting at 8-0, the winner of this game can punch their ticket to the SEC championship. Georgia is an 8 point favorite to beat the Vols, per BetMGM. The over/under is…

There's nothing predictable about a weekend in the wild world of college football. There can be unexpected and shocking disappointments and unanticipated positive performances on fall Saturdays throughout the country. The unknown is where they are coming from because even if everyone knows they will happen guessing when and where they will happen…

What can college football do for an encore after a wild weekend that saw two top-10 teams shocked at home and a coaching change at one of the sport's high-profile programs after just three games? The table is set for another round of drama with a pair of interesting non-conference matchups. The lead showdown is No. 13 Miami (Fla.) traveling to No.…

While making predictions for the College Football Playoff may seem easy given the regularity with which a handful of teams have dominated the semifinals, there's always at least or maybe two surprises. Last season saw the latter with Michigan and Cincinnati in the field for the first time, while Oklahoma and Clemson saw their lengthy conference…