Tuesday could be referred to as the “calm before the storm”.
December 30 represents the final bead on a string of seven days featuring college football that didn’t also feature a Playoff game. Said more simply, it will have been 11 days since a CFP game was played.
Following Tuesday, we’ll get back-to-back days in which the CFP will overshadow all other bowl games being played during that stretch.
Let’s take a look at the games being played on Tuesday.
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Radiance Tech Independence Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech (Tuesday, 2 PM ET – ESPN)
For the second year in a row, Louisiana Tech will make the roughly hour drive West to Shreveport for this bowl game. This time it won’t come as a surprise, as the Bulldogs had seven regular season victories this season and will be playing in the postseason based on merit alone. The Chanticleers are making their sixth bowl appearance in as many seasons, an impressive streak for a program that became a full FBS member less than a decade ago. However, with Tim Beck gone Coastal Carolina is on their third head coach since 2019 in Ryan Beard, who accepted the job earlier this month. Beard won’t be coaching the game, but it does serve as an opportunity to evaluate to some degree what he will have for next season in a live game scenario.
Louisiana Tech was a handful of points away from a nine-win season and held its own in Death Valley against LSU early in the campaign. It took some time for the Bulldogs to figure things out, but when they did they became a potent offense on the ground. Quarterback Trey Kukuk isn’t a major threat with his arm but is lethal with his legs, ending the regular season with performances of 143 and 172 yards rushing. He is Louisiana Tech’s second leading rusher despite only attempting runs in eight games this season. The Chanticleers were atrocious at stopping the run this season and figure to have their hands full in this one. Offensively, Coastal Carolina was also leaned upon its rushing attack but will be missing two regular starters on the line. Louisiana Tech was also Conference USA’s best run defense this season (142 YPG allowed). The Bulldogs were humbled in this bowl game last season but are better equipped to come away with a victory in the 2025 edition.
My Pick: 31-17 Louisiana Tech
Bowl Mania Confidence: 5 points
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl
Tennessee vs. Illinois (Tuesday, 5:30 PM ET – ESPN)
A lot of orange will grace both the stands and playing field in Nashville. Given the expectations for Illinois heading into the season and the fact that Tennessee was coming off a season in which it reached the CFP, it wouldn’t be an awful take to suggest that neither team wanted to end their season in a game like this. However, it’s a classic SEC vs. Big Ten postseason matchup and if anything it is likely to get the respective fan bases of each conference interested and reacting to the result.
As good as the Tennessee offense was this season, the Volunteers were unable to convince the majority of the country that gaudy numbers were anything but a reflection of the competition. Josh Huepel’s team was 0-4 against Top 25 foes and had two of its worst performances of the season in said losses (against Alabama and Vanderbilt). In particular, the Volunteers had a lot of trouble running the football against its strongest opponents. Illinois isn’t particularly stout against the run, however, and its biggest problem this season was stopping the pass. Bret Bielema’s group was No. 15 in the Big Ten defending the aerial attack and will presumably have trouble doing so in this game as well. Tennessee is expected to be without wideout Chris Brazzell, who led the SEC with 1,017 yards receiving and nine receiving touchdowns, but has an abundance of riches at the position and a guy in Joey Aguilar who knows how to find them. Aguilar may be playing in his final collegiate game (pending an open lawsuit challenging eligibility rules) and should have a lot of fun in this one. Illinois didn’t fare well this season when engaging in track meets.
My Pick: 42-35 Tennessee
Bowl Mania Confidence: 36 points
Valero Alamo Bowl
#16 Southern Cal vs. TCU (Tuesday, 9 PM ET – ESPN)
On its face, this looks like a matchup between two potent offenses in a climate-controlled venue, thereby promoting an atmosphere where a lot of points will be scored. While this may still be the case, it’ll be more complicated than both teams going out and doing what they’ve done all season. Both Southern Cal and TCU will be without key pieces that contributed to offenses that both averaged more than 30 points per contest.
The Trojans’ offensive attack, which was No. 7 in the country in passing yards per game, relied heavily on two wideouts that will not play in this bowl game. Both Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane will sit this one out to prepare for the NFL Draft. Between the two, Southern Cal loses more than 1,800 yards receiving and 15 receiving touchdowns worth of production. At the same time, the losses were inevitable and allow Jayden Maiava an opportunity to create some chemistry with next year’s contributors, such as true freshman Tanook Hines. TCU’s pass defense was poor this season and there will be opportunity for guys filling the shoes of Lemon and Lane to shine. Who will seize the opportunities available to TCU personnel is less clear. Quarterback Josh Hoover entered the portal and won’t play in this game, and offensive coordinator Kendall Briles took the same role at South Carolina and will also be absent. Backup signal-caller Ken Seals is a fifth-year senior who attempted just six passes this season. We’ve seen how lightly used veteran quarterbacks can fare in bowl season (hello, South Florida) and it wasn’t pretty. If the Trojans can get out to an early lead, they may try to take the air out of the ball and give TCU’s offense as few opportunities as possible.
My Pick: 27-14 Southern Cal
Bowl Mania Confidence: 39 points
