In an unforeseen turn of events, there is still one more semifinal spot to be claimed in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
Due to the Sugar Bowl’s postponement to Thursday afternoon, Penn State will need to wait a little longer to find out who it will be playing in Miami next Thursday.
The schedule change also puts pressure on the Gator Bowl to attract eyeballs, as it was initially the main event today but will certainly take a backseat to the game with bigger stakes.
That being said, neither game is totally void of importance, especially if you’re still paying attention to your Bowl Mania entry. And despite the near collapse on New Year’s Eve, Around The Corn still is, having taken the lead in the Von Hugendong group following Ohio State’s victory over Oregon.
Let’s take a look at the game that was originally supposed to stand alone on Thursday evening.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
Duke vs. #14 Mississippi (Thursday, 7:30 PM ET – ESPN)
Normally it would be expected that a team like Mississippi, which narrowly missed out on the CFP yet had plenty of star talent that could opt out of this game for various reasons, would be the one most suffering from absences. But instead, it is Duke that will be looking for answers from a number of unproven assets on Thursday evening. The Blue Devils will be without its top choice during the regular season at quarterback, instead relying on Henry Belin at the position. Perhaps less importantly is the decreased depth at running back, where Star Thomas has also opted out for Duke. Boasting the country’s second-best run defense, the Rebels were already going to be hard to move the ball against on the ground.
The most interesting battle in this game pits Mississippi’s high-octane passing attack (No. 3 in the country averaging 343 YPG) against Duke’s solid pass defense, which led the ACC by allowing just 194 YPG through the air. Lane Kiffin’s squad was inconsistent per usual under their head man, putting together arguably the best performance of the season by any team in college football in a win over Georgia, but pairing it with head-scratchers like the losses to Kentucky and Florida. That being said, if this were a regular season game and everyone were playing on both sides, the Rebels would probably be favored by a similar margin. Jaxson Dart has indicated he will play and should be just fine despite the opt out by top wideout Tre Harris and injury to top running back Henry Parrish. Given some cryptic social media posts by Kiffin leading up to the game, I think the coach is looking to use the Gator Bowl to prove a point to the Playoff Committee as much as anything else. I expect the Rebels not only to win this game, but to do it in style as a way to throw one last middle finger up to the individuals seemingly responsible for ensuring that Mississippi wasn’t part of the Playoff this season.
My Pick: 41-14 Mississippi
Bowl Mania Confidence: 46 points
