This game is exciting for a multitude of reasons, especially because it’s one of the few non playoff matchups where I believe both teams have SO much to play for. It reminds me a lot of Michigan State vs. Pitt in the Peach Bowl last year. Clemson is sitting at 11-2 & coming off an ACC Championship game win. Tennessee is sitting at 10-2 (their best season since the Phil Fulmer days) & boasting huge wins over Bama & LSU. One team is looking to remind the nation exactly who they are, the other team is looking to show the nation that they aren’t just a one year wonder & that they’re primed for the long haul. We’ll also get the biggest test for both new faces at quarterback for each respective team. Cade Klubnik and Joe Milton will both have center stage. This will be a can’t miss matchup & I for one can’t WAIT to see it.

Matchup, matchups, matchups!! This playoff contest is between two of the best programs of the last two decades. Obviously, everything is on the line here. No opt outs, no controversy, just two of the best. The reason this one intrigues me so much is due to the plethora of talent that will be on the field. Dare I say the most talent-filled collegiate game since the 2019’ Bama-LSU epic? That’s debatable, but what’s not debatable is that there will be more future pros on the field for this one than any other matchup THIS bowl season. What’s the most exciting in game matchup? Marvin Harrison Jr & Emeka Egbuka versus that vaunted UGA secondary? JT Tuimoloau verses those UGA tackles? Brock Bowers & Darnell Washington against those Buckeye LB’s & DB’s? My personal choice is UGA OC Todd Monken against OSU DC Jim Knowles. All I know is that we should expect a lot of POINTS in this game. Can’t get more exciting than this. Line it up!

This matchup is extremely exciting, much to the same tune Tennessee-Clemson is. Two programs with everything to prove & everything to gain to build towards the future. 8-4 Texas is looking to breakthrough with a stamp on a very solid year. 10-2 Washington is looking to cement themselves as a top 10 team & put the entire nation on notice for the 23’ season. There will be no shortage of points scored in this one, you can rest assured. Most intriguing to me is the storylines for both teams quarterbacks. Michael Penix Jr, who most had as a 3rd-4th round pick, announced he would be returning to Washington in 23’. He’ll be a Heisman favorite going into next season. On the other hand, there’s Quinn Ewers. Although he’s had a solid year & he’s still well respected, 8-4 (although it SHOULD be) isn’t considered good enough. Oh yeah, if the crazy Texas expectations weren’t already enough, there’s this guy by the name of Arch Manning arriving to Austin shortly. Will this be the last time we see Quinn? Is this the game he needs to stake his claim? Who knows, but we’ll find out soon enough! Must see.

Big12 Champion Kansas State, ranked UCF, & ranked Cincinnati-  those are the three best wins for AAC Champion Tulane. Honestly? Their three best wins may be better than USC’s. This one isn’t the mismatch the majority of the nation seems to think it is. For that very reason, I predict this will be one of the more exciting matchups of the bowl season. We all know how hard G5’s play when they finally get their chance to play against the big boys. We also know how talented Tulane’s defense is. They’re top 25 in scoring defense & 33rd in total defense. The only other teams USC has played in the top 50 of scoring defenses are Utah, Oregon State, & Notre Dame. They’re 2-2 in those games & two of those outings are their lowest point totals all year. If Heisman winner Caleb Williams & company aren’t locked in, this could be a long day at the office and the thought of that is exciting enough to propel it towards the top of this years slate!

This one is pretty simple. Just how good is Alabama? How much do they want it? 15 consecutive 10 win seasons is amazing, but 10-2 for this season is considered a failure. 15 guys have already entered the portal for the Crimson Tide. There will be more in the coming days to opt out & declare for the draft, presumably including the likes of Bryce Young, Will Anderson, & Brian Branch. Will we see Jalen Milroe? Ty Simpson? These are all questions that will be answered very early in this matchup. Again, just how good is Alabama? We’ll find out. We know one thing, Big12 Champion Kansas State will come to play and leave no stone unturned trying to upend the mighty Tide. Chris Klieman & staff will have a fantastic gameplan to have the Wildcats believing they can not only win, but dominate. Almost feels sacrilegious to ask, but will Nick Saban have the Tide fully locked in? This is why this one is exciting. We’ll see!

JALEN MILROE. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/emNhuOGkRT

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 1, 2022

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