College football pre-New Year's bowls: Players to watch

Israel Abanikanda has been Mr. Everything for Pitt this season. He was one of the top rushers in the nation (1,431 yards) and powered in 20 rushing TDs (his 21 total touchdowns lead the nation). Against Virginia Tech earlier this season, he broke Tony Dorsett's school record with 320 rushing yards and 6 TDs.

Pitt faces UCLA in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on December 30th. 

Allen shut down any transfer rumors and says he's staying a Badger under new head coach Luke Fickell. That's huge since quarterback Graham Mertz has already entered the transfer portal, and Allen will be the focus of the offense in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. Allen followed up his sensational freshman season with 1,126 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. He's banged up with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss Wisconsin's finale with Minnesota, but he should play in Phoenix.

Wisconsin faces Oklahoma State in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on December 27th.

The Arizona Bowl, unfortunately, will have a lot of missing pieces when Ohio and Wyoming take the field in Tuscon. Wyoming has several guys transferring while Ohio's starting quarterback (and MAC Offensive Player of the Year) Kurtis Rourke tore his knee at the end of the regular season. The Bobcats will look to lean on running back Sieh Bangura against Wyoming. He is inching towards 1,000 yards rushing for the season, and he seemingly finds the endzone each week. He's scored in 8 of the 11 games he's played in this year, and he's scored 12 touchdowns in the last 7 games.

Ohio faces Wyoming in the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on December 30th.

Benson's stats may not overpower you, but that's because he shares a backfield with Treshaun Ward and Lawrance Toafili. Much of his 965 rushing yards have come over the last five weeks, where he rolled for 111 on Georgia Tech, 128 on Miami, 163 on Syracuse, 80 versus Louisiana and 111 against Florida (six of his nine touchdowns on the season were scored during this stretch). His 6.8 yards per carry is one of the best in the nation.

Florida State faces Oklahoma in the Cheez It Bowl on December 29th.

Brooks is the leader of the defense, recording 10 sacks this season and 27.5 sacks during his five-year Falcons career. He's versatile -- he can play inside or on the edge and is both a tough run stopper and, obviously, can get to the quarterback and make plays. Expect to see Brooks disrupt New Mexico State's passing offense, which was one of the worst in the country.

Bowling Green faces New Mexico State in the Quick Lane Bowl on December 26th. 

Daniels and the Jayhawks were one of the feel-good stories of the season as Kansas raced out to a 5-0 record. That all came crashing down on October 8th against TCU when Daniels went down with a shoulder injury late in the first half, and the Jayhawks lost, 38-31. That would begin a three-game losing streak and six losses in their final seven games. Daniels would four games after the TCU loss but played in Kansas' final two weeks, where he wasn't the running threat he was at the beginning of the season. It will be interesting to see how healthy he is heading into their showdown with Arkansas and if he is able to be the player he was during the first five games.

Kansas faces Arkansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 28th.

Ewers had an uneven season, but he fought through injuries and an offense that was geared toward running Bijan Robinson and not with Ewers having to win games with his arm. He struggled down the stretch -- he failed to throw for 200 yards in his last four games -- and everyone knows Arch Manning is coming to Austin next season. Ewers is talented, but he's developed some poor habits and needs some of his mechanics cleaned up. Not saying that the Alamo Bowl saves his job in 2023, but it could go a long way in what will be a huge quarterback competition in the offseason.

Texas faces Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29th.

Ibrahim has had one of the most inspiring seasons in the country. He tore up his knee in last year's season opener (where he torched Ohio State for 163 yards) and missed the rest of the season. He came back this year and piled up 1,594 yards and 19 touchdowns, finishing off a brilliant career where he's gained nearly 4,600 yards on the ground during his Gophers career.

Minnesota faces Syracuse in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on December 29th.

Notre Dame has some high-profile departures that will be missing from the Gator Bowl, but safety Brandon Joseph won't be one of them. His stats don't jump out at you, but that's kind of the point. The Northwestern transfer is smart and savvy and did a nice job attempting to replace star Kyle Hamilton despite being sidelined with injuries this season. Joseph will play in the bowl, but it isn't clear if he'll declare for the NFL Draft or stick around for his senior season in 2023. With South Carolina's offense hitting its stride, Joseph can make a huge impact on this game.

Notre Dame faces South Carolina in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on December 30th. 

Judkins is a stud. The freshman from Pike Road, Alabama, was the key component to one of the nation's top rushing attacks and likely a Heisman candidate heading into 2023. He rushed for 1,426 yards and 16 touchdowns this season and had some monster games down the stretch -- two 200-yard games in the final four games.

Ole Miss faces Texas Tech in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on December 28th.

We are officially in the Cade Klubnik era at Clemson. If felt all season long that Klubnik will replace DJ Uiagalelei at some point, but it wasn't until the ACC championship game against North Carolina that it happened. In the Tigers' title win over the Tar Heels, Klubnik completed 20 of his 24 passes for 279 yards and a touchdown (he also ran in a score). Tennessee also has a suspect defense that could allow for another efficiently big game from the freshman. While Clemson missing out on the College Football Playoff is a disappointment, the Orange Bowl could be the jumping-off point for a national title run in 2023.

Clemson faces Tennessee in the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30th.

Safety Ike Larsen has had a fantastic freshman season. He has picked off four passes this year and returned one for a touchdown. He also blocked three punts this season, setting a school record and becoming the only FBS player with four interceptions, three blocked kicks, and a defensive touchdown.

Utah State faces Memphis in the Servpro First Responders Bowl on December 27th.

Maye, a redshirt freshman, made the Tar Heels transition from the Sam Howell era rather seamless. Maye threw for over 4,000 yards, 35 touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions while winning the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year award. He was also North Carolina's leading rusher, gobbling up 653 yards and 7 more TDs. As the Heels piled up a 9-1 record, Maye was getting love as a dark-horse Heisman candidate ... but that simmered down after a loss to Georgia Tech, which began their current three-game losing streak. Maye's top target, Josh Downs, opted out of the Holiday Bowl, but this begins his push for the Heisman in 2023.

North Carolina faces Oregon in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on December 28th.

Mitchell finished second in the AAC in rushing yards (1,325) and has been the Pirates' workhorse back all season. In ECU's regular-season finale, he rushed for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 49-46 win over Temple -- his sixth straight 100-yard game. He's also become a factor in the passing game, bringing in 25 receptions for 237 yards on the season. In fact, in that Temple game, he caught two passes for 78 yards and his lone TD reception of the year.

East Carolina faces Coastal Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on December 27th.

Oklahoma had a very disappointing season, but Marvin Mims had a very productive year. He caught 52 passes for just over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns this season and is coming off a huge game against Texas Tech in their finale. Mims caught five passes for 162 yards and 2 TDs in an overtime loss to the Red Raiders. He's known for his big play ability, including what may have been the catch of the year against Texas Tech.

Oklahoma faces Florida State in the Cheez It Bowl on December 29th.

Give Nix a ton of credit. He was a legacy player at Auburn (where his father also was the Tigers' quarterback), but his time there ultimately didn't work out. He transferred to Oregon and, in his first game, is absolutely mauled by the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs. Since that loss, he put together a stellar season in which he got a major Heisman buzz. He threw for 3,389 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, and 14 rushing scores. He should have a field day against a bad North Carolina defense that is losing several players to the transfer portal. Look for a huge day from Nix.

Oregon faces North Carolina in the San Diego Country Credit Union Holiday Bowl on December 28th. 

Michael Penix Jr.'s decision to transfer to Washington has been one of the offseason's best moves. If you recall, Penix Jr. broke out during the COVID-shortened 2020 season when he led Indiana to a hot start to the season before going down with an injury. After a subpar 2021, he transferred to Washington, where he led the nation in passing yards (4,354) and the Huskies to a 10-2 mark. He had three 400+ yard games over the Huskies' final six games and has said he's coming back to Seattle for his super senior season. Washington will be a team to watch in 2023 ... and against Texas in the Alamo Bowl.

Washington faces Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl on December 29th.

Plumlee leads UCF in both passing and rushing despite powering through injuries late in the season. He spent his first three years at Ole Miss where as a freshman, he threw for 910 yards and 4 touchdowns and rushed for 1,023 yards and 12 TDs. He would be buried on the depth chart behind Matt Corral and moved on to UCF for this season. This year he threw for 2,404 and 14 TDs and rushed for 841 yards and 11 TDs.

UCF faces Duke in the Military Bowl Presented by Pelaton on December 28th.

While much of the focus of the college football season is on who gets to the College Football Playoff, seeing players and programs turn around their fortunes is one of the delights of bowl season. Take South Carolina and quarterback Spencer Rattler. Two months ago, the Gamecocks were middling around -- sandwiching bad losses to Missouri and Florida with an unattractive win over Vanderbilt. Rattler, a premiere prospect who was benched and ultimately transferred from Oklahoma, wasn't good in those games. Then No. 5 Tennessee went into Columbia, and that all changed. Rattler completed 30 of 37 passes for 438 yards and 6 touchdowns in the 63-38 blowout of the Vols. He followed that with 360 yards and a pair of TDs in a win over rival Clemson. Could we finally be getting the player we thought we'd see lighting up scoreboards in Norman coming to form in South Carolina?

South Carolina faces Notre Dame in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on December 30th.

Sanders has rushed for 1,426 yards and 10 touchdowns this season and is known to put up some huge games this season. Against Ole Miss last month, Sanders rushed for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns, his sixth game rushing for over 150 yards this season. Sanders will now get to go against one of the worst run defenses in the nation in the Liberty Bowl.

Arkansas faces Kansas in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on December 28th.

While Taulia Tagovailoa may be best known for his older brother, Tua, he has been balling out himself of late. After a pair of very underwhelming performances in early November, Tagovailoa has played well in the Terps final two games. He threw for 293 yards and 2 touchdowns in a loss to Ohio State before throwing for 342 yards and a TD in a blowout win over Rutgers. For a program that has had some really good quarterbacks, Tagovailoa is Maryland's all-time pass TD leader.

Maryland faces NC State in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on December 30th. 

Jason Taylor II is one of the best defensive backs in the nation, earning first-team all-Big 12 honors as well as some All-American awards. Taylor II is a ball-hawking safety who picked off six passes and led the Cowboys in solo tackles. Oklahoma State has fallen off a cliff over their last five games (they lost four) but will be facing a backup quarterback with minimal experience in their bowl game. Look for Taylor II to make some plays.

Oklahoma State faces Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on December 27th.

NC State has been at its best this season when its defense plays to its potential. Linebacker Drake Thomas has been the key to that -- he leads the Wolfpack in tackles and sacks and, as captain, is the quarterback of that defense. He's also solid in coverage and seemingly is everywhere when you watch an NC State game. His brother, Thayer, led the Pack in receiving this season.

NC State faces Maryland in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on December 30th. 

Georgia Southern has one of the top passing attacks in the nation, due in large part to what Clay Helton has been able to with transfer Kyle Vantrease. Vantrease threw for 3,901 yards and 25 touchdowns this season ... and 15 interceptions. What makes this an interesting bowl matchup is that Vantrease spent the past five years as the quarterback of Buffalo ... Georgia Southern's bowl opponent ... where he threw for 4,755 yards and 25 TDs.

Georgia Southern faces Buffalo in the Camellia Bowl on December 27th.

The Tennessee Volunteers you will see in the Orange Bowl won't be anything like the one we've watched all season. Hendon Hooker was lost for the season last month, and super-receiver Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman have opted out, so the once-dynamic Vols offense is now rebuilding. That may mean more of an opportunity for running backs Jaylen Wright and Jabari Small. The two combined for 1,482 yards and 22 touchdowns, keying Tennessee's top-20 running attack. Wright (786 yards, 10 TDs) is more of a big-play back -- he averages 5.8 yards per carry and is known for breakaway runs. For instance, in the Vols' last game, Wright carried the ball just five times, but they went for 160 yards and two touchdowns -- 83-yard and 50-yard touchdowns will really up the rushing tab. Clemson has one of the best run defenses in the nation (even though they have their own opt-outs).

Tennessee faces Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30th.