Players to watch: Pre-New Year's Day bowls

The Sun Bowl will be missing arguably the best offensive threat on both teams, so someone else will need to step up. For Arizona State, look for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to be that guy. With running back Eno Benjamin skipping the game, expect the Sun Devils' passing attack to be featured more prominently. Aiyuk finished 10th nationally with 1,192 receiving yards and had two phenomenal games down the stretch (173 yards vs. Oregon State; 161 yards vs. Oregon).

Arizona State plays Florida State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Atwell was key in the Cardinals' resurgence after a horrible 2018 season. In Louisville's last five games, Atwell had at least 110 yards receiving in four of them, including 152 yards and two TDs against Syracuse. The little receiver from Miami can turn short passes into huge gains — he averaged 18.8 yards per catch and had a 90-yard touchdown in that Syracuse game. He's exciting when he gets the ball in space.

Louisville plays Mississippi State in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

Barnett is a workhorse for the Panthers, carrying the ball 233 times for 1,389 yards (tops in the Sun Belt) and 12 touchdowns. He's been hot of late, topping 110 yards in six of his last eight games including 242 yards in a win over Troy in late October.

Georgia State plays Wyoming in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl on Dec. 31.

Bellamy had a breakout season last year but built on it with major production as a finisher as a senior. He rushed for 1,412 yards (10th best in the country) and an FBS-best 23 touchdowns. He ran for a score in all but one game this year (an early season loss to Michigan State) and found the end zone at least three times on four occasions.  

Western Michigan plays Western Kentucky in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl on Dec. 30. 

It just goes to show you how the dynamics of college football have changed when a Notre Dame quarterback throws for nearly 2,800 yards and 33 touchdowns and no one really talks about him. That's what Book did this year, and he just got better as the season progressed. In the Irish's final three games of the season, he threw 12 TDs and no interceptions and that was after he ran for 139 yards in a win over Duke.

Notre Dame plays Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28.

You can't get much more versatile than Bowden. As a freshman, he won All-SEC honors as a return specialist. As a sophomore, he caught 67 passes for 745 yards and five TDs. This season, he was thrust into the starting quarterback job after injuries to the first and second stringers, and he went from a QB on a few gadget plays to having to learn the Wildcats' read-option offense. He rushed for at least 99 yards in all seven of his starts at quarterback and (despite being the QB) is the only player in FBS to lead his team in rushing and receiving. His versatility earned him the 2019 Paul Hornung Award.

Kentucky plays Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 31.

Epenesa may be overlooked because of a certain other defensive end who resides in the same conference, but this guy is one of the elite players in college football. He is a problem, recording nine sacks and forcing three fumbles this year while being the focal point of every offensive coordinator's blocking schemes. It will be fun to see him and the Hawkeyes defense go up against USC's offense in the Holiday Bowl. Remember this name because you will hear it on future Sundays.

Iowa plays USC in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27.

I've been a fan of Gainwell all year long. Not only does he have a great name for a running back, but he's also lived up to it. During the middle of the season, he was chugging out yards (1,425 for the entire season) and was breaking off huge gains. He's cooled off a bit of late (he rushed for just 131 combined yards in the two games against Cincinnati to close the year), but he's a scary threat on an offense that has quite a few of them.

Memphis plays Penn State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 28. 

Glass has had some tremendous performances this year, including in the Eagles' finale against Kent State. In that game he completed 29 of 37 passes for 386 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. He is a bit of a dual threat as well — he rushed for 345 yards and seven TDs this year. His final game will be the culmination of the rebirth of an Eastern Michigan football program that went 28 years without a bowl appearance (they've been to three in the last four years) and was routinely one of the worst teams in the nation.

Eastern Michigan plays Pittsburgh in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26.

Gordon has been unreal this season. He has thrown for 5,228 yards this season, which was best in the nation and over 500 yards more than second-place Joe Burrow (who played an extra game). Burrow was the only player to throw more touchdowns than Gordon's 45, and only Burrow and Utah's Tyler Huntley had better passing percentages. Always expect fireworks on the scoreboard when Gordon's around.

Washington State plays Air Force in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 27. 

Gross-Matos has already announced he is heading to the NFL Draft but says he plans on playing in the Cotton Bowl. Just like Iowa's A.J. Epenesa, Gross-Matos tends to get lost in the shadows behind Ohio State's Chase Young. (Seriously, how many great defensive ends play in the Big Ten?) The All-Big Ten performer led the Nittany Lions in sacks and tackles for loss.

Penn State plays Memphis in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 28.

Air Force runs a run-heavy attack where Hammond (the QB) leads a four-headed rushing monster in Colorado Springs. He is fourth on the team in rushing yards (491) but leads in rushing TDs (11). He's thrown just 99 passes all year, but 13 of them have been for touchdowns. He knows the perfect time to let one loose and hit a deep ball to stun the defense.

Air Force plays Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl on Dec. 27.

Quick: Who led the SEC in rushing? Most of you wouldn't have guessed Kylin Hill before you read this. Hill has been great for a Bulldogs team that has been so frustratingly inconsistent this season. Some has to do with Hill — he had four games where he didn't rush for 100 yards and Mississippi State lost all four of them. The team was 6-2 in games in which he hit the century mark, including his 132 yards in the Egg Bowl win over Ole Miss.

Mississippi State plays Louisville in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Dec. 30.

This true freshman quarterback — who decommited from Florida State to attend Carolina — wasn't just one of the best rookie passers in the country but also one of the best, period. Howell threw for 3,347 yards and 35 touchdowns (good for fourth-best in the nation) and made some absolutely huge plays along the way. Not only was he unafraid of the moment but he also had the full trust of new/old head coach Mack Brown and his coaching staff. He had six 300-yard games and is a big reason the Tar Heels' program is back from the dead.

North Carolina plays Temple in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman on Dec. 27. 

Hubbard led the nation in rushing and held that lead for pretty much the entire season. He ran for 100 yards in all but one game (a blowout win over McNeese State) and rushed for 200 yards or more four times. What is scary is he has started to make more of an impact in the passing game as the season has wound down. He's just 64 yards away from hitting the 2,000 yard mark for the season.

Oklahoma State plays Texas A&M in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27.

There aren't many quarterbacks out there who mean so much to their teams as Mond does, yet he isn't that Heisman-caliber guy who will produce video game numbers. He can put up numbers though (like his 335 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to Auburn), but he can also put up a dreadful game like his last outing (10-for-30, 92 yards, zero TDs and three interceptions in a loss to LSU). He certainly won't be intimidated in the Texas Bowl — he's already faced the Associated Press' No. 1 ranked team three times this season.

Texas A&M plays Oklahoma State in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27. 

Moss led the Pac-12 in rushing and touchdowns this season and nearly led the Utes to the College Football Playoff. He's rushed for 100 yards in five of his last seven games (the others were a 99-yard game against Arizona State and 88 yards in a blowout of Colorado last week) and has scored a touchdown in all but two games this year — when he was knocked out with a shoulder injury against USC and the Pac-12 title game against Oregon.  Those were Utah's only losses this year.

Utah plays Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 31.

Perkins is the main offensive weapon for the Cavaliers. The senior quarterback from Arizona leads the Cavs in passing yards, rushing yards and passing TDs and is second in rushing TDs. In his two seasons since transferring to the program, he has helped resurrect Virginia from a 2-10 team to playing defending national champion Clemson for the ACC championship. Not bad for a guy who broke his neck and collarbone three years ago and didn't know if he'd ever play football again.

Virginia pays Florida in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. 

Perry runs Navy's running attack to near perfection. The senior ran for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns this year (fifth and sixth nationally) and though the Midshipmen don't pass the ball much, he did throw for over 1,000 yards. In his final Army-Navy game, he ran for 304 yards and two TDs.

Navy plays Kansas State in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Dec. 31.

Purdy threw for 3,760 yards (fourth best in the nation) and 27 touchdowns this year and at times showed that he's capable as a dual-threat runner. He rushed for eight touchdowns this year, though five of those occurred in wins over Louisiana-Monroe and TCU. In the Cyclones' loss to Oklahoma, Purdy threw for 282 yards andfive TDs.

Iowa State plays Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl on Dec. 28.

Temple's tough defense will face a challenge in North Carolina's offense, but Roche is certainly up for the task. The junior defensive end finished the season with 13 sacks and recorded six pass defensed on the year. A few weeks ago against Tulane, he recorded 12 tackles — 10 of which were solo — plus three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He is a load for any offensive line to deal with.

Temple plays North Carolina in the Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman on Dec. 27. 

This season didn't go as planned for the Hurricanes, but Rousseau had a huge impact in his first season at The U. His 14 sacks trailed only Ohio State's Chase Young, and he also forced two fumbles, recovering one. In a down year for the 'Canes, Rousseau at least showed everyone that the future may be bright.

Miami plays Louisiana Tech in the Walk-On's Independence Bowl on Dec. 26. 

Slovis has had a wild season. The true freshman took over the quarterback job when starter JT Daniels hurt his knee in the Trojans' season opener. Slovis would then get injured during USC's upset win over Utah and would miss the following game with a concussion. He came back to complete a season where he threw for 3,242 yards and 28 touchdowns and has set several school records along the way. He has thrown at least four touchdown passes in four of his last five games — all wins.

USC plays Iowa in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27.

Surratt has had some huge games for the Demon Deacons this season. He's had five 100-yard receiving games, including four games where he had at least 150 yards (all of those were against bowl teams). He had only two games this season where he didn't catch a TD pass, all this despite missing three games due to injury.

Wake Forest plays Michigan State in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27. 

With Cam Akers skipping the Sun Bowl and concentrating on the NFL Draft, Florida State's offense will be more pass-heavy than usual. Look for Terry to be needed for some big plays if the 'Noles are going to beat Arizona State. Terry caught 51 passes for 1,023 yards and eight TDs this season ... gaining over 20 yards per reception.

Florida State plays Arizona State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 31.

Trask did a great job stepping in and running the Gators offense once Feleipe Franks' seasib ended with an ankle injury against Kentucky. Trask was essentially as unproven as it gets, as he hadn't started a game since his freshman year in high school. He calmed a lot of nerves by throwing for 2,636 yards and 24 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Even in losses to LSU and Georgia, Trask put up a combined 567 yards and five TDs.

Florida plays Virginia in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

I'm just going to be blunt: The Redbox Bowl isn't the sexiest of matchups. What is worth watching is seeing if Cal's senior linebacker Evan Weaver can break Luke Kuechly's single-season tackles record. As of now, he trails the former Boston College linebacker by 19 tackles. On the surface, it seems like a tall task for Weaver to top that mark, but on further inspection he has had three games this year of at least 19 tackles and another game where he recorded 18.

California plays Illinois in the Redbox Bowl on Dec.30.

The Spartans had a disappointing season, but Willekes was one of their brightest stars. He led the team in sacks again in his final season in East Lansing for a team that needs its defense to make big plays. Willekes has had at least one sack in his last four games, including the final two wins, which led the Spartans to being bowl eligible.

Michigan State plays Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27.