Utah State vs Georgia State

Saturday, December 23
12:30 pm PT, ESPN
Boise, ID

The two teams in this contest couldn’t be in more different places.

Utah State enters the matchup having won its final game in double overtime to become bowl-eligible. Georgia State comes in on a five-game losing streak and was somehow relegated to this matchup.

The only thing these two teams have in common is that they had zero postseason opt-outs.

The Aggies are starting a third-string quarterback in Levi Williams, which may hinder the nation’s 26th-ranked scoring offense.

The Panthers’ combined offensive stats may not be impressive but they’re led by a solid tandem in quarterback Darren Grainger and halfback Marcus Carroll.

We have two .500 teams, a third-string quarterback, and a team that hasn’t won since before Halloween.

Georgia State finally gets their treat, GSU wins close.

Georgia State 30, Utah State 27

Air Force vs James Madison

Saturday, December 23
12:30 pm PT, ABC
Fort Worth, TX

Ever since the injury to Zac Larrier, Air Force has been bad. The Falcons enter this matchup on a four-game losing streak including a devastating loss to Hawai’i.

If the Academy would like to right the flight they need to play better defense.

AFA has allowed 27 points per outing during their losing streak which is up from their season average of 17.9. A big day from halfback Emmanuel Michel would also prove useful.

James Madison has been groovy recently. Except for an overtime loss to Appalachian State, the Dukes have been on fire. JMU has won three out of their last four contests by 28-plus points.

It also helps that quarterback Jordan McCloud is going to play in this one, even though he entered his name in the transfer portal.

McCloud has thrown for 3,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023; the Falcons are playing with a backup quarterback.

Flyers down, Dukes up.

James Madison 31, Air Force 24

Utah vs Northwestern

Saturday, December 23
4:30 pm PT, ABC
Las Vegas, NV

Without research, there would be about a 70 percent chance I would pick Utah to win this game because that’s what I do. With the other 30 percent, I’ll pull up some references.

The Utes enter this matchup with their season playing out as expected. Utah finished 8-4 without Cam Rising, Brant Kuithe, and half of their other starters.

In a shellnut, the Utes beat everyone they were supposed to and lost to the good teams.

Northwestern finished 7-5 but it’s important to note that they did miss both Ohio State and Michigan during the regular season.

The Wildcats are led by the nation’s 53rd-ranked scoring defense but struggle to score points. This could prove particularly tricky against a good Utah defense.

I could sit here and find more stats but I find it hard to believe a 7-5 Big Ten team that missed the two cornerstones of their conference is a real threat to Utah.

The Utes are chillin’ in Vegas.

Utah 35, Northwestern 21

San Jose State vs Coastal Carolina

Saturday, December 23
7:30 pm PT, ESPN
Honolulu, HI

San Jose State could be considered one of the hottest teams in the country right now. After an abysmal start, they’ve won six in a row and almost made the Mountain West Championship Game.

The Spartans are led by quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who has thrown for 2,558 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. SJSU also features a dangerous halfback in Kairee Robinson.

Coastal Carolina has gotta make do with a third-string quarterback in Ethan Vasko. Vasko is making his fourth straight start, posting a 1-2 mark during that span.

They’ll need him to make plays considering San Jose State has the 30th-best scoring offense in the nation. The Chanticleers also feature two talented wideouts in Sam Pinckney and Jared Brown.

But Cordeiro’s back home and this is his moment.

Spartans by eleven.

San Jose State 42, Coastal Carolina 31