Bowl game overreactions: Favorites for the playoff, Heisman competitors and

The college football postseason is almost over, and you understand what that indicates. It’s time to get ahead of ourselves and begin considering next season. Which groups are doomed, and which teams are poised to benefit from the brand-new, broadened playoff format? Who should we expect to win the Heisman? Does bowl season stink now, or will it be much better next year than it’s ever been before?Let’s overreact

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Ole Miss will challenge for an area in

the expanded CFP The Lane Train is rolling into 2024 as Ole Miss will have genuine goals to make its first-ever CFP appearance. Even before the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Rebels were having an excellent December, as arguably no group had actually been a larger winner in adding transfers and keeping leading players. The Rebels added significant intra-SEC transfers like Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Tennessee edge Tyler Baron, Florida edge Princely Umanmielen, Mississippi State cornerback Decamerion Richardson and South Carolina pass receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells.Ole Miss then surged Penn State 38-25 in Atlanta, holding a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half. Quarterback Jaxson Dart, who will return to Ole Miss this coming season, illuminated the nation’s No. 1 defense for 379 pass backyards and three goals. Tight end Caden Prieskorn and pass receiver Tre Harris, who also are both returning to Lane Kiffin’s offense, integrated for 17 receptions and 270 getting lawns. The Rebels suffered a blow Thursday when star running back Quinshon Judkins announced he would get in the portal, but the general personnel picture is excellent. Coach Kiffin’s addition of defensive planner Pete Golding has been vital both on the field and in recruiting. After a year where Kiffin silenced some chatter about his failure to win the most significant games, he will go into a season with his most gifted and skilled group, and an opportunity to make history.– Adam Rittenberg

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The Buckeyes require to keep hitting the portal

Ohio State lost 14-3 against Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and were held to 106 backyards passing and 97 lawns rushing. The Buckeyes did that without quarterback Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse, star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who opted out of the game as he makes his way to the NFL, and a handful of others.The Ohio State staff saw safeties Cameron Martinez and Kye Stokes get in the transfer portal, in addition to corner Jyaire Brown. It’s simple to say the game only went the method it did because Ohio State didn’t have its top alternatives at quarterback and receiver, but the Cotton Bowl was a look at what the lineup will look like in 2024 if no modifications are made.Freshman quarterback Lincoln Kienholz completed 6 of 17 passes for

86 yards and no goals, while Devin Brown completed 4 of 6 for 20 backyards before getting hurt. The personnel has ESPN 300 quarterback Air Noland coming in with the 2024 recruiting class, however it will be his very first season on campus.Noland very likely might wind up being a star in Ryan Day’s offense, but it may not be practical to

expect him to break out in Year 1. The personnel got a transfer dedication from Kansas State quarterback transfer Will Howard on Thursday. Adding Howard permits Noland to develop while offering Ohio State a capable quarterback who has already proven he can be efficient and effective at this level.The personnel has lost 12 players to the transfer portal and is yet to include any to the roster. The offense loses McCord, Harrison, Julian Fleming

, and could lose receiver Emeka Egbuka and running back TreVeyon Henderson to the NFL.That is a great deal of production to replace in one offseason and without any portal additions. Howard is a big get for the staff, however including more up

front along the offensive line would assist get the team to where it requires to be in 2024.– Tom VanHaaren Every bowl mascot ought to be edible The Pop-Tarts

mascot, Strawberry, was heavily included during the Pop-Tarts Bowl between the NC State Wolfpack and the Kansas State Wildcats. Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire by means of Getty Images There was a great deal of criticism of bowl season this year due to the lots of high profile opt-outs, hundreds of players in the website, and marquee matchups that didn’t provide since only a shell of a group appeared to play. However one thing bowls still solve is the ridiculousness of everything– the pageantry, the humor, the fun and, obviously, the huge toasters.No championship game outside the playoff produced more interest than the Pop-Tarts Bowl, not because of anything to do with the teams involved, however due to the fact that of the sheer absurdity of seeing a huge anthropomorphic Pop-Tart frolicking

in the background of every cam shot, all while waiting to be consumed by the winning team. Include that to the delight of the Dukes Mayo Bowl’s mayo put, the creepiness of Cheez-It king lording over his bowl or the Tax Act Texas Bowl having both starting QBs submit their 1040 EZ throughout halftime(OK, that didn’t happen– however it should!). If we’re losing the on-field gravitas of bowls, let’s lean in on all the off-field zaniness and capering. If GoBowling.com is sponsoring a bowl, the winning coach must get bowled into a champagne event. The Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl need to let the winning team go swimming in a giant cereal bowl. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl should offer all fans in participation one opportunity annually to purchase a No. 2 meal on a Sunday.– David Hale There aren’t a lot of bowls To Hale’s point, the members of the “too many bowls “commercial complex took on the Orange Bowl as an example of all that is Very Bad. Which was an extremely bad game. However beginning next year, in a 12-team field, nearly the entire Top 25 will be

playing in a significant postseason game. That leaves the smaller bowls that will still be significant to those teams, with history on the line.Western Kentucky star quarterback Austin Reed pulled out of the Famous Toastery Bowl and the Hilltoppers routed 28-0 until freshman Caden Veltkamp tossed for 383 lawns and rallied them for the fourth-biggest bowl resurgence of perpetuity in a 38-35 OT win over Old Rule. Players threw toast in the air in

celebration.Jacksonville State got a waiver to play in the New Orleans Bowl because it was the program’s first season in FBS, and then beat Louisiana in overtime for the Gamecocks ‘first-ever FBS bowl win. Coach Rich Rodriguez provided his players an extra night to celebrate in New Orleans.There were one-score games in the Quick Lane (Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24), Camellia

(Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19 )and Arizona (Wyoming 16, Toledo 15)Bowls, with Wyoming sending retiring coach Craig Bohl out a winner. Texas State won its first championship game in history with a win over Rice in the First Responder Bowl and drank the stadium dry at the same time,

then stormed the field. At a bowl game.It’s not simply for the little guys, either. Kentucky and Clemson combined for 42 points in the fourth quarter of the Gator Bowl, consisting of the Tigers scoring a game-winning goal with 17 seconds left. What else would you rather be doing on a Friday early morning on Dec. 29? The small bowls may not imply anything to you, but they do to the players and coaches who get one last possibility to play together.

And for fans: Who dislikes extra football every day of the week when you ‘d be talking to your in-laws rather? Who dislikes enjoyable? Who dislikes edible mascots and a flood of memes later? Who hates prizes? Who hates making snow angels in toast?– Dave Wilson play 1:36 Western Kentucky comes back from down 28 to win the Famous Toastery Bowl WKU finishes an improbable comeback to get rid of a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit and win the Famous Toastery Bowl in overtime.There ought to be a playoff for the Group of 5 Let’s not talk issues. Let’s talk services. As the playoff expands and decreases the value of the rest of the bowls to a specific extent, it’s baffling that we haven’t had a serious conversation about a playoff for groups from the Group of 5. In this era,

there is a

bigger gulf in between Group of 5 schools and Power 5– Power 4?– schools than ever, so

we need to stop pretending they need to be considered the exact same department of college football. Based upon what we saw in the Carnival Bowl, Liberty would have lost to Oregon roughly 100 times out of 100. That’s not a group that would have belonged in a 12-team playoff. It makes no sense that groups in every tier of football now– NFL, Power 5, FCS, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, various enrollment levels in high school, etc– can aspire to a playoff versus their peers other than FBS Group of 5 teams.There are clearly financial ramifications in play here that may be hard to figure out, but from a competitive standpoint, this feels like a no-brainer. There can be a provision that allows a Group of 5 team to opt into the playoff with the larger schools if it’s ranked high enough, however, again, let’s not get held up by little details.In addition to Liberty, the 3 other Group of 5 champs that played a Power 5 group in their championship game also lost: SMU lost to Boston College(3-5 in ACC); Troy lost to Duke( 4-4 in ACC ); Boise State lost to UCLA(4-5 in Pac-12 ). Miami (Ohio), which won the MAC, lost to Appalachian State. A playoff would be more significant for the players, has the prospective to produce more income and, most significantly, would be the result of the application of good sense.– Kyle Bonagura Miller Moss will be considered for USC’s beginning QB task Does Lincoln Riley now have Caleb Williams’follower in-house with redshirt sophomore Miller Moss? Moss deserves a long

, hard look after throwing for 372 passing backyards and a Holiday Bowl-record 6 goal passes in the 42-28 victory over Louisville. With Malachi Nelson (No. 1 general in the 2023 ESPN 300)in the transfer portal, a need to overhaul the defense and the program moving to the Big 10, USC has plenty to do before opening the 2024 season versus LSU in Las Vegas. One incredible start in San Diego for the inexperienced Moss (914 passing lawns and nine TD passes in 8 profession games over three seasons)

could effectively result in the long-term answer USC needs at the game’s most

important position.– Blake Baumgartner Miller Moss threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns in USC’s Vacation Bowl match with Louisville. Image by Justin Fine/Icon Sportswire Carson Beck will be a competitor for the 2024 Heisman The Heisman Trophy campaigns for the 2024 season are already being planned. There will be more than a few SEC quarterbacks in the discussion, consisting of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss’Jaxson Dart, Texas ‘Quinn Ewers( presuming he returns for next season), Missouri’s Brady Cook and even Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, who would give Vols’fans a reason to take notice of the” Heistman”again.But the SEC player finest placed to win the Heisman next season is the same guy who needs to have received more factor to consider this season: Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.Beck sculpted apart Florida State on 13-of-18 passing for 203 lawns and 2 goals in simply one half after the Bulldogs built a 42-3 halftime lead in their 63-3 demolition of the Seminoles in the Orange Bowl.This was Beck’s very first season as the

Dawgs’starter, and he just got better and more effective as the year progressed. The increasing fifth-year senior finished 72.4%of his passes for 3,941 backyards, 24 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. In Year 2, he will go from among college football’s breakout stars to among the country’s most significant stars. He’s as proficient at reading defenses as he is at making identify throws on third down and rushing when he needs to.By the method, the last Georgia player to win the Heisman Trophy was a guy by the name of Herschel Walker.– Chris Low Notre Dame will return to the CFP Without the requirement to go undefeated to

make the 12-team playoff, Notre Dame will make its opportunity to complete for a national title once again with the aid of Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard. With opt-outs that included Sam Hartman, Notre Dame’s depth was on display screen in the

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, when it manhandled a depleted Oregon State team 40-8 even while beginning backup quarterback Steve Angeli.With Leonard and LSU offensive planner Mike Denbrock incoming, however, the offense will be in knowledgeable hands– as long as the Irish can discover some dependable receivers. Former Clemson receiver Beaux Collins and former FIU receiver Kris Mitchell both committed to Notre Dame after going into the transfer website. Notre Dame lacrosse player Jordan Faison likewise had 115 receiving lawns and a touchdown versus Oregon State.After leading the Irish to a 10-win season, coach Marcus Freeman enters his 3rd year with a workable

schedule he can both win and impress the CFP selection committee with. The Irish open with a road trip versus a Texas A&M team in transition and get Louisville and Florida State in the house in 2024.– Heather Dinich Arizona will contend for the Huge 12 title With a relocate to a brand-new conference being available in 2024, Jedd Fisch’s team entered into the Alamo Bowl against Oklahoma and topped off an excellent year with a statement success. Against a program that’s been the crown jewel

of the conference in recent years, the Wildcats dominated on defense– forcing 6 turnovers– and on offense, with freshman quarterback Noah Fifita leading his group to 38 points.It was a fitting finish for Arizona offered the way they surprised the Pac-12 this season and became the conference’s third-best group behind Washington and Oregon. Fisch took control of the program in 2020 and proceeded to go 1-11 in his very first season. In 2022, there was some improvement as the Wildcats jumped to 5-7, but the

leap to a 10-3 record in 2023 was shocking.Arizona turned into one of the most interesting teams to watch this season, putting the program back on the map at simply the correct time. Do not get me incorrect, there’s plenty that Arizona needs to enhance on– their running game was abysmal in the Alamo Bowl and the defense requires to make a leap of its own– however as Texas and Oklahoma depart for the SEC, the flooring is open for an up-and-coming team to seal its location at the top of the new Big 12.– Paolo Uggetti Penn State will again be good, not great James Franklin will have his work cut out for him as Oregon, Washington and USC join the Huge Ten. Ben Jackson/Getty Images Penn State is utilized to going 0-2 versus Ohio State and Michigan, but this season, Michigan didn’t even have suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline when it beat the Nittany Lions on their home grass. PSU coach James Franklin is now 1-14 against Ohio State and Michigan teams ranked in the leading 10. After flirting briefly with personnel stability, there were modifications once again at the organizer position, with defensive organizer Manny Diaz leaving to end up being head coach at Duke, and Franklin

employing Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas, which need to be an upgrade. Just how much of rookie quarterback Drew Allar’s struggles were a result of not having dependable receivers? Just how much did they pertain to his absence of accuracy? How much related to coaching? Most likely a combination of it all.Penn State has had adequate difficulty with Ohio State and Michigan, and now it needs to fret about Washington, USC and UCLA. For most of Franklin’s years leading the program, PSU has actually settled for being the

league’s third-best group. With the Big Ten growingto 18 teams in 2024, even that could be a challenge. Penn State doesn’t just have to fret about beating the inbound Pac-12 powers, however. It ought to also be concerned about its season-opener at West Virginia– which beat North Carolina soundly in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.– Dinich The Hokies will have a resurgent season What Virginia Tech performed in a 41-20 victory over Tulane in the Armed force Bowl sent a clear message to those

paying attention to both the rise and fall of this program: The Hokies will be ACC title contenders in 2024. As soon as a shoo-in to play in ACC champion and BCS games under Frank Beamer, it is no secret Virginia Tech has actually fallen on hard times over the last years. Though a 7-6 record is not rather to the standard Beamer set, the development Virginia Tech showed in Year 2 under Brent Pry just can not be ignored. Nor can the optimism after the Hokies won their very first championship game given that 2016. Virginia Tech finally has a trusted quarterback, star-in-the-making Kyron Drones– who hurried for a career-high 176 lawns, threw for 91 and scored 3 total goals in miserable conditions in Annapolis. The Hokies lastly have a gifted back in Bhayshul Tuten, who hurried for 136 lawns and two touchdowns in the win and an offensive line that can move individuals and established huge plays.When Virginia Tech has been elite, it has usually had a strong dual-threat quarterback and powerful run game. That is what the Hokies have headed into 2024. Drones and Tuten will return. So will the entire offending line , and their leading four receivers. Defensively, top pass-rusher Antwaun Powell-Ryland(14.5 takes on for loss, 9.5 sacks)will likewise return, in addition to leading corner Dorian Strong. Virginia Tech has likewise added experienced Duke defensive take on Aeneas Peebles, who will offer the Hokies a strong interior presence.Virginia Tech has actually not bet an ACC championship because 2016. For a fan base eager to see the Hokies’go back to prominence, 8 years is a very long time to wait. But for the first time in a very long time, there is favorable energy surrounding the program, and the championship game revealed precisely why.– Andrea Adelson