College Football Playoff and New Year's bowls: Players to watch

For those people who rail about players opting out of bowl games to protect their draft status, I hope you decide to watch this year's Sugar Bowl. Will Anderson and Bryce Young will be two of the top picks in April's NFL Draft, and both said they will play for Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. That will give you one last chance to watch Anderson, a defensive stud who will terrorize NFL quarterbacks and running backs for the next decade. He simply disrupts opposing offenses and forces coordinators to scheme around him. That's been the focus of Kansas State's Chris Klieman for the last few weeks.

Alabama faces Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on December 31st.

Bowers has been the best tight end in America this season. He leads the Bulldogs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns but also does all the other things tight ends are asked to do exceptionally well. He's an outstanding blocker that keeps Georgia's running attack potent yet is a big play threat that is a nightmare for defensive coordinators.  He was the SEC's Freshman of the Year in 2021 and the John Mackey Award winner in 2022.

Georgia faces Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31st.

Let's be frank -- the Music City Bowl will not feature a ton of scoring. Not only do Iowa and Kentucky have outstanding defenses, but both will be without major offensive weapons ... including their quarterbacks. It will be a defensive game, and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell may be the best defensive player on the field. He is a consensus All-American and a Butkus Award winner. He was also an important leader for the team, often publicly defending the offense as they were being criticized for their lack of scoring. On the field, he's everywhere.

Iowa faces Kentucky in the TransPerfect Music City Bowl on December 31st.

Jayden Daniels is projected to be able to play in the Citrus Bowl after the star quarterback injured his ankle in the SEC Championship game. Daniels led LSU in both rushing and passing, though he had some ups and downs during the season. For example, he had rushing games of 121 yards against Ole Miss, 114 against Florida State, and 111 versus UAB but was shut down for -6 yards by Georgia in the SEC title game. He also struggled in a win over Arkansas, throwing only 15 passes for 86 yards and just 10 yards rushing on 19 carries (he was sacked 7 times). He was also brilliant in wins over Ole Miss and Alabama, where his poise allowed the Tigers to win on an overtime two-point conversion.

LSU faces Purdue in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on January 2nd.  

It all clicked for Max Duggan in 2022 as he improved across the board. His completion percentage (64.9%), passing yards (3,321), passing touchdowns (30) and interceptions (4) were the best of his career. He is still very much a running threat (404 yards, 6 TDs) but it is more a secondary part to his game as he's learned to use his legs to extend plays rather than to just take off. To think that he wasn't even the Week 1 starter is quite amazing considering the season he's had, and while the Horned Frogs are coming off their lone loss of the season, it may have been Duggan's finest game.

TCU faces Michigan in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31st.

Blake Corum was the straw that stirred the Wolverines' drink this season, but a knee injury against Illinois in November ended his season. Donovan Edwards also went through injury issues this season but has come on strong in Corum's absence. He rushed for 216 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Wolverines win at Ohio State, feasting on the Buckeyes late in the game. Then in the Big Ten championship win over Purdue, he ran for 185 yards and a TD. Add in his 175 yards and two scores against Penn State in mid-October and Edwards has been huge for Michigan in the biggest games this season. It doesn't get much bigger than the College Football Playoff.

Michigan faces TCU in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on December 31st.

I absolutely love when a player makes the most of an opportunity. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba out for much of the season with a hamstring injury, Harrison has stepped up with a fantastic season. Harrison Jr. caught 72 passes for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Buckeyes. He also has a knack for being a big-time player in big-time games -- 120 yards and a TD against Michigan and 185 yards against Notre Dame. Last year, Harrison Jr. hauled in three touchdown grabs in the Rose Bowl victory over Utah. Obviously, matching up with Georgia in the Peach Bowl -- aka the College Football Playoff semifinal -- is as big a game as there is.

Ohio State faces Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on December 31st.

Cameron Rising gets another shot at the Rose Bowl. In last year's game, Rising rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown while completing 17 of 22 passes for 214 yards and 2 TDs, but the Utes wasted a 14-point lead and lost to Ohio State in a wild affair, 48-45. This year, Utah is 8th nationally in scoring, though running back Tavion Thomas and tight end and leading receiver Dalton Kincaid will miss the game due to injury. Rising will be asked to shoulder more of a load against Penn State, but he showed he could be that guy in the Pac-12 title game against USC. He threw for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 47-24 drubbing of USC.

Utah faces Penn State in the Rose Bowl presented by Prudential on January 2nd. 

The Reliaquest Bowl will be quite an emotional day for Mississippi State after the sudden passing of Mike Leach earlier this month. Quarterback Will Rogers spoke emotionally and eloquently at Leach's memorial and would love nothing more than to have a big performance in the final game of the season. Rogers threw for 3,713 yards, 34 touchdowns, and only 6 picks, and in his last game, ended the Bulldogs' Egg Bowl losing streak.

Mississippi State faces Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2nd.

While quarterback Sean Clifford joined Penn State right after the last time the Nittany Lions went to the Rose Bowl (2017), it will be a couple of freshman running backs that will be key to both this year's Rose Bowl and the future of the program. Nicholas Singleton led the Nittany Lions with 941 yards and 10 touchdowns. Like any freshman, he had his ups (303 yards in a two-week span early on) and downs (just 19 yards in a loss to Michigan) but is always a threat for a big play any time the ball is in his hands (he had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown). Fellow freshman Kaytron Allen (830 yards, 9 TDs) gives Penn State two top backs to build around.

Penn State faces Utah in the Rose Bowl presented by Prudential on January 2nd

Spears has been phenomenal this year, rushing for 1,376 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns and leading Tulane to an AAC championship and a New Year's Six bowl. Spears has rushed for 100 yards in seven straight games and hit 150 yards four times. One of those was his 199 yards and touchdown against UCF in the AAC title game. Spears is difficult to bring down, and USC's defense has ... at times ... had some issues in that area.

Tulane faces USC in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2nd. 

Deuce Vaughn has been one of my favorite players for the last couple of years. He's small in stature (5'6, 176 pounds) but big-time on the football field. He's rushed for over 1,400 yards for the second straight year while also hauling in over 40 receptions in back-to-back seasons. He's also coming off a pair of outstanding performances to end the season. In the Wildcats' regular-season finale, he totaled 229 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in a win over rival Kansas. In the Big 12 championship game, he rushed for 130 yards and a 44-yard TD in the 4th quarter of their overtime win over TCU.

Kansas State faces Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on December 31st.

As I mentioned before, Kentucky vs. Iowa will be a brutal defensive showdown. The Wildcats' defense has an emerging star in sophomore Trevin Wallace. Wallace stepped in and stepped up when injuries plagued the linebacking corps and has shown why he was highly recruited. He is everywhere -- he's piled up 48 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. 

Caleb Williams finished the season in the top five nationally in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and QBR ... and winning the Heisman trophy. Lincoln Riley and the crew of Trojan transfers helped unlock Williams' potential -- he threw 37 TDs, rushed for 10 more touchdowns, and threw just four interceptions. He will be back next season in LA with a chance to take the next step for USC and compete for a national championship. But first is finishing off a great comeback season.

USC faces Tulane in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on January 2nd.