Players to watch in the New Year's Six bowls

Baker Mayfield has many weapons, but the guy he goes to the most is his tight end, Mark Andrews. Andrews leads the Sooners in receptions and touchdowns and is second in receiving yards. He is on all the All-American lists and puts so much pressure on defenses that it opens up everything for Oklahoma. He was a wide receiver who switched to tight end and has become the best in the country. 

For the good part of the year, Barkley was the top running back and right in the thick of the Heisman race until the Nittany Lions went on a swoon in the middle of the season. He has had some monstrous games — against Nebraska last month he ran for 158 yards and three TDs — but has some low yardage games as well. Barkley could be playing his final college game in the Fiesta Bowl before most likely entering the NFL Draft and could go out with a bang.

Barrett has had one of the better careers in Ohio State history, but he rarely gets appreciated as such. He had a great freshman season that ended just as the Buckeyes went on to win the national championship. He faced a quarterback controversy his sophomore season, suffered that shutout loss to Clemson in last year's playoff and lost to Iowa, keeping OSU out of the playoff this year. However, all he's done is rewrite the Big Ten and Ohio State record books along the way. His legacy in Columbus will forever be debated no matter what happens against USC, but he'd sure love to end it on a high note. 

Browning has flown under the radar a bit this year. Last season, he led his Huskies to the College Football Playoff by tossing for more than 3,400 yards and 43 touchdowns. He hasn't had that kind of success this year as they've not thrown the ball as much, but he's still as reliable and dangerous as ever. He's more than capable of going toe to toe with Penn State's Trace McSorley in a Fiesta Bowl shootout. 

Both of Bryant's previous seasons have ended against Alabama, with the last one a the national championship win. Of course, Bryant was standing on the sidelines as Deshaun Watson was weaving his magic, but don't think for a minute that the stage will bother Clemson's QB. Watson himself said that Bryant would be better than him, and while he's a bit faster than Watson, he doesn't have the polish in the passing game. Still, Kelly has looked good, and with a solid running game and elite defense, the game plan doesn't rest solely on his shoulders. Still, he may have to make that game-winning drive like Watson did a year ago. Is he game?

Georgia employs a three-back system, and all three are good. In fact, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel trail only Herschel Walker in the Bulldogs' rushing record books. Chubb is the guy who gets more carries and the Dawgs' leading rusher for good reason — he's a guy who's simply reliable. Aside from a horrible knee injury during his sophomore season, Chubb has just put up numbers. If Georgia wants to keep Baker Mayfield off the field, controlling the ball will do wonders. Chubb can handle that load.

Most people have fast-forwarded Darnold's career to his NFL prospects ever since he was placed as the starter midway through his freshman year. He hasn't had the elite season everyone was looking forward to, but he still helped the Trojans win their first Pac-12 title since 2008. He'll go up against J.T. Barrett in the Cotton Bowl in what should be one of the best quarterback battles this season. If he does enter the draft after this game, he's a good bet to go No. 1 overall. 

The Badgers rely on a tough, physical defense, and Edwards is the linchpin for it. The linebacker led the Badgers in interceptions and finished second in tackles and tackles for loss after leading Wisconsin in tackles his first two seasons. In what could be a defensive battle, expect to hear Edwards's name called a lot and his jersey to be a bit dirty from the battle. 

It's no secret that the Tide are banged up at linebacker. Just as they get guys back, others are ruled out for the Sugar Bowl. Evans will be asked to step in for Dylan Moses, who is suffering from a foot injury. Evans is a senior and has played in big games, but he'll have a lot on his plate — not only to stop Kelly Bryant, but to get his outside linebackers, who haven't been on the field much, in the right spots. His chess match with Bryant will be one to watch.

Ferrell is an NFL talent who is capable of dominating the Sugar Bowl. He along with the Clemson defensive line may be the best unit of any of the schools in the playoff, and though the pro game is calling, he's focused on his Tigers team. How Alabama deals with him and that front could be what decides the Sugar Bowl. 

Fromm may be the biggest wild card in the College Football Playoff. Of the four starting quarterbacks, he is the youngest, least experienced and relied on to do the least. However, he could find himself in a shootout with Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, and he'll need to take on a bigger role. He's looked better over the last several games as he's taking on more of the offense, but his job is to keep the offense moving and to not make mistakes (he's thrown just five picks all season). Is Fromm up to the challenge if he needs to win the game? That's one of the biggest questions heading into the playoff. 

While Saquon Barkley will be getting the pub heading into Washington's Fiesta Bowl matchup with Penn State, Myles Gaskin certainly can hold his own. In fact, Gaskin led all Power 5 running backs in touchdown runs. In five of his last six games, he rushed for over 120 yards with 11 total touchdowns in that span, led by his 192 yards and four TDs against Washington State in the Apple Cup.

Alabama will need big plays, and Harris is the guy to provide them. He led the Crimson Tide in rushing yards (906) and rushing touchdowns (11), and he's breaking off 8.2 yards per carry. He's not much in the passing game (only eight receptions all year) and his volume has diminished as the year has gone on, but he's still so dangerous. If Clemson's front line gets too aggressive, Harris could break off some impressive runs. 

Hurts is much more dangerous as a runner than a passer, but his effectiveness through the air will loom large in the Sugar Bowl. Clemson has one of the best defensive fronts in the nation and will test both Hurts's arm and legs, and he'll need to handle that much better than he did against Auburn. In his last big game prior to that, his passing eked out a win over Mississippi State. As a sophomore, he's as experienced as it comes in big-time games, and he'll need to be big-time against the defending champs.  

Let's be real: Many will be watching the Orange Bowl between Miami and Wisconsin to see if the Turnover Chain will make an appearance. Jaquan Johnson has worn it six times this year with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries (both team highs). Miami has forced 30 turnovers (second in the nation), and Wisconsin quarterback Alex Hornibrook has thrown 15 interceptions this year so it could make a big comeback. 

Johnson has been one of my favorite players this season. He's been impressive all year by holding down the fort as QB Jarrett Stidham found his footing and became a volume runner as the Tigers got rolling. All eyes will be on the SEC's Offensive Player of the Year as he's coming off an injury in the SEC title game against Georgia. Head coach Gus Malzahn says Johnson will be back for the Peach Bowl and he'll need him against the undefeated UCF Knights.

Jones II has been scorching hot over the last five games. In that time, he's averaged 162.8 rushing yards per game and has a total of 10 touchdowns — all Trojan wins. It isn't just the yardage; he's been a real workhorse. Ohio State won't be scared of facing Jones, doing well against Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor, and the Buckeyes' defense against Jones will be one of the Cotton Bowl's biggest matchups.

What more can be said about Mayfield? Of course he's a Heisman winner and the best quarterback in the College Football Playoff. He and the Sooners' offense really have not been stopped all season long. Twelve of the last 17 Heisman winners have appeared in the National Championship Game, which is great for Oklahoma's chances against Georgia. Four of the last five times the Heisman winner has been in the title game, they've won it (Derrick Henry, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and Mark Ingram) — another good omen. Mayfield is the star among all the players in the playoff, and he has a great chance to cement his legacy.

In a Big Ten that's had some good signal callers this season, McSorley led the conference in passing yards per game. He'll have to be at his best as the Fiesta Bowl typically turns into an offensive shootout. The last time we saw him in a bowl game was last year's Rose Bowl, where he threw four touchdowns and ran in another one. Saquon Barkley may be the star of the Nittany Lions, but McSorley is the one who gets that offense going. 

This has been a banner year for the UCF program, and Milton has been awesome this season. He was named the American Player of the Year with nearly 3,800 yards passing, 35 TD passes, 497 rushing yards and seven rushing scores. He gets his shot on a national stage in the Peach Bowl against an Auburn team that has made several quarterbacks look shaky. If Milton can hang, not only will he attempt to bring home a bowl title home by beating an SEC team, but he will also place his name and the Knights program at the forefront. Oh, and that undefeated season would be great.

You may not hear Price's name after the offensive introductions, but he's the best at his position. The All-American will most likely be the top center taken in the NFL Draft. He graduated from Ohio State before his senior season and has been driven for greatness all year.  Focused, hard-working, smart and generous, he is a hell of an offensive lineman. 

Alabama sure knows who Renfrow is. In the 2016 CFP Championship, Renfrow caught two touchdown passes as a freshman, then last year he caught the game-winning touchdown with a second left in the title tilt. The man who is known at Clemson as "walk-on to walk-off" hasn't had the special stats of some of the top receivers in the country (55 receptions, 571 yards, three TDs), but he's warming up a bit. All three of his scores have come in the last three games, and in the last two years his production against 'Bama exceeded his season output. 

Rosier has had a rocky season in Miami. He was the starter when the Hurricanes began the year 10-0 but also has been awful in the two losses to close out the season. Against Pittsburgh and Clemson he went a combined 29-of-63 passing for 297 yards with two TDs and two INTs. He's completed less than 55 percent of his passes on six occasions this year and now goes against a Wisconsin defense that will put it on him. With the 'Canes' quarterback situation up in the air moving forward, a lot could be answered by Rosier in what amounts to a home game in the Orange Bowl.  

Stidham has had a roller-coaster college career. He started out at Baylor as a freshman but left after the sexual assault scandal rocked the program. He went to McLennan Community College the following season but didn't play before transferring to Auburn. It's been a season-long journey, but he has improved mightily in the second half of the season, noted by his effort against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Of course, he followed that win with a dud against Georgia in the SEC title game so it's still a work in progress. Still, when Stidham is confident, Auburn's offense is tough to stop. 

What a freshman season Taylor put on. He led the Big Ten in rushing with over 1,800 yards, averaging a whopping 142 yards per game. He needs 79 yards to break Oklahoma great Adrian Peterson's mark for the FBS freshman record, and only twice this season did he fail to get 79 yards in a game. He's the latest Badgers back to rumble up big numbers. Expect him to do the same — and for Peterson's record to fall — in the Orange Bowl.