TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The New Year’s Day bowl games kick off at noon, Eastern time, with No. 22 Arkansas playing Penn State in the Outback Bowl. The Razorbacks will be looking for their first nine-win season in a decade. Arkansas is coming off four consecutive seasons of four or fewer wins and with a victory will finish with its best record since going 11-2 in 2011. Penn State hasn’t won a New Year’s Day bowl since beating LSU 19-17 in the 2010 Capital One Bowl. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson, who threw for 2,578 yards and added 554 on the ground, faces a Nittany Lions defense that has allowed just 16.8 points a game.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — No. 25 Kentucky will be trying for a rare 10-win season when the Wildcats play No. 17 Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. Since going 11-1 in 1950 under coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, Kentucky has only accomplished the feat twice, coming in 1977 and 2018. Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is seeking his 10th bowl victory, which would tie Joe Paterno for most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops has 58 wins at the school. Only Bryant, with 60, has more Stoops is also facing his alma mater.
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 9 Oklahoma State look to end the season on a high note in the Fiesta Bowl after just missing the College Football Playoff. The Irish finished fifth in the final CFP rankings and will be playing under new coach Marcus Freeman. He was promoted after Brian Kelly surprisingly left for LSU. The Cowboys missed the CFP by inches when Dezmon Jackson’s reach for the pylon came up just short in a loss to No. 9 Baylor in the Big 12 title game.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — No. 10 Utah makes its first Rose Bowl appearance when the Utes take on No. 7 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are back for the 16th time, trying to reach 11 wins for the ninth time in 10 years. They’ll have to shake off the disappointment of a rivalry loss to Michigan that kept them from playing for the Big Ten title and a spot in the final four. Motivation is not in question for Utah, which expects to have 60,000 fans in attendance on New Year’s Day. “The Granddaddy of Them All” returns home after last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal was relocated to Arlington, Texas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Southeastern Conference’s most prolific offense clashes with one of the better defenses in the Big 12 when No. 8 Mississippi meets sixth-ranked Baylor in the Sugar Bowl. The New Year’s Night matchup features Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral operating a scheme designed by coach Lane Kiffin that produces 506.7 yards per game. Baylor’s defense is run by coach Dave Aranda. He’s a former LSU defensive coordinator, and his Bears defense has held opponents nearly 12 points below their season average for their other games. The Bears and Rebels have met just once previously in 1975 at Baylor. The Bears won that game.
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