5 potential college football bowl game upsets

The college football regular season is now officially a thing of the past and the bowl season is upon us. Like the year-end holidays, it’s a wonderful time for college football fans to kick back, relax and enjoy some competitive football and a tremendous atmosphere.

Of course, with the bowl games come the potential for surprises. So with that in mind, and excluding the College Football Playoff (we’ll get to that eventually), here’s a look at five potential college bowl games upsets.

5. Houston vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 17)

At the start of the season, San Diego State set themselves a goal: be the next Houston and take the college football world by storm.

They did that, at least to some degree, by winning the Mountain West title and, ironically, earning a Las Vegas Bowl invite against the very same Cougars they aspired to replicate. And on December 17, the student will look to become the teacher despite being 3.5-point underdogs.

There’s no secret as to how the Aztecs will attack the Cougars: Donnel Pumphrey early, often, and then some.

Pumphrey is one of college football’s unique treasures and this will represent his final game. Needless to say, he’ll be leaving everything out on that football field.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, despite huge wins over Oklahoma to start the season and Louisville late in the year, it may be a tall order for Houston to rally its troops. They are still reeling from head coach Tom Herman taking off for Texas, and that personnel change will be difficult to overcome in such a short amount of time.

For the Aztecs, this represents a rare opportunity for national exposure and an ideal circumstance for Pumphrey to say goodbye. It’s hard to imagine San Diego State coming up short when everything but the Vegas odds seem to be setting up in their favor.

4. Wyoming vs. BYU (Poinsettia Bowl, Dec. 21)

For many college football fans, this may be one of the first opportunities they’ve had to see Wyoming play. But considering the Pokes are 8.5-point underdogs against BYU, expectations for a competitive game may not be all that high.

Throw out the point spread and throw out the records. Despite their brutal four-game stretch to end the season — a stretch that saw them go 1-3 — the Cowboys are actually a high-energy, big-play team that’s usually a joy to watch.

Add in that this is an old school rivalry game being rekindled for our viewing pleasure.

The one thing this game will not feature is great defense. Neither BYU nor Wyoming sport overly competitive defenses, although the Cowboys do have a few big hitters on that side of the ball, so it may all boil down to an offensive shootout. And that’s where Wyoming has the advantage.

The Cougars will be without quarterback Taysom Hill (elbow), making it that much more difficult to keep pace with a Cowboys offense led by quarterback Josh Allen — a dual threat signal caller who can beat you with his arm or legs. And while BYU would like to rely on team MVP Jamaal Williams, it’s probable that this game will be won or lost through the air.

The Poinsettia Bowl will undoubtedly be a high-scoring affair.

3. LSU vs. Louisville (Citrus Bowl, Dec. 31)

For much of the season, Louisville was considered a potential national championship contender. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy award winner Lamar Jackson, the Cardinals were wiping the floor with opponents, including a 62-20 drubbing of Florida State. They even went out and nearly upset Clemson on the road, but came up just short.

Louisville’s Cinderella run came to an abrupt end with back-to-back losses to Houston and Kentucky to end the season, dropping them out of the College Football Playoff picture. They ultimately ended up in a Citrus Bowl showdown with LSU, but they have shown the potential to knock off big teams, which is what could happen here.

The Tigers, who open as 3.5-point favorites over the Cardinals, had high expectations coming into the season, but their hopes were dashed with an opening week loss to Wisconsin and a second loss to Auburn only two weeks later. After reeling off three straight wins, their inconsistencies became apparent down the stretch as they closed out the season going 2-2 for an overall record of 7-4.

Of all the potential bowl game upsets, this one may be the most obvious. And while that statement may seem blasphemous to those who bang the SEC drum, the Cardinals appear to be the better all-around team despite their rough end to the season.

2. Auburn vs. Oklahoma (Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2)

The Oklahoma Sooners open as 4.5-favorites over the Auburn Tigers, who battled their way into a unique position before losing two out of their final three games. Still, the Tigers were a surprise of the college football world in 2016 and may not be done pulling tricks out of their sleeve.

The Tigers will welcome the return of both quarterback Sean White and running back Kamryn Pettway, which should help the team get their offense back on track. Following the loss of White, Auburn seemed to also lose their identity offensively, while the loss of their bruising back cost them their ability to control the clock.

Of course, when you’re talking about Auburn, it’s usually all about defense. And that will play a major role come January 2 because the Sooners are as talented offensively as anyone in the Big 12 and, arguably, all of college football (Alabama not included).

Oklahoma’s high-powered attack, led by wide receiver Dede Westbrook, will be a true test for the Tigers. Auburn hasn’t seen a wide receiver of Westbrook’s talent this season. The Tigers are more apt at stopping the run than shutting down the pass. But they will ultimately rely heavily on their defensive line — one of the best defensive lines they’ve had in recent memory — to help disrupt quarterback Baker Mayfield and shut down running back Joe Mixon.

Interestingly, other than the film they watch leading up to the game, these two teams are complete strangers to each other; they’ve only played each other once in NCAA history, and that was in 1972.

1. USC vs. Penn State (Rose Bowl, Jan. 2)

The Penn State Nittany Lions came out of left field in 2016, upsetting the Ohio State Buckeyes in their statement game and eventually going on to win the Big Ten championship. Despite all that, they were left on the outside of the College Football Playoff looking in.

They get a Rose Bowl invite and the USC Trojans as their consolation prize. Despite being the No. 5 team in the country, Penn State opens the game as 7-point underdogs. After being snubbed for the CFP, you can almost guarantee those odds feel like a slap in the face and will serve as bulletin board material.

That’s not to undermine what USC has done, however. After getting off to a 1-3 start to the season, the Trojans turned it on, made a quarterback switch, and reeled off eight wins, including a 26-13 victory over No. 4 Washington and a 21-17 victory over then-No. 21 Colorado.

The upset potential aside, the game should be closer than the early seven-point spread. But in order for that to happen, and in order for Penn State to avenge a 2009 Rose Bowl loss to USC, they’ll have to ride running back Saquon Barkley and prevent Trojans defensive back Adoree’ Jackson from taking over the game.

In the end, it’s plausible those two things happen.