B/R Experts Answer Biggest CFB Bowl Season Questions, Part 1

While the entire college football world is nearing the chaotic early-signing period, more than half the Football Bowl Subdivision is also preparing for a bowl game.

Just like you, Bleacher Report's expert panel—Max Escarpio, David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Morgan Moriarty and Brad Shepard—is ready for an action-packed conclusion to 2022.

Plus, bowl season is so nice, we have to cover it thrice.

This edition features bowls from Friday to Monday, Dec. 26, an 11-day stretch that includes 17 postseason games between FBS programs.

Next week, we'll cover the remainder of the bowl matchups. After that, we'll dive headfirst into the College Football Playoff.

Max Escarpio

In the early stages of bowl season, give me the Liberty Flames taking on the Toledo Rockets in the Boca Raton Bowl.

Liberty had a strong 8-1 start, with the only letdown being a one-point loss to then-No. 19 Wake Forest. Led by now-Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, the Flames seemed to be building on their success from 2021, when they went 8-5 and won the LendingTree Bowl. But they finished the year losing three straight to mediocre opponents because of inconsistent play from an unsettled quarterback situation.

Toledo neared the end of the season on a two-game slide but recovered to win the MAC title. These are two teams that seemed to have the right pieces to compete for a stronger bowl appearance but were plagued with injuries that made both of their records plummet. Still, the talent is there for an intriguing matchup.

Will the Rockets cap 2022 with a victory, or will Liberty find a season-ending bounce-back performance to end the year with better momentum?

David Kenyon

One correct option: UConn!

If you follow the sport regularly, you likely know about the team's horrendous stretch heading into 2022. If not, here's a summary.

UConn trudged to a 4-32 record in the 2018, 2019 and 2021 seasons—along with opting out of the 2020 campaign—with a single win against top-division competition. That victory was against UMass, which has mustered three wins in the last four seasons. In other words, UConn entered 2022 with no victory over a meaningful foe since 2017.

Despite that dreadful recent history, UConn surged to six wins under first-year coach Jim Mora. And now, the Huskies are set to meet Marshall in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.

That we'll even be watching UConn in bowl season is an incredible achievement for the program.

Adam Kramer

Not enough people are talking about UTSA quarterback Frank Harris, and I hope this changes very soon.

Harris, who recently announced he's returning in 2023, has had a brilliant 2022. He'll enter bowl season having accounted for 40 touchdowns, throwing for 3,865 yards and running for 588 yards.

Simply put, he's one of the most explosive players in the sport.

Playing a solid Troy team in the Cure Bowl will be an unbelievable test. While many normally ignore early bowl matchups, I implore you not to overlook this one.

Troy ranks No. 8 in scoring defense nationally. UTSA, led by Harris, ranks No. 12 in scoring offense. This will be one of the toughest opponents Harris faces in his career, and a solid performance could help elevate his profile even more.

Any game is a good one to watch him play. But this has increased purpose.

David Kenyon

Harris is a tremendous pick. I'd also like to submit Jalen Mayden for your consideration.

As the calendar flipped to October, San Diego State needed an answer to an injury-plagued quarterback room. Rather than throw in a young player, the Aztecs called on Mayden—a senior who had switched from QB to safety this offseason—to rejoin his former positional group.

Mayden immediately gave 2-3 SDSU a boost in a tight victory over Hawai'i, throwing for 322 yards in the much-needed win. Overall, he collected 1,721 passing yards, 205 rushing and totaled 13 touchdowns while propelling the Aztecs to a season-ending 5-2 spurt.

Recently named the team MVP, Mayden will get a final start against Middle Tennessee in the Hawai'i Bowl.

Adam Kramer

Given the way the season ended, I'm not sure Oregon State has much left to prove to me. Nationally, however, the matchup against Florida gives the Beavers a tremendous opportunity to continue a strong stretch.

Sure, Oregon State is a big favorite in the Las Vegas Bowl. But this is a chance to beat one of the most storied programs in college football. In fact, it's a chance to beat that team—an SEC staple—convincingly for a 10th win.

Given the roster departures at Florida, starting with QB Anthony Richardson, the expectation is Oregon State should win. But it still doesn't feel like the masses are giving this program the respect it deserves, even after it derailed Oregon's conference-title hopes in the final game of the season.

A big win over the Gators can help change that. Oregon State is on the rise, and that will become apparent once again.

Brad Shepard

For this first wave of games, the answer is either Baylor or Florida for similar reasons. It's hard to choose between the two.

One program, Baylor, was coming off a Big 12 championship and limped to a 6-6 season. The other, Florida, was breaking in new coach Billy Napier but had struggle-bus moments on the way to a .500 record as well and will be without NFL-bound quarterback Richardson in the bowl.

However, Baylor is the pick because the roster that will trot out against Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl will more closely resemble what to expect from Dave Aranda's team in 2023. Quarterback Blake Shapen needs to live up to expectations and put away an Air Force team that shouldn't be able to hang with a Power Five offense. If not, perhaps the Bears should go a different offensive direction next year.

Losing defensive coordinator Ron Roberts to Auburn hurts. What is Baylor going to be? Was it a one-year wonder, or is it back to being a force in the Big 12? This is the first step in answering the question.

Florida needs to move past a flop of a first season under Napier, but recruiting is going extremely well. Both programs need a jolt, though Baylor needs one a little more.

Max Escarpio

Washington State and Fresno State in the L.A. Bowl should be an interesting matchup.

The Bulldogs finished 9-4, riding an eight-game win streak. Fresno State hasn't lost since starting 1-4, which was mainly due to an ankle injury to quarterback Jake Haener, who averaged 290.7 yards in nine games.

Washington State, meanwhile, had three straight wins before rival Washington snapped the streak in the finale. Wazzu has had its ups and downs, seemingly making it a hard team to predict. Quarterback Cameron Ward was inefficient at times, but the offense has leaned on him and his top-30 marks in passing yards and touchdowns.

Expect a quarterback duel between Ward and Haener that leads to constant scoring and a dramatic win for the Cougars.

David Kenyon

My eyes are locked on the New Mexico Bowl.

Few teams run a faster-paced offense than SMU, which averaged 76.5 plays and 38.4 points per game. The problem—for the Mustangs, not us!—is they ceded an ugly 34.7 per outing. Most memorably, SMU outdueled Houston 77-63 in a wild November game.

BYU dropped well below preseason hopes, mustering a 7-5 record while the defense was a total wreck. On the other hand, the Cougs ranked 12th nationally with 6.8 yards per play. This offense is truly difficult to stop.

This contest, which is the first matchup between the programs since 1997, has big-time off-the-rails potential.

Morgan Moriarty

We're in for a great matchup. Both teams won their conference championships and are 11-2. Troy won the Sun Belt, beating Coastal Carolina in the conference championship game. It was an impressive start for new Trojans head coach Jon Sumrall. UTSA, meanwhile, repeated as Conference USA champs.

The Roadrunners like to score. UTSA ranks 12th nationally in points per game, putting up an average of 38.7 points. Troy's defense, meanwhile, allows just 17.5 points per game.

I like UTSA in this one, and mainly because of how good quarterback Frank Harris has been all season. He can put together a game-winning drive to give the Roadrunners their first bowl win in school history.

This one should be a great matchup, and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Brad Shepard

This is probably one of the most intriguing matchups of the early bowl season. Conference USA champion UTSA, led by the dynamic Harris, is going up against a resurgent Sun Belt champion Troy.

It's easy to fall in love with Sumrall and what he's been able to do with a roster that had a lot of talent but no direction before the season. The Trojans, who went 5-7 last season, sort of came from nowhere to have a dynamic year. They were picked third in the Sun Belt West despite placing five on the first-team All-Conference preseason squad.

Sumrall got a lot out of them, but can they beat the Roadrunners? Harris has plenty of weapons around him in the receiving game, and they have to be excited about his return for a seventh season in 2023. The arrow is pointing slightly toward coach Jeff Traylor's team, so I'm rolling with UTSA to win a close one 38-35.

Brad Shepard

How do you react when your coach straight-up bolts for the program you're playing in your bowl? Well, Louisville should have thought about that before it left Scott Satterfield on the hot seat all season.

In the Fenway Bowl, the Cardinals will play the Cincinnati Bearcats, who replaced now-Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell with—you guessed it—Satterfield. The coach won't be involved for either side.

But regardless of whether he lets any secrets slip, I believe the Group of Five power is better than this year's version of Louisville, especially considering dual-threat Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham is going to sit out the bowl game in preparation for the NFL draft. The Bearcats aren't explosive, and better days are ahead for a Cardinals program that will replace Satterfield with favorite son, Jeff Brohm.

But for this matchup, I like Cincy to escape 28-27.

David Kenyon

From a narrative perspective, there isn't a better matchup in this initial slate of postseason games. I love this so much.

Satterfield has said he won't be involved with any bowl preparation and won't attend the game. I'm inclined to take him at his word—really, this result has little meaning in the grand scheme for both programs—but I wouldn't blame him for sharing a few tips to his new staff.

But as Brad noted, Cunningham's absence casts a problematic cloud for Louisville. Although backup quarterback Brock Domann spent much of November in the lineup, the offense struggled with a trio of top-25 defenses in Clemson, North Carolina State and Kentucky.

Fickell's departure hurts, undoubtedly, but a strong UC defense puts together one more quality day to beat Louisville.

Morgan Moriarty

Fresno State has a great shot at getting win No. 10 against Washington State in the L.A. Bowl. The Bulldogs have won their last eight games, including a 28-16 win over Boise State for the Mountain West title.

Wazzu has had a solid year under head coach Jake Dickert, his first full season leading the Cougars. The team sits at 7-5, one year after a 7-6 showing. But Washington State hasn't performed well in bowl games in recent years—dating back to 2013, it has gone 2-5.

This Fresno State offense will have too much firepower for this Wazzu defense. The Cougars put up 30.7 points per game, including a 34-point average in their last four games.

Fresno quarterback Jake Haener will lead his team out on a high note. He threw for 2,616 yards and 18 touchdowns even though he missed several games early in the year because of an ankle injury. The quarterback briefly entered the transfer portal last offseason but opted to return to the Bulldogs for 2022.

Haener told reporters of his decision:

"I wanted to be able to come back and play with this great group. Once I got this guy [head coach Jeff Tedford] on the other side of the phone, I knew I wanted to be here and play with this group. It's been awesome and the adversity we've faced together has been one of the biggest challenges in my life. And it's been awesome."

What's been a good move will look even better, as the Bulldogs will win their second straight bowl. It'll be a good chance for Haener to make a lasting impression ahead of the NFL draft too.

David Kenyon

Boise State and Air Force also have an opportunity to hit double-digit wins, and I'm most confident in the former.

Granted, that's partially a product of the opponent. North Texas earned bowl eligibility for the fifth time in six typical seasons under Seth Littrell, but it's been unimpressive since 2018. UNT fired him after the C-USA championship loss, which dropped the Mean Green to 7-6. This transition period gives an advantage to Boise in the Frisco Bowl.

Air Force has a tougher matchup regardless, taking on Big 12 opponent Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl. But I'm still taking the Academy because of its advantage on the ground and terrific defense.

Baylor began the season with a stellar run-stopping group. However, the defense faded in the latter half of 2022 and regularly allowed four-plus yards per carry. Air Force is built to wear down Baylor's defense. Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, only one of Air Force's opponents have put up more than 20 points. It's an overwhelming unit.

Throw in Fresno State knocking off Wazzu, and the Mountain West gets a clean sweep among the 10-win hopefuls.