🏈 🔵 Top Storylines Entering New Year's Six Bowl Weekend
From Penn State's pursuit of capturing at least one victory in every New Year's Six bowl matchup to the two College Football Playoff games, these three matchups intrigue me the most this weekend.
Welcome to Blue Chip Journal by Adam Breneman — a 2x per-week newsletter with analysis, hot takes, and news on all things college football, NIL, and recruiting. Subscribe now and join nearly 13,000 other sports fans, and share this newsletter with all the college football fans you know!
Blue Chip Journal is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Hey friends,
The heart of college football’s bowl season is finally upon us.
Starting today, Ohio State is prepped to take on Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to kick of the New Year’s Six slate of matchups.
While the potential of several contests could be hindered by postseason opt outs, other games will likely result in some of the year’s most complete battles with down-to-the-wire finishes.
The betting lines of both College Football Playoff matchups are a combined six points, as Michigan stands as a two-point favorite over Alabama, and Texas is predicted to oust Washington by four points.
With the weekend shaping up to be an instant classic in the last rendition of the four-team College Football Playoff, let’s take a look at my top three storylines heading into the New Year’s Six menu.
This newsletter is presented by... PrizePicks
PrizePicks is the easiest way to play daily fantasy. Getting started is very simple — register for an account, make a deposit, and pick more or less on 2-6 player stats to win payouts of up to 25x!
Aside from offering an initial deposit match of up to $100, fans can now use my promo code AdamB for an even BIGGER discount upon downloading the app. Click on the link below to get started today!
Penn State’s Battle With Ole Miss Features Just One Official Opt-Out Per Side
Since Christian McCaffrey first opted out of the Sun Bowl for Stanford in 2016, hundreds of other high-level NFL Draft prospects have followed suit in preparation for the next level.
In this year’s Orange Bowl matchup featuring Georgia and Florida State, nearly 40 combined players from both squads are either opting out or transferring. As a result, tickets to the top 10 contest start at just $63 per seat through Vivid Seats.
However, the Peach Bowl offers an entirely different storyline. Although Penn State failed to live up to its lofty preseason expectations by dropping top 10 matchups to Ohio State and Michigan, head coach James Franklin held his culture intact by keeping his locker room tight-knit.
While six Nittany Lions have declared for the draft ahead of the bowl game, just one elected to opt out for Franklin’s bunch in Chop Robinson. The All-Big Ten edge rusher projects as a first-round talent in the league, but Adisa Issac and Dani Dennis-Sutton will anchor the ends for Penn State against the Rebels.
For Lane Kiffin’s crew, senior defensive end Cedric Johnson also decided against playing in the postseason display. The Alabama native concluded his final campaign with Ole Miss by compiling 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
Aside from the two missing defensive components, the Peach Bowl will likely result in the most complete and competitive New Year’s Six game aside from the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Texas & Washington Feature Season’s Most Intriguing Wide Receiver Matchup
Although Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU’s Malik Nabers wrapped up the year as the top two individual pass catchers at the Power Five level, Texas and Washington boast the most complete receiver groups across the board.
The dynamic duos of Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk for the Huskies and Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Worthy on Texas’ side boast the most two-man production of any team in the four-team postseason.
Through 13 games, Odunze and Polk compiled 141 receptions for 2,428 yards and 21 touchdowns. For reference, Purdue’s Hudson Card finished the Big Ten season with the third-most yards among all conference gunslingers, and he only amassed 2,387 yards through the air.
While the Washington duo owns the edge, Mitchell and Worthy have been dominant in their own right by crippling defenses with over-the-top production.
The two speedsters combined for 124 catches on the year for just under 1,800 yards. Moreover, their 14.4 yards-per-catch average amounted to the highest per all Big 12 receivers over the latest campaign.
Both secondaries are poised for their toughest tests of the season, but Washington’s group littered with NFL talent possesses the early edge.
This newsletter is presented by... 1st Phorm
I’ve been struggling for years trying to find the best protein powder. Well, I finally did it. It's Phormula 1 from 1st Phorm.
1st Phorm’s mint chocolate chip flavor tastes exactly like a girl scout cookie, and the best part is that it doesn’t give me digestive issues like other protein powders do. Check out 1st Phorm products today!
Alabama’s Edge Rushers Pose Unique Challenge For Michigan’s Offensive Front
Nick Saban’s defensive anchors in Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell have proven to be the SEC’s most disruptive bunch all season proven by their collective outputs.
Turner earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors behind 50 total tackles, 13.5 hits for a loss, and nine sacks. Braswell, on the other hand, added another 10.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks to Alabama’s repertoire.
Despite losing All-American Zak Zinter in late-game action against Ohio State, Michigan’s offensive line remains one of the nation’s most dominant trench cores behind Trevor Keegan and LaDarius Henderson.
In total, however, Alabama has racked up 38 sacks as a unit for the 12th-most nationally. JJ McCarthy’s mobility will dictate Michigan’s offensive output for the 60-minute display, but play-caller Sherrone Moore’s game plan could shift if Alabama can contain the quarterback in the pocket.
If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email at adam@brenemanmedia.com.
You can also find me on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Shoutout to Connor Krause for helping to write this newsletter and putting it together!
Interested in advertising with Blue Chip Journal? Email me.