Here are the games and players to watch with some key players highlighted and a few key matchups ...
Dec. 28
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
No. 23 Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern
2 p.m., ESPN
Dorian Johnson OG Pittsburgh Sr 6-5 300
Adam Bisnowaty OT Pittsburgh rSr 6-5 300
James Conner RB Pittsburgh rJr 6-2 240
Nathan Peterman QB Pittsburgh rSr 6-2 225
Ejuan Price OLB Pittsburgh rSr 5-11 250
Scott Orndoff TE Pittsburgh Sr 6-5 265
Tyrique Jarrett DT Pittsburgh Sr 6-2 335
Shakir Soto DE Pittsburgh Sr 6-3 270
Bam Bradley OLB Pittsburgh rSr 6-2 230
Ryan Lewis CB Pittsburgh rSr 5-11 200
Jaymar Parrish FB Pittsburgh Sr 6-1 270
Mike Caprara OLB Pittsburgh rSr 6-0 230
Reggie Mitchell FS Pittsburgh rSr 6-0 190
Dontez Ford WR Pittsburgh rSr 6-1 215
Matt Galambos ILB Pittsburgh Sr 6-1 240
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Justin Jackson RB Northwestern Jr 5-11 190
Ifeadi Odenigbo DE Northwestern rSr 6-3 250
Austin Carr WR Northwestern rSr 6-1 195
Chris Fitzpatrick LS Northwestern rSr 6-2 235
Eric Olson OT Northwestern rSr 6-5 295
Jaylen Prater OLB Northwestern rSr 6-0 230
Russell Athletic Bowl
No. 16 West Virginia vs. Miami
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Tyler Orlosky C West Virginia rSr 6-3 295
Rasul Douglas CB West Virginia rSr 6-1 208
Noble Nwachukwu DE West Virginia rSr 6-2 275
Rushel Shell III RB West Virginia rSr 5-10 220
Darrien Howard DT West Virginia Sr 6-0 302
Skyler Howard QB West Virginia rSr 5-11 207
Daikiel Shorts Jr. WR West Virginia Sr 6-0 204
Maurice Fleming CB West Virginia rSr 6-0 205
Adam Pankey OG West Virginia rSr 6-4 316
Nana Kyeremeh CB West Virginia rSr 5-10 186
Christian Brown DE West Virginia rSr 6-2 298
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Brad Kaaya QB Miami (Fla.) Jr 6-4 210
David Njoku TE Miami (Fla.) rSo 6-4 240
Stacy Coley WR Miami (Fla.) Sr 6-1 193
Rayshawn Jenkins FS Miami (Fla.) rSr 6-1 208
Corn Elder CB Miami (Fla.) Sr 5-10 175
Danny Isidora OG Miami (Fla.) rSr 6-4 310
Justin Vogel P Miami (Fla.) Sr 6-4 210
Jamal Carter Sr. SS Miami (Fla.) Sr 6-1 210
Standish Dobard TE Miami (Fla.) Sr 6-4 265
Jermaine Grace OLB Miami (Fla.) Sr 6-1 205
Key matchups
Rasul Douglas vs Stacey Coley
Foster Farms Bowl
Indiana vs. No. 19 Utah
8:30 p.m., Fox
Dan Feeney OG Indiana rSr 6-4 305
Ralph Green III DT Indiana rSr 6-4 305
Ricky Jones WR Indiana rSr 5-10 185
Dimitric Camiel * OT Indiana rSr 6-7 315
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Garett Bolles OT Utah Jr 6-5 296
Marcus Williams FS Utah Jr 6-0 195
Lowell Lotulelei DT Utah Jr 6-2 310
Hunter Dimick DE Utah rSr 6-3 272
Isaac Asiata OG Utah rSr 6-3 323
J.J. Dielman * OT Utah rSr 6-5 300
Sam Tevi OT Utah Sr 6-5 305
Pita Taumoepenu OLB Utah Sr 6-1 245
Joe Williams RB Utah Sr 5-11 205
Dominique Hatfield CB Utah Sr 5-10 175
Tim Patrick WR Utah rSr 6-4 210
Andy Phillips K Utah rSr 5-10 210
Kylie Fitts * DE Utah rSr 6-4 265
Pasoni Tasini DT Utah rSr 6-2 295
Brian Allen CB Utah rSr 6-3 205
Reggie Porter CB Utah rSr 5-11 185
Cory Butler-Byrd WR Utah Sr 5-9 180
Justin Thomas CB Utah rSr 5-8 180
Key matchups
Dan Feeney vs Lowell Lotulelei
Isaac Asiata vs Ralph Green III
AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. Kansas State
9 p.m., ESPN
Myles Garrett DE Texas A&M Jr 6-4 268
Justin Evans SS Texas A&M Sr 6-0 200
Avery Gennesy OT Texas A&M rSr 6-5 315
Daeshon Hall DE Texas A&M Sr 6-5 270
Speedy Noil WR Texas A&M Jr 5-11 200
Josh Reynolds WR Texas A&M Sr 6-3 193
Trevor Knight * QB Texas A&M rSr 6-0 215
Shaan Washington OLB Texas A&M Sr 6-3 240
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Jordan Willis OLB Kansas State Sr 6-4 250
Dante Barnett SS Kansas State rSr 6-0 193
Charmeachealle Moore ILB Kansas State rSr 6-0 221
Will Davis OLB Kansas State rSr 6-0 224
Deante Burton WR Kansas State rSr 6-2 205
Dec. 29
Birmingham Bowl
South Florida vs. South Carolina
2 p.m., ESPN
Marlon Mack RB South Florida Jr 5-11 205
Deatrick Nichols CB South Florida Jr 5-10 189
Rodney Adams WR South Florida rSr 6-1 190
Kofi Amichia OG South Florida rSr 6-3 290
Nigel Harris OLB South Florida Sr 6-0 231
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Darius English DE South Carolina rSr 6-5 240
Mason Zandi OT South Carolina rSr 6-9 308
Jonathan Walton OLB South Carolina Sr 6-0 236
Marquavius Lewis DE South Carolina Sr 6-4 270
T.J. Holloman ILB South Carolina rSr 6-2 240
Elliott Fry K South Carolina Sr 6-0 165
Chaz Elder FS South Carolina rSr 6-2 203
Kelsey Griffin DT South Carolina Sr 6-2 302
Belk Bowl
Arkansas vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech
5:30 p.m., ESPN
Dan Skipper OT Arkansas Sr 6-9 319
Jeremy Sprinkle TE Arkansas rSr 6-5 256
Deatrich Wise Jr. DE Arkansas rSr 6-5 271
Jeremiah Ledbetter DT Arkansas Sr 6-3 280
Toby Baker P Arkansas rSr 6-2 215
DJ Dean CB Arkansas Sr 5-11 199
Kody Walker * RB Arkansas rSr 6-1 240
Taiwan Johnson DT Arkansas rSr 6-2 284
Brooks Ellis ILB Arkansas Sr 6-2 245
JaMichael Winston DE Arkansas rSr 6-3 262
Jared Collins CB Arkansas rSr 5-11 172
Keon Hatcher WR Arkansas rSr 6-1 207
Josh Williams OLB Arkansas Sr 6-1 249
Dominique Reed WR Arkansas Sr 6-2 175
Drew Morgan WR Arkansas Sr 6-0 193
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Bucky Hodges TE Virginia Tech rJr 6-6 245
Isaiah Ford WR Virginia Tech Jr 6-1 190
Brandon Facyson CB Virginia Tech rJr 6-1 191
Sam Rogers FB Virginia Tech Sr 5-10 228
Woody Baron DT Virginia Tech rSr 6-1 280
Chuck Clark FS Virginia Tech Sr 6-0 204
Ken Ekanem DE Virginia Tech rSr 6-3 255
Jonathan McLaughlin OT Virginia Tech Sr 6-5 292
Valero Alamo Bowl
No. 12 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 Colorado
9 p.m., ESPN
Vincent Taylor DT Oklahoma State rJr 6-2 310
Mason Rudolph QB Oklahoma State Jr 6-4 235
James Washington WR Oklahoma State Jr 6-0 205
Jordan Sterns FS Oklahoma State Sr 6-0 200
Blake Jarwin TE Oklahoma State rSr 6-4 248
Chris Carson RB Oklahoma State Sr 6-1 215
Ashton Lampkin CB Oklahoma State rSr 5-11 190
Barry Sanders RB Oklahoma State rSr 5-9 198
Jordan Burton OLB Oklahoma State rSr 6-2 215
Victor Salako OT Oklahoma State rSr 6-5 335
Marcell Ateman * WR Oklahoma State Sr 6-3 215
Jhajuan Seales WR Oklahoma State rSr 6-0 205
Ben Grogan K Oklahoma State Sr 6-1 190
Lenzy Pipkins CB Oklahoma State rSr 6-0 197
Michael Wilson C Oklahoma State rSr 6-5 305
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Chidobe Awuzie CB Colorado Sr 5-11 205
Tedric Thompson SS Colorado Sr 6-0 205
Ahkello Witherspoon CB Colorado rSr 6-2 195
Jimmie Gilbert OLB Colorado Sr 6-4 230
Sefo Liufau QB Colorado Sr 6-3 230
Josh Tupou DT Colorado rSr 6-2 325
Alex Kelley C Colorado rSr 6-1 310
Jordan Carrell DT Colorado Sr 6-2 300
Kenneth Olugbode ILB Colorado Sr 6-0 220
Samson Kafovalu DT Colorado rSr 6-3 295
Key matchups
James Washington vs Chidobe Awuzie and Ahkello Witherspoon
Blake Jarwin vs Tedric Thompson
Dec. 30
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Georgia vs. TCU
12 p.m., ESPN
Greg Pyke OG Georgia rSr 6-5 313
Dominick Sanders FS Georgia Jr 6-0 190
Brandon Kublanow C Georgia Sr 6-2 288
Tyler Catalina OG Georgia rSr 6-5 302
Maurice Smith FS Georgia Sr 6-0 195
Greyson Lambert QB Georgia rSr 6-4 220
Quincy Mauger SS Georgia Sr 6-0 202
Reggie Davis WR Georgia Sr 6-0 170
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Josh Carraway DE TCU rSr 6-3 250
Aaron Curry DT TCU rSr 6-2 278
James McFarland OLB TCU rSr 6-1 250
Denzel Johnson SS TCU Sr 6-1 210
Kenny Iloka * FS TCU rSr 6-2 209
Deante' Gray WR TCU rSr 5-9 183
Derrick Green RB TCU Sr 5-11 234
Key matchups
Greg Pyke vs Aaron Curry
Hyundai Sun Bowl
No. 18 Stanford vs. North Carolina
2 p.m., CBS
Christian McCaffrey RB Stanford Jr 6-0 202
Solomon Thomas DE Stanford rSo 6-2 275
Johnny Caspers OG Stanford rSr 6-3 296
Michael Rector WR Stanford rSr 6-0 185
Conrad Ukropina K Stanford rSr 6-0 192
Zach Hoffpauir FS Stanford rSr 6-0 197
Dallas Lloyd SS Stanford rSr 6-2 213
Francis Owusu WR Stanford Sr 6-2 223
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Mitch Trubisky QB North Carolina rJr 6-3 220
Ryan Switzer WR North Carolina Sr 5-10 185
Nazair Jones DT North Carolina rJr 6-5 295
Jon Heck OT North Carolina rSr 6-6 300
Des Lawrence CB North Carolina Sr 6-0 185
Lucas Crowley C North Carolina Sr 6-2 290
Mack Hollins * WR North Carolina Sr 6-3 210
Caleb Peterson * OG North Carolina rSr 6-5 300
Bug Howard WR North Carolina Sr 6-4 210
T.J. Logan RB North Carolina Sr 5-10 190
Dominquie Green FS North Carolina rSr 5-11 190
Mikey Bart DE North Carolina Sr 6-3 270
Dan Mastromatteo FB North Carolina rSr 6-2 235
Nick Weiler K North Carolina Sr 6-0 190
Key matchups
Johnny Caspers vs Nazair Jones
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Nebraska vs. No. 21 Tennessee
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Nathan Gerry SS Nebraska Sr 6-2 220
Cethan Carter TE Nebraska Sr 6-3 240
Tommy Armstrong Jr. QB Nebraska rSr 6-1 220
Jordan Westerkamp * WR Nebraska rSr 5-11 200
Josh Banderas OLB Nebraska Sr 6-3 240
Alonzo Moore WR Nebraska rSr 6-1 195
Terrell Newby RB Nebraska Sr 5-10 200
Sam Cotton TE Nebraska rSr 6-4 250
Brandon Reilly WR Nebraska rSr 6-2 200
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Derek Barnett DE Tennessee Jr 6-3 265
Cameron Sutton CB Tennessee Sr 5-11 186
Joshua Dobbs QB Tennessee Sr 6-3 210
Jalen Reeves-Maybin * OLB Tennessee Sr 6-0 230
Danny OBrien * DT Tennessee rSr 6-2 301
Corey Vereen DE Tennessee Sr 6-2 249
Malik Foreman CB Tennessee Sr 5-10 190
Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl
South Alabama vs. Air Force
5:30 p.m., Campus Insiders
Gerald Everett TE South Alabama rSr 6-3 240
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Weston Steelhammer SS Air Force Sr 6-1 200
Jalen Robinette WR Air Force Sr 6-3 215
Ryan Watson OLB Air Force Sr 6-3 230
Key matchups
Gerald Everett vs Weston Steelhammer
Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Michigan vs. No. 11 Florida State
8 p.m., ESPN
Jabrill Peppers OLB Michigan rSo 6-0 205
Taco Charlton DE Michigan Sr 6-5 272
Chris Wormley DT Michigan rSr 6-5 302
Jake Butt TE Michigan Sr 6-5 250
Jourdan Lewis CB Michigan Sr 5-10 186
Amara Darboh WR Michigan rSr 6-1 215
Ryan Glasgow DT Michigan rSr 6-3 299
Erik Magnuson OT Michigan rSr 6-5 305
Jehu Chesson WR Michigan rSr 6-2 203
Channing Stribling CB Michigan Sr 6-1 175
De'Veon Smith RB Michigan Sr 5-11 228
Ben Gedeon ILB Michigan Sr 6-2 247
Kyle Kalis OG Michigan rSr 6-4 305
Ben Braden OG Michigan rSr 6-5 335
Delano Hill FS Michigan Sr 6-0 215
Dymonte Thomas SS Michigan Sr 6-1 199
Jeremy Clark * CB Michigan rSr 6-3 206
Kenny Allen P Michigan rSr 6-3 222
Matthew Godin DT Michigan rSr 6-5 294
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Dalvin Cook RB Florida State Jr 5-11 206
DeMarcus Walker DE Florida State Sr 6-2 273
Roderick Johnson OT Florida State Jr 6-6 308
Travis Rudolph WR Florida State Jr 6-1 189
Marquez White CB Florida State Sr 6-0 181
Derrick Nnadi DT Florida State Jr 6-1 303
Freddie Stevenson FB Florida State Sr 6-0 243
Nate Andrews * SS Florida State Sr 5-11 210
Kermit Whitfield WR Florida State Sr 5-8 180
Kareem Are OG Florida State rSr 6-5 334
Chris Casher DE Florida State rSr 6-3 256
Jesus Wilson * WR Florida State Sr 5-10 186
Sean Maguire * QB Florida State rSr 6-2 223
Ryan Green CB Florida State Sr 5-10 205
Key matchups
Roderick Johnson vs Taco Charlton
Dalvin Cook vs Jabrill Peppers
Erik Magnuson vs DeMarcus Walker
Travis Rudolph vs Jourdan Lewis & Channing Stribling
Marquez White vs Amara Darboh & Jehu Chesson
Dec. 31
Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl
No. 20 LSU vs. No. 13 Louisville
11 a.m., ABC
Leonard Fournette RB LSU Jr 6-1 230
Jamal Adams SS LSU Jr 6-0 211
Ethan Pocic C LSU Sr 6-6 309
Tre'Davious White CB LSU Sr 5-11 192
Kendell Beckwith * ILB LSU Sr 6-2 252
Duke Riley OLB LSU Sr 6-0 227
Malachi Dupre WR LSU Jr 6-2 190
Ed Paris CB LSU Jr 6-0 210
Travin Dural WR LSU rSr 6-2 203
Davon Godchaux DT LSU Jr 6-4 293
Lewis Neal DE LSU Sr 6-1 264
Rickey Jefferson * FS LSU Sr 5-11 206
Josh Boutte OG LSU Sr 6-4 342
Dwayne Thomas CB LSU rSr 6-0 186
Tashawn Bower DE LSU Sr 6-4 242
Colin Jeter TE LSU Sr 6-6 245
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Devonte Fields OLB Louisville rSr 6-3 242
Josh Harvey-Clemons SS Louisville rSr 6-4 228
Keith Kelsey ILB Louisville Sr 6-0 236
James Quick WR Louisville Sr 6-0 182
Cole Hikutini TE Louisville Sr 6-4 248
DeAngelo Brown DT Louisville rSr 6-0 310
Colin Holba LS Louisville rSr 6-4 245
Jamari Staples WR Louisville rSr 6-3 195
Brandon Radcliff RB Louisville rSr 5-9 210
Khalil Hunter OG Louisville Sr 6-3 304
Keith Towbridge TE Louisville Sr 6-4 265
Tobijah Hughley C Louisville rSr 6-2 295
Ja'Quay Savage WR Louisville rSr 6-2 210
Key matchups
Ethan Pocic vs DeAngelo Brown
Tre'Davious White vs James Quick
TaxSlayer Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky
11 a.m., ESPN
Freddie Burden C Georgia Tech rSr 6-3 299
P.J. Davis ILB Georgia Tech Sr 5-11 230
Justin Thomas RB Georgia Tech rSr 5-11 185
Patrick Gamble DT Georgia Tech rSr 6-4 277
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Jon Toth C Kentucky rSr 6-5 310
Marcus McWilson FS Kentucky Sr 6-0 208
Courtney Miggins DE Kentucky Sr 6-4 252
College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 1 Alabama
3 p.m., ESPN
John Ross WR Washington rJr 5-11 190
Sidney Jones CB Washington Jr 6-0 181
Vita Vea DT Washington rSo 6-4 332
Budda Baker FS Washington Jr 5-10 192
Elijah Qualls DT Washington rJr 6-1 321
Kevin King CB Washington Sr 6-3 192
Jake Eldrenkamp OG Washington rSr 6-5 297
Psalm Wooching OLB Washington rSr 6-3 231
Joe Mathis * DE Washington Sr 6-2 255
Darrell Daniels TE Washington Sr 6-3 246
Cameron Van Winkle K Washington Sr 5-10 186
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Jonathan Allen DE Alabama Sr 6-3 291
Marlon Humphrey * CB Alabama rSo 6-1 196
Cam Robinson OT Alabama Jr 6-6 310
Reuben Foster ILB Alabama Sr 6-1 236
Tim Williams OLB Alabama Sr 6-3 252
O.J. Howard TE Alabama Sr 6-6 251
Ryan Anderson OLB Alabama rSr 6-2 253
Eddie Jackson * SS Alabama Sr 6-0 194
Da'Shawn Hand DE Alabama Jr 6-4 280
Dalvin Tomlinson DT Alabama rSr 6-2 305
Dakota Ball FB Alabama rSr 6-2 268
Adam Griffith K Alabama rSr 5-10 191
Cole Mazza LS Alabama Sr 6-2 235
Gehrig Dieter WR Alabama rSr 6-2 207
Key matchups
John Ross vs Marlon Humphrey
Vita Vea & Elijah Qualls vs Cam Robinson
Jake Eldrenkamp vs Dalvin Tomlinson
College Football Playoff semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Clemson
7 p.m., ESPN
Pat Elflein C Ohio State rSr 6-2 300
Curtis Samuel WR Ohio State Jr 5-11 200
Gareon Conley CB Ohio State rJr 6-0 195
Tyquan Lewis DE Ohio State rJr 6-3 260
Corey Smith WR Ohio State rSr 6-0 188
Cameron Johnston P Ohio State Sr 5-11 195
Dontre Wilson WR Ohio State Sr 5-10 195
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Mike Williams WR Clemson rJr 6-3 225
Deshaun Watson QB Clemson Jr 6-2 215
Carlos Watkins DT Clemson rSr 6-3 305
Cordrea Tankersley CB Clemson Sr 6-0 200
Jordan Leggett TE Clemson Sr 6-5 258
Tyrone Crowder OG Clemson rJr 6-2 340
Wayne Gallman RB Clemson rJr 6-0 215
Artavis Scott WR Clemson Jr 5-10 190
Jadar Johnson SS Clemson Sr 6-0 210
Jay Guillermo C Clemson rSr 6-2 310
Ben Boulware ILB Clemson Sr 6-0 235
Key matchups
Pat Elflein vs Carlos Watkins
Curtis Samuel vs Cordrea Tankersley
Gareon Conley vs Mike Williams
Jan. 2
Outback Bowl
No. 17 Florida vs. Iowa
1 p.m., ABC
Teez Tabor CB Florida Jr 6-0 201
Jarrad Davis ILB Florida Sr 6-1 238
Caleb Brantley DT Florida rJr 6-2 297
Marcus Maye * FS Florida rSr 5-11 216
Bryan Cox DE Florida rSr 6-3 269
Joey Ivie DT Florida Sr 6-3 301
Austin Appleby QB Florida rSr 6-4 240
Daniel McMillian OLB Florida Sr 6-1 223
Ahmad Fulwood WR Florida Sr 6-3 208
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Desmond King CB Iowa Sr 5-10 203
Jaleel Johnson DT Iowa rSr 6-3 310
C.J. Beathard QB Iowa rSr 6-2 215
Cole Croston OT Iowa rSr 6-5 307
Greg Mabin * CB Iowa rSr 6-1 200
George Kittle TE Iowa rSr 6-4 250
LeShun Daniels Jr. RB Iowa Sr 5-11 225
Key matchups
Cole Croston vs Bryan Cox
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 15 Western Michigan vs. No. 8 Wisconsin
1 p.m., ESPN
Corey Davis WR Western Michigan Sr 6-3 213
Taylor Moton OT Western Michigan rSr 6-5 328
Keion Adams DE Western Michigan Sr 6-2 245
Zach Terrell QB Western Michigan rSr 6-1 204
Justin Ferguson FS Western Michigan rSr 6-1 203
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Ryan Ramczyk OT Wisconsin rJr 6-5 314
Corey Clement RB Wisconsin Sr 5-10 227
Vince Biegel OLB Wisconsin rSr 6-4 245
Dare Ogunbowale RB Wisconsin rSr 5-11 205
Sojourn Shelton CB Wisconsin Sr 5-9 170
Bart Houston QB Wisconsin rSr 6-3 235
Leo Musso SS Wisconsin rSr 5-10 194
Robert Wheelwright WR Wisconsin Sr 6-2 211
Key matchups
Corey Davis vs Sojourn Shelton
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual
No. 9 USC vs. No. 5 Penn State
5 p.m., ESPN
JuJu Smith-Schuster WR Southern California Jr 6-2 220
Adoree' Jackson CB Southern California Jr 5-11 185
Chad Wheeler OT Southern California rSr 6-6 310
Zach Banner OG Southern California rSr 6-8 360
Justin Davis * RB Southern California Sr 6-1 200
Darreus Rogers WR Southern California rSr 6-1 215
Stevie Tu'ikolovatu DT Southern California rSr 6-1 320
Taylor McNamara TE Southern California rSr 6-5 245
Michael Hutchings OLB Southern California Sr 6-1 218
Jabari Ruffin OLB Southern California rSr 6-2 245
De'Quan Hampton WR Southern California Sr 6-3 225
Leon McQuay III SS Southern California Sr 6-1 195
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Chris Godwin WR Penn State Jr 6-1 205
Brandon Bell OLB Penn State Sr 6-1 233
Brian Gaia C Penn State rSr 6-3 295
Nyeem Wartman-White * ILB Penn State rSr 6-1 248
Evan Schwan DE Penn State rSr 6-5 253
Paris Palmer * OT Penn State Sr 6-7 305
Malik Golden SS Penn State rSr 6-0 205
Key matchups
Adoree' Jackson vs Chris Godwin
Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 14 Auburn vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Carl Lawson DE Auburn rJr 6-2 253
Daniel Carlson K Auburn rJr 6-3 218
Montravius Adams DT Auburn Sr 6-3 309
Braden Smith OG Auburn Jr 6-5 300
Johnathan Ford FS Auburn Sr 5-11 204
Alex Kozan OG Auburn rSr 6-3 310
Joshua Holsey CB Auburn rSr 5-11 195
Robert Leff OT Auburn rSr 6-6 299
Tony Stevens WR Auburn Sr 6-4 212
T.J. Neal ILB Auburn rSr 6-0 235
Devaroe Lawrence DT Auburn Sr 6-2 303
Marcus Davis * WR Auburn Sr 5-9 180
Marshall Taylor CB Auburn rSr 6-2 191
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Dede Westbrook * WR Oklahoma Sr 5-11 175
Samaje Perine RB Oklahoma Jr 5-10 235
Charles Walker DT Oklahoma rJr 6-2 304
Ahmad Thomas FS Oklahoma Sr 6-0 215
Jordan Evans ILB Oklahoma Sr 6-2 235
Jordan Wade DT Oklahoma rSr 6-2 310
Matt Dimon * DE Oklahoma Sr 6-2 275
Geno Lewis WR Oklahoma rSr 6-1 205
Dakota Austin CB Oklahoma Sr 5-10 170
Jan. 7
NCAA FCS Championship
James Madison vs. Youngstown State
Noon, ESPN2
Mitchell Kirsch OT James Madison rSr 6-5 300
Khalid Abdullah RB James Madison Sr 5-10 220
Taylor Reynolds CB James Madison rSr 5-11 195
Raven Greene FS James Madison Sr 5-11 205
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Derek Rivers DE Youngstown State Sr 6-4 255
Avery Moss DE Youngstown State rSr 6-3 265
LeRoy Alexander SS Youngstown State rSr 6-0 195
Jody Webb RB Youngstown State rSr 5-8 175
David Rivers III CB Youngstown State Sr 6-1 185
Martin Ruiz RB Youngstown State Sr 5-11 205
I always include a mock and will include a mini-off season plan too.
The Vikings are now in the #14 spot but could end up as high as #9. I'll leave them at #14 for this exercise.
According to spotrac the Vikings have about 25.822 mil in cap space.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/cap/2017/
The cuts that I see most likely to happen are Adrian Peterso, Sharrif Floyd, Brandon Fusco, Jarius Wright, & Emmanuel Lamur,.
Released Adrian Peterson - (Saved: $18,000,000)
Released Sharrif Floyd - (Saved: $6,757,000)
Released Brandon Fusco - (Saved: $3,200,000)
Released Jarius Wright - (Saved: $1,480,000)
Released Emmanuel Lamur - (Saved: $2,750,000)
This would give the Vikings 58 mil in cap space.
I can also envision the Vikings approaching Brian Robison about a reduction in salary. He will be entering his last season and is set to make 5.6 mil with a 6.6 mil cap hit. He has played very well this year though. 5.6 mil is a bargain if he is able to repeat his performance from this season. But he turns 34 in April and Hunter looks more than ready to take on more snaps. Is it worth 5.6 mil to have Robison backing up Hunter and will he be happy? The Vikings need depth and may not draft a DE or sign one in free agency. This is a tough call because I do not like having players on the team with a decent cap hit and no future years of service secured. I would say that he could be a cap casualty eventually. But should you do that to a player that has been a good player for the Vikings over the years? I would say no. He stays in this plan.
Andrew Sendejo is another player that they could look at to save some money. But for 3 mil he is not too high of a cap hit even if he is only a backup.
There are some other players that do not make much that could get cut but they would be replaced by similarly valued players most likely.
And lastly, there could be a chance that Joe Berger retires but I have not read anything about that happening.
So with 58 mil the Vikings could be very active in free agency. The offensive line free agents may prove to be not very attractive. I think Kevin Zeitler, Riley Reiff, Ricky Wagner, Menelik Watson, and Larry Warford all are likely candidates to stay with their teams.
That leaves Andew Whitworth, Sebastian Vollmer, & TJ Lang as veteran targets that I like. But it is going to be tough to get any of these players.
I also like Pierre Garcon, Latavius Murray, Nick Fairley, Tony Jefferson, and AJ Bouye.
I think the contracts would be ..
Andrew Whitworth for 2 years and 16 mil.
Sebastian Vollmer for 2 years and 10 mil.
TJ Lang for 5 years and 35 mil.
Pierre Garcon for 3 years and 18 mil.
Latavius Murray for 4 years and 20 mil.
Nick Fairley for 4 years and 18 mil.
AJ Jefferson for 4 years and 18 mil.
AJ Bouye for 4 years and 16 mil.
This adds up to 44 mil if you just average it out which would leave about 14 mil in cap space.
Now onto the draft.
2.14 Dede Westbrook WR Oklahoma
3.14 Connor McDermott OT UCLA
3.25 Chad Wheeler OT USC
4.14 Alvin Kamara RB Tennesee
4.25 Demontae Kazee CB San Diego State
5.14 Ryan Glasgow DT Michigan
6.14 Kyle Fuller OC Baylor
7.14 Tanoh Kpassagnon DE Villanova
Well there you have it.
Enjoy the bolws and Happy New Year!