Helmsman sports staff discusses end of college football season

The regular season is over, and the NCAA football bowl games and the playoff bracket has been determined. Memphis was selected to the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and will take on Iowa State Dec. 30.

Sports editor Jon Bell and sports reporters Jeremiah Graham, Caleb Hilliard and Abigail Warren have answered seven questions about bowl season. 

 

1.  Will Memphis win the AutoZone Liberty Bowl? 

 

Bell: I think it will be a close game because Iowa State is probably the best defense that the Tigers will see this year. I’ll give Iowa State the slight edge because they have faced teams like Oklahoma and TCU and will be ready for the Memphis offense. 

Graham: Yeah, I think the seniors are going to be motivated having a chance to play at home again. The defense has also picked it up over the past seven or eight weeks. I think they are just an overall better team. 

Hilliard: I think they will win. Iowa State had a good start to the season but fell off at the end. I think the Tigers are catching them at a good time. 

Warren: I think they will win the Liberty Bowl, but their offense will face a tough challenge against Iowa State. 

 

2.  Who should win the Heisman? 

 

Bell: Baker Mayfield has to be the winner. He’s the best quarterback in the nation on one of the best teams in the nation. 

Graham: At the start of the year, I was on the Saquon Barkley train, but I think now, you have to give it to Baker Mayfield. 

Hilliard: Bryce Love because of the impact he has had on his team. That team is supposed to be in a rebuilding year, but Love’s play made them a top 25 team. 

Warren: Baker Mayfield, because he has been instrumental in Oklahoma’s success this season. 

 

3.  Did the selection committee get the playoff right? 

 

Bell: Yeah, I think so. I might switch Georgia and Oklahoma, but that doesn’t make a big difference. 

Graham: I think Bama’s strength of schedule isn’t good. I know Ohio State lost big to Iowa, but they also had a lot of solid wins that put them over Bama. 

Hilliard: Yes, two SEC teams needed to be in. I would say Ohio State has a good season, but that loss to Iowa was bad. 

Warren: Yeah, I still would have liked to see Auburn in the top four because they beat Alabama, but I understand why they didn’t make it after the Georgia loss. 

 

4.  Which two teams will meet in the Championship Game, and who will win? 

 

Bell: I think it’s going to be an all SEC final with Alabama winning it all. I think they will get their defense healthier over the break and dominate that side of the ball. 

Graham: Clemson and Oklahoma. I think Clemson wins. They convinced me with the way they beat Miami. 

Hilliard: Alabama and Georgia. Go Dawgs. 

Warren: Georgia and Clemson. I like Georgia to win that game. 

 

5.  Which bowl game, outside of the playoffs, are you looking most forward to?

 

Bell: I am looking forward to the Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech Game because their mascots make it the Hokie Pokie Bowl. 

Graham: Ohio State and USC is the one for me. I am looking forward to the J.T. Barrett and Sam Darnold matchup. 

Hilliard: UCF and Auburn are two powered offenses, and it’ll be the first time UCF will face a good defense. It will be interesting to see how UCF plays. 

Warren: Miami and Wisconsin. They are two games that were highly ranked all season, and they barely missed the playoffs. It should be a good game. 

 

6.  Which player are you most excited to see in a bowl game?

Bell: I am curious to how Jake Fromm plays on this level as a freshman. Georgia has the talent to win it all, but he will have to play well. 

Graham: Ronald Jones from USC has been balling the last three weeks. You can make a case that he has been the second best back behind Love for the second half of the season. 

Hilliard: D’Andre Swift is the X factor for Georgia. He allows Nick Chubb to get some rest, and he brings in a different running style. 

Warren: Lamar Jackson against Mississippi State’s defense could be fun to watch. State is an unpredictable team, so it will be interesting to see them defend Jackson. 

 

7.  How do you think UCF will do against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl?

 

Bell: I think that Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson is going to go off against UCF. Their defense has not face a team like Auburn this season and Johnson is probably the best back they will face. 

Graham: I think it’ll be close, but I think Auburn will probably squeak away with a victory. 

Hilliard: It’s going to be a wakeup call for the UCF defense who was tested in the last two weeks of the season, allowing almost 100 points in the last two games. 

Warren: I feel like UCF has only played two really good teams. I think Auburn is going to run over them because they have played top teams all year.