Mario Cristobal stays in Miami, 5% chance of winning CFP
After losing to SMU in November, Mario Cristobal explains how he kept his team together and focused on competing in the CFP.
The year 2026 has officially begun, and the college football season is coming to a close. But there’s time to enjoy one more day of bowl games before wrapping up the Bowl Subdivision with next week’s College Football Playoff semifinals and subsequent title game.
If you’re hoping for a big-name show, Friday’s lineup may not appeal to you. However, this list features several teams that participated in the U.S. LBM Coaches Poll, as well as some of the nation’s leading academic institutions. I’m hoping one of the primetime contests will be worthy of its spot in the bowl rankings, but I freely admit that some of them were way off the mark. This is Friday’s bowl menu.
Time/TV: 1 p.m. ET on ESPN in Fort Worth, Texas.
Reasons to watch: The final full day of bowl season begins with a pair of Lone Star State teams that don’t have much of a shared history. But those same two teams met in the First Responder Bowl two years ago, with the Bobcats winning a 45-21 decision. The 2025 campaign wasn’t a huge success for either program, but both should enjoy this opportunity. Unfortunately, Owls starting QB Chase Jenkins and reserve Drew DeVilliers have announced plans to transfer, leaving either Lucas Schielhorn or Patrick Clayton Jr., both of whom are rarely used freshmen, out of action. The Bobcats should have most of their key contributors, including QB Brad Jackson and WRs Bo Sparks and Chris Dorn.
Reasons why it may disappoint: Texas State produces a ton of long scoring plays, and the Owls tend to give them up. From a competitive perspective, this is certainly creepy.
Time/TV: 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in Memphis, Tennessee.
Reasons to watch: After finishing the season with double-digit wins and earning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the Cadets have another goal to accomplish: finishing the campaign in the top 25 rankings. The Bearcats briefly beat the polls themselves this fall, but ended the year with a four-game losing streak. With Cincinnati QB Brendan Thorsby in the portal, Brady Lichtenberg will start. He attempted only six passes, but completed four of them. Navy QB Blake Horvath will look to cap off his outstanding career on a high note, with the usual help from running back Alex Tekuza and fullback Eli Heidenreich.
Reasons why it may disappoint: That can’t be true. Even with most of its normal lineup in place, Navy usually wins not by a wide margin, but by performing better in the details. A close battle is expected here.
Time/TV: 8pm ET, ESPN, Charlotte, NC
Reasons to watch: His first year under Jake Dickert in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, definitely exceeded expectations. The Demon Deacons are currently closing out the year by giving their new head coach a mayonnaise bath. The Bulldogs won just one game in the SEC, but were within one point on other occasions. Wake QB Robbie Ashford wasn’t always an accurate passer, but he usually got the ball where it was needed. They will be without draft pick running back Damon Claiborne and breakout receiver Chris Barnes, who is in the portal. Mississippi State’s offense will be in the hands of freshman Kamario Taylor. He didn’t have much luck in his start against Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl, but he has some speed weapons at his disposal.
Reasons why it may disappoint: Wake’s most notable improvement this fall was defensively, which clearly wasn’t the case for the Bulldogs. It may be Deacon’s duty to ease the tempo, as Miss State may win the shootout.
Time/TV: 8pm ET, Fox, San Diego.
Reasons to watch: The non-Playoff Bowl calendar ends in San Diego, where the typically sunny weather could see the Wildcats and Mustangs put on an offensive showing. Most of the top producers from both teams should be in attendance. Arizona QB Noah Fifita was primarily targeted by WR Chris Hutson, and RB Ismail Mahdi led the ground game, rushing for 2,963 yards and 26 TDs. SMU counters with QB Kevin Jennings, who also has 26 scoring tosses but doubles that number with 10 picks a season. They spread the ball well, but TE Matthew Hibner is a valuable weapon in the red zone.
Reasons why it may disappoint: Hopefully this game pays off, but both teams have opportunistic defenses that take advantage of takeaways. It might help if those things happen early, like what happened to SMU during last year’s playoff appearance.
