Most compelling individual matchups for bowl season

They say the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And though that may often be true, we beg one small exception: bowl season. While there are many great standalone contests this postseason, the matchups within the matchups are what truly make for some great football.

Las Vegas Bowl: Eno Benjamin vs. the Fresno St. defense

Benjamin is one of the most unsung running backs of the 2018 season, and the Bulldogs are the one of the most unsung defensive units of said season. Put ‘em together, and you’ve got a match made in postseason heaven. Benjamin leads the Pac-12 in rushing and rushing touchdowns, and even in a conference full of good running backs, it’s really not even close. With leading receiver N’Keal Harry sitting out to prep for the draft, look for Benjamin to have even more carries than usual. And while you’re at it, look for the Bulldog D to give him some trouble. Led by Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Jeff Allison, Fresno St. is quietly tied with Clemson — Clemson! — with the second-best scoring defense in the nation.

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Hamp Cheevers vs. Brett Rypien

Boston College is tied for first in the nation with 18 interceptions on the season, and Cheevers has seven of ‘em. That’s good enough to lead the nation and good enough to strike fear in the hearts of opposing quarterbacks. Rypien, however, doesn’t get rattled easily. He’s thrown seven picks all year, and paired with his 29 touchdown passes, is 11^th in the FBS in pass efficiency. The Broncos will probably do their best not to throw it Cheevers’ way, but some targets are inevitable and will make for a great battle.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Jonathan Taylor vs. Gerald Willis

It feels like Jonathan Taylor hasn’t made as many headlines this year as last, probably because Wisconsin failed to live up to expectations for the season. Pretty wild when you consider he’s a unanimous All-American, the nation’s leading rusher with a whopping 1,989 yards this season and just a flat out nightmare for whom opposing defenses have to specially plan. Enter Gerald Willis. The Miami defensive tackle is right up there with the Christian Wilkins’ of the world, but like Taylor, has been somewhat lost in the conversation due to the ‘Canes middling success. He’s capable of easily bypassing the opposing offensive tackle and getting straight to the ball carrier, often for a loss.

Music City Bowl: Rondale Moore vs. the Auburn Secondary

He’s one of the breakout stars of the 2018 season: the first true freshman consensus All-American since Adrian Peterson, the first All-American from Purdue in nearly a decade and the reigning Big 10 receiving leader. So how will Rondale Moore fare against the Tigers DBs? Auburn’s secondary has had its ups and downs this season, at times excelling against the pass but with a propensity to allow explosive plays. Moore is a huge reason for the Boilermakers' success this year, and if Auburn is to retain the slight edge it has in the game, the Tigers will need to figure him out quickly.

Peach Bowl: Lamical Perine vs. Devin Bush

Newly minted consensus All-American Bush is a matchup nightmare all over the field. Watching him anywhere on the gridiron is fun, but the most intriguing showdown in this game will be seeing how he handles the Florida run game, led by Perine. Perine and Bush are almost the exact same size, and they are both powerful and hard-hitting. Perine has the ability to make guys miss; Bush doesn’t miss often.

Cotton Bowl: Dexter Williams vs. Clelin Ferrell and/or Christian Wilkins

It’s hard to say whether watching someone with the misfortune of attempting to penetrate Clemson’s D-line constitutes a good matchup or an exercise in futility. Still, it will be interesting to watch Dexter Williams try. Notre Dame’s leading rusher has 941 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season — not too shabby — and has passed the century mark on four occasions this season. The good news for the Irish is he plays well against good teams, putting up some of his biggest numbers against Stanford and Virginia Tech. He also has one of the best offensive lines in the game; likely the toughest Ferrell and Wilkins will have faced all season. This could come down to a battle in the trenches, so it will be fascinating to see how often Williams can get to the second level.

Orange Bowl: Nick Saban vs. Lincoln Riley

The head-to-head battle of Saban v. Riley is easily the greatest coaching duel we’ll get to see this postseason: the seasoned veteran, whom we’ll probably remember as the best to ever do it, against the young upstart who’s had instant success. The defensive mastermind vs. the offensive expert. Riley has lucked into his success, at least to some degree, inheriting a Bob-Stoops coached team and playing back-to-back Heisman winners at QB — but there’s no question he can run an explosive offense and knows how to develop players. He looks every inch a candidate for long-term success as a head coach. As for Saban, Georgia’s Kirby Smart opened the door by exposing some of Bama’s (relative) vulnerabilities in the SEC Championship. Both teams are loaded with talent, so the schematic/coaching implications in the contest are huge.

Orange Bowl: Tua Tagovailoa vs. Kyler Murray

And speaking of talent in the semifinal…if Tagovailoa hadn’t sat out the second half of the SEC Championship, we might have had a different Heisman winner this year. Instead, the Heisman winner will be on the opposing sideline. When it comes to just the sheer numbers, Murray has Tagovailoa beat almost across the board. But Tagovailoa has that certain “je ne sais quoi,” an ability to create plays that leave you saying, “How did he just do that?” The Tide’s defense is undisputedly superior, but then again, it hasn't faced a team like Murray and Oklahoma. We could be in for a shootout of epic proportions.

Rose Bowl: Dwayne Haskins vs. the Washington defense

It’s a football matchup made in heaven. Haskins is the nation’s most prolific passer, averaging 352.3 yards per game. The Huskies are allowing only total 301.8 yards per game. So something’s gotta give. Washington’s secondary is, if not the best in the land, then close to it. If there’s a hole in the Husky defense, it’s the pass rush. It's issued just 21 sacks this season. While Haskins is a runner, per se, he does have the ability to be mobile and extend plays. When he has time, he’s dangerous — so the key for the Huskies is to apply pressure, and apply it early.

Sugar Bowl: Jake Fromm vs. Caden Sterns

Just last year Fromm was a freshman who cemented his standout status in the postseason, so it’s only fitting to see the Georgia QB go up against one of this year’s freshman phenoms in his 2018 bowl game. Caden Sterns has quickly emerged as a real weapon in the Longhorns secondary; he has 62 tackles this season and leads the unit with four picks. Georgia does rely a lot on the ground game, but when Fromm airs it out downfield, you can bet Sterns will be lying in wait.