Players to watch: Pre-Christmas bowls

Austin tied for the AAC lead in receiving touchdowns and second in yardage in a breakout season for the junior. In the middle of the season, there wasn't any receiver that was hotter than Austin -- he caught 37 passes for 731 yards and 5 touchdowns during a five-game stretch in October and November. Expect a great battle between the Memphis passing attack and the stout FAU defense in the Montgomery Bowl. 

Memphis faces Florida Atlantic in the Montgomery Bowl on December 23rd.

Tulane loves to run and they've got a couple of nice backs to do the heavy lifting. While Stephon Huderson gets more yards, it is Cameron Carroll that punches in the touchdowns. Carroll has rushed for 621 yards this season (just 100 behind Huderson) but tied for the AAC lead in TD runs with 11. Against Southern Miss earlier this year, he pounded out 163 yards and four total touchdowns in the win. 

Tulane faces Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22nd.

Cordeiro led the Rainbow Warriors in both passing and rushing in 2020, telling you that he isn't your typical Hawaii quarterback. Cordeiro doesn't put up the gaudy passing statistics that some of his predecessors did but he still runs a high octane offense that can pile up yards and put up points. He finished third in the Mountain West in passing yards and ninth in rushing. 

Hawaii faces Houston in the New Mexico Bowl on December 24.

Darden led the nation in receiving touchdowns with 19 and may go down as the best receiver in Mean Green history. He is North Texas' all-time leader in career receptions, career receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and those 19 TDs gave him the single-season mark for receiving touchdowns. If he pulls in 133 receiving yards in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, he will pass Casey Fitzgerald for the single-season receiving yard mark. 

North Texas faces Appalachian State in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 21st.

Gabriel trails only Florida's Kyle Trask in passing yards (3,353) and touchdown passes (30) and he's gotten better as the season has gone along. In the last six games, Gabriel has thrown for almost 2,200 yards and 21 touchdowns ... with his masterpiece being a loss to Memphis where he threw for 601 yards and 5 TDs. The matchup between him and BYU's Zach Wilson will be one of the best in all of bowl season.

UCF faces BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl on December 22nd.

Grubbs is a guy that you may hear about in a few years on Sundays. Grubbs, a freshman linebacker from New Orleans, came out of the gate aggressive, leading the team in tackles. He recorded 16 tackles in his first college game against Southern Miss, then twice had 12-tackle games later in the season. He's a player to watch for the next few years at La Tech. Expect to hear his name called quite a big as the Bulldogs head to Grubbs' hometown to play in the New Orleans Bowl. 

Louisiana Tech faces Georgia Southern in the New Orleans Bowl on December 23rd.

Linebacker Patrick Johnson has been solid this season. He led the nation in sacks (10), totaled 14.5 tackles for loss, had two passes defensed, and forced two fumbles. He was named to the All-AAC's first team, a perfect cap to a career that saw him record 24.5 sacks with the Green Wave.

Tulane faces Nevada in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22nd.

McCarthy, an edge rusher, led the Conference USA in sacks with nine (which is good for second, nationally) -- capping off a great Owls career. He is a bit smallish for a pass rusher, so the new coaching staff moved him from end to outside linebacker this season. He uses his speed and technique to break up plays and put pressure on the offense. FAU only allowed more than 20 points to an opponent once. 

Florida Atlantic faces Memphis in the Montgomery Bowl on December 23rd.

The Mountaineers have one of the best rushing attacks in the nation, with four players gaining at least 400 yards this season. Camerun Peoples led App State in rushing this season and tied for the team lead with 7 touchdowns. He's also shown an ability to come up big in important games. He ran for 178 yards and a TD against Coastal Carolina and rushed for 99 yards and a TD against Louisiana. 

Appalachian State faces North Texas in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on December 21st.

Robinson is near the top of the AAC in receptions and receiving yards, which is quite a feat since teammate Marlon Williams led the league in each of those categories. Williams declared for the NFL Draft and opted out of the remainder of the season which should turn Robinson into Dillon Gabriel's favorite target in the Boca Raton Bowl. Robinson is a big-play receiver who can turn a short gain into a huge gain. 

UCF faces BYU in the Boca Raton Bowl on December 22nd.

Stevenson has had an offseason by his standards. In just five games, he caught 20 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns ... which isn't bad but he had some subpar games this season (just one catch apiece in the two biggest games he played in: UCF and BYU). He enters the final collegiate game of his career with 24 career touchdowns and a drive to have a big game to end a trying season for the Cougars. 

Houston faces Hawaii in the New Mexico Bowl on December 24.

Strong was named the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year for the season. His 2,587 passing yards and 22 pass TDs led the conference and took the Wolf Pack to a 6-2 mark and a spot in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Strong is the first Nevada player to win a conference player of the year award since Colin Kaepernick won the WAC award in 2010. He's had two 400 yard games and three 300 yard games in the eight-game season. In last year's Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Strong threw for 402 yards and a touchdown in a loss to Ohio.

Nevada faces Tulane in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on December 22nd.

It is all about Shai Werts at Georgia Southern. Werts, the Eagles' quarterback, finished the regular season 7th in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns. He doesn't pass the ball much (he's only thrown more than nine passes once in the last five games) but he runs the Georgia Southern ground attack successfully. He did miss the Eagles' final two games of the season but is expected to be available for the New Orleans Bowl. 

Georgia Southern faces Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl on December 23rd.

If it wasn't for the statistical gymnastics that UCF's Dillon Gabriel and Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder are performing, Memphis' Brady White would be getting a little more shine. White threw for 3,096 yards and 28 touchdowns (fourth-best in the nation) and ran one of the nation's most potent offenses. Against UCF, he went toe-to-toe with Gabriel, throwing for 486 yards and six TDs in the win. White will go up against a Florida Atlantic defense that is one of the best in the nation. 

Memphis faces Florida Atlantic in the Montgomery Bowl on December 23rd.

Wilson had been a dark horse Heisman candidate for most of the year and maybe the best player you haven't watched. Wilson threw for 3,267 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions while rushing for 8 more TDs. Sure, the Cougars had the heart set on a New Year's Six bowl ... or even miraculously sneaking into the College Football Playoff ... so the Boca Raton Bowl may be a bit of a letdown for a program that had a fantastic season. Still, Wilson has played himself into being a possible top ten selection in the 2021 NFL Draft and should attempt to leave BYU with a bang. 

BYU faces UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl on December 22nd.