Jan. 1 college bowl game live open thread

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. #18 Mississippi St. Bulldogs

Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL)

12pm ET, ESPN2

This is a bit of an under-the-radar game for draftniks.

Iowa has TE Noah Fant and EDGE Anthony Nelson to look at while MSU has a plethora of options for Los Angeles Rams fans to consider. DT Jeffery Simmons is likely gone before the Rams are on the clock, but EDGE Montez Sweat isn’t such a lock. He’ll have a flock hoping he falls to us wherever we end up picking. S Johnathan Abram and OL Elgton Jenkins will be in the mix throughout though. And LB Leo Lewis could be an interesting late add.

#14 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #12 Penn State Nittany Lions

Citrus Bowl (Orlando, FL)

1pm ET, ABC

If Simmons is likely gone before the Rams pick, UK EDGE Josh Allen is as likely if not more so. On the other hand, CB Derrick Baity, LB Jordan Jones and RB Benny Snell will populate some mid-round options. And S Mike Edwards could be a Day 3 play for the Rams.

For PSU, their draft class is punctuated (and perhaps completed) by CB Amani Oruwariye and WR Juwan Johnson. Of course that depends on whether or not RB Miles Sanders declares as a junior.

#11 LSU Tigers vs. #8 UCF Knights

Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ)

1pm ET, ESPN

Dear Lord in your infinite wisdom, please find a way to gift us ye wee Rams fans of glee a chance to root on ILB Devin White. He is good and just. He is just and good. Should ye find it wiser to spread his talents about the abroad (and let us yet humbly suggest the AFC as a fitting home to spread his seed), we pray that ye but ye offer us a Grant Delpit in the many years to come.

O Lord, Lord upon Lords, we ask this of ye.

But for real, one of those two would be really cool.

#6 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #9 Washington Huskies

Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)

5pm ET, ESPN

tOSU has the potential #1 overall selection in EDGE Nick Bosa and the potential #1 overall QB in Dwayne Haskins. For Rams fans though, DT Dre’Mont Jones and ILB Tuf Borland have to be key watches.

Washington S Taylor Rapp, CB Byron Murphy and LB Ben Burr-Kirven are all in the mix.

#5 Georgia Bulldogs vs. #15 Texas Longhorns

Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA)

8:45pm ET, ESPN

UT is going to fill in a TON of Day 2 and 3 slots. S Brandon Jones, WR Collin Johnson, DT Charles Omenihu and CB Kris Boyd are all likely Day 2 options with plenty of Day 3 plays such as EDGE Breckyn Hager, the younger brother of Rams ILB Bryce Hager.

As for Georgia...there’s almost too much to list. Two options that won’t stand out as much as others that could fit the Rams’ needs? S J.R. Reed and EDGE Jonathan Ledbetter. And as good as they are this year heading toward the draft, they’re about to up their game even higher. Head Coach Kirby Smart is building a supreme program in Athens with plenty of teams looking at QB Jake Fromm and even freshman backup dual-threat QB Justin Fields to change the landscape of the NFL and college game.