Bowl game schedule today: Breaking down the four college football bowl games on Dec. 28

Thursday’s college bowl lineup features a quartet of games culminating in the first pairing of ranked teams this postseason.

We also get to explore burning questions like whether it’s a good idea to stage football games in venues built for baseball in cold-weather cities, and if wearable toaster pastries will become the next great wave in fashion for mascots. In more on-field related matters, it will be another busy day of watching around ACC headquarters with three more league members in action.

No remote is required – well, unless one or more of these games run long and the next one has to start on another channel, but you’ll just have to address that if the situation arises. Right then, let’s get to the matchups.

Fenway Bowl: No. 19 SMU vs. Boston College, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN

The American Athletic champion Mustangs have less of a beef with the CFP committee than, say, Florida State, but they are nevertheless somewhat aggrieved that they weren’t invited to the New Year’s Six party. Instead, they have to face future ACC opponent Boston College in its backyard, though it remains to be seen if there will be enough local fans in attendance to give the Eagles a true home-town advantage. BC’s 2023 campaign wasn’t exactly a smashing success, but nearly upending the eventual league champion Florida State and qualifying for their first bowl in three years might have quieted some grumbling.

Dynamic QB Thomas Castellanos proved to be a find for BC, accounting for 26 total TDs including 11 by land, though his ball security can be a concern. RB Kye Robichaux can help with that if he can also find room, but SMU DL Elijah Roberts and Elijah Chatman are backfield disruptors. Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings, who stepped in for injured starter Preston Stone to direct the AAC championship victory at Tulane, will again count on RB Jaylan Knighton for ground support. The BC defense had its third-down struggles, but LB Vinny DePalma and DB John Pupel will be in the action often.

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Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Rutgers, 2:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

This is likely another case of proximity not translating to a significant crowd edge, as any Scarlet Knights’ supporters in attendance will probably have come across the Hudson with the team. Even so, getting to six wins was a positive step in Greg Schiano’s second go-round at Rutgers. The Hurricanes undoubtedly aren’t as delighted to be here, and the squad that actually takes the field will be missing some familiar faces on both sides of the ball. Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke is transferring to Wisconsin, and DBs Kamren Kinchens and James Williams are NFL bound.

With backup QB Emory Williams also sidelined with an injury, the QB duties will fall to Jacurri Brown. He has not attempted a pass this season, but at least he’ll have reliable WR Xavier Restrepo as a target. The defense is the strong unit for the Scarlet Knights, led by LBs Deion Jennings and Mohamed Toure. The offense isn’t flashy, but RB Kyle Monangai is a steady producer alongside mobile QB Gavin Wimsatt. They both figure to have frequent encounters with LB Francisco Mauigoa, the centerpiece of the Hurricanes’ ground defense.

Pop-Tarts Bowl, No. 18 North Carolina State vs. Kansas State, 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

It was a mixed bag of a season for both these programs that could have been playing for their respective conference championships with a break or two. The Wolfpack finished on a five-game winning streak and were arguably the best team in the ACC at the end of the season, while the Wildcats won most of the games they should have but missed a late chance to take down Texas and dropped a weird regular-season finale to Iowa State in the snow.

The teams should have similar game plans, relying more on sound defense and ball security than big plays. Wolfpack QB Brennan Armstrong does, however, have an emerging playmaker in his arsenal in the person of WR Kevin ‘KC’ Concepcion. He’ll likely have the attention of K-State CB Jacob Parrish. The Wildcats’ offense will be in the hands of QB Avery Johnson with Will Howard in the portal. He’ll be without top deep threat WR Phillip Brooks, but N.C. State defensive mainstay LB Payton Wilson is also skipping the game for draft preparation.

Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN

The day’s aforementioned ranked matchup could mean a top-10 finish for the winner. To a certain extent, both teams overachieved in the fall. That’s especially true of the Wildcats, a 1-11 team just two years ago. The Sooners exceeded their lower-than-usual preseason ranking but stumbled after their huge rivalry win against Texas and weren’t able to play for the Big 12 crown. Arizona will have most of its key pieces in place for this bowl, most notably freshman QB Noah Fifita.

The potential future star of the Big 12 will look often for WR Tetairoa McMillan, but he’ll have to beware of Sooners DB Billy Bowman, who has swiped six passes returning three of them to the house. Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel is off to Oregon, so the spotlight will be on Jackson Arnold as he looks to make the most of this opportunity. He’ll be without several of his protectors, but freshman classmate WR Nic Anderson will do his best to help out. The Wildcats’ pass rush can be formidable, with DE/LB Taylor Upshaw leading the charge.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What college football bowl games are today? Four matchups to watch