Must-see TV | Here are the top 10 college football bowl games with central Ohio ties
Over the next few weeks, college football fans will be able to binge watch 41 bowl games, and dozens of players from central Ohio will be competing.
Most of the bowls, including the three that are a part of the College Football Playoff, will be televised by ESPN.
Here are 10 games with local ties to watch during the college football bowl season:
1. Ohio State vs. Georgia: Peach (CFP semifinal), 8 p.m. Dec. 31
The Buckeyes’ regular season ended with a 45-23 loss Nov. 26 to Michigan, but they still landed a spot in the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed against top-ranked Georgia. The winner will play Jan. 9 in the national championship game.
It will provide another opportunity to play for 2019 Olentangy Orange graduate Zach Harrison, a defensive end who is in his fourth season with Ohio State. He was named first-team all-Big Ten by the conference media after recording 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries, four pass breakups, three sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception.
Another starter for the Buckeyes is 2020 Pickerington Central graduate Ty Hamilton, a nose tackle who has 12 tackles.
Jack Sawyer, a 2021 Pickerington North graduate, serves as a backup defensive end and was named honorable mention all-Big Ten by the league’s coaches. He has 23 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
The Buckeyes are 11-1 and Georgia is 13-0.
2. Cincinnati vs. Louisville: Fenway, 11 a.m. Dec. 17
With 1992 DeSales graduate Luke Fickell leaving Cincinnati to lead Wisconsin, the Bearcats won't have the head coach who helped elevate their program.
The Bearcats, who are 9-3, have sophomore Bryon Threats, a 2021 Dublin Coffman graduate, starting at safety. He has 53 tackles, three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Senior linebacker Ty Van Fossen, a 2018 DeSales graduate, is second on the team in tackles with 71 and also has 2.5 tackles for loss.
Junior Cayson Pfeiffer is a 2019 Dublin Scioto graduate who serves as long snapper, and sophomore Joe Huber is a 2020 Dublin Jerome graduate who starts at right tackle.
Fickell's successor, Scott Satterfield, had been the coach at Louisville. He won't coach either team in the Fenway Bowl, and the Bearcats will be led by former Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs.
3. Ohio vs. Wyoming: Arizona, 4:30 p.m. Dec. 30
There are 20 players from central Ohio competing for the Bobcats, who are 9-4 and back in a bowl game for the first time since 2019.
Senior linebacker Bryce Houston is a 2018 Orange graduate who has 72 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, junior linebacker Cannon Blauser is a 2019 Hilliard Bradley graduate who has 26 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss and junior safety Ben Johnson is a 2019 Pickerington North graduate who has 40 tackles.
Junior tight end Tyler Foster is a 2019 Pickerington North graduate who has 12 receptions for 175 yards and three touchdowns, and junior Jay Amburgey is a 2019 Reynoldsburg graduate who starts at left tackle.
4. Wisconsin vs. Oklahoma State: Guaranteed Rate, 10:15 p.m. Dec. 27
The Badgers lost two of their last three but became bowl eligible with a 15-14 win over Northwestern on Nov. 19. They are 6-6.
Junior Rodas Johnson, a 2019 DeSales graduate, and senior Isaiah Mullens, a 2018 Harvest Prep graduate, both start at defensive end. Johnson has 22 tackles and one sack. Mullens returned for the regular-season finale after missing six games and had one tackle to give him 11 on the season.
5. Eastern Michigan vs. San Jose State: Famous Idaho Potato, 3:30 p.m. Dec. 20
Winners of its last three, Eastern Michigan is 8-4 and has a pair of starters from central Ohio.
Mark Lee, a junior cornerback who graduated from Northland in 2019, has 25 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups.
Mitchell Tomasek, a 2021 Worthington Kilbourne graduate, averages 44.3 yards on 45 punts in his first season as the starter. He’s had 14 punts land inside the 20.
Junior Mikah Coleman, a 2020 Reynoldsburg graduate, has 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks as a defensive linemen.
6. Miami University vs. UAB: Bahamas, 11:30 a.m. Dec. 16
The RedHawks, who won their last two games to earn a bowl invitation, have nine players from central Ohio, including 2021 Westerville Central graduate Will Jados as the starter at left tackle.
Sophomore linebacker Dominic Nardone, a 2020 Dublin Jerome graduate, has 17 tackles, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.
Sophomore Reid Holskey, a 2020 Licking Heights graduate, also sees time on the offensive line.
7. Notre Dame vs. South Carolina: Gator, 3:30 p.m. Dec. 30
Sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. has built on a strong freshman season for the Fighting Irish.
A 2020 Pickerington Central graduate, Styles has 30 receptions for 340 yards and one touchdown. He also plays on special teams for Notre Dame, which is 8-4.
Zac Yoakam, a 2022 Upper Arlington graduate, has served as a kickoff specialist for the Irish.
8. Purdue vs. LSU: Citrus, 1 p.m. Jan. 2
The Boilermakers are in a bowl game for the second consecutive season after reaching the Big Ten championship game, where they lost to Michigan 43-22 on Dec. 3 to drop to 8-5.
Senior linebacker Kieren Douglas, a 2017 Pickerington Central graduate, is in his second season as a key player for Purdue after beginning his college career at Army. He has 39 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one interception.
Junior wide receiver Mershawn Rice, a 2019 Reynoldsburg graduate, has 21 receptions for 273 yards and one touchdown.
9. Air Force vs. Baylor: Armed Forces, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22
In the Armed Forces Bowl for the sixth time since 2007, Air Force and has a pair of central Ohio players in starting strong safety Camby Goff and offensive lineman Kaleb Holcomb.
Goff, a 2019 Reynoldsburg graduate, has 39 tackles, nine pass breakups and three interceptions.
Holcomb has been a contributor for two seasons for the Falcons, who are 9-3.
10. Michigan vs. TCU: Fiesta (CFP semifinal), 4 p.m. Dec. 31
The other College Football Playoff semifinal also will have a central Ohio connection, with the Wolverines having a pair of central Ohio natives in Brad Robbins and Joey Velazquez.
Robbins, a 2017 Westerville South graduate, is in his third season as Michigan’s punter and holder. During the team's 13-0 start, he has averaged 42 yards per punt and landed 13 inside the 20.
Velazquez, a 2019 DeSales graduate, has been at special teams throughout most of his college career, with some time also spent at middle linebacker.
Other central Ohio players to watch
Sophomore Nick Rosi is a 2018 Olentangy Liberty graduate who is in his second season as a starting offensive lineman for Toledo, which plays Liberty on Dec. 20 in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Junior defensive tackle DeWayne Carter is a 2019 Pickerington Central graduate who was named second-team all-ACC for Duke, which plays UCF in the Military Bowl on Dec. 28.
Sophomore tight end Luke Lachey, a 2020 Grandview Heights graduate, has 25 catches for 362 yards and three touchdowns for Iowa as it heads into the Music City Bowl on Dec. 31 against Kentucky.
Junior safety Julius Wood is a 2021 Walnut Ridge graduate who has 83 tackles and two interceptions for East Carolina, which plays Coastal Carolina on Dec. 27 in the Birmingham Bowl.
Senior defensive lineman Thomas Rush is a 2018 Marysville graduate who has 31 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for Minnesota, which faces Syracuse on Dec. 29 in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Other special teamers who will play in bowl games include 2017 DeSales graduate Chris Stoll of Penn State and 2018 Olentangy graduate James Rosenberry of Florida State − both of them are long snappers − and 2019 Westerville Central graduate Jacob Borcila, who is the kicker for Kansas. Florida State plays Oklahoma on Dec. 29 in the Cheez-It Bowl, Kansas plays Arkansas on Dec. 28 in the Liberty Bowl and Penn State faces Utah on Jan. 2 in the Rose Bowl.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Top 10 college football bowl games with Columbus-area ties
