Number 1 ranked Kentucky vs the NCAA competition hopefuls Georgia? Sounds like a recipe for a crushing defeat, specifically as Kentucky barely regained that coveted No. 1 berth on the standings for the first time in the previous 2 months. While the Wildcats are ahead of the standings and relishing an 11 game win streak, the Georgia Bulldogs can best be termed sporadic thus far in the season.

Both these teams have been doing comparatively well this year. This shouldn’t be an unanticipated to anybody as these two colleges are well known for their share of wins in basketball for many years. Both these teams will be at it out on the court on January 9, when Western Virginia visits Connecticut.

The Jan 9 – Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game still has its own type of anticipation, even though this particular matchup might not have the same depth that its football version does. With the conference basketball year just under way, both the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys will make an effort to established the tone for the rest of their year with this game. In Oklahoma’s case, they are going to be trying to continue what has been a great start as they ended the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record.

On Jan 8th, postseason college football comes to Mobile, AL when the Red Wolves face the Northern Illinois Huskies at the GoDaddy.com Bowl. Both squads arrive in the game with rookie head coaches with the Huskies headed by first-year head coach Dave Doeren. Temporary head coach David Gunn who has been the running backs coach all year heads the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Arkansas State has opted for Gus Malzahn who will take the reins after the year ends. The take from the sports book is Arkansas State (-1 ½) with an over-under established at 63 points.

It is not simply the Division I-A schools receiving face time on ESPN, on January seventh the NCAA Division I-AA Tournament game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. The Bison take on the Sam Houston Bearkats in a fight of the two best small colleges in the country. Both the Sam Houston Bearkats and the Bison have steamrolled their competition all year long and both are additionally arriving into play with similar styles on offense. As the defenses are going to get a workout, expect plenty of running and plenty of first downs by each squad. The sportsbook is having a difficult time with this one as the line presently stands at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under set at 46.

Birmingham, AL plays host to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Pitt Panthers taking on the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Pitt Panthers come in following the one-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching position at Arizona State, Graham quit his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will wear the headset for the Pitt Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into play with the threat of the “Death Penalty” handed down in the 1980′s still being talked about today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is already in his fourth year on the side lines of SMU. The gambling line has this established at Pittsburgh (-3) with the over-under of 47 points.

It all comes down to this as the #1 rated Tigers face the #2 rated Crimson Tide in the BCS National Tournament Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January ninth. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this game, winning the national tournament in 2009 and additionally winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is additionally no stranger at this moment as he’s won the national tournament in 2007. 2 excellent teams and head coaches meeting on a collision course in what is sure to be an amazing game. The oddsmakers currently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under scheduled at 40 points.

December 20th symbolizes the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl in St Petersburg, Florida with the Golden Panthers taking on the Marshall Thundering Herd. FIU comes into play with an 8-4 record along with a 5-3 record in the Sun Belt Conference. FIU averages 19.4 points per game on defense and 26.3 points per game on offense. With their return squad a constant risk to take it all the way, FIU also leads the country in punt return yardage. FIU is led by fifth-year head coach Mario Cristobal. Marshall comes into play with a 6-6 record that is 2nd in Conference USA. The Marshall Thundering Herd average a somewhat confusing 30.2 points per game on defense and 22 points per game on offense. Marshall Is led by 2nd-year head coach Doc Holliday.

The Louisiana Superdome comes alive on Dec. 17th when the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl begins. The San Diego State Aztecs face the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in a fight to the finish. The San Diego State Aztecs will show up with an 8-4 record plus a 4-3 record in the MWC. The San Diego State Aztecs average 24.4 points per game on defense and 29.8 points per game on offense. 1st year head coach Rocky Long will be leading the San Diego State Aztecs. The Ragin’ Cajuns come into New Orleans with an identical 8-4 record and a 6-2 record in the Sun Belt Conference. The Ragin’ Cajuns average 29.8 points per game on defense and 32.3 points per game on offense. 1st year head coach Mark Hudspeth will be leading Luisiana-Lafayette.

December 17th is marked on the calendar for the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Owls face the Cowboys in this clash of two great squads. The Owls come into play with an 8-4 record and a 5-3 record, which is great for second in the MAC. Arriving in third in the Mountain West Conference, the Wyoming Cowboys additionally have an 8-4 record with a 5-2 record. With near-identical records, this game should prove to go right down to the last whistle. Temple enters into the game averaging 30.1 ppg on offense with an outstanding 13.8 ppg on defense which ranks third in the nation. As the Wyoming Cowboys average 27 ppg on both sides of the ball, Wyoming’s win-loss record isn’t indicative of their ratio of points.