Players to watch: Playoff and New Year's Six bowls

Allen emerged as one of the best defensive players in the nation. He won the Bronko Nagurski Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Lott Award and was a consensus All-American. He had 14 sacks and five forced fumbles this season and will be a sure-fire first-round pick in the NFL Draft. 

Kentucky faces Penn State in the Citrus Bowl. 

Baker is a consensus All-American who won this year's Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back. He recorded 40 tackles this season while intercepting two passes and is a big reason the Dawgs boasted one of the nation's better defenses. Playing against a dynamic Texas offense in the Sugar Bowl, he should get plenty of opportunities to make plays. 

Georgia faces Texas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

Just like the quarterback he'll be going up against, Book took over as the starter early in the season and added a passing dimension that the offense didn't have. Book has completed 70 percent of his passes this year for 2,468 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. Of the four playoff quarterbacks, he is the least likely to put up video game-type numbers, but he runs his offense as good as any of them. He's also mobile enough to be a moving target against that great Clemson front line. 

Notre Dame faces Clemson in the College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. 

Buff-Kirven led the nation in total tackles with 165. The All-American linebacker picked off two passes, recorded one sack and forced four fumbles. The senior was named the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year. 

Washington faces Ohio State in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Campbell caught 79 passes for 992 yards and 11 touchdowns, but when he puts up big games...he really puts up big games. Against Michigan, he caught six passes for 192 yards (a 32-yard-per-catch average) and two touchdowns. He had four games where he caught at least eight passes and emerged as Dwayne Haskins' favorite target. 

Ohio State faces Washington in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. 

Ehlinger has had a great sophomore season. What Longhorn fans have to love is how he performs in big games. In the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma, he threw for 349 yards and two passing touchdowns and had two rushing touchdowns. He was big in the first matchup with the Sooners (386 total yards, five total TDs) and against West Virginia (406 total yards, four total TDs). His Sugar Bowl matchup with Georgia will be his biggest yet. 

Texas faces Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

Etienne led the ACC and finished fifth nationally in rushing yards (1,463) for the undefeated Tigers. His 21 rushing scores trail only FAU's Devin Singletary and Memphis' Darrell Henderson in the country. With Trevor Lawrence spreading defenses with his passing ability, it has allowed Etienne to run against defenses whose sole purpose was to stuff him. As Clemson navigates through the Playoff, Etienne will get a lot of touches. 

Clemson faces Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. 

Franks greatly improved in his sophomore season, taking better care of the ball and making more plays with his arm. This year he threw for 2,284 yards and 23 touchdowns while throwing just six interceptions. (Last year he threw nine TDs and eight picks.) He's also been playing better as the season has gone along, throwing for 528 yards and six touchdowns over his last two games. 

Florida faces Michigan in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

The Rose Bowl is the final game in a brilliant career for Myles Gaskin. He became the first player in Pac-12 history to rush for 1,000 yards in all four seasons. In his senior season, he ran for 1,147 yards and 10 touchdowns and has run for over 5,200 yards and 55 touchdowns for his career. He's rushed for over 135 yards in three of his last four games. 

Washington faces Ohio State in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual. 

If this was any other year, Haskins would have brought the Heisman Trophy back to Columbus. He set Big Ten records with 4,580 yards and 42 passing touchdowns. If he passes for 420 yards against a good Washington defense, he would hit the 5,000 yard mark. (He passed for over 420 yards in three different games this season.) 

Ohio State faces Washington in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual.

Michigan's defense gets much of the hype (and it's what failed the Wolverines against Ohio State), but getting Higdon going seems to be a must for the Wolverines to have success. He had only three games this year in which he failed to rush for 100 yards...and two of them were Michigan's only losses. On the year, he's run for 1,178 yards and 10 touchdowns and has been a workhorse when called upon. 

Michigan faces Florida in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. 

Coming into the season, Noah Fant was the player Hawkeye fans were hoping would lead them to a Big Ten West title. Fant had a decent season, but it was Hockenson who emerged as Iowa's go-to tight end. He caught 46 passes for 717 yards and six touchdowns (he actually rushed for another) and won the Mackey Award for top tight end. With Fant skipping the Outback Bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, Hockenson should be the featured receiver. 

Iowa faces Mississippi State in the Outback Bowl. 

Humphrey has had a great season, catching 79 passes for 1,109 yards and nine touchdowns. If he catches a TD pass in the Sugar Bowl, he will be just the third receiver in Texas history with 80 receptions, 1,100 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in a season. He's caught at least one touchdown in four of his last five games, and his battle with Georgia's DeAndre Baker could be one of the best one-on-one matchups in any bowl. 

Texas faces Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

Jeudy is a first team All-American by catching 59 passes for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. His 18.7 yards per reception is second nationally for players with at least 50 receptions. He has allowed the usually run-heavy offense to be much more dynamic with quick-hitting scores and long gains, and he spreads out the defense. Last year, he caught a touchdown pass in both the College Football Playoff semifinal and championship game. 

Alabama faces Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl.

If you look back at Clemson in the last three College Football Playoffs, you will see that the quarterback position has been a big factor to how well the Tigers have performed. Freshman Lawrence earned the starting job early in the season and has added a downfield dynamic that was missing under Kelly Bryant. He threw for 2,606 yards with 24 touchdowns and just four interceptions but will be going up against a Notre Dame defense that may be better than he's faced all year. If Lawrence shines, the Tigers could be the team to beat in the Playoff. 

Clemson faces Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl

Love is the Fighting Irish's all-time leader in pass breakups, as he added 16 to his career total this year. He picked off one pass and had three fumble recoveries for the undefeated Irish and leads one of the nation's better defenses into the College Football Playoff. With Clemson's Trevor Lawrence on tap (with the top two Heisman Trophy vote-getters waiting on the other side of the bracket), Love will need to keep making plays for Notre Dame to win its first championship in 30 years. 

Notre Dame faces Clemson in the College Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. 

With McKenzie Milton out for the season, it is Mack's duty to finish off the Knight's second consecutive undefeated season. In the American Athletic Conference Championship Game, he threw for 348 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 yards and four touchdowns. He'll face a talented LSU defense in the Fiesta Bowl, so the coaching staff will spend the next few weeks expanding the playbook for him. 

UCF faces LSU in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. 

The Citrus Bowl will be the final game in McSorley's storied career at Penn State. He owns virtually all passing records in program history. This year was a bit down for him, but he is 347 yards away from hitting the 10,000 yard mark for his career. He'll go up against a tough Kentucky defense in his finale. 

Penn State faces Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. 

The spotlight is on. Murray has spent all season in the shadows and now is the brightest star in the sport. He started the year replacing a Heisman winner who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, with a baseball contract in his back pocket and other quarterbacks living in the national limelight. Now he is the Heisman winner and enters the Playoff facing the team many feel cannot be beaten. Everyone knows his name, and he's getting calls from those who want him to try to be a two-sport athlete. As if facing a Nick Saban defense with weeks to prepare isn't tough enough. 

Oklahoma faces Alabama in the College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl. 

OK, we're telling you to keep an eye on an offensive lineman, but it is warranted here. Powers led an offensive line for an offense that averaged 8.7 yards per snap...a record. The Sooners are the only team to rush for 40 touchdowns and pass for 40 touchdowns this season. They lead the FBS with 11.6 yards per pass attempt and are second nationally at 6.7 yards per rush. Oh, and all he's done is block for the last two Heisman Trophy winners. 

Oklahoma faces Alabama in the College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl. 

Sweat is part of one of the best defensive lines in the country — one that even gave Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa trouble when the two teams faced off. He's 6-foot-6 with long arms, the speed to blow by blockers and the agility to avoid chip blocks. He's an elite talent who you will hear from on Sundays. 

Mississippi State faces Iowa in the Outback Bowl. 

As the weather has gotten colder outside, Swift has been heating up. In his last six games, he's hit the 100-yard rushing mark in four games and has scored a touchdown in all but one (a blowout win over UMass where he rested). He's averaging 6.7 yards per carry and has been popping off huge runs all year long. In what should be a shootout against Texas, Swift could have another big game. 

Georgia faces Texas in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. 

Think about the last 13 months for Tagovailoa. He came in the second half of the College Football Playoff Championship Game last January and not only pulled off a stunning comeback but also threw an amazing walk-off touchdown pass to win the title. He won the starting job, and then for the first 12 weeks of this season he was about as good as could be, punishing teams and barely having to do anything late in games. In the SEC Championship Game, however, he had a bad showing (his two picks matched his total up to that point), and his banged up body finally knocked him out of the game. Jalen Hurts comes on to complete the comeback, putting yet another quarterback controversy out there. Then he finishes second for the Heisman Trophy that he seemingly had in the bag all season long. The point is that he's facing some real adversity as he enters the Playoff game against Oklahoma — he'll be coming off an injury and a bad start, knowing he could be pulled, and he'll be facing the quarterback who won the Heisman. How his mindset is could determine if the Crimson Tide repeats as national champs.  

Alabama faces Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff at the Capital One Orange Bowl. 

White is one of the best linebackers in the nation. The former running back excels at chasing down runners, does well in coverage and can go sideline-to-sideline as well as anyone in the nation. His agility allows his teammates to do their jobs and take a few chances, as he can help cover up mistakes. He's a likely early pick in the NFL Draft if he declares. 

LSU faces UCF in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. 

Sure, the last time we saw the Wolverines in action, they were getting bowled over by Ohio State. Before that, this was a defense that was one of the best in the nation. Winovich mans a defensive line that both stuffs the run and pressures the quarterback. (His 14.5 tackles for loss led the team.) He was named the Wolverines Player of the Year. 

Michigan faces Florida in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.