Players to watch: Pre-Christmas bowls

Bellamy's 1,172 yards led the Mid-American Conference this season, while his backfield mate Jamauri Bogan led the league in rushing touchdowns (15). In the Broncos' second to last game, Bellamy carried the ball 35 times for 213 yards and a touchdown in an overtime loss to Ball State. However, three of his last four outings saw him gain 52 or less yards...usually due to Western Michigan falling behind big and having to abandon the run. If Bellamy can be a factor, then the Broncos can win the Idaho Potato Bowl. 

Western Michigan faces BYU in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

Benjamin has been outstanding for the Sun Devils this year. He led the Pac-12 in rushing with 1,524 yards and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. Against Oregon State earlier this season, he ran for 312 yards and three scores in the win. 

Arizona State faces Fresno State in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl.

Brady has had a fine season, catching 66 passes for 914 yards and nine touchdowns, and he has a penchant for having some huge games. Against Texas-San Antonio last month, he caught six passes for 162 yards and a touchdown. He had an eight-catch day against Western Kentucky early in the season for 162 yards and two scores. 

Marshall faces South Florida in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.

Brown has been the Blazers offense this season. He ran for 1,149 yards and 16 touchdowns. He has nearly as many rushing attempts this season as the next four Blazers combined. Against Middle Tennessee in the Conference USA Championship Game, he ran for 156 yards and a touchdown. 

UAB faces Northern Illinois in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl.

Houston's season didn't end the way the Cougars had hoped. They lost three of their last four games, and their sensational quarterback D'Eriq King injured his knee and was knocked out for the season. With Ed Oliver sitting out to concentrate on his NFL career, the star power for Houston isn't there. Carr, who ran for 816 yards this year, will be relied on more to carry the Cougars offense. 

Houston faces Army in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. 

Defensive lineman Crosby was a first team All-MAC for the second straight season after recording 7.5 sacks and forcing five fumbles. He isn't the biggest guy to be a defensive lineman, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in his ability to use his speed to be a gifted edge rusher. 

Eastern Michigan faces Georgia Southern in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. 

Dortch caught 89 passes for the Demon Deacons, which tied for the ACC lead, and his 1,078 yards put him second in the conference. (His eight receiving touchdowns tied for second as well). He has had three games this year where he caught at least 10 passes and four games where he gained at least 120 yards. 

Wake Forest faces Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl. 

Ferguson leads the nation in sacks with 15 and has recorded 42.5 sacks over his brilliant career. He's one of the most feared pass rushers in the nation and one of the best at making big plays. He is 1.5 sacks away from tying Terrell Suggs for the all-time career mark. 

Louisiana Tech faces Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl.

Fields is just 41 yards away from a 1,000-yard rushing season and could get it against Eastern Michigan in the Camellia Bowl. Fields has been white-hot of late, running for 299 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games: wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia State. 

Georgia Southern faces Eastern Michigan in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl.

Fine is on the small side, but he has a big game. For two seasons, he has had the Mean Green offense near the top of the Conference USA. He topped his 4,000-yard season last year with a 3,734-yard outing this year while tossing 27 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In North Texas' opener, he completed 40 of 50 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns in a win over SMU. 

North Texas faces Utah State in the New Mexico Bowl

Henderson finished the season with 1,909 yards, second to Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor, and his 22 rushing touchdowns tied for tops in the country. He had nine games in which he ran for at least 130 yards — four games of at least 199 yards. He had multiple touchdowns in eight games. 

Memphis faces Wake Forest in the Birmingham Bowl.

Hopkins and running back Darnell Woolfolk lead a run-heavy attack that has led the Black Knights to a 9-2 record. Hopkins attempted just 90 passes all season with six going for touchdowns. Going into the Navy game, he threw for 895 yards and ran for 783 yards and 16 total TDs. 

Army faces Houston in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. 

Jackson won the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 2,857 yards and 27 touchdowns, and he added 165 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Jackson is huge (6-foot-7 and 245 pounds), which makes him difficult to bring down. His big arm has developed into a big weapon this season to a 10-win season. 

Buffalo faces Troy in the Dollar General Bowl.

Johnson's 93 catches were the second most in the Mountain West Conference this season, with his 1,307 yards placing third in the league. Aside from the Bulldogs win over Boise State in the Mountain West Conference Championship Game, Johnson has caught at least seven passes for 95 yards in six straight contests. 

Fresno State faces Arizona State in the Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl.

There isn't a quarterback in the nation who has experienced the kind of roller coaster season that Jordan Love has had. The Aggies quarterback would have a big yardage game followed by a statistically unimpressive game. Then it would cycle through again. That doesn't bode well for Utah State in the New Mexico Bowl, since the last time we saw Love he threw for 363 yards and three TDs against Boise State. Still, Love has thrown for over 3,200 yards this season with 28 touchdowns and five picks.  

Utah State faces North Texas in the New Mexico Bowl.

Mitchell is part of a trio of good backs who make the Ragin' Cajuns a tough team to stop on the ground. Mitchell is the scorer of the bunch, leading Louisiana with 12 touchdowns this season to go with his 951 yards. Trey Ragas gets more touches and led the team in rushing during the regular season. Raymond Calais is the big-play back who is averaging 9.1 yards per carry. 

Louisiana faces Tulane in the AutoNation Cure Bowl

The last time we saw Morgan and FIU, it may have been his worst game of the season (just 177 yards, two picks and no touchdowns in a loss to Marshall). In the seven games before that, he threw 18 touchdowns and just one interception. His 26 passing touchdowns set a school record. 

FIU faces Toledo in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.

The Bobcats boast one of the best offenses in the country, and it starts with quarterback Nathan Rourke. This season, he's thrown for 2,225 yards and 22 touchdowns and has run for 816 yards and 13 touchdowns. He's a classic dual-threat quarterback who has improved his passing in, this, his junior season. In Ohio's final game of the season, Rourke ran for 86 yards and four touchdowns against Akron. 

Ohio faces San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl. 

Stockstill is among the top 21 all time in passing touchdowns with 105 for his career. Two more touchdown passes in the New Orleans Bowl will tie him with Clemson's Tajh Boyd and Marshall's Chad Pennington for 18th all time. (Four more would tie him with Russell Wilson.) The Murfreesboro native threw for 28 touchdowns and over 3,200 yards this season. 

Middle Tennessee faces Appalachian State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Smith was third in the nation with 13 sacks, earning the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. He leads a Huskies defense that is among the best in the nation in rush defense (allowing just 107 yards per game). He was a first team All-American last year, becoming just the second Northern Illinois player to be a consensus All-American. 

Northern Illinois faces UAB in the Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl.

Thomas was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 1,862 yards and rushing for 476 yards and totaling 28 touchdowns. He did all that despite getting knocked out of a game early on and then missing the next game...plus having a game canceled due to Hurricane Florence. 

Appalachian State faces Middle Tennessee in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. 

Ursua finished the season fifth nationally in receiving yards with 1,343. He was sixth in receptions and led the nation with 16 touchdown grabs. Hawaii's offense has been high-octane, but he has been the main target for Cole McDonald and had seven games where he caught for at least 123 yards. 

Hawaii faces Louisiana Tech in the Hawaii Bowl.

Washington led the Aztecs in scoring but didn't capture the fans' hearts the way Donnel Pumphrey or Rashaad Penny did. Washington ran for 870 yards despite missing four games in the middle of the season. San Diego State has lost three straight games (and four out of five to end the season) after beginning the season 6-1. 

San Diego State faces Ohio in the DXL Frisco Bowl.

Wilcox earned All-AAC honors at the tight end position with his 40 receptions for 506 yards and two scores. His receptions and yards total set a school record for a tight end in a season, and he set the career yardage mark for the position. If he catches seven passes in the Gasparilla Bowl, he will break South Florida's career receptions mark. 

South Florida faces Marshall in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl. 

BYU has been a team that uses an ensemble cast rather than rely on any one player. (Six players have rushed for at least 100 yards this season with no one gaining more than 423.) Freshman Wilson took over as the starting quarterback midseason and has done a good job creating a balanced attack for the up-and-down Cougars. He threw for 1,261 yards and eight TDs while rushing for 198 yards and two scores. 

BYU faces Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.