Ranking the 10 best non-New Year鈥檚 Six bowl matchups
9. TransPerfect Music City Bowl: Auburn vs. Maryland
The Music City Bowl in Nashville always seems to have an intriguing matchup and this year is no different as Auburn will take on Maryland. Only three prior meetings have taken place between these programs, two of which were won by Auburn. The game on Dec. 30 will be the first time the Tigers and Terrapins play in four decades and should be one of the bowl games that is least impacted by player opt outs and transfers.
Auburn went just 6-6 in Hugh Freeze鈥檚 first year but came close to pulling off big upsets over Georgia, Ole Miss and Alabama. An experienced quarterback, Payton Thorne, gives them a chance in this one, and he will face off with another signal caller who is a multi-year starter: Taulia Tagovailoa. The younger brother of Tua Tagovailoa had Maryland off to an impressive 5-0 start before the Terps faltered down the stretch. Still, Maryland has an explosive offense that could give the Tigers problems as Taulia has thrown for 3,377 yards and 25 scores this season.
