The games and players we're most excited to watch this bowl season - ESPN

Now that we're the past the chaos of the weekend and the College Football Playoff being set between No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama, we look ahead to what the rest of the postseason is going to bring us, and there is no shortage of high-profile and exciting games.

We break down the games and players we are most excited to watch once bowl season gets underway on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Jump to: CFP | New Year's Six | The best of bowl season
Who has something to prove | Under-the-radar players

Blake Baumgartner: We've been here before with Texas and Washington. By the time the Allstate Sugar Bowl kicks off on New Year's Day night, 368 days will have passed since the first year of the Kalen DeBoer era in Seattle concluded with a 27-20 victory over Steve Sarkisian and Texas in the Valero Alamo Bowl. A track meet is likely to ensue in New Orleans with Michael Penix Jr. (FBS-leading 4,218 passing yards with 33 touchdowns) and Quinn Ewers (3,161 passing yards with 21 touchdowns) calling the shots for two of the most explosive offenses in the country, with Texas ninth (475.9 YPG) and Washington not too far behind at 12th (469.1 YPG). How much does last December's meeting in San Antonio play into preparation for this year's? I'm unsure, but it undoubtedly adds intrigue and should provide a fun watch with the Huskies (1991) and Longhorns (2005) looking to end long national championship droughts.

Mark Schlabach: What font will the asterisk next to Michigan's national title be if the Wolverines finally get it done? Arial? Comic Sans MS? Times New Roman? There will be a lot of college football fans across the country rooting for Alabama — as difficult as that might be for some — to beat the Wolverines in a