5 things to know about the Peach Bowl

Need a brief primer before you attempt to watch all 40 bowl games this season? We’ve got you covered. Here are three things you need to know about the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

CHICK-FIL-A PEACH BOWL
Washington Huskies (12-1) vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (13-0)
Dec. 31, 3 p.m. ET
ESPN

– Alabama’s rushing defense has been the best in the nation all season and it’s just gotten better as the season has trekked on. It is allowing just 63.4 yards per game on the ground and only two TEAMS have gained 100 yards this season. The Washington running game has been the key to the Huskies’ offense thanks to Myles Gaskin, who has 1,339 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and Lavon Coleman, who is averaging 7.8 yards per carry and has seven touchdowns. The Huskies will need to establish some sort of running game to allow quarterback Jake Browning to operate.

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– Browning was a Heisman contender before struggling against some of the better defenses he’s faced, including USC and Colorado. He’s thrown for 3,280 yards, 42 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. But those interceptions came when Browning faced pressure from opposing defenses, which is what he’ll face against a stout Alabama defense. If there is a weak spot for Alabama — and there aren’t many — it’s in the secondary. The Tide is allowing 184.5 yards in the air per game, which is something Browning will need to exploit. But he’ll need to get the ball out of his hand quickly to keep away from that Bama defense.

Browning will rely heavily on top receivers John Ross, who caught 76 passes for 1,122 yards and 17 touchdowns, and Dante Pettis, who has 14 touchdown catches this season. Both players also are prolific in the return game with nine career return touchdowns between them.

– Jalen Hurts won the starting quarterbacking job early in the season and while there have been a few growing pains, he’s had the composure to keep the Tide undefeated. Hurts is a quintessential dual-threat quarterback, which will be a struggle for Washington, especially if they can’t slow Tide running backs Damien Harris and Joshua Jacobs. Hurts has thrown for 2,592 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also has 841 rushing yards and 12 scores. Hurts is looking to join Oklahoma’s Jamelle Holieway (1985) as the only true freshman quarterbacks to lead a team to a national title.

– This is the final game for Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, who recently accepted the head coaching position at Florida Atlantic. Kiffin has done wonders with the Alabama offense since coming aboard in 2014. The Crimson Tide have played in the College Football Playoff every season and each with a different quarterback. Last year, under Kiffin’s direction, quarterback Jake Coker had the best game of his season in the national championship against Clemson.

– Both of these teams excel off their opponents’ mistakes. Washington has forced 33 turnovers in 13 games and has a plus-21 turnover margin, which is No. 1 nationally. It has scored 112 points off turnovers this season and hasn’t lost a turnover in the red zone. Alabama has scored 123 points off turnovers this season. However, Alabama also has committed 19 turnovers as compared to Washington’s 12.

Mascot fight: Is an elephant against a husky really a fair fight? Maybe a pack of huskies could take down an elephant, but even then, it seems like a tough prospect.

Real predictions:
Graham Watson: Alabama 28, Washington 17
Nick Bromberg: Alabama 31, Washington 20
Sam Cooper: Alabama 31, Washington 24
Chris Herbert: Alabama 41, Washington 23

More college football from Yahoo Sports:

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!