Bowl season is one of the best times in the entire sports calendar. Starting on Dec. 20, there will be a college football game on your television on all but four nights. It is better than your average college football Saturday because all of the good games are spread out, not jumbled together at the 3:30 pm or prime time slots.
The sad reality is that some bowl games are more entertaining than others. Some games make you want to run through a brick wall and others make you want to take a nap. These five games should make you want to run through a brick wall. They are exactly what bowl season is all about. Matchups, storylines, and tradition.
Here are five games you should be on the lookout for during bowl season:
Saturday, Dec 21 - Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl - SMU vs FAU 3:30 p.m. EST, ABC
Do you like points? Do you enjoying betting the over? Do you like Group of 5 matchups? If you answered yes to any of these, this is going to be the game for you. While I admit that it would be a lot more fun if Lane Kiffin was still coaching, the Lane Train has taken off for Oxford, MS and this will have to do. The Ponies of SMU average 43 points a game and have scored less than 35 points only TWICE this season. The Owls average a lousy 31.5 points per game, breaking 40 points in five different games.
Mix in the fact that it will be played in sunny Boca Raton, FL and both of these offenses are going to score at will. Do you think either of these defenses are going to make a stop? I do not think so. Whatever the game total is, bet the over. Bet the FAU team total over and bet the SMU team total over. I expect this game to be offense, trick plays, and a bunch of wacky SportsCenter (Not?) Top 10 plays.
Saturday, Dec 21 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - Appalachian State vs UAB 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN
If you fully believe in the Power 6 and the American is not considered a Group of 5 conference, these are two of the best Group of 5 teams in the country. Appalachian State is one of the better teams in the country and were just one Halloween loss against Georgia Southern away from playing in the Cotton Bowl. On the other hand, UAB is a program that was not even a thing four seasons ago, and has been bowl eligible each year since coming back.
Both teams played in their conference championship, with Appalachian State beating Louisiana by a touchdown and UAB getting throttled by FAU, 49-6. The Mountaineers may clearly be the better team in the game, but the Blazers have a real chance to prove their worth. While it may be less than ideal that a ranked conference champion is playing in the New Orleans Bowl against the second best C-USA team, both teams can have a showing out party in prime time on ESPN.
Friday, Dec 27 - Cheez-Itz Bowl - Air Force vs Washington State 10:15 p.m. EST, ESPN
These two teams could not be more of the polar opposite. Watching this game will confuse my brain every 10 or so minutes. Air Force is going to have the ball and be grinding yardage through the triple option. Two seconds later, Anthony Gordon is going to be throwing the ball 20 yards down field. These two offenses are the polar opposites of each other and watching it unfold will be glorious.
Now, this year's Cheez-Itz Bowl has a lot to live up to, as last year's ended in a 10-7 TCU win over Cal that included overtime, nine total interceptions, and 21 passing yards from TCU. If anything can live up to the hype, these two teams may be it. On top of everything, Mike Leach in a game against the troops after his summer class about football and war should lead to some interesting pre-game press conferences.
Wednesday, Jan 1 - Vrbo Citrus Bowl - Alabama vs Michigan 1:00 p.m. EST, ABC
This game has HUGE implications for both teams. Both teams have had disappointing season as they both expected to be in playoff. Both teams lost to secondary rivals (Michigan vs Wisconsin, Alabama vs LSU) and more importantly, both lost to their arch rivals (Michigan vs Ohio State, Alabama vs Auburn). This will be the first time in the history of the playoff without Alabama and as for Michigan... They have no history in the playoff.
A couple of storylines jump out. First, brand name vs brand name. Even if both of these teams were 7-5 and meeting in the Gator Bowl, the thought of Alabama facing Michigan just gives us an aesthetically pleasing game. Secondly, Alabama not being in a big time bowl game. The last time Alabama was not even in a BCS/NY6 bowl game, they ran over Michigan State 49-7. It was so bad that Alabama put in then backup A.J. McCarron in the game instead of SENIOR Greg McElroy. Lastly, Jim Harbaugh vs Nick Saban. Two of, if not, the two most scrutinized coaches in all of college football. The media coverage for this game is going to be centered around these two and more than likely be bigger than some of the NY6 Bowl games.
Wednesday, Jan 1 - Rose Bowl - Oregon vs Wisconsin 5:00 p.m. EST, ABC
I was begging for this game to happen from the second Wisconsin got into the Big 10 Championship game. Im not exactly sure why, but I feel like Oregon-Wisconsin is a Rose Bowl matchup that is good for the sport. Is it because of 2012's 45-38 game? Probably. But the only better Rose Bowl matchup I can think of is USC against Ohio State/Michigan.
After watching Oregon dominate Utah in the Pac 12 Championship and watching the first half of the Big 10 Championship, this is going to be a good game. A low scoring, grinding, gritty game from both teams have me dreaming of a 24-21 victory for one of these teams. Jonathan Taylor rushing against an Oregon team that only allows 3.2 yards per carry and Justin Herbert against a defense that allows less than 200 passing yards a game.
On top of all of this, nothing is better than the Rose Bowl. Nothing is better than seeing a Pac 12 team face off against a Big 10 team on New Years Day mid afternoon. Nothing is better than hearing Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling a big time game. The 2017 playoff semi-final with Georgia and Oklahoma was a lot of fun, but it just did not have the same feel. The Pac 12 vs Big 10 matchup is beautiful and will take over the entire college football world for three to four hours.