Ranking all the bowl games, from 1 to 35
We assume everyone here will watch Notre Dame-Alabama. That's the final act of a great season, and the last time for about eight months we'll see a meaningful college football game.
And you'll probably watch games like the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. And maybe the Alamo Bowl and the Gator Bowl if you don't have anything going on those nights.
But as we get further down our rankings of the 2012-13 bowl games is where we separate the people who like college football pretty well from those who might need to get their heads examined.
[Pat Forde: College football's bowl season a jumbled mess]
Are you setting the DVR for East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl? How about canceling all plans with the significant other because you just can't miss Rice and Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl? Won't sit down to Christmas Eve dinner until the Hawaii Bowl between SMU and Fresno State is over? Well, we're with you.
Here are all 35 bowls, ranked from absolute must-see TV to must-see-a-psychiatrist if it's on your TV:
1. BCS Championship Game (Jan. 7, Miami): Notre Dame (12-0) vs. Alabama (12-1)
We're not going to lie: There's a good chance this isn't a shootout. But this should be a great game between two hard-nosed teams with great defenses, and there's a heck of a lot of history among the two programs, too.
2. Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 3, Glendale, Ariz.): Oregon (11-1) vs. Kansas State (11-1)
This is a game of old-school football vs. new-school football. Kansas State will try to pound the ball with quarterback Collin Klein while Oregon will use a bunch of different weapons to keep the Wildcats on their toes.
3. Cotton Bowl (Jan. 4, Arlington, Texas): Texas A&M (10-2) vs. Oklahoma (10-2)
It's not A&M and Texas, but it's a matchup of former Big 12 rivals. In terms of quarterbacks, one team had a potential Heisman candidate and the other has this year's probable winner.
4. Chick-fil-A (Dec. 31, Atlanta): LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson (10-2)
These are two teams that could have been in BCS bowls were it not for ill-timed losses. Even though it's not a BCS bowl, it's still one of the best games on the docket. Clemson brings the offense while LSU brings the defense. This one should be fun.
5. Sugar Bowl (Jan. 2, New Orleans): Florida (11-1) vs. Louisville (10-2)
This could be a great matchup of agile quarterbacks, but if Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater isn't healthy, this game could be a blowout.
6. Rose Bowl (Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif.): Stanford (11-2) vs. Wisconsin (8-5)
If you're a traditionalist, this game between the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions is gold. Wisconsin comes in after thrashing Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game, while Stanford has been consistently strong all season.
[Related: Oregon vs. Kansas State in Fiesta Bowl is intriguing]
7. Holiday (Dec. 27, San Diego): UCLA (9-4) vs. Baylor (7-5)
Pac-12 runner-up UCLA should have nice crowd support for this bowl, and it may be a wild game against a Baylor team that ranks first in FBS in total offense and 119th in total defense.
8. Alamo (Dec. 29, San Antonio): Texas (8-4) vs. Oregon State (9-3)
Oregon State had one of the best turnarounds in the country going from 3-9 to 9-3 and has been one of the most entertaining teams to watch this season. As for Texas, you never know what you're going to get or who's going to be quarterbacking it. Still, this could end up being a great, tightly contested game.
9. Capital One (Jan. 1, Orlando): Georgia (11-2) vs. Nebraska (10-3)
This game had the potential to be one of the best of the bowl season, but Nebraska's lackluster performance against Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship might have ruined it. Georgia expended a lot of energy in the SEC title game against Alabama and despite a fantastic season, has no BCS bowl to show for it. This is a poor substitute.
10. Outback (Jan. 1, Tampa):South Carolina (10-2) vs. Michigan (8-4)
Both teams had preseason Heisman Trophy candidates and neither worked out, but both programs remained solid despite adversity. Michigan's Denard Robinson is one of the more exciting players on the field this bowl season.
11. Orange Bowl (Jan. 1, Miami): Florida State (11-2) vs. Northern Illinois (12-1)
Many don't think NIU deserved a BCS bowl berth and they're probably right, but the Huskies might be more motivated to play the game than Florida State. Both teams will be missing a coach in this game -- NIU head coach Dave Doeren took the N.C. State job while FSU defensive coordinator Mark Stoops took the head-coaching job at Kentucky.
12. Gator (Jan. 1, Jacksonville, Fla.): Northwestern (9-3) vs. Mississippi State (8-4)
Northwestern is having an exceptional season while Mississippi State is trying to end on a high note. The Wildcats exceeded expectations and have a chance to win 10 games for the first time since 1995. Mississippi State started 7-0, but won just one game down the stretch.
13. Las Vegas (Dec. 22, Las Vegas): Boise State (10-2) vs. Washington (7-5)
Boise State, having narrowly missed out on a BCS bid, is going for a Las Vegas Bowl win for the third straight season against a Washington team that has wins against Stanford and Oregon State.
14. Idaho Potato (Dec. 15, Boise, Idaho): Utah State (10-2) vs. Toledo (9-3)
Utah State is a balanced, solid team that does just about everything well. Its only two losses came at Wisconsin and at BYU by five combined points. USU will face a Toledo team that lost two of its last three but is still potent.
15. Military (Dec. 27, Washington, D.C.): San Jose State (10-2) vs. Bowling Green (8-4)
San Jose State took Stanford to the wire in a three-point loss, a sign of things to come for the Spartans, and they get a tough test against Bowling Green, which ranks in the top 10 nationally in yards allowed and points allowed.
[Related: Wisconsin comes up Roses in Big Ten title game]
16. GoDaddy.com (Jan. 6. Mobile, Ala.): Kent State (11-2) vs. Arkansas State (9-3)
This is actually a good game if you like offense. Both of these teams can put points on the board early and often, and if you like running backs, Kent State's Dri Archer is one of the best.
17. Buffalo Wild Wings (Dec. 29, Tempe, Ariz.): TCU (7-5) vs. Michigan State (6-6)
TCU fared well for its first season in the Big 12 while Michigan State was a disappointment. Both of these teams had their worst seasons since 2007 and '09 respectively.
18. New Mexico (Dec. 15, Albuquerque, N.M.): Nevada (7-5) vs. Arizona (7-5)
The first matchup of the bowl season should be entertaining. Nevada is 105th in total defense in FBS, but that's still better than Arizona, which is 116th. Points will be plentiful.
19. Poinsettia (Dec. 20, San Diego): BYU (7-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3)
The meeting between a pair of old Mountain West rivals pits a BYU team that rode its strong defense to seven wins against an Aztecs team that won its last seven games.
20. Music City (Dec. 31, Nashville): N.C. State (7-5) vs. Vanderbilt (8-4)
Vanderbilt overachieved while N.C. State underachieved and ultimately fired its coach. A win would give Vandy nine wins for the first time since 1982.
21. Pinstripe (Dec. 29, Bronx, N.Y.): Syracuse (7-5) vs. West Virginia (7-5)
Both of these teams are among the best passing programs in the country and both play little defense. That should make for a high-scoring and highly entertaining game.
22. Liberty (Dec. 31, Memphis): Tulsa (10-3) vs. Iowa State (6-6)
These two teams played in the season opener and Iowa State came away with a 38-23 win. Tulsa should give the Cyclones a better game this time around.
23. Russell Athletic (Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla.): Rutgers (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)
The Scarlet Knights are probably disappointed to land here after blowing a chance for a BCS game in the season finale, and Virginia Tech's whole season has been a disappointment with just six wins.
24. Kraft Fight Hunger (Dec. 29, San Francisco): Navy (7-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
These programs are moving in two different directions. ASU had a rough second half of the season while Navy thrived after a rough start. Arizona State will need the month to prepare for Navy's option.
[Related: Karl Malone rips Louisiana Tech's bowl snub]
25. Independence (Dec. 28, Shreveport, La.): Louisiana-Monroe (8-4) vs. Ohio (8-4)
Lousiana-Monroe, whose upset of Arkansas was a great story early this season, will play in a bowl for the first time in program history. It will face an Ohio team that was ranked for the first time since 1968 at midseason but lost its last three games, all by double digits.
26. Compass (Jan. 5, Birmingham, Ala.): Pittsburgh (6-6) vs. Ole Miss (6-6)
Both of these teams came on late to make a push to get to six wins and both will be eager to finish with a winning season in the first year for both Pittsburgh coach Paul Chryst and Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze.
27. Belk (Dec. 27, Charlotte, N.C.): Duke (6-6) vs. Cincinnati (9-3)
The Blue Devils are back in a bowl for the first time since 1994, but come in on a four-game losing streak and face a Bearcats team that is 12th in the nation in scoring defense.
28. Beef 'O' Brady's (Dec. 21, St. Petersburg, Fla.): Ball State (9-3) vs. UCF (9-4)
Ball State was 3-3 before an overtime win sparked a six-game winning streak, and it will face a UCF team that lost a shot at the C-USA title in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Tulsa on Saturday.
29. Hawaii (Dec. 24, Honolulu): SMU (6-6) vs. Fresno State (9-3)
Coach Tim DeRuyter's first season with the Bulldogs resulted in a share of the Mountain West title, and Fresno State will go against an SMU team that got a win in its season finale against Tulsa to get eligible.
30. Sun (Dec. 31, El Paso, Texas): USC (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (6-7)
This is not where anyone expected USC to be at the end of the season and playing a team with a losing record is almost insult to injury. USC was supposed to be playing for the national title while Georgia Tech lost in its conference championship game and needed an exemption waiver by the NCAA.
31. Heart of Dallas (Jan. 1, Dallas): Purdue (6-6) vs. Oklahoma State (7-5)
Oklahoma State is unlike any team Purdue has faced this season with its up-tempo style and ability to put points on the board quickly. Purdue will be without its head coach Danny Hope, which might leave the Boilermakers uninspired.
32. Meineke Car Care of Texas (Dec. 28, Houston): Minnesota (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)
Texas Tech is second in the nation in passing offense, but its defense slipped after a great start to the season. Minnesota fattened up its record before conference play, then got bowl eligible despite going 2-6 in Big Ten play.
33. New Orleans (Dec. 22, New Orleans): East Carolina (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)
East Carolina won five of its last six games, and will be going against a Louisiana-Lafayette team that beat San Diego State in last year's New Orleans Bowl on a field goal as time expired.
34. Armed Forces (Dec. 29, Fort Worth, Texas): Rice (6-6) vs. Air Force (6-6)
Air Force knows this bowl well, as it is the Falcons' fourth appearance in the game in six years, while Rice is in just its third bowl game since 1961. It's just hard to get too excited for a game between a pair of .500 teams.
35. Little Caesars Pizza (Dec. 26, Detroit): Western Kentucky (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (6-6)
Central Michigan was like the final at-large team to get into the NCAA tournament, with a 6-6 record after a 3-6 start. Western Kentucky was barely in the field, too, losing three straight before a one-point win against North Texas in the finale.
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