10 – HOLIDAY BOWL: NEBRASKA VS. USC – December 27th, 8 PM ET, ESPN
Two storied programs playing in San Diego on a December Saturday night — the stadium should be stuffed, the atmosphere popping, and two teams should feel as though this is a great opportunity to set the table for 2015. What more could you want?
9 – MIAMI BEACH BOWL: MEMPHIS VS. BYU – December 22nd, 2 PM ET, ESPN
Better than Nebraska-USC? That can be questioned. However, the Big 12’s playoff snub means you’re going to hear some BYU-to-the-Big 12 talk, which makes this game a very big deal for BYU. Memphis coach Justin Fuente — who used to serve on Gary Patterson’s staff at TCU — is a rising star in the business. There’s a lot of industry-wide significance in this game… it’s just not going to get as much publicity. Yet, this game is a fascinating one for the college football diehards. This is also a new bowl as well.
8 – BOCA RATON BOWL: NORTHERN ILLINOIS VS. MARSHALL – December 23rd, 6 PM ET, ESPN
Also a new bowl, this Boca Raton battle involves two teams at the top of the Gang Of Five power structure. NIU was second in line to Boise State. The Huskies would have gone to a New Year’s Six bowl had Boise State lost on Saturday to Fresno State. Marshall was the leader in the Gang Of Five race for a good portion of the season. This is an excellent pre-Christmas bowl, and you don’t always get A-grade pre-Christmas bowls.
7 – LAS VEGAS BOWL: COLORADO STATE VS. UTAH – December 20th, 3:30 PM ET, ABC
This is an old Mountain West matchup, given some freshness by the fact that Utah is now in the Pac-12. Colorado State’s former coach, Jim McElwain, was picked off by Florida, so the Rams have become a team to watch this bowl season. Utah almost won at Arizona State a month ago. Had the Utes prevailed then, they might have stolen the Pac-12 South title. This game won’t get headline-level play, but it’s a genuinely great Dec. 20 bowl game, a real gift to the dedicated college football fan. Tune in.
6 – ALAMO BOWL: KANSAS STATE VS. UCLA – January 2nd, 6:45 PM ET, ESPN
Kansas State is the Power 5 team left out of the New Year’s Six rotation. The Wildcats’ three losses were to Auburn, TCU, and Baylor. They’re good. UCLA almost won the Pac-12 South title and was in the playoff hunt as of Thanksgiving Day. This is a big-time game for a non-featured bowl.
5 – ORANGE BOWL: GEORGIA TECH VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE – December 31st, 8 PM ET, ESPN
The biggest bowl games are the best ones. The lineup really rocks this year in the first season following the BCS.
ACC and SEC fans (and commentators) share much of the same piece of territory in the Southeastern United States. They love beating each other, and that’s what will fuel this matchup between Tech’s triple option and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who has given new life to his career following a superb 10-2 season.
4 – COTTON BOWL: MICHIGAN STATE VS. BAYLOR – January 1st, 12:30 PM ET, ESPN
Neither one of these teams scored a big non-conference win this season, and Michigan State lost in its huge Big Ten battle against Ohio State. No two teams in the same bowl have more to prove than these two, which is why you should see a furious, feisty, knock-down, drag-out slugfest in JerryWorld. This should be a sprawling, brawling festival of fun… between two teams with highly contrasting styles: Michigan State would like to knock the snot out of Baylor. The Bears would like to use their speed on the edges to fly past the Spartans. Bring it!
3 – PEACH BOWL: OLE MISS VS. TCU – December 31st, 12:30 PM ET, ESPN
The Horned Frogs got snubbed relative to the College Football Playoff, but they play in a bowl game with a restored name — gone is the Chick-Fil-A label — against a formidable SEC team in Atlanta. Should TCU win this game, it would prove its worth on a national stage and, perhaps, gain the benefit of the doubt in a 2015 playoff debate. TCU will be loaded next season, so this is a game with value for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
2 – SUGAR BOWL AND PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL:
OHIO STATE VS. ALABAMA – January 1st, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN
This is the heavyweight coaching matchup of the year, and arguably the past 10 years, in college football: Two-time national champion Urban Meyer of Ohio State goes up against four-time national champion Nick Saban of Alabama. The BCS system eroded the prestige and value of the Sugar Bowl. Grafting the Sugar Bowl into a semifinal structure will make this year’s game a blockbuster. It’s a game worth 11 stars on a 1-to-10 scale. Yet, it’s not even the best game on the board. Because…
1 – ROSE BOWL AND PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL:
FLORIDA STATE VS. OREGON – January 1st, 5 PM ET, ESPN
The defending champions go back to the same Rose Bowl Stadium where they won their 2013 title against Auburn.
The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston, goes up against the virtually certain 2014 Heisman winner, Marcus Mariota of Oregon.
All in the sport’s most beautiful and iconic setting, on New Year’s afternoon in the Arroyo Seco.
We just need Brent Musburger to call this game, and we’re set for a spectacular four hours of television.