College Football Bowl Season 2011: Best Performances...so Far

Harry How/Getty Images

The 2011 bowl season has been one of the best of the past decade.

There have been overtime thrillers, massive blowouts and performances by the best teams and players in the nation. There have also been players that have put themselves in the national spotlight for next year. And the best thing is...it's not even over yet!

Here are the best performances of the 2011 bowl season...so far.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Ohio won the game, 24-23, on quarterback Tyler Tettleton's touchdown run with 12 seconds left. Not to mention, the Ohio Bobcats came back from 14 down to get their first bowl win.

R+L Carries Bowl

UL-Lafayette beat SDSU on a 50-yard field goal in their own backyard. UL-Lafayette was invited to their first bowl in 41 years, and what better way to win one than this?

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl

This was a statement game for Boise State to show that they should have been in the BCS. And there was no better way to send off the winningest quarterback in NCAA history, Kellen Moore, than with a win. The victory propelled him to a staggering 50-3.

Military Bowl

The pride and joy of Air Force blew a two-point conversion in the final seconds to lose the bowl game. It was a sad ending for our nation's Air Force.

Alamo Bowl

At that point in time, the Baylor vs. Washington bowl game was the highest-scoring game in bowl history. It also showcased why Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III was deserving of the Heisman. The game also showcased a rising star in Washington quarterback Keith Price.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

BYU drove down the field and beat a good Tulsa Hurricanes defense. It was an exciting end in an already great bowl season.

Insight Bowl

This game was one of those massive blowouts, as Oklahoma steamrolled Iowa. But, there is a particular reason this game makes the list. When have you ever seen an overhead camera fall and almost take out a player in the process.

TicketyCity Bowl

There were two intriguing story lines in this game.

Though the Houston Cougars blew out the Penn State Nittany Lions, Houston quarterback Case Keenum came up huge in his final college game.

With Penn State, it was the first bowl game without legendary coach Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions certainly couldn't get it done without JoePa, though.

Outback Bowl

Big Ten vs. SEC. On a day when the Big Ten had it rough, losing three out of four bowl games, Michigan State was the glimmer of hope for the Big Ten.

Mark D'Antonio got his first bowl win as Michigan State head coach, and the Spartan seniors went out with a bowl win as well.

Michigan State was down by 16 at the half, and just like they have all year, came back and won the game. It was clearly one of the best games of the bowl season.

Rose Bowl

This game was intriguing enough with the uniforms that Oregon pulled out. But, they came to play as well, and surprisingly, so did Wisconsin.

A lot of people thought that Wisconsin couldn't keep up with the Oregon offense, but they didn't just do that. They tamed it for awhile. But in the end, Chip Kelly and the Ducks pulled through.

Fiesta Bowl

In the battle of the great quarterbacks, they lived up to the hype. Andrew Luck did everything he could against Oklahoma State, but it wasn't enough. Oklahoma State and wide receiver Justin Blackmon did a little bit of everything and more.

It took more than four quarters to decide this one, as Oklahoma State knocked in the game-winning field goal, sending future No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck and 28-year-old Brandon Weeden out to the NFL in style.

Sugar Bowl

In a game in which many people thought neither team should be in, both Michigan and Virgina Tech made some nonbelievers believe.

The outcome could have been totally different if Denard Robinson did not get lucky throwing it up to Junior Hemmingway. Though the special teams play was sloppy at times, Michigan won on a field goal in overtime and proved that Michigan football is back!

Orange Bowl

The stats from this game stand out on their own.

West Virginia's bowl-record 70 points showed the team is for real. Clemson had almost a month to prepare, and West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith still threw for six touchdowns!

What a good sendoff for the Moutaineers as they move to the Big 12.