Bowl Season: The Top 5 To Watch that are Non-BCS

The end of the regular season has sadly come toa close. All the preparation and excitement is over. All the big games and stunning upsets are finished, there is only one thing college football fans can turn to now to brighten their spirits, Christmas, no, New Years, no, yes you guessed it, The Bowl Season.

It is always a fun time for fans to watch a random bowl on Christmas Eve that pits Hawaii against Notre Dame and watch Jimmy Clausen torch the warriors secondary. Or a time for fans to finish watching the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl only to wake up the next day sit down and watch Dexter McCluster and Jevan Snead light up Texas tech at the Cotton Bowl.

There is of course the BCS but the best games to watch are the one you won't expect to be exciting because they always are.

5. Pacific Life Holiday Bowl: 20 Arizona vs 22 Nebraska

What a perfect way for Arizona to finish off their season riding high off of beating USC, lighting up Nebraska's secondary will be easy compared to the Trojans.

What a perfect way for Ndamukong Suh and the Cornhuskers to take out all their anger from that heartbreaking defeat against Texas and come at the Wildcats with everything they have got and finish strong with a win.

This is why we watch, for games like this. Games between #20 and #22 games where teams have got nothing to lose, where you could leave it all on the line. This is one of those games. The Cornhuskers are still livid from the 1 second left on the clock that allowed McCoy and the Longhorns in the National Championship. But the Wildcats are still as hot as the state they come from after beating USC.

Look for a Nebraska defense, who picked off heisman candidate McCoy 3 times in the Big 12 Championship, to do some of the same against Arizona, and also watch out for Suh to throw Nick Foles around like a rag doll like he did to McCoy. It should be a barnburner and a fun one to watch.

4. AT&T Cotton Bowl: 19 Oklahoma State vs Ole Miss

Ole Miss has returned to the Cotton Bowl this season. A bowl where they have had recent sucess, just a little though. They only beat the #7 in the nation Texas Tech Red Raiders last year 47-34.

In a game that puts the two best conferences up against each other it is always fun to watch. It was a shootout a year ago and it will be again this year.

Ole Miss started off the year in the top 5 but slowly faded with the lackluster play of QB Jevan Snead. But as the season went on Dexter McCluster ran his away to saving the Rebels from a meltdown. On the other side Zac Robinson has also began to fade, injury has played a major factor but can he do what Graham Harrel could not, and that is just win this one. Go out on a high note.

I believe it will be another offensive shootout, it will be fun to see two teams who have faded away this year possibly turn it around and finish with a W.

3. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Nevada vs Southern Methodist

This is my sleeper pick. You might not want to miss this bowl. A year ago it was Notre Dame vs Hawaii which was a very entertaining game to watch.

Nevada's rushing attack has three players who have rushed for over 1,000 yards. But SMU's passing attack can light it up as well.

This, like the Cotton Bowl, will also be a shootout and a very offensively high-powered game that I and I hope you won't miss.

2. MAACO Las Vegas Bowl: 18 Oregon State vs 14 BYU

It will be the 5th consecutive season that BYU will play in the Las Vegas Bowl. They are 2-2 in the previous four years against their Pac-10 foe. It will be the first time they take on Oregon St.

The Beavers are a little discouraged after a nail-biter against their arch rival Oregon in the Civil War. Sean Canfield will hope to find his open target James Rodgers as much as he did against the Ducks 10 times for 139 yards and hopefully Jacquizz can contribute to their offensive sucess. After being just a breath away from smelling the roses the beavers will look to outgun the Cougars.

Max Hall and the cougars are coming of an overtime thrilling win over Utah. Hopefully he and the passing attack can pick apart the beavers secondary. BYU probably thought it would be them and not TCU in the Fiesta Bowl but they will settle for the 5th straight Las Vegas Bowl and maybe go out with a winning record.

This will be a good one, both teams having a shot at the BCS this year will take out the anger from their unfinished goals on each other and it should make for an exciting, crazy football game in an exciting, crazy city.

1. Capital One Bowl: 13 Penn St vs 12 LSU

What's in your wallet? For me it's only about 20 bucks but for these two teams they will pay what ever price it takes to salvage their seasons.

The Capital One Bowl has been one of the best of the non-BCS bowls in recent history. The Big Ten vs the SEC somehow always makes for a great matchup. Some greats I can think of are 2003 Georgia beating Purdue in overtime 34-27, or 2007 Michigan stunning Florida 41-35 in another entertaining finish. It is always a exciting and fun afternoon when the Capital One Bowl is on as the Top of the SEC that couldn't make the Sugar Bowl takes on the top of the Big Ten that couldn't make the Rose Bowl.

In this game it is two of the most storied programs in the game with two of the best coaches in college football. Joe Pa and the Nittany Lions come in to this one on a two game winning streak after the loss for the Big Ten against Ohio St. LSU on the other hand comes off of three straight down to the wire finishes one of witch of course as you know was lost because the clock just ran out in a loss to Ole Miss.

Both teams suffered they're toughest losses of the season in November and both look to have a much brighter January, it will be New Year's Day where these two teams will sqaure off in my favorite of the non-BCS games.

Well it should be a fun-filled December into January where we will see high scoring games, crazy finishes, and hopefully everybody's favorite some big upsets. So Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, but most of all Happy Bowl Season.