Bowl Games 2010: Cam Newton, Urban Meyer, "Big LEast" and the 10 Best Games

With 35 (yes, I said THIRTY-FIVE) bowl games this year, choices must be made. I ain’t watchin' all of 'em, and neither are you.

In fact, the best thing that can be said for most of them is that you won’t have to worry about missing something important by not watching.

So let me help: Here are the 10 best bowl games to watch from this year’s bloated bowl season.

10. Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Miami

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LOS ANGELES - NOVEMBER 27: Wide receiver Michael Floyd #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with wide receiver T.J. Jones #7 after making a one yard touchdown catch against the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 27, 20

If you’re like me, you wouldn’t mind seeing both teams lose this game. ND and the “U” are two of my most hated teams—at least since the war of 1812.

These two “big name” programs have fallen on hard times in recent years. How hard? Well, think—they’re playing in the Sun Bowl.

The good thing about big name programs falling on hard times is that it gives the smaller bowls an opportunity to have a game that has a “big-time” feel. Kinda like your next door neighbor having Andy Williams sing at his daughter’s graduation banquet. You’d go, wouldn’t you? Okay then, watch this one.

9. Chick-fil-A Bowl: South Carolina vs. Florida St.

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COLUMBIA, SC - NOVEMBER 14: Head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts during their game against the Florida Gators at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 14, 2009 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

What gives this game "watchability" are the two coaches and what we might learn about the direction of their respective programs.

Steve Spurrier had his best team in all his years at South Carolina yet still could not win the championship (direction: downhill).

Jimbo Fisher finally got the opportunity to coach the Seminoles without Bobby Bowden peering over his shoulder and had a pretty good season (9-4)—one that might portend really good things for 2011 (direction: up).

Conclusion: It’s an interesting matchup. I’ll watch.

8. Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Penn St.

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GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 13: Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer during a game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Urban Meyer’s last stand—and he will be coaching against Joe Pa in what ought to be his last stand (but apparently won’t be).

Otherwise, we have two pretty average teams from big name conferences. Not all that exciting—but still, it’s an opportunity to see the SEC beat up on the Big Ten, i.e. must see TV.

7. Gator Bowl: Mississippi St. vs. Michigan

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GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 16: Quarterback Chris Relf #14 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs hands off to running back Vick Ballard #28 against the Florida Gators October 16, 2010 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschm

Okay, here’s why you need to watch this one: We get to see Dan Mullen nail the final nail in Rich Rod’s coffin.

The Bulldogs will do to the Wolverines what every other reasonably good team has done to them all season—i.e. beat them like a dusty rug.

It could be the last game for both these coaches at their respective schools. Rich Rod may get a free ride off into the sunset, while Dan Mullen may get a new home in the Sunshine State.

6. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Connecticut vs. Oklahoma

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 04: Quarterback Landry Jones #12 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks for an open receiver against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Cowboys Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. The Sooners beat the Cornhuskers 23-20. (Photo by

Okay, maybe you won’t want to watch all of this one, but at least we’ll have a chance to laugh at how terrible the “Big LEast” is (and scoff at the idea that they deserve a guaranteed spot in a BCS game) as the Sooners roll over the Huskies.

That’s worth some of your time, right? Sure it is!

5. AT&T Cotton Bowl: LSU vs. Texas A&M

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Les Miles of the Louisiana State University Tigers celebrates with his team after defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide 24-21 at Tiger Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen

If there’s one thing we’ve learned during Les Miles’ tenure at LSU, it’s this: You should never miss a game that he’s coaching unless you have to go to a wedding or a funeral (and both better be your own!).

Seriously. You must watch this just because you’re probably going to see something that’s never happened before.

I’m watching. You wouldn’t want me to miss history in the making, would you?

4. Allstate Sugar Bowl: Arkansas vs. Ohio St.

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COLUMBUS, OH - OCTOBER 23: Head Coach Jim Tressel of the Ohio State Buckeyes watches his team play the Purdue Boilermakers at Ohio Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

I don’t know exactly why, but I like this matchup. It's the first meeting between the Hawgs and Buckeyes and should be a pretty intriguing game: Ryan Mallett’s arm vs. Terrelle Pryor’s athleticism; the SEC against the Big Ten.

It has the feel of a “both hands on the wheel” vs. “both hands in the air coming up on a downhill turn” kind of game; or a “buttoned down” vs. “unbuttoned to the navel” type of game (okay, maybe that last is not an image we want to encourage).

Anyway, that sounds good enough to watch, doesn't it?

3. Capital One Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan St.

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide talks with his team during the game against the Louisiana State University Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Cri

I’d watch this game regardless of whether it was interesting or not since I’m an Alabama fan—but there are plenty of reasons to watch even if you’re not a fan of either team.

Here we get a glimpse of what we might be in store for next year. Can Michigan State keep up the momentum of 2010? Can Alabama climb back into the national championship?

We'll get a good idea of the answers to those questions as we watch this one.

2. The Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO: Wisconsin vs. TCU

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: A general view of the exterior of the Rose Bowl before the Texas Longhorns take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Citi BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Step

I’m watching this one in hopes that Wisconsin will demonstrate to the world why Boise State and TCU should not be considered legitimate national championship contenders, so I'll be watching with high hopes of witnessing a rout.

But if somehow TCU wins, that will mean I get to make fun of the Big Ten for getting humiliated again. It’s a “win-win” in either case, right?

1. Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Auburn vs. Oregon

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 04: Quarterback Cam Newton #2 of the Auburn Tigers goes out for a pass as a wide receiver while cornerback Jimmy Legree #35 of the South Carolina Gamecocks covers him during the 2010 SEC Championship at Georgia Dome on December 4, 2010

This is the one everyone’s waiting for (and not just to see what uniform combo the Ducks will wear).

It's going to be fun: Cam Newton vs. LaMichael James (advantage: Cam); Nick Fairley vs. the Oregon offensive line (advantage: Nick Fairley); Auburn’s veteran offensive line vs. Oregon’s defensive line (advantage: Auburn).

Auburn should win this one, but whatcha wanna bet it’s close and exciting? Yeah. I’m watching.