Trent's Touchdown - Six Non-BCS Bowls to Watch

Here we are at the most wonderful time of the year. No, not Christmas. I’m talking about Bowl Week. Well, it’s longer than a week, but you get the picture.

It couldn’t have happened at a better time since you can only talk about the same matchups so many times before it gets completely repetitive and boring. Hopefully my article won’t be the one that pushes it over the edge.

Before we get to the matchups, this will be for the non-BCS bowls. The breakdown for the BCS bowls will come later and will include the Cotton Bowl, because it’s the closest thing we have to a BCS bowl that isn’t.

1) The Pacific Life Holiday Bowl – No. 13 Oklahoma State vs. No. 17 Oregon – Dec. 30 at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Oklahoma State is just one of the few teams I completely fell in love with this year, so don’t expect any unbiased assessment right now.

Both teams boost explosive running games, but you have to expect OSU to air it out since the Oregon pass defensive is woeful. When you have Zac Robinson and Dez Bryant, you can afford to air it out.

On the Oregon side, Jeremiah Masoli is no slouch, as he’s proven lately. Being serious, though, Oregon is going to need to play flawlessly, as OSU can pick apart teams that give them an opening. I just don’t see Oregon doing that.

2) The Capital One Bowl – No. 15 Georgia vs. No. 18 Michigan State – Jan. 1 at 1 p.m. on ABC

This has all the makings of an old fashioned slugfest. Both teams are very good on the ground and more than willing to pound the ball for yards. Unfortunately, both teams are from conferences where you need to stop the run to win.

Georgia has the added benefit of Matthew Stafford, but he is much better when he limits his mistakes and gets yards from Knowshon Moreno. On the flip side, you have Brian Hoyer, who might be able to lead his team to victory against the dregs of the Big Ten, but this is Georgia.

The MSU defense needs to stop Moreno and put the game in the hands of Stafford. Obviously, it’s not the best course of action, but it’s really the only chance they have at winning.

3) The Poinsettia Bowl – No. 9 Boise State vs. No. 11 TCU – Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Raise your hands if this game seems more appealing than the Orange Bowl. I see a lot of hands raised.

Boise State comes in doing what they always do: They light up the scoreboard, with the 13th-ranked offense in the country. Yet, they get to face off against the second-best defense in the country.

TCU is no joke here; they held Utah and BYU to a combined 20 points. They have proven they can hold off the best teams in non-BCS conferences. It really comes down to TCU trying to control the tempo and not having to come from too far behind at any point in the game. With that said, I think Boise State rips them up.

4) The Chick-Fil-A Bowl – LSU vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech – Dec. 31 at 7:30 p.m.on ESPN

If you look at LSU, I mean really look at them, do the five losses and lack of a national ranking really surprise anyone? Seriously, you can’t compete in the SEC when you’re shaky at the QB position, and if you look up “shaky” in dictionary, you see Jarrett Lee.

Anyway, I know this is getting repetitive, but both teams boast a strong running game. And if it was just an ordinary running game, I would laugh and give the game to LSU, despite Lee.

However, any GT fan will tell you that the Yellow Jackets are anything but ordinary. They sport the triple option, with a strong option QB and one of the best running backs in the league. Georgia Tech walks with this one.

5) The Valero Alamo Bowl – No. 21 Missouri vs. No. 23 Northwestern – Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Northwestern really just came out of nowhere, didn’t they? Missouri, on the other hand, really spiraled out of control.

I’m going to pull a Lee Corso here and give a “not so fast, my friend” to all the people who think Missouri walks in this one. Yes, Chase Daniel is an extremely good QB, but he gets rattled by good defenses. The Northwestern defense is the No. 1 reason why they are where they are.

They will pressure Daniel and force him to make mistakes. If Northwestern can get good field position, they should be able to put points on the board. I think Chase Daniel ends his college career on a low point.

6) The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Hawaii vs. Notre Dame – Dec. 24 at 8 p.m. on ESPN

I don’t know what I find funnier, that Notre Dame actually made a bowl or that they will probably lose.

Extra Point:

7) OK, I’ve ranted and raved about many things this season. I even made a cogent point every once in a while. However, in light of the Christmas season and the upcoming debacle that will be the BCS bowls, I’m going to go positive.

This season has been just plain fun. Take off your partisan hats and take a look at the college football season as a whole. While complete parity is not upon us (and I don’t want that), every team is becoming more competitive, which leads to a better product week in and week out.

Look at Texas Tech as a prime example. For those couple of weeks (between the Kansas game until the Oklahoma game), they were an amazingly fun team to watch. And it wasn’t just because of the explosive offense or the insane fans. They weren’t Oklahoma, or Florida, or Texas, or any other team we expect to compete year in and year out.

So, I want to give a “thank you” to the Red Raiders this year, and Kansas and Missouri last year, and whatever team comes out of the woodwork next year. Thank you for making college football enjoyable and, even for a moment, giving fans of teams that aren’t always the best (like me with Clemson) a little bit of hope for next year.