College Football Bowl Games 2012: Intriguing Non-BCS Matchups You Must Watch

Everyone is eagerly awaiting the BCS bowl games, but there are 30 other games to pay attention to as well.

Because every commercial brand seems to have its own bowl game nowadays, college football fans get to enjoy more games than they used to. For some, that's a bad thing. For collegiate football junkies, it's heaven.

With games starting as early as December 15, it's time to get familiar with what's worth watching aside from the BCS matchups.

Let's take a look at three non-BCS games that you must turn your attention to.

Chick-fil-A Bowl: No. 8 LSU vs. No. 14 Clemson

Watching Clemson's offense battle LSU's defense is reason enough to watch this game.

Just think of the talent on both units. Tajh Boyd, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins will all test the LSU defense, as will tight end Brandon Ford. Clemson's attack did benefit from a weak ACC slate, but this group is still loaded with ability.

Meanwhile, the Tigers defense is among the best coached in the country. John Chavis understands how to get the most out of his players, and his aggressive scheme fits these speedy athletes like a glove.

This game is going to be close. LSU's offense isn't ready to blow anyone away, and the Clemson defense does have speed. Clemson has enough firepower to make this one interesting, and it will be a must-watch game as BCS bowls approach.

Most people will favor the SEC's battle-tested team in this one, and I do think LSU will win eventually, but not before Clemson creates some fireworks.

Holiday Bowl: Baylor vs. No. 17 UCLA

If you haven't watched Baylor yet and you like offense, you're going to want to watch this. Elite defenses are the only units with any hope of slowing this team down, and the Bruins do not have that to their credit.

Nick Florence and Terrance Williams could make a case as the nation's most dynamic duo, and Tevin Reese isn't too bad himself. Throw in Glasco Martin's north-south running and Lache Seastrunk's home-run ability out of the backfield, and you have yourself a well-oiled offensive machine.

UCLA is no slouch, either. It may not boast the playmakers that the Bears do, but Johnathan Franklin did run for 1,700 yards this year for a reason. He's one of the nation's best ball-carriers, and rising dual-threat quarterback Brett Hundley can play as well.

I like Baylor to pull the minor upset here. UCLA is allowing almost 26 points per game this year, and Baylor can flat-out score. Tune in, and watch the fireworks.

New Mexico Bowl: Nevada vs. Arizona

Before you roll your eyes, hear me out. Maybe it's just my personal preference, but I prefer to see wild, crazy shootouts in the lesser bowl games.

Why not? Who really wants to watch two sub-par teams duke it out in a defensive battle? It's no fun.

The first game of this year's bowl season certainly won't bore you. Of all the games, it's the most likely to clear 90-to-100 total points.

Arizona can air it out with Matt Scott in the pocket, but this game is really about the ball-carriers on both sides. Against two below-average defenses, Arizona's Ka'Deem Carey and Nevada's Stefphon Jefferson should both have big games.

Carey is one of the best running backs in the country this year, using Arizona's spread attack to run for over six yards per carry and 20 scores. Jefferson isn't a big-play threat like that, but his 22 rushing touchdowns show you how productive he's been.

If you want to watch two teams go score for score, this one is for you. The schools' names may not jump out at you, but don't let that fool you here.

Bowl Schedule

Note: All times are ET and p.m. unless noted otherwise. All games (except for the Sun Bowl and Cotton Bowl) can be streamed live at WatchESPN. 

Bowl	Team 1	Team 2	Stadium: Location	Date: Time	TV
New Mexico	Nevada	Arizona	University Stadium: Albuquerque, NM	12/15: 1:00	ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato	Toledo	Utah State	Bronco Stadium: Boise, ID	12/15: 4:30	ESPN
Poinsettia	BYU	San Diego State	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, CA	12/20: 8:00	ESPN
Beef 'O' Brady's	Ball State	UCF	Tropicana Field: St. Petersburg, FL	12/21: 7:30	ESPN
New Orleans	East Carolina	Louisiana-Lafayette	Superdome: New Orleans, LA	12/22: Noon	ESPN
Las Vegas	Boise State	Washington	Sam Boyd Stadium: Las Vegas, NV	12/22: 3:30	ESPN
Hawaii	SMU	Fresno State	Aloha Stadium: Honolulu, HI	12/24: 8:00	ESPN
Little Caesars	Central Michigan	Western Kentucky	Ford Field: Detroit, MI	12/26: 7:30	ESPN
Military	Bowling Green	San Jose State	RFK Stadium: Washington, DC	12/27: 3:00	ESPN
Belk	Duke	Cincinnati	Bank of America Stadium: Charlotte, NC	12/27: 6:30	ESPN
Holiday	Baylor	UCLA	Qualcomm Stadium: San Diego, CA	12/27: 9:45	ESPN
Independence	Louisiana-Monroe	Ohio	Independence Stadium: Shreveport, LA	12/28: 2:00	ESPN
Russell Athletic	Virginia Tech	Rutgers	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando, FL	12/28: 5:30	ESPN
Meineke Car Care	Minnesota	Texas Tech	Reliant Stadium: Houston, TX	12/28: 9:00	ESPN
Armed Forces	Rice	Air Force	Amon G. Carter Stadium: Fort Worth, TX	12/29: 11:45 a.m.	ESPN
Pinstripe	Syracuse	West Virginia	Yankee Stadium: Bronx, NY	12/29: 3:15	ESPN
Kraft	Navy	Arizona State	AT&T Park: San Francisco, CA	12/29: 4:00	ESPN2
Alamo	Texas	Oregon State	Alamodome: San Antonio, TX	12/29: 6:45	ESPN
Buffalo Wild Wings	TCU	Michigan State	Sun Devil Stadium: Tempe, AZ	12/29: 10:15	ESPN
Music City	N.C. State	Vanderbilt	LP Field: Nashville, TN	12/31: Noon	ESPN
Sun	Georgia Tech	USC	Sun Bowl: El Paso, TX	12/31: 2:00	CBS
Liberty	Tulsa	Iowa State	Liberty Bowl: Memphis, TN	12/31: 3:30	ESPN
Chick-fil-A	Clemson	LSU	Georgia Dome: Atlanta, GA	12/31: 7:30	ESPN
Gator	Northwestern	Mississippi State	Everbank Field: Jacksonville, FL	1/1: Noon	ESPN2
Heart of Dallas	Purdue	Oklahoma State	Cotton Bowl: Dallas, TX	1/1: Noon	ESPNU
Outback	Michigan	South Carolina	Raymond James Stadium: Tampa, FL	1/1: 1:00	ESPN
Capital One	Nebraska	Georgia	Florida Citrus Bowl: Orlando, FL	1/1: 1:00	ABC
Rose	Stanford	Wisconsin	Rose Bowl: Pasadena, CA	1/1: 5:00	ESPN
Orange	Northern Illinois	Florida State	Sun Life Stadium: Miami, FL	1/1: 8:30	ESPN
Sugar	Florida	Louisville	Superdome: New Orleans, LA	1/2: 8:30	ESPN
Fiesta	Oregon	Kansas State	U. of Phoenix Stadium: Glendale, AZ	1/3: 8:30	ESPN
Cotton	Oklahoma	Texas A&M	Cowboys Stadium: Arlington, TX	1/4: 8:00	FOX
Compass	Pittsburgh	Ole Miss	Legion Field: Birmingham, AL	1/5: 1:00	ESPN
GoDaddy.com	Kent State	Arkansas State	Ladd-Peebles Stadium: Mobile, AL	1/6: 9:00	ESPN
National Championship	Notre Dame	Alabama	Sun Life Stadium: Miami, FL	1/7: 8:30	ESPN