25 Key Storylines To Watch Heading into Week 1 of Bowl Season

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and I'm not talking about the holiday season.

Bowl season is the football fan's equivalent of Christmas morning.

After a few weeks of football starvation, the bowl season begins and keeps us entertained for several weeks through company parties, those awkward Christmas sweater moments and time with family.

The 25 storylines on this list are the ones that will keep us entertained during the bowl season. They're the key stories to be watching as you work your way through all the holiday cheer.

25. Heisman Finalists' Bowls

Now that the drama is over and Johnny Manziel owns the Heisman, we can move on to his next matchup, as well as those of the other Heisman finalists.

Manziel and the Aggies take on Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl in what appears to be one of the best bowl games of the season.

The Sooners will be looking to make the point that they belonged in the BCS by hammering the junk out of a good SEC team.

Meanwhile, Heisman runner-up Manti Te'o and his teammates plan for quite possibly the biggest game of the BCS era against Alabama.

And not be overlooked, Collin Klein and the Kansas State Wildcats get ready for a great Oregon team.

Now that the Heisman ceremony is over, these guys can focus on what got them there: playing football.

24. BCS Misfits

Wisconsin sneaked into the Rose Bowl by virtue of Penn State's Sandusky issues and Ohio State's tattoo issues.

The Badgers finished as the third-best team in the Big Ten's Leaders Division and yet found a way into the Rose Bowl, even as Georgia, Texas A&M, Clemson and Oklahoma all got left out of the BCS.

And then there's Northern Illinois.

The Huskies earned their bid to the Orange Bowl by finishing the season ranked in the Top 16 of the BCS, winning their conference and finishing ahead of not one, but two BCS conference champions in the final BCS rankings.

Kirk Herbstreit and others have voiced their displeasure over the Huskies' place at the BCS table, and they have made it very clear that Northern Illinois, who didn't make the BCS rules, does not belong.

Get over it.

The BCS will be gone soon, but for now, the Badgers and Huskies both found a way to the BCS, and this should not be cause to demonize them.

23. Jordan Lynch

Yes, Johnny Manziel won the Heisman, and he definitely deserved it. But Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch deserves some props for his excellent season.

Lynch amassed 4,733 total yards, including 1,771 on the ground, to lead the nation in rushing yards. He only threw five interceptions during the regular season, but he threw 24 touchdown passes and rushed for 19 more.

Should be interesting to see how Lynch does against the stout defense of Florida State.

22. LSU Defense vs. Clemson Offense

The Chick-fil-A Bowl features an interesting matchup.

LSU's defense finished the season in the top ten in total defense, allowing only 296 yards per game in the SEC.

Clemson, on the other side of that coin, is top 10 in the nation in total offense, putting up over 500 yards per game and scoring over 42 points per contest.

Tajh Boyd has had an excellent season, throwing for 3,550 yards and 34 touchdowns at the helm of an offense loaded with playmakers.

Whichever unit, LSU defense or Clemson offense, can impose its will is going to earn the win for its squad.

21. Can Nebraska Rebound?

Nebraska football may be at a tipping point in only its second season in the Big Ten.

The Huskers found a way to finish atop the Big Ten Legends division, but they laid a horrible egg against Wisconsin in the conference title game.

Now the team must pull it together and face off against a Georgia squad that only lost two games this season, including one to Alabama in the SEC title game.

Given that Georgia's rushing game features two excellent young backs in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall and the Huskers gave up over 500 rushing yards to the Badgers in their last game, this one could be tough for the Huskers.

20. Landry Jones vs. Johnny Manziel

This is going to be a tough one for Landry Jones.

The Oklahoma quarterback has entered each of the past three seasons with some Heisman hype, only to fall short every season due to his inability to avoid the interception.

Now he must face Texas A&M, led by upstart Johnny Manziel, the wunderkind who took the college football universe captive and won the Heisman Trophy in just his first season.

This season, Jones threw for just short of 4,000 yards and tossed 29 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, yet he wasn't even in Heisman consideration, unless your name is Jason White.

The fact that Jones has been vying for the award for three seasons with no luck while "Johnny Heisman" won it in his first season for a team that just fled Jones' conference makes for a great storyline, but it really does not pertain to the result of the Cotton Bowl.

At least it gives us something to talk about.

19. Bowl Swag

Yes, playing in a bowl game is a great reward to players after a season of hard work.

But what would said bowl game be without the swag?

Wisconsin players, for example, in their third straight Rose Bowl, will hit the jackpot.

Last season's swag included a $550 gift suite, or $550 to spend on electronics from a catalog or room full of items.

And they are back for more this season.

Check out the SEC swag:

"

The #SEC Bowl Swag: twitter.com/SEC_Logo/statu…

— The SEC Logo (@SEC_Logo) December 6, 2012"

18. Ka'Deem Carey

Who is Ka'Deem Carey?

Only the nation's leading rusher at the running back position, behind only Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch in yardage gained on the ground this season.

Carey has been a bright spot for Arizona in a season filled with few highlights, and he will definitely get some attention when the Wildcats face off against Nevada in the first bowl game of the season.

Carey will make a push for all kinds of awards next season if he continue to produce at this elite level.

17. Michigan

While we prep for an incredible national title game featuring two programs loaded with history and a tradition of winning, there is another such team that is playing in the Outback Bowl as an underdog.

Michigan has seen a spark of success under Brady Hoke, but given Ohio State's success this season and prospects in 2013, Hoke's achievements seem to fade a little bit.

A not-so-great season and a BCS bowl win against a team that didn't deserve to be there are not going to help him keep his job.

A loss to South Carolina won't help, either.

The Wolverines have already lost to two teams, Alabama and Notre Dame, that feature the same level of front seven on defense that South Carolina will field, and they were outmanned in each of those meetings.

A win over the Gamecocks would give a glimmer of hope that Hoke can make adjustments and lead this team back to national prominence.

A loss, and Hoke better start getting very concerned about his job security heading into 2013.

16. Underrated Matchups

We are all looking forward to the national title game tilt between 'Bama and Notre Dame, DVR is already set to record the Fiesta Bowl, and the Cotton Bowl is considered must-see TV.

But there are some games on tap that should pique your interest as great matchups that are missing some of the hype.

Here is a list:

Mississippi State vs. Northwestern: Northwestern is fun to watch. Those are words I never thought I'd type...

Texas vs. Oregon State: How bad is Texas, really? Can they handle a middle-of-the-"Pac" team?

Wisconsin vs. Stanford: Smash-mouth at its best.

Baylor vs. UCLA: How much offense? All of it; give it all to me. Just skip the defense part in this one that should be reminiscent of last season's Alamo Bowl.

West Virginia vs. Syracuse: A chance to see Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey and Alec Lemon on the same field is a must-watch.

15. The Forgotten Ones

Matt Barkley and Geno Smith were both considered front-runners for the Heisman at some point this season.

As was UCLA's Johnathan Franklin.

None of them came remotely close to sniffing college football's most prestigious award.

And as their teams lost more and more games, they fell further and further off the radar, vanishing into the Interweb vacuum reserved for "Linsanity" and "You mad, bro?"

Bowl season offers these players a chance to make a statement at the end of the season and provide some momentum either heading into their next college football season or the NFL.

14. Big Ten Woes

Here's the deal.

Thanks to Terrelle Pryor's tattoo issues and Jerry Sandusky's shower issues, the Big Ten is down two very good teams this bowl season, as Penn State and Ohio State must sit out.

That means the conference will be playing in matchups where they are serious underdogs.

As in, every single bowl game:

"

All seven Big Ten teams playing in bowl games are currently listed as underdogs.

— Alan Dodds (@alankdodds) December 4, 2012"

That tells you a little something about how far the conference has fallen.

Granted, Ohio State looks primed for another excellent season in 2013, and Nebraska, Michigan and Wisconsin are on the verge of making some noise on a national level. But last season's bowl season was brutal to the Big Ten, and this season appears to be much of the same.

13. Teddy Bridgewater

Teddy Bridgewater is underrated.

The Louisville quarterback is great; he finished the season sixth in the nation in completion percentage.

He plays on a Louisville team that has some talent, but Bridgewater is on another level. He played the game that clinched the Big East title for the Cardinals with a sprained ankle and broken wrist.

In the Cardinals' bowl game, the Sugar Bowl against Florida, Bridgewater will face a tougher test than even playing on broken limbs.

Florida's defense presents the biggest test he will face all season, and how he fares against the Gators' defense will give us some insight into the possibility of a Heisman campaign in 2013.

12. Montee Ball's Record

Any fan of football should be paying attention to what Montee Ball has done this year.

He broke Travis Prentice's record for most career touchdowns this season, and he has a chance to add to his total in his third straight Rose Bowl.

Ball is sitting at 76 touchdowns for his career, and he is primed for at least one more when the Badgers meet Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

You may not be a fan of Big Ten football, or even of rushing the ball, but for anybody claiming to be a fan of football, Ball's record and the potential to add to it is a pretty big deal.

11. Coaching Carousel

Bret Bielema left Wisconsin, a team which he led to three straight Big Ten titles, for the greener pastures of Arkansas.

Tommy Tuberville bailed on Texas Tech.

Mike Price is gone, and Florida International let Mario Cristobal go for who knows what reason.

Gus Malzahn is the new head man at Auburn, Sonny Dykes is in at Cal, and Butch Jones is in at Tennessee.

And bowl games have not even started yet.

The coaching carousel is spinning at ridiculous speeds already, and teams such as Wisconsin, Arkansas State, FIU and UTEP still have to hire head coaches.

10. Terrance Williams

Wide receivers don't get enough hype.

We like to talk about running backs, great defenses and, of course, quarterbacks, but we seem to forget wide receivers at times.

Take Terrance Williams, for example.

The Baylor wide receiver leads the nation in receiving with 1,764 yards, and he has been on the end of scoring passes 12 times during the 2012 season.

He's averaging over 18 yards per reception, and he has the potential to go over 1,850 yards on the season with a good game against UCLA in the Holiday Bowl.

Give the man some love already; he deserves it.

9. Conference Realignment

Like it or not, conference realignment continues to roll along at a ridiculous clip.

Rutgers and Maryland are headed to the Big Ten.

Louisville is heading to the ACC.

The Big East will not be recognizable next season.

What's next?

Stay tuned to see which program moves where.

8. How Will Non-AQ's Fare?

Boise State is making its third consecutive trip to the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl.

 Nevada takes on Arizona, and Tulsa gets to face Iowa State in their bowl contest.

But it's Northern Illinois and how it will fare that will have us all enthralled throughout this bowl season.

The Huskies earned an Orange Bowl bid and will face a Top 10 team, Florida State.

A bad showing just adds fuel to the "they don't belong" fire, while a win would be another bold stroke for non-AQ postseason rights.

It will be interesting to follow the non-AQ teams and see how they fare against BCS teams during bowl season.

7. Stanford vs. Wisconsin

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez was 3-0 in his head coaching career in the Rose Bowl.

He will now get the chance to bump that record to 4-0, taking over following Bret Bielema's departure for Arkansas, and getting paid to do so.

Not much hype is surrounding this game, especially since Wisconsin had five regular-season losses and only earned their berth because of Ohio State and Penn State's postseason bans.

But this is going to be a good old-fashioned slugfest.

Stanford bullied the rest of the Pac-12 with a fierce defense and great rushing game while breaking in a couple of quarterbacks to find a good fit.

Wisconsin finished 13th in the nation in total defense and features the nation's third-leading rusher in Doak Walker Award winner Montee Ball.

Both teams feature excellent linebackers, and with guys like Shayne Skov, Mike Taylor, Chase Thomas and Chris Borland all on the field, you are going to see some bone-crushing, earth-shattering hits.

If you enjoy spread football and tons of passing, skip this one, but if you feel like smash-mouth football is going the way of the dodo, this one is for you.

6. The Overlooked Defenders

With the game of football seemingly evolving into a game that focuses on offense, defenders appear to be falling further and further into the background.

But there are some excellent defenders around the nation who have as much or more of an impact on their teams' fortunes as any offensive player.

Texas A&M stud Damontre Moore has racked up 20 tackles for loss while being a force for the Aggies.

Will Sutton of Arizona State notched 20 tackles for loss of his own, as did Khalil Mack of Buffalo and Anthony Barr of UCLA.

Touchdowns get our attention, but without defense, a team would be nowhere—just ask Notre Dame and Alabama.

The defenders listed here have been excellent all season, and they will have a big impact on each bowl game in which they are playing.

5. Year of the Offense?

Offense is entertaining, touchdowns bring us to our feet, and big plays get fans incredibly worked up.

But the truth is, even in today's extremely offense-oriented college football, defense wins games and gets teams to elite bowl meetings.

Four of the top 10 defenses in the nation are in BCS bowl games: Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida and Florida State.

Only one of the top-10 offenses, Oregon, made the cut.

Don't let anyone (Dana Holgorsen) fool you with offensive schemes and occasional explosiveness; defense is still the key to winning in this game.

4. SEC Dominance

This issue has been hashed and rehashed, discussed and belabored to the point it has become extremely old news.

And I'm not talking about Lindsay Lohan's legal issues.

The SEC is dominant!

That dominance has a chance of continuing through this bowl season, with the conference favored in every bowl this season.

But there are some tough matchups for SEC teams in bowl season, such as Alabama vs. Notre Dame in the BCS title game and Ole Miss vs. Pitt.

Even with those tough matchups, the SEC has a very legit shot at going undefeated this bowl season, once again demonstrating the conference dominance.

3. The Fiesta Bowl

Some would argue that this game features the two best teams in the nation.

Usually those folks are the same who still believe that Landry Jones or Matt Barkley should have won the Heisman.

Even so, this game is going to be worth the watch.

Oregon's electric duo of quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back Kenjon Barner will face off against a stout K-State defense and Heisman finalist Collin Klein.

This will be Oregon's first major test outside the conference, and if the Ducks win, it will clear up some of the doubt surrounding their early-season dominance over a weak schedule.

Either way, it's sure to be an entertaining game with more rushing touchdowns than any three other Big 12 bowl games.

With the weak bowl schedule this season, the Fiesta Bowl is looking like one of the top two games on the schedule.

2. Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman when he took home the trophy this season.

He's taken the college football universe by storm with his incredible ability to elude defenses and make big plays, and he spent the season making us wonder how the Aggies ever lost a game with him at the helm.

Yes, he still has the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma to play, but many are already looking forward to the rest of Manziel's career and the chance he has to make history again as only the second player to win consecutive Heismans.

Manziel spent the season impressing us with jaw-dropping plays and incredible highlights against SEC opponents, and now he gets the chance to cap off the season with a big win against Oklahoma.

1. Best BCS Matchup Ever?

Alabama vs. Notre Dame is already receiving hype as the biggest game of the BCS era.

But will it be the best?

It will be hard to top the infamous Miami vs. Ohio State double-overtime thriller, or Vince Young and Texas over USC in one of the greatest title games of all time.

But with two fierce defenses, two of the most loyal fanbases in the nation and two teams clashing for the national title, this is sure to be a good one.

Last season's title matchup between Alabama and LSU was incredibly disappointing—expect precisely the opposite from this year's meeting between the Irish and the Tide.

Oh, and for all of you SEC fans out there talking about Notre Dame's "weak" schedule, consider this:

"

I'd just like to say to those who say ND had a "weak schedule," ND played 9 bowl-eligible teams to 'Bama's 4. ND played 2 teams under .500

"

"— Zachary White (@ZWT14) December 5, 2012"

What Zachary meant to tweet is that 'Bama played seven to Notre Dame's nine.

The point is that it's foolish to assume the Irish are weaker than 'Bama...