10 College Football Non-Playoff Bowl Matchups We'd Love to See
Would you pay $100 for a raffle ticket with a grand prize of getting to decide every bowl matchup?
Think about it, if your ticket was pulled, you would decide who would play who in each of the 39 bowl games.
Sure, there would be a few parameters, but basically you would spend an entire Sunday in December, holed up with your buddies, coming up with the best matchups in the history of the game.
You’d email your selections over to ESPN, and voila, the schedule would be announced on national television and across the Internet.
Which teams would you pair up first? Which games would get the entire nation jacked up? What could you do to make this year’s non-meaningful bowl games the best in history?
Here’s a look at 10 potential matchups to get the conversation started.
Wisconsin-Arkansas
1 of 10
This one has got everything: two run-tastic teams from power conferences that were molded by the same coach.
Who wouldn’t want to see Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema lead his new squad against the running powerhouse he left behind, the one at Wisconsin?
This potential clash sets up to be far more than just the Bielema-Badgers reunion; it has two high-powered rushing attacks taking on rushing defenses that rank among the top 25 in the FBS.
It’s doesn’t take a geneticist to explain why these two programs have similar DNA.
What hurts is that this game is not as realistic as others. Though the Outback, TaxSlayer and Music City Bowls pit Big Ten teams with SEC squads, it’s hard to imagine five-loss Arkansas being paired with two-loss Wisconsin.
Marshall-West Virginia
2 of 10
Though it’s tempting to pit Marshall against whichever team finishes at No. 5 in the playoff rankings, what’s even more compelling is a matchup between the Thundering Herd and its in-state big brother.
What makes it even better is that Marshall has never, in 12 tries, beaten West Virginia.
Want to notch it up some more? Check out these tweets reacting to Marshall quarterback Rakeem Cato being invited to ESPN’s College GameDay visit to Morgantown on Nov. 1.
"rakeem cato is going to be at wvu's game for an espn gameday interview. guess he wants to see a REAL football team for once.
— WV's Hottest Ladies (@women_of_wv) October 29, 2014"
"@CollegeGameDay Why would you have Cato in Morgantown? This isn't Marshall gameday. We don't support Marshall. We don't like Marshall.
— WVMike (@MarshallSucks) October 29, 2014"
The game itself would be about testing the Herd’s No. 2 ranking in scoring offense against a West Virginia defense that’s faced the likes of Baylor and TCU. On the other side of the ball, it's Marshall’s No. 5-ranked scoring defense versus one of the best passing attacks in college football.
In other words, since the Herd has earned its stats against smaller schools, how good is it, really?
The only postseason option that sanctions a Conference USA-Big 12 clash is the Heart of Dallas Bowl on Dec. 26.
California-Cincinnati
3 of 10
If 100 points and 1,000 yards combined is what you’re searching for, the first-ever football meeting between Cal and Cincinnati is for you.
The Golden Bears rank No. 4 in the nation in passing yards, while their counterparts at Cincinnati rank No. 9. On the flip side, Cal is No. 128 versus the pass (the worst mark in the FBS) and the Bearcats are No. 118.
It’s yards, its points, it’s a pass-a-palooza that pairs well with holiday leftovers and a refreshing bottle of Riesling.
Since the American Athletic and Pac-12 conferences aren’t officially slated for a postseason clash, this meeting may remain in Fantasyland. A long shot is the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, which was supposed to pit Army against an American Athletic team. With Army at 3-8, that slot will have to be awarded to another program.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Oklahoma-Nebraska
4 of 10
Why wait until 2021 for the renewal of the Oklahoma-Nebraska rivalry when you can tune in this year?
The Sooners and Huskers met 86 times before Nebraska fled the Big 12 for the Big Ten in 2011 and aren’t scheduled to clash again until a 2021-2022 home-and-home series.
This season, Oklahoma should finish 9-3, while the Cornhuskers are set for a 10-2 mark. Though the Big Ten and Big 12 aren’t likely dance partners outside of the money bowls, this matchup would be a blockbuster for the Alamo Bowl.
The game itself would feature two run-dominated offenses that are tied for a No. 12 rank in scoring paired with defenses that have struggled: Nebraska against the run and Oklahoma versus the pass.
It could make heroes out of guys like Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong and Sooners running back Samaje Perine.
And it would fill seats like few meaningless postseason games could.
Arizona-Michigan
5 of 10
In what could also be named the Irony Bowl and the If Only We Would Have Given the Guy Another Year Bowl, who wouldn’t want to make Brady Hoke-Rich Rod part of their holidays?
Hoke’s fall and Rodriguez’s rise have been well documented, so what’s left is an actual coaching matchup. This one would be all about Arizona’s wicked offense squaring off with Michigan’s stifling defense.
On the other side of the ball, maybe the Wildcats’ No. 120-ranked passing defense is just what the Wolverines need to boost their No. 114 rank in passing yards per game.
And for the victor, well, whoever won could either validate its decision to hire—or fire—the guy who used to be the coach at West Virginia.
The two coaches have never clashed before, but the two schools have met twice in regular-season games in in 1970 and 1978, both Michigan wins.
Notre Dame-Miami (Fla.)
6 of 10
With the exception of 1986, these two met every season from 1971-90. The series featured consecutive Top 10 matchups from 1987-90, including the famous “Catholics vs. Criminals” game in 1988.
From 1987-89, the winner of the game went on to win the national championship.
Since 1990, they’ve met twice: in the 2012 regular season and in the 2010 Sun Bowl, the only postseason meeting.
What’s intriguing about this matchup, other than the obvious shared history, is seeing how the Hurricanes’ rising offense looks against Notre Dame’s falling defense.
On the flip side, could Miami’s No. 22-ranked pass defense shut down the Irish aerial attack, ranked at No. 15 in the nation?
Notre Dame could be at 8-4 by the time the bowl bids are handed out, while Miami is a realistic eight-win team as well. Though both of these teams are essentially ACC squads, don’t put it past a savvy bowl committee to wrangle this rematch into reality.
Boise State-Washington
7 of 10
Before 2014, we were wondering how Boise State would look with head coach Chris Petersen off its sidelines. In the postseason, we can see what it would look like to have him on the opposing sideline.
The Broncos sit at 8-2 through 12 weeks, while Washington—Petersen’s new team—is 6-5. Both have realistic shots of winning out, making Las Vegas’ Royal Purple Bowl the potential venue for another edition of “old coach leads new team against old team.”
What would be worth watching in this one is Boise State’s No. 32-ranked rushing attack—led by running back Jay Ajayi, No. 11 in the FBS in yards per game (128)—taking on Washington’s No. 33-ranked rushing defense.
For the Huskies, the man to watch is senior linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha, who leads the nation in tackles for a loss (22.5) and is tied for the most sacks (16.5).
The two programs have met three times in history, all since 2007 and all with Petersen at the helm for Boise State. Petersen is 1-2 against his current employer, making the Broncos 1-2 versus the Huskies.
The only win came in the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl, a narrow 28-26 win that Boise State sealed with a field goal with just over a minute to go.
TCU/Baylor-Ole Miss
8 of 10
It’s still up in the air as to whether TCU or Baylor (or neither) will make the College Football Playoff. Either way, a team that gets left behind would make a swell pairing with Ole Miss.
Despite their two losses, the Rebels still own the No. 1-ranked scoring defense in college football, and as a bonus, they’re No. 14 against the pass.
This sets up for a blockbuster showdown with either the Horned Frogs (No. 4 in scoring offense, No. 8 in passing yards) or the Bears (No. 1 in scoring, No. 3 in passing).
It’s the History Channel squaring off with the folks from Syfy, and boy won’t it be entertaining to see which top-ranked unit is the real deal—the point scorers or the score stoppers.
The Big 12 or the SEC.
The most fun option might be TCU, the team with the No. 102-ranked pass defense, an interesting companion for Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace and the No. 22-ranked passing attack in the country.
Either combination would likely meet in one of the four playoff committee selection bowls, with the Cotton Bowl being the top candidate.
The Rebels and the Horned Frogs haven’t met since the 1983 regular season and have played twice in the postseason: the 1948 Delta Bowl and the 1956 Cotton Bowl. TCU has only beaten Ole Miss once, in a 1949 regular-season contest.
Ole Miss and Baylor have only played once, in the 1975 season opener in Waco. The Bears won 20-10.
South Carolina-Clemson
9 of 10
Even though these two have squared off every season since 1909, they’ve never clashed in the postseason.
Despite this being a rematch, it’s got all the right stuff for an epic bowl matchup.
First, you’ve got two coaches who combine for a 4-0 record in their last four bowl appearances. Together they’ve knocked off the likes of No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 LSU, No. 19 Michigan and No. 19 Wisconsin.
Next, there is the excitement of the actual matchup: South Carolina’s flagging defense (ranked No. 105 in scoring) squaring off with a young Clemson offense that with Deshaun Watson under center has averaged 36 points per game.
On the other side of the ball, it’s the Tigers’ stifling defense (ranked No. 13 in scoring and No. 4 versus the pass) taking on a Gamecocks offense that ranks No. 23 in passing yards.
Best of all, it’s a heated, in-state hate fest. As a gauge, check out Josh Kendall’s (he writes for The State in Columbia, S.C.) tweet from Steve Spurrier’s postgame press conference this past Saturday.
"Steve Spurrier completely out of the blue: "I guess the Upstate team got beat today."
— Josh Kendall (@JoshatTheState) November 15, 2014"
The two rivals have never met outside of the state of South Carolina, potential postseason venues are the TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla. the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. or the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La.
Texas-Texas A&M
10 of 10
It’s been three years since the 109-game series between the Longhorns and Aggies was thwarted by A&M’s move to the SEC, making the possibility of a bowl matchup enticing.
Texas will have to beat TCU to finish 7-5, and if Texas A&M drops its finale with LSU, it too will be 7-5.
This would be a clash between the Longhorns’ No. 15-ranked pass defense and the Aggies’ No. 10-ranked aerial attack. On the flip side, how many points could Texas’ offense, a unit that’s gained steam throughout the season, hang up on A&M’s No. 74-ranked scoring defense?
The Texas Bowl in Houston, a town chock-full of alumni from both schools, would be fabulous venue for this postseason blockbuster.
These two programs still have fight songs that mention each other and administrators that aren’t sure if they want to schedule a regular-season reunion—why not force the issue?
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference-College Football. Schedule data courtesy of FBSchedules.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
