Bowl Games Schedule 2014-15: TV Info, Dates and Odds for Entire Slate
The great thing about the bowl season is that it gives a chance for every team to play in the spotlight.
While there has been a lot of coverage on the College Football Playoff—something that won't change because, well, they are the best teams in the nation—the next few weeks give other squads a chance to show what they can do.
Although not everyone is competing for a national championship, a total of 76 teams will try to end their season on a high note with a win in their bowl game. From the fans' perspective, there are a lot of games worth watching besides just the ones on New Year's Day.
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Here is a look at the schedule with odds for every bowl game this winter, along with a breakdown of some of the under-the-radar matchups to watch.
| R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl | Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette | Dec. 20 | 11 a.m. | ESPN | ULL -1.5 |
| Gildan New Mexico Bowl | UTEP vs. Utah State | Dec. 20 | 2:20 p.m. | ESPN | USU -10.5 |
| Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl | Colorado St. vs. Utah | Dec. 20 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | UTAH -4.5 |
| Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Western Michigan vs. Air Force | Dec. 20 | 5:45 p.m. | ESPN | EVEN |
| Raycom Media Camellia Bowl | Bowling Green vs. South Alabama | Dec. 20 | 9:15 p.m. | ESPN | USA -2.5 |
| Miami Beach Bowl | BYU vs. Memphis | Dec. 22 | 2 p.m. | ESPN | MEM -1 |
| Boca Raton Bowl | Marshall vs. Northern Illinois | Dec. 23 | 6 p.m. | ESPN | MRSH -9.5 |
| San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl | Navy vs. San Diego State | Dec. 23 | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | SDSU -2.5 |
| Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan | Dec. 24 | 12 p.m. | ESPN | WKU -3 |
| Sheraton Hawaii Bowl | Rice vs. Fresno State | Dec. 24 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | RICE -1.5 |
| Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl | Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech | Dec. 26 | 1 p.m. | ESPN | LT -6 |
| Quick Lane Bowl | Rutgers vs. North Carolina | Dec. 26 | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | UNC -3 |
| BITCOIN St. Petersburg Bowl | NC State vs. UCF | Dec. 26 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | UCF -2 |
| Military Bowl | Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati | Dec. 27 | 1 p.m. | ESPN | CIN -3 |
| Hyundai Sun Bowl | Duke vs. Arizona State | Dec. 27 | 2 p.m. | CBS | ASU -7.5 |
| Duck Commander Independence Bowl | Miami (Fl.) vs. South Carolina | Dec. 27 | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | MIA -3 |
| New Era Pinstripe Bowl | Boston College vs. Penn State | Dec. 27 | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN | BC -2.5 |
| National University Holiday Bowl | Nebraska vs. USC | Dec. 27 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | USC -7 |
| AutoZone Liberty Bowl | West Virginia vs. Texas A&M | Dec. 29 | 2 p.m. | ESPN | WVU -3.5 |
| Russell Athletic Bowl | Clemson vs. Oklahoma | Dec. 29 | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | OKLA -3 |
| AdvoCare Texas Bowl | Texas vs. Arkansas | Dec. 29 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | ARK -7 |
| Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl | Notre Dame vs. LSU | Dec. 30 | 3 p.m. | ESPN | LSU -8 |
| Belk Bowl | Louisville vs. Georgia | Dec. 30 | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN | UGA -7 |
| Foster Farms Bowl | Maryland vs. Stanford | Dec. 30 | 10 p.m. | ESPN | STAN -14 |
| Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl | Ole Miss vs. TCU | Dec. 31 | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | TCU -3 |
| Vizio Fiesta Bowl | Boise State vs. Arizona | Dec. 31 | 4 p.m. | ESPN | ARI -3 |
| Capital One Orange Bowl | Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech | Dec. 31 | 8 p.m. | ESPN | MSST -7.5 |
| Outback Bowl | Wisconsin vs. Auburn | Jan. 1 | 12 p.m. | ESPN2 | AUB -7 |
| Goodyear Cotton Bowl | Michigan State vs. Baylor | Jan. 1 | 12:30 p.m. | ESPN | BAY -3 |
| Citrus Bowl | Minnesota vs. Missouri | Jan. 1 | 1 p.m. | ABC | MIZZ -6 |
| Rose Bowl Game | Oregon vs. Florida State | Jan. 1 | 5 p.m. | ESPN | ORE -9.5 |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | Alabama vs. Ohio State | Jan. 1 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | ALA -9 |
| Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Pittsburgh vs. Houston | Jan. 2 | 12 p.m. | ESPN | PIT -3 |
| TaxSlayer Bowl | Iowa vs. Tennessee | Jan. 2 | 3:20 p.m. | ESPN | TENN -3.5 |
| Valero Alamo Bowl | Kansas State vs. UCLA | Jan. 2 | 6:45 p.m. | ESPN | KSU -1 |
| Cactus Bowl | Oklahoma St. vs.Washington | Jan. 2 | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN | WASH -5 |
| Birmingham Bowl | Florida vs. East Carolina | Jan. 3 | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 | FLA -7.5 |
| GoDaddy Bowl | Toledo vs. Arkansas State | Jan. 4 | 9 p.m. | ESPN | TOL -3 |
| College Football Championship Game | TBD | Jan. 12 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN | - |
All odds courtesy of OddsShark.com.
Best Bowls Outside of New Year's Six
Alamo Bowl: Kansas State vs. UCLA
Based on preseason expectations, it wouldn't have been too surprising to see either team competing for a national championship. At the very least, both Kansas State and UCLA had the talent to be in the running for conference titles.
Unfortunately, each squad fell short on the last game of the season with a shot at a conference title on the line.
While they won't be raising trophies this year, each side is still a lot of fun to watch behind two of the most intriguing quarterbacks in the game. UCLA's Brett Hundley has an up-and-down year, but he already decided he will enter the NFL draft and has all the talent to have success there.
Kansas State coach Bill Snyder is a little intimidated going into this challenge:
On the other hand, Jake Waters is unlikely to be lining up under center in the NFL, but he is still a dynamic player who can make things happen with either his arm or his legs.
Against a below-average pass defense, Waters has an opportunity to put up some big stats in this one.
In a bowl that has seen some high-scoring battles over the years, this matchup could once again approach 100 points.
Outback Bowl: Auburn vs. Wisconsin
The big story with Wisconsin is the changes in the coaching staff after head coach Gary Andersen left for Oregon State. As a result, athletic director and former head coach Barry Alvarez will be on the sidelines for the Badgers in the bowl game.
While this will be entertaining and will give fans plenty of nostalgia, it won't necessarily lead to much success.
Still, Wisconsin will certainly put up a fight with the best running back in the nation. Melvin Gordon is one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy and has a legitimate argument to win based on his stats, via Mike Hall of the Big Ten Network:
The problem is Auburn has already faced plenty of talent on both sides of the ball this year:
It's clear the 8-4 record is not indicative of the Tigers' true ability. With some better breaks, and possibly some better home games, they could easily be playing for a national championship.
Auburn should be able to win this game with ease, but it will be entertaining to see some great running plays from Gordon, Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne.
Belk Bowl: Georgia vs. Louisville
This bowl game is not only good for its on-field matchups, but there are storylines all around, as noted by Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated:
Besides the players who have switched teams, Todd Grantham will have a pretty big role, as noted by Tim Sullivan of The Courier-Journal:
There were many who questioned Grantham's ability as a defensive coordinator during his time with Georgia, but now he has a chance to show what he can do firsthand.
Louisville has the No. 18 scoring defense in the nation, although it will be a challenge to stop running back Nick Chubb, who has been a star for the Bulldogs ever since losing Todd Gurley to injury.
This battle will have talent and passion, two ingredients for a great football game.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
