Ranking the 10 Best CFB Bowl Games of the Season
It's the happiest time of year in college football. The three-plus weeks when bowl games are an almost-daily occurrence as they help get us through the rest of 2016 and the start of 2017.
This year there are 42 games on tap, starting with six contests on Saturday and concluding with the national championship set for Jan. 9 in Tampa, Florida.
In between are all sorts of intriguing matchups of varying levels of quality, but one thing they all have in common is they'll serve as our last chance to catch college stars in action before they graduate, turn pro or go back to class for another long offseason.
Will every game be an instant classic? No, not likely. Some will probably be stinkers, but it's still football and still worth watching even if you don't have a rooting interest.
Just to sweeten the pot a little, we've picked out the 10 best bowl games to check out over the next few weeks. We want your input, too, so in the comments section let us know what side you are on for each game and who you think will come out on top.
10. Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Toledo
1 of 10
Where: Montgomery, Alabama
When: Saturday, Dec. 17
The Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences are mostly overlooked on a national scale. Even though Western Michigan going unbeaten and representing the MAC in the Cotton Bowl has brought some much-needed attention to the non-power leagues. They need more, which is why we picked this matchup between upper-tier teams from those conferences.
Appalachian State (9-3) tied for the Sun Belt title after opening the season with an overtime loss at Tennessee. Toledo (9-3) began the season by blowing out co-Sun Belt champ Arkansas State but missed out on reaching the MAC title game by falling to Western Michigan.
This is only the third year of the Camellia Bowl, but so far the games have produced great finishes. Bowling Green beat South Alabama in 2014 on a touchdown in the final minute and last season Appalachian edged Ohio 31-29 on a last-second field goal for its first-ever bowl victory.
9. Peach Bowl: Alabama vs. Washington
2 of 10
Where: Atlanta
When: Saturday, Dec. 31
Not all semifinals are created equal, which is why one of the two games that will decide who plays for a national championship is so low on this list compared to the other. It's not that Alabama (13-0) and Washington (12-1) aren't strong teams, but a sizable point spread indicates many don't think this will be a close game.
According to OddsShark, defending national champion Alabama is favored by 14 points. That's tied for the largest spread of any bowl game.
So it goes when one team has a 25-game win streak and is appearing in the playoffs for the third time in as many seasons while the other is having its best year since 2000. Regardless of the spread, Washington earned its spot by winning the Pac-12 and won't just roll over.
8. Belk Bowl: Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech
3 of 10
Where: Charlotte, North Carolina
When: Thursday, Dec. 29
While the game itself is the main attraction, many bowl games have plenty of activities leading up to it that add to the experience for the participants and their fans. The Belk Bowl manages to take this one step further, using social media as a way to keep this contest relevant all year long.
The game's Twitter account is a must-follow regardless of who gets matched up in this ACC/SEC battle, of which both Arkansas (7-5) and Virginia Tech (9-4) are first-time participants. The Razorbacks come in having traded wins and losses over their last nine games—which means they're due for a victory—while Tech fell to Clemson in the ACC title game.
Two of the best coaching minds in the country will battle it out, as Arkansas' Bret Bielema and first-year Hokies coach Justin Fuente will have had extra time to whip up some creative game plans.
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7. Russell Athletic Bowl: Miami (Florida) vs. West Virginia
4 of 10
Where: Orlando, Florida
When: Wednesday, Dec. 28
Long ago, before conference realignment shook up the college football landscape, Miami (Florida) and West Virginia were in the Big East and regularly battled for league supremacy. One or the other had at least a share of the conference title nine times between 1993-2003, when Miami left for the ACC.
West Virginia eventually moved to the Big 12 in 2012. Its 10-2 record marks the program's best since the shift. Miami (8-4) has the same record as a year ago but this one came under new coach Mark Richt, who returned to his alma mater after 15 seasons at Georgia.
The Hurricanes have won four straight overall but have dropped their last six bowl games. Miami's last postseason win came against Nevada in the 2006 MPC Computers Bowl—now known as the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
West Virginia is playing its first game in Florida since the 2012 Orange Bowl—when it scored 70 to beat Clemson.
6. Alamo Bowl: Colorado vs. Oklahoma State
5 of 10
Where: San Antonio
When: Thursday, Dec. 29
Remember the Alamo ...
This isn't a reminder to be well-read on American history, though that should be a given. Instead, we're referring to the absolute craziness that ensued during last season's Alamo Bowl between Oregon and TCU.
Don't be ashamed if you turned that game off at halftime since Oregon held a 31-0 lead. TCU coach Gary Patterson changed shirts, hoping that would spark the Horned Frogs to make a comeback, and they managed to force the game into overtime and then win 47-41 in triple OT.
Could we get a similarly wild result from Pac-12 runner-up Colorado (10-3) and second-place Big 12 finisher Oklahoma State (9-3)? There's only one way to find out.
5. Las Vegas Bowl: Houston vs. San Diego State
6 of 10
Where: Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Dec. 17
This year's bowl slate could begin with some college football history, as San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey is on the cusp of becoming the FBS all-time rushing leader. But to make that happen he'll have to solve one of the top run defenses in the country.
Houston (9-3) allowed 97.9 rushing yards per game during the regular season, third-best in FBS. Only three of the Cougars' opponents managed to average better than three yards per carry.
Pumphrey enters the game with 2,018 yards this season and 6,290 for his career. He needs 108 to pass former Wisconsin star Ron Dayne for the record. It's a number he's managed nine times in 2016 for two-time defending Mountain West champion SDSU (10-3).
This will be Houston's first game since coach Tom Herman left to take the Texas job. The Cougars have promoted offensive coordinator Major Applewhite to replace Herman.
4. Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Michigan
7 of 10
Where: Miami
When: Friday, Dec. 30
Michigan (10-2) was inches away from winning the Big Ten's East Division and having a shot at the conference title, which undoubtedly would have led to the Wolverines making the playoffs. Instead, their double-overtime loss at Ohio State in the regular-season finale dropped them to third in that division and out of the national title hunt.
Instead, the Wolverines will be ending their season in the Sunshine State much like they did a year ago when Jim Harbaugh's first season as coach culminated in a blowout win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl.
Winning as easily probably won't happen this time around. Not against a surging Florida State team that was playing its best ball of 2016 in November.
The Seminoles (9-3) bring a four-game win streak into Hard Rock Stadium, where in September they won 20-19 against Miami (Florida). Combined with the season-ending victory over Florida, 2016 once again gave FSU in-state bragging rights. The Seminoles, though, have lost their last two bowl games and will try to avoid the program's first-ever three-game bowl skid.
3. Citrus Bowl: Louisville vs. LSU
8 of 10
Where: Orlando, Florida
When: Saturday, Dec. 31
Recently crowned Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson managed to make a lot of defenses look foolish this season, as he racked up more than 4,900 yards of total offense and 51 total touchdowns. That includes top-10 units from Boston College and Clemson, against whom the sophomore quarterback helped Louisville (9-3) score 52 and 36 points, respectively.
He may end up being fortunate to face LSU after winning the Heisman, since the Tigers (7-4) had a way of making some of the best offenses look pedestrian in 2016.
LSU, which ranks 13th nationally in total defense, held four teams to 14 or fewer points this season while allowing only seven rushing TDs. The Cardinals did one better in that category, yielding just six rushing scores, though they never faced the likes of the Tigers' backfield combination of Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice.
2. Rose Bowl: Penn State vs. USC
9 of 10
Where: Pasadena, California
When: Monday, Jan. 2
Penn State and USC would have loved to be in the College Football Playoff and have a shot at a national championship, but getting to play in the bowl game known as “The Granddaddy of Them All” isn't so bad, either. It sure beats potentially getting blown out by Alabama in the semifinals, too.
How well-regarded is this game? It's basically the one that the entire bowl schedule is built around, since the Rose Bowl is traditionally given the late-afternoon kickoff time on New Year's Day (though it shifts to Jan. 2 whenever the 1st falls on Sunday, as is the case in 2017).
This is Penn State's second trip to the Rose Bowl as the Big Ten representative and first since 2009, which is also when USC made the last of its 33 appearances. The Nittany Lions (11-2) enter on a nine-game win streak during which they knocked off Ohio State and then rallied to beat Wisconsin in the conference championship.
USC (9-3) won its final eight games after a rough September in which it lost by 46 to Alabama and also dropped its first two Pac-12 games. After that the Trojans won by an average of 19.8 points, beating Pac-12 finalists Colorado and Washington along the way.
1. Fiesta Bowl: Clemson vs. Ohio State
10 of 10
Where: Glendale, Arizona
When: Saturday, Dec. 31
There's a reason the playoff committee (and ESPN) picked this as the primetime national semifinal over the Alabama/Washington matchup, and it's not because the game is in Arizona. Clemson and Ohio State are capable of winning it all, but first they have to get through each other, which won't be easy.
Clemson (12-1) is the two-time ACC champion and played in last year's national title game but has been up and down much of this season. The Tigers have had seven games decided by one score, including their conference title win over Virginia Tech and the one-point home loss to Pittsburgh in which Deshaun Watson threw three interceptions.
Watson has been picked off 15 times this year. He's countered that with 37 touchdown passes to go with six rushing scores. Running back Wayne Gallman has 15 rushing TDs and four different Clemson receivers have reached the end zone at least five times.
Ohio State (11-1) won the first playoff in 2014. The Buckeyes missed out last year after losing late in the season and failing to win their half of the Big Ten. Both happened again in 2016, when Penn State beat Ohio State, but the playoff committee felt the Buckeyes were still that league's best team despite them not playing for a conference championship.
Quarterback J.T. Barrett, who has 33 total TDs, was hurt two years ago and didn't get to be a part of the playoff run. Look for him to make up for lost time.
All recruiting information courtesy of Scout.com, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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