College Football: Which BCS Bowls Are Compelling?

For the next two weeks, college football fans will be left to their own devices. This is it. It's over. Oh sure, there's the NBA, NHL, and NFL to keep you busy with those sports while you go nuts—but it's not college football. Start your official mourning.

Until Jan. 1, we won't be blessed with any real outstanding bowls, except for the Poinsettia Bowl (TCU v Boise State), Champs Sports Bowl (Florida State v Wisconsin), Emerald Bowl (Cal v Miami), Holiday Bowl (Oregon v Oklahoma State), and Chick-Fil-A Bowl (LSU v Georgia Tech).

Our reward for watching all of the lesser compelling bowls? The BCS Bowls. The biggees. The cream-of-the-crop bowls. Or are they?

Here are the BCS Bowls and their cases for why they are compelling, or why they are not. See if you agree with the verdicts.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl (Alabama vs. Utah)

Quick, whichever team wins will make a strong case for... what? Think about that for a minute. The Crimson Tide had their hearts broken after losing the SEC Championship Game to the Florida Gators. Still reeling, they now face the Mountain West champs, the Utah Utes.

If 'Bama wins, everyone will say, "Big deal, the Utes didn't belong here because they don't play in a BCS conference." If the Utes win, everyone will say, "Told ya, the Tide were overrated to begin with, and this just proves that point."

This Sugar Bowl may have a winner, but not in the PR department. It's anti-climactic, doesn't prove anything, and except for a possible "We belong here" case for the Utes, won't bolster the Utes' case for playing in the NC game (after all, they are playing the second place SEC team).

And it certainly will not have resolved anything—no matter who wins.

Verdict: Not compelling

The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Texas vs. Ohio State)

Holy smokes, this bowl is going to need a shrink on hand to tend to all the psyches of these teams' players. Let's look at what story lines are involved here.

You've got one ticked-off Longhorns team who feels they should have represented the Big 12 South in the conference championship and gotten a possible shot at the NC. Instead, they have to watch a team they beat—Oklahoma—get that shot when both the Sooners and the Longhorns have the same amount of losses.

Think there's a bit to prove on the field here?

On the other hand, you have the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are making their yearly saunter into a BCS Bowl, with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. They are tired of hearing "overrated," tired of "0-11" (even though that record is against the SEC and they are now playing a Big 12 team), and tired of hearing how they haven't recently deserved to be in BCS Bowls.

The end result? If Texas beats the nuts out of Ohio State, and Florida beats the boom out of the Sooners in the NC, we could have another split championship.

How many heads will roll if the Buckeyes are in the preseason Top 10 rankings next year? If Ohio State beats Texas, then the Buckeyes will have restored some dignity, finally shut up the naysayers, and proved that Texas got what it deserved.

Verdict: Very compelling

The Rose Bowl presented by Citi (USC vs. Penn State)

The last few Rose Bowls have been duds, in part because the Rose Bowl did not get its traditional No. 1 Pac-10 champ vs No. 1 Big Ten champ; Ohio State went to the NC game two years in a row.

This year, it's a bit different. Big Ten co-Champ Penn State has only one loss, a hiccup against Iowa, while the Pac-10 Champ, USC, also had one hiccup— against Oregon State.

Both teams have strong cases for being in the NC, but, unfortunately, their respective conferences' strength took a nose dive in the public opinion polls.

Here is their chance to prove that their one-loss records are just as worthy as Oklahoma's and Florida's. Both teams have very good defenses—USC is No. 1 and Penn State is No. 5. This game will expose which team truly has the better D, which team's statistical rankings in college football are legit, and which defense is a result of playing in a soft conference.

Throw in a possible last game for HC Joe Paterno, definitely the last game for USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, two of the best linebackers in the nation (Brian Cushing and Rey Maualuga) playing against Linebacker U, two strong-armed and mobile quarterbacks (Daryll Clark and Mark Sanchez), superb rushing from both teams, and you've got a heckuva match-up—probably the second-best of the BCS Bowls.

Verdict: Very compelling

The FedEx Orange Bowl (Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati)

Yep, count anyone who watches this game as desperate for some football—myself included.

If this bowl isn't a perfect example as to why auto-berths should be ditched, then nothing is. Sorta like all the freight companies still charging a 15 percent surcharge when gas in California is now around $1.80 a gallon. If no one complains about it, and still pays for it, why should they drop the surcharge?

Back to the four-loss Hokies playing the two-loss Bearcats. There are some feel-good stories behind these two teams.

The Hokies are still recovering from their campus shootings and a huge loss of talent on their roster, while the Bearcats are enjoying their first 11-win season in school history.

Still, you can't get past the fact that one of these teams shouldn't be playing in a BCS Bowl, while the other team is playing because, well, someone has to represent the Big East.

The Hokies have great D (No. 7) but dreadful O (No. 107), while the Bearcats have very good D (No. 26) and average O (No. 50). The outcome should be obvious—a cascade of three-and-outs, lots of punts, and a plethora of field goals.

Verdict: Not compelling.

The FedEx BCS Championship Game (Oklahoma vs. Florida)

This has to be compelling, doesn't it? Of course! It's the National Championship game, the one game where everyone agrees it reflects the two best teams in the country. Yeah, okay, we're not sold, either.

There are seven other teams that all have solid arguments for why they should be in this game, but since this is what we have, let's just say these are the two best. We don't have a choice, so deal with it. Besides, it is a great matchup.

The Gators suffered a hiccup, as it turns out, to a pretty good Ole Miss team, while the Sooners' hiccup was against a strong Longhorns team. Both have coaches who have won a BCS Championship, so both coaches know the drill.

But there are two lingering questions in the back of everyone's mind: Did Florida deserve to jump up to No. 2 by winning the the SEC, a conference clearly not as strong as everyone thought it would be? And can Bob Stoops actually game prep his players to show up in a BCS Bowl?

No doubt, if the Sooners fall apart after a game-changing play—which they are infamous for—the second question will be answered. But if that happens, does it necessarily mean the Gators are the best team, or that they played an opponent who tanked another BCS Bowl?

The BCS hopes both teams will play their best, but as the past couple of championship games have shown, one team forgets to show up.

And let's not forget the excuses, either. One team will claim the other team had an advantage because they didn't have to travel far. One team will claim the refs are biased, one team will claim the other team had an easier path, and one team might have to think long and hard about their head coach's future if they lose.

Finally, the outcome of this game could cause a split championship.

Verdict: Extremely compelling.