2011 Bowl Projections: Every Bowl Ranked from 1 to 35

Now that all 35 bowl game matchups have been officially announced, it is time to anticipate the upcoming college football postseason and set our calendars for the can’t-miss games of the bowl season.

The question is, which bowl games are most worth watching?

Ahead, I rank the bowl games from the least intriguing to the most intriguing.

The rankings included are my personal top-25 rankings.

35. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio (9-4) vs. Utah State (7-5)

Dec. 17, 5:30 PM ET, ESPN

About the only thing “famous” in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is Boise State’s blue turf on which this game—formerly known as the Humanitarian Bowl—will be played.

The Ohio Bobcats and Utah State Aggies are both worthy of playing in a bowl game, but this game will not attract casual college football fans.

34. St. Petersburg Bowl: Florida International (8-4) vs. Marshall (6-6)

Dec. 20, 8 PM ET, ESPN

Marshall’s season is notable for its victory over Southern Miss, and that tremendous one-handed catch by Aaron Dobson against East Carolina that made many appearances on SportsCenter two weekends ago.

That said, they may be the underdog against a Sun Belt team, which does not usually happen in bowl games.

33. Military Bowl, Dec. 28: Toledo (8-4) vs. Air Force (7-5)

4:30 PM ET, ESPN

This military-themed bowl features the only bowl-eligible service academy this season in Air Force, whose triple option attack is always a joy to watch.

Aside from that, this game is far from one of the more attractive bowl games of the season.

32. Little Caesars Bowl: Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Purdue (6-6)

Dec. 27, 4:30 PM ET, ESPN

Had it not been for a blocked extra point that led to a Purdue victory over Ohio State, they would not have even ended up bowl-eligible.

That said, they highlight a Little Caesars Bowl game against a Western Michigan team that was on the fringe of getting a bowl bid in the MAC conference, which has a severe lack of available bids.

31. New Mexico Bowl: Temple (8-4) vs. Wyoming (8-4)

Dec. 17, 2 PM ET, ESPN

Temple and Wyoming kick off the bowl season with the New Mexico Bowl, a game between two low-profile teams looking for their ninth win of the season.

Bowl enthusiasts like myself will be thrilled for the start of this game, as it kicks off the bowl season, but the general college football fan probably will not be.

30. Music City Bowl: Mississippi State (6-6) vs. Wake Forest (6-6)

Dec. 30, 6:40 PM ET, ESPN

After a surprisingly impressive season last year, the Mississippi State Bulldogs were a disappointment this season, finishing at just 6-6. Meanwhile, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons may be a surprise to even be in a bowl game.

Nonetheless, the Music City Bowl is unlikely to be among the more thrilling games of bowl season, but the pride of avoiding a losing season will be on the line.

29. New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)

Dec. 17, 9 PM ET, ESPN

San Diego State’s year in the Mountain West was mildly disappointing, but this will be an important opportunity for quarterback Ryan Lindley to showcase his abilities to NFL scouts.

The Aztecs should be able to come away with a victory in this game, but with a name like Ragin’ Cajuns, do not count Louisiana-Lafayette out.

28. Armed Forces Bowl: BYU (9-3) vs. Tulsa (8-4)

Dec. 30, Noon ET, ESPN

It is always a disappointment when the Armed Forces Bowl does not feature any of the three armed forces teams. It has been a down year for the service academies.

This is not a particularly exciting matchup for this bowl game, although it does mark BYU’s first bowl game as an independent.

27. Independence Bowl: Missouri (7-5) vs. North Carolina (7-5)

Dec. 26, 5 PM ET, ESPN2

Both Missouri and North Carolina were expected to at least contend for top-25 rankings this season, but both teams were major disappointments.

Both teams had the tough tasks of replacing their quarterbacks, both of whom are currently starters in the NFL’s AFC South (Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert for Jacksonville, North Carolina’s T.J. Yates for Houston). Their replacements—Missouri’s James Franklin and North Carolina’s Bryn Renner—struggled to replace.

With some extra time to practice, the young quarterbacks will try to lead their respective teams to victory in this game.

26. Belk Bowl: Louisville (7-5) vs. North Carolina State (7-5)

Dec. 27, 8 PM ET, ESPN

Louisville, at 7-5, held a share of the Big East Conference title, which shows just how weak that conference is.

Nothing special about this bowl matchup, aside from being a lower-stage matchup from the Orange Bowl between the Big East and ACC.

25. Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers (8-4) vs. Iowa State (6-6)

Dec. 30, 3:20 PM ET, ESPN

Iowa State’s season will be defined by its double-overtime upset victory over Oklahoma State which spoiled the Cowboys’ championship chances, but they still need a win over Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl to have a winning record for the season.

For the Big East, the Scarlet Knights are once again playing with conference pride on the line.

24. Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois (6-6) vs. UCLA (6-7)

Dec. 31, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN

In a sad inaugural season for the Pac-12 South division, the USC Trojans were ineligible for postseason play, and the UCLA Bruins went to represent their half of the conference in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, a game which they had little chance of winning.

However, due to the fact their seventh loss came in a championship game, they were allowed to play in a bowl game even with a losing record, and will look to even up their record with a win over Illinois in this bowl game.

Both of these teams are now without a head coach: In the past weeks, Illinois has fired Ron Zook and UCLA fired Rick Neuheisel.

Not a marquee matchup here, but some interesting story lines.

23. Compass Bowl: SMU (7-5) vs. Pittsburgh (6-6)

Jan. 7, 1 PM ET, ESPN

Pittsburgh was a drastic underachiever in a weak Big East Conference this year, and will have to overcome an inconsistent but dangerous Southern Methodist team to avoid a losing record this season.

Not a matchup to wait around for unless you are a fan of one of the two schools, but it could end up being a very close game.

22. Hawaii Bowl: No. 23 Southern Miss (11-2) vs. Nevada (7-5)

Dec. 24, 8 PM ET, ESPN

Coming off of a big victory over Houston to win the Conference USA Championship, it was certainly hoped that the Southern Miss Golden Eagles would get to play in a bigger matchup than a 7-5 Nevada Wolfpack squad, but people will still be watching to see one of this year’s biggest spoilers in action.

However, if Southern Miss plays the way it did against Houston, this game is unlikely to be close.

21. Poinsettia Bowl: No. 18 TCU (10-2) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

Dec. 21, 8 PM ET, ESPN

The Poinsettia Bowl is a battle of conference champions, as the Mountain West champion TCU Horned Frogs, who nearly ended up in a BCS bowl, will instead play the WAC champion Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.

An upset over TCU is unlikely for Louisiana Tech in this game, but as a game between two conference champions, this game definitely carries some weight.

20. GoDaddy.com Bowl: Arkansas State (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (10-3)

Jan. 8, 9 PM ET, ESPN

Among bowls featuring two 10-win teams, the GoDaddy.com Bowl ranks lowest on this list, but do not underestimate this bowl game’s potential to end up as one of the most exciting games of the postseason.

Arkansas State was a dominant champion of the Sun Belt this year, while Northern Illinois is an electric offensive team which won the Mid-American Conference championship.

These are the games that usually get overlooked, but end up being an exciting shootout.

19. Car Care of Texas Bowl: Texas A&M (6-6) vs. Northwestern (6-6)

Dec. 31, Noon ET,  ESPN

With a number of returning stars—notably quarterback Ryan Tannehill and wide receiver Jeff Fuller—the Texas A&M Aggies were expected to be much better than 6-6 this season, and as a result, head coach Mike Sherman was fired.

The Aggies are now a team without a head coach, but will certainly be looking to avoid a losing record, as will Northwestern, in this game.

Certainly far from a marquee matchup, but two 6-6 teams usually makes for a hungry game with pride on the line.

18. Holiday Bowl: California (7-5) vs. Texas (7-5)

Dec. 28, 8 PM ET, ESPN

For the second consecutive season, the Texas Longhorns had a very disappointing year, but at least this year, they will have a winning record and actually play in a bowl game.

The Holiday Bowl may not have been what the Longhorns had their sights set on, but for Mack Brown, whose job is rumored to be on the hot seat, this game could end up deciding whether he remains the coach of the Longhorns.

The Longhorns should certainly be favored over California in this game, but will have to play better than they did down the final stretch of the season to end up winning.

17. Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona State (6-6) vs. No. 8 Boise State (11-1)

Dec. 22, 8 PM ET, ESPN

Boise State’s heartbreaking one-point loss to TCU doomed its chances of making it to a BCS bowl, possibly even the BCS National Championship Game.

Instead, its top-10 ranking goes virtually to waste in the bowl selection process, as the Broncos are now stuck playing in the Las Vegas Bowl.

That said, the Las Vegas Bowl is still the best matchup of the first week of bowl games.

The Arizona State Sun Devils struggled horribly in November, losing their final four games of the season, but looked much stronger in their first two thirds of the season, highlighted by a victory over USC.

With strong-armed quarterback Brock Osweiler leading the offense and middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict starring defensively, the Sun Devils are certainly a huge underdog to Boise State in this game, but have the talent to come up with a big potential upset.

16. Insight Bowl: No. 20 Oklahoma (9-3) vs. Iowa (7-5)

Dec. 30, 10 PM ET, ESPN

It has been a very disappointing season for the Oklahoma Sooners, who came into the season with national championship aspirations. Unfortunately, they suffered their typical lapse loss in October to Texas Tech.

As injuries started to mount for the Sooners in November—including season-ending knee injuries to star wide receiver Ryan Broyles and running back Dominique Whaley—the Sooners lost two of their final three games.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were an unspectacular, mid-pack team in the Big Ten this year, but they will look to take advantage of a sliding Sooners team and get a big season-defining victory. Intriguing matchup.

15. Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Vanderbilt (6-6)

Dec. 31, 3:30 PM ET, ABC

In one of just four bowl games to be shown on network television this year, the Big East Conference will have a national spotlight and a chance to either prove or embarrass itself, as one of its top teams goes up against an SEC foe.

The Cincinnati Bearcats tied for the Big East title this year, but to give that crown any legitimacy, the Bearcats really must beat Vanderbilt in this bowl game, a team which held its own in the tough Southeastern Conference.

14. Sun Bowl: No. 24 Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)

Dec. 31, 2 PM ET, CBS

In its first bowl game as a member of the Pac-12, the Utah Utes are headed for the Sun Bowl, where they will go up against Georgia Tech and its triple-option offense.

Georgia Tech, as usual, has one of the nation’s most prolific rushing offenses, while Utah has one of the nation’s top run defenses, presenting a very intriguing clash of strengths.

13. Gator Bowl: Ohio State (6-6) vs. Florida (6-6)

Jan. 2, 1 PM ET, ESPN2

Even though Urban Meyer will not be coaching on either sideline in this game, the former Florida coach's recent hire at Ohio State will undoubtedly make him a focal storyline in the build-up to this game.

That said, the biggest thing riding on the line in this game is a matter of pride. Both teams, at 6-6, are trying to avoid a losing season, which would the Buckeyes’ first since 1988, and the Gators’ first since 1979.

This may not be your first choice of a game to watch on the afternoon on January 2nd, but these traditional, struggling powerhouses should put on a good show in this game.

12. Alamo Bowl: Washington (7-5) vs. No. 19 Baylor (9-3)

Dec. 29, 9 PM ET, ESPN

The Alamo Bowl is guaranteed to draw an audience for one simple reason: RG3.

Baylor’s quarterback, Robert Griffin III, is one of this year’s top candidates for the Heisman Trophy. Griffin III is a dual-threat quarterback who developed into one of the nation’s elite passers this season, as well as being a constant threat to run with this top-end speed.

It is really unlikely that Washington will be able to upset Baylor in this game, but that said, I would not put it past Steve Sarkisian’s Huskies: Let us not forget that in last year’s Holiday Bowl, the Huskies controlled Nebraska for a big win after being dominated by the same Cornhuskers team earlier in the season.

Granted, this Huskies team does not have Jake Locker like last year’s team, but they are a resilient squad who will give Baylor all they have.

11. Chick-fil-A Bowl: Virginia (8-4) vs. Auburn (7-5)

Dec. 31, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN

With a significant depletion of talent from one year to the next, the Auburn Tigers are nowhere near the national championship team they were last year. That said, they held their own against many tough SEC opponents, and remain a big draw for the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

While Auburn did lose five games, all five of their losses were to very good teams (LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Clemson), so they are better than their record makes them look. In this game, they will play Virginia, who surprisingly ended up being one of the ACC’s best teams this year.

Virginia is certainly the underdog in this game, but they did upset Georgia Tech and Florida State this season, and I think they will give Auburn a really good run in this game, possibly even come away with victory.

10. Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State (8-4) vs. No. 25 Notre Dame (8-4)

Dec. 29, 5:30 PM ET

Both Florida State and Notre Dame had disappointing seasons, but in one of the best pre-New Year’s bowl games, the Seminoles and Fighting Irish will play in the Champs Sports Bowl, with a ninth win and a spot in the final top 25 rankings on the line.

Both teams stumbled early in the season, with the Fighting Irish losing its first two games of the year and the Seminoles losing three consecutive games after winning their first two.

From there, the teams righted their ships somewhat, and are two popular teams that will draw an audience to this Florida bowl game.

9. Orange Bowl: No. 16 Clemson (10-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)

Jan. 4, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN

Yet again, the presence of the Big East Conference as an automatic qualifier lands a damaging blow upon the BCS. The 9-3 West Virginia Mountaineers, a team that lost to Syracuse and Louisville and has no business playing in one of the nation’s biggest bowl games, won its conference and got locked into the Orange Bowl.

There, they play a roller-coaster Clemson team which lost its last two games of the regular season to North Carolina State and South Carolina, but then bounced back to blow out Virginia Tech for ACC Championship victory.

What we end up with in the Orange Bowl is a battle of teams that only won nine regular season games, but not teams that should be featured in one of the year’s five premier bowl games.

Certainly a deflated BCS bowl game, but nonetheless a matchup that presents some intrigue between two teams that had ups and downs this season.

8. CapitalOne Bowl: No. 21 Nebraska (9-3) vs. No. 10 South Carolina (10-2)

Jan. 2, 1 PM ET, ESPN

The CapitalOne Bowl is bringing two teams to its game for the first time, as Nebraska will play its inaugural bowl game as a member of the Big Ten Conference against one of the SEC’s best teams, top-10 ranked South Carolina.

Nebraska’s Blackshirt defense did not quite live up to its usual standards this season, while South Carolina’s defense is among the nation’s best, so it is very possible that Nebraska will get completely overwhelmed in this game.

That said, South Carolina’s offense has not been impressive since Marcus Lattimore suffered a season-ending knee injury, so this game could take an unexpected turn. Not one of the better New Year’s Day bowl games, but still a good ranked game.

7. TicketCity Bowl: No. 15 Houston (12-1) vs. No. 22 Penn State (9-3)

Jan. 2, Noon ET, ESPNU

The TicketCity Bowl will continue to be overshadowed on January 2nd, but may be making a name for itself by drawing its best matchup ever.

Prior to this past Saturday, the Houston Cougars were on track to play in a BCS bowl, but after suffering a bad loss in the Conference USA Championship Game to Southern Miss, the Cougars have fallen to the TicketCity Bowl.

That, however, is not as hard of a fall as one may have expected originally, for the game is going to be a matchup of ranked teams, with the Cougars playing Penn State.

Penn State has been in the news for all the wrong reasons due to the Jerry Sandusky scandal, but they still had a very solid season on the field, finishing with a record of 9-3, and will present a real test for Houston.

The Cougars will be looking to come away from this game with a win to throw that they are legitimately better than they played against Southern Miss, while Penn State will be looking for a big win to make a trying year a 10-win season.

6. Sugar Bowl: No. 14 Michigan (10-2) vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech (11-2)

Jan. 3, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN

With the Southeastern Conference sending the two best teams in the country to the BCS National Championship Game, the Sugar Bowl was left to choose two at-large teams. They went with projected revenue over success in making Michigan its first choice over Stanford, and matched them up with Virginia Tech.

This is not the Sugar Bowl matchup many would like to see, for both the Wolverines and Hokies were a cut below BCS caliber this season, but this will still be among the best bowl games of the season.

This BCS bowl features a dynamic Michigan offense led by Denard Robinson, and a tough ACC team whose two losses were both suffered to a tough Clemson team.

5. Outback Bowl: No. 17 Michigan State (10-3) vs. No. 11 Georgia (10-3)

Jan. 2, 1 PM ET, ABC

This year’s Outback Bowl features two championship game runners-up. Michigan State, who earlier handed Wisconsin their first loss of the season on a hail mary touchdown pass, lost to the Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game, while Georgia fell victim to LSU in the SEC Championship Game.

That knocked both teams out of BCS consideration, but as two of the best teams not playing in BCS bowls, they give the Outback Bowl a very good matchup in one of three Big Ten-SEC matchups to be played on the afternoon on January 2nd.

4. Cotton Bowl: No. 13 Kansas State (10-2) vs. No. 6 Arkansas (10-2)

Jan. 6, 8 PM ET, FOX

The Cotton Bowl gets one of the top choices from two of the nation’s best conferences, the Big 12 and the SEC, which often leaves it with the best non-BCS matchup of the year.

That is the case this year, as two teams that suffered just two losses, Kansas State and Arkansas, will do battle. Kansas State’s only losses came to the Big 12’s two teams of highest regard, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma, while Arkansas’s only losses came to LSU and Alabama, the two best teams in the country.

With both of these somewhat unexpected 10-win teams looking for Cotton Bowl glory, this should be a terrific game.

3. Rose Bowl Game: No. 9 Wisconsin (11-2) vs. No. 4 Oregon (11-2)

Jan. 2, 5 PM ET, ESPN

The Rose Bowl is usually one of the best games in college football every year, and this year’s matchup should be no different. This year, it features the winner of the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, Wisconsin, and the winner of the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game, Oregon.

This should be a high-scoring game, featuring two of the nation’s best running backs, Montee Ball and LaMichael James.

Both of these teams suffered two losses this season, but are among the nation’s premier teams.

2. Fiesta Bowl: No. 5 Stanford (11-1) vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State (11-1)

Jan. 2, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN

Depending on the outcome of the BCS National Championship Game, this game could end up determining which team finishes second in the final rankings, in a battle of the nation’s two other best one-loss teams.

While Oklahoma State got left out of the national championship game, they certainly made a case for themselves with a dominant victory and will have a terrific matchup with Stanford.

For the fans who love high-scoring games, this should be the best game, with Oklahoma State’s best offense in the nation, while Stanford is led by arguably the nation’s best quarterback in Andrew Luck.

1. BCS National Championship Game: No. 1 LSU (13-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama (11-1)

Jan. 9, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN

While many people may be less than thrilled with a rematch game for the national championship, there is little doubt that the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide are the two best teams in college football. Therefore, they are the two teams that deserve to play in this game.

If you are fan of high-scoring shootouts, then you would probably disagree with this being the best bowl game of the season. But if you love physical, tough, SEC football, then you realize how great this game could potentially be.

I do expect that there will be touchdowns scored in the second edition in this game, but defenses should still reign supreme. It will be a very closely-contested game.

Let us all hope that the BCS National Championship Game leaves the nation with a clear champion and no one disappointed (aside from the losing team’s fans).

Thanks for Reading!

Two bowl-eligible teams were snubbed from going to a bowl game this year, those being Western Kentucky (7-5) from the Sun Belt Conference, and Ball State (6-6) from the Mid-American Conference.

Check back to (insert applicable site) for my full bowl game previews, and follow me on Twitter @Dan_Hope for updates throughout the bowl season!