2011 Bowl Matchups: Notre Dame vs. Florida St. and More Underrated Games

College football fans are eagerly awaiting the BCS bowl games, but there is still an extended period of time before those clashes begin. In order to keep diehards occupied until 2012, here are three games that should exceed expectations and will be worth tuning in to see.

Notre Dame vs. Florida State

Notre Dame's biggest problem since the very first whistle of the season has been turnovers. The Irish could have had a much more memorable season if it weren't for those self-inflicted wounds. Of the team's three losses, only one (South Florida) was a truly bad loss.

It was a very disappointing campaign at Florida State. After reaching No. 5 in the polls before the team's loss to Oklahoma, the Seminoles slowly faded off the national radar. The defense ranked fourth nationally, but the unit came up small when it mattered most.

Whenever there's a game between two prestigious programs that didn't meet their goals, it's usually an intense clash with both sides wanting to finish on a positive note. Also, a win would give a little boost to recruiting efforts.

Georgia Tech vs. Utah

Georgia Tech's option attack is always a tough riddle to solve for opposing defenses. The Yellow Jackets averaged more than 315 yards on the ground and used a 383-yard performance to upset No. 5 Clemson. If they could have knocked off another ranked team, they would have received a lot more respect.

The transition to the Pac-12 didn't go as smoothly as Utah hoped, finishing just 4-5 in conference play. One of the bright spots was workhorse running back John White, who scored 14 touchdowns and might be worth the price of admission (which won't be much) by himself.

Both defenses struggled when faced with stiff competition. That gives this game shootout potential, and those type of games are always fun to watch.

Arizona State vs. Boise State

Arizona State spent a lot of time in the rankings before finishing the season on a four-game losing streak. Brock Osweiler, Cameron Marshall and Gerell Robinson didn't get much national attention, but the triumvirate had big-time success.

Once again, a missed field goal cost Boise State a chance to play in a BCS game. Kellen Moore and Co. were among the nation's most dynamic offenses once again, and it will be interesting to see how they perform against a power conference team with more talent than its record shows.

This is another game that should see a lot of back-and-forth action. It also marks the end of Moore's terrific run with the Broncos, which could have been even better if they had a better kicker.