Bowl Games 2011: Top December Matchups You Can't Miss

We know all about the BCS bowl games, but we won't see them until January.

December bowl games are often dismissed as less exciting and less important and that is a mistake.

This year, in particular, has a number of great teams and players to be excited about including the likes of Robert Griffin III and the Baylor Bears, Kellen Moore and the Boise State Broncos and Ryan Tannehill and the Texas A&M Aggies.

Here are the top December bowls to get excited about.

Valero Alamo Bowl - Baylor vs. Washington - Dec. 29, 9 p.m. EST (ESPN)

Heisman favorite RGIII will star in what will likely be his last collegiate game.

The Baylor QB is always worth a watch and could very well be the Heisman winner come kickoff time. The Huskies are no slouch either.

Washington averaged 31 points per game this season and feature running back Chris Polk, who accounted for 15 total touchdowns and over 1,600 total yards this season.

Baylor should win handily, but there will be a lot of points.

Champs Sports Bowl - Florida State vs. Notre Dame - Dec 29, 5:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)

This game, which precedes the Baylor-Washington game, features two teams that will be near the top of the heap in next year's preseason rankings.

Both teams came into this season with inflated expectations and both fell woefully short.

The winner of this game will again be overrated going into next season, but both teams feature young and talented players with a lot to look forward to.

Florida State, in particular, continues to dominate in recruiting and will only continue to get better.

Notre Dame will continue to improve, as Brian Kelly's system is finally ingrained in each and every class.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas - Texas A&M vs. Northwestern - Dec. 31, Noon EST (ESPN)

All you need to know about this game is that the Aggies will take a big lead into the second half and watch Northwestern storm back to either tie the game or take the lead.

It will be fun and it will be furious.

The Aggies also feature a potential first-round pick in QB Ryan Tannehill. If you wanted to get a good look at what he can do and why the NFL likes him, this will be a great opportunity.

This will be A&M's last game as a member of the Big 12.

Others to Consider

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl - Boise State vs. ASU - Dec. 22, 8 p.m. EST (ESPN)

Chris Peterson's Broncos don't know what they did to deserve this, but they'll certainly take it out on the Sun Devils.

Insight Bowl - Oklahoma vs. Iowa - Dec. 30, 10 p.m. EST (ESPN)

We don't get a chance to see this matchup very often, so we might as well enjoy these two traditional conference powers going at it.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl - Rutgers vs. Iowa State - Dec. 30, 3:20 p.m. EST (ESPN)

Say what you want about the Big East, but the Scarlet Knights making a run at the title was wild...until they imploded against UConn. 

But now their potential first-round wide receiver, Mohamed Sanu, will get some much-deserved exposure against the Iowa State team that knocked Oklahoma State out of the BCS title game.

And the game is at Yankee Stadium.