College Football Bowl Games: Bowl Matchups That Aren't as Good as They Look

Let's face it. There are 35 college football bowl games on the docket, and none of us is going to watch every single one of them.

Nobody has that kind of time. But the bigger problem, I think, is that nobody is interested enough to watch all 35 bowls. The best you can do is determine which bowl matchups are going to be worth watching, and then hope for the best when the moment of truth arrives.

Sadly, not all of the matchups on the bowl slate are as good as they look. For example, you might want to steer clear of the four bowl games listed below.

Champs Sports Bowl: Florida State vs. Notre Dame

The organizers for the Champs Sports Bowl deserve credit for arranging this matchup. Florida State and Notre Dame are both traditional powerhouse programs, and both have big fanbases that will tune in to watch them play no matter what.

If you're not a fan of Florida State or Notre Dame, don't waste your time with this game. Neither of these teams is as good as history and tradition would have you believe.

The is particularly true of Florida State. The Seminoles started the season as a trendy pick to go to the BCS National Championship Game, but these expectations ended up crushing them. Their fate was sealed by a three-game losing streak early in the season, and it was too late by the time Florida State recovered.

Notre Dame didn't fare much better. The Irish lost their first two games, and they just never really took off the way people expected they would. They didn't have a bad season, but they didn't have a great season either.

Knowing both Florida State and Notre Dame, it's a good bet this bowl game is going to be a sloppy affair. If you like good football, stay away.

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Oklahoma

The highlight of Iowa's season was a win over Michigan in early November. The highlight of Oklahoma's season was probably its win over Florida State in the early goings.

Beyond these games, Iowa and Oklahoma didn't do so hot. The Hawkeyes had to scratch and claw for wins every time they stepped out onto the field, and the Sooners fell apart late when they should have been driving towards a spot in the national title game.

If there's one reason to watch this game, it's that you might just see the Hawkeyes upset the Sooners. Oklahoma, and quarterback Landry Jones in particular, hasn't looked the same since star wide receiver Ryan Broyles was lost for the season, and it's hard to imagine the Sooners being particularly fired up in this game.

Other than that, this game won't be any more entertaining than the other bowls that will be shown on Dec. 30. You can be excused if you want to sit this one out and get a head start on your New Year's Eve activities.

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M vs. Northwestern

This year, Texas A&M's claim to fame is the way in which it totally sucked in big games. The Aggies had a chance to do something special this season, and they fell flat.

Then they fired their head coach, giving Mike Sherman the axe after four years on the job.

As for the Wildcats, they pulled off a big upset of Nebraska in early November. At the time, it was kind of a big deal.

This is a game Texas A&M should dominate, but you honestly can't take anything for granted when it comes to the Aggies these days. They proved to be one of the most unreliable teams in the country this season, so there's no reason to expect them to do anything particularly awesome against Northwestern.

Because of that, Northwestern may be able to pull this one out. Even if it does, it will be because the Aggies didn't put up a fight.

Yawn. 

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs. Florida

This one is known as the "Urban Meyer Bowl" in some circles, as it pits Meyer's new team against his old team.

That's about the only thing this bowl has going for it, as neither the Buckeyes nor the Gators are particularly entertaining teams. 

The only reason I'd recommend watching this game is that it will give you a chance to catch a glimpse of Ohio State freshman quarterback Braxton Miller. He's going to be Urban Meyer's new Tim Tebow, and he certainly has plenty of raw talent.

As for the Gators, you might get to see Jacoby Brissett out on the field. That will depend on how badly John Brantley sucks.

Because Brantley tends to suck, I wouldn't rule it out.