NCAA Bowl Schedule 2011: Alamo Bowl and Best Games to Watch Before New Year's

Hooray! It's officially bowl season in college football!

Now, when do the BCS games start?

Not for another two weeks, you say? Well, that stinks. Which ones should I watch in the meantime?

Alamo Bowl

So tell me, how do you feel about athletic quarterbacks who can make plays with their feet outside the pocket? You like them?

Then the Alamo Bowl, set for December 29th on ESPN, is the game for you. They don't get much better or more exciting than Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, who will lead No. 16 Baylor against Washington in San Antonio.

But don't sleep on UW's Keith Price. The junior from Compton outperformed even the "great" Jake Locker, throwing for 2,625 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 picks in his first full season under center.

The edge here still belongs to RG3 and the Bears, though the Huskies figure to put up a good fight in a game that will feature as many big plays as any during the bowl season.

Independence Bowl

Can't wait 'til the 29th to see some scrumptious signal calling? Then tune in to ESPN2 on December 26th for the Independence Bowl, featuring Missouri and North Carolina.

James Franklin and Bryn Renner may not be household names, much less Heisman-worthy ones...yet.

Franklin was tremendously effective both on the ground and through the air, passing for 2,733 yards and 20 touchdowns and running for 839 yards and 13 scores while leading Mizzou to wins over Texas A&M and Texas, as well as a near-upset of Oklahoma.

Renner, meanwhile, finished the regular season as ninth-most efficient passer in all of college football, with 2,769 yards and 23 touchdowns amidst a turbulent season for the Tar Heels, who sent Butch Davis packing during the summer.

With Franklin playing the role of the dual-threat thrower and Renner that of the prototypical pocket passer, this game should make for a rather interesting contrast in quarterbacking styles in which the Tigers should be hailed as the favorites.

Champs Sports Bowl

Now, if big football brands are more your fancy, look no further than the Champs Sports Bowl. The folks in Orlando must be giddy after landing a pair of traditional powerhouses in Florida State and Notre Dame to play each other on the 29th of December on ESPN.

Both teams will check into the festivities with 8-4 records under eerily similar circumstances.

The Seminoles were expected to compete for the BCS National Championship before dropping three straight games—to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest—and losing star quarterback EJ Manuel for a time due to injury. FSU bounced back by winning six of its last seven games, including a 21-7 romp over in-state rival Florida.

The Irish, likewise, struggled through the early portion of the season before coming on strong to reach the eight-win plateau. A quarterback conundrum between Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees begat disappointing losses to South Florida and Michigan before Notre Dame went on to post separate four-game winning streaks.

The 'Noles still have a ton of talent on their roster, and, as such, should fare quite well in this rekindling of one of the most entertaining rivalries of the 1990s.

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