2011 Bowl Games: Predicting the Most Exciting Outcomes Before the New Year

The end of the year is always a great time for college football because of the plethora of games that we get.

It is almost non-stop action, and that is the way we like it. But we all know that some of these bowls are going to be difficult to make it through. 

What we want to do is direct you to the games that you need to go out of your way to see. You could be sitting around the house one afternoon and you notice that a bowl game is on, but you might skip it because the name doesn't sound that good so you assume the teams playing aren't good.

Ignore the commercialization of these bowls, and pay attention to the teams involved in these games. There are some phenomenal match-ups that will have fantastic finishes. 

Here are the best bowl games left on the schedule before we say goodbye to 2011. 

Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs. Washington on December 29

This is going to be the most exciting bowl game of the year, including the BCS.

These two teams have high-flying offenses with no defense whatsoever. It would not be unreasonable to expect at least 100 combined points. 

Baylor is led by Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III, but don't forget about wide receiver Kendall Wright. Someone has to be there to catch all of those passes from RG3, and Wright has 101 catches for 1,572 yards and 13 touchdowns. 

Washington doesn't have a player as dynamic as RG3, though no one in the country does. Instead, the Huskies counter with solid play across the board. If ever there was a game for them to just light up the scoreboard, this would be it. 

Baylor 48, Washington 41

Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia vs. Auburn on December 31

Neither one of these teams is what I would call "good."

I think that they were able to coast into a bowl game by virtue of some cupcakes on the schedule. 

That being said, these two teams match up very well with each other. Virginia is strong on defense than Auburn, but it is going to be interesting to see how that unit holds up against an SEC offense. 

Auburn's offense started the year on fire, but has cooled off considerably since the start of October when SEC play started. 

I like this game a lot, and think that both these teams are perfect compliments to each other. 

Auburn 34, Virginia 30

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Florida State on December 29

It is easy to forget right now, but Florida State started the season ranked in the top 5.

Jimbo Fisher has done a terrific job of recruiting for this program, but he needs to get the results on the field to live up to the hype. 

Notre Dame came back nicely from an 0-2 start to win eight games and prove that this program is on the upswing. 

These two programs used to be competing for national championships against each other. While this game does not have any serious ramifications, it could determine which team is closer to getting back to the top of the mountain in 2012. 

Florida State 24, Notre Dame 21

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