2011 Bowl Schedule: Penn State vs Houston and Bowls with the Best Storylines

The 2011-12 college football bowl schedule has a severe lack of compelling storylines and exciting matchups.

You would expect more action and intrigue with 35 bowls on the slate, but the selection committees and contractual obligations failed to provide a quality number of compelling games.

Fortunately, there are a few decent contests on the schedule, so if you are only going to watch a couple of bowl games, make sure you tune in and catch these.

Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech

This matchup is compelling because neither team deserves to be here.

This “top five” bowl game is showcasing two schools that had mediocre seasons but are ripe with tradition and alumni with money to burn.

Michigan finished the season ranked No. 13 and did not even play in the new Big Ten championship game. Somehow they were picked ahead of Michigan State, who beat them in the Legends division and played Wisconsin close in the championship.

Virginia Tech ended at No. 11 after being defeated by an overrated Clemson team in the ACC championship and in the regular season.

These were the two teams that the BCS selected over Boise State, Arkansas, Kansas State, South Carolina and Baylor—all programs rated higher at the end of the season.

Simply unbelievable.

Watch this game and root against both teams January 3 on ESPN.

TicketCity Bowl: Houston vs. Penn State

Both of these teams believe they were snubbed by a number of more prestigious bowls for various reasons.

The Cougars were one win away in the Conference USA Championship from making a BCS bowl but faltered against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

Case Keenum was also snubbed by the Heisman selection committee and will be playing with a chip on his shoulder after his squad was relegated to this second-tier bowl.

Penn State also must feel slighted by this pick after their solid 9-3 season was marred by the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

It obviously hurt them and a number of endorsers must have been scared off from this normally popular program.

Fans benefit by seeing a great matchup between a small, upcoming school and a faltering powerhouse.

Watch it January 2 on ESPNU.

Fiesta Bowl: Stanford vs. Oklahoma State

If we had a four-team playoff for the national championship, these two teams would be going against Alabama and LSU to compete for the right to play as the three and four seeds.

Unfortunately we don’t, so two rock solid, one-loss teams will be facing off and want to prove that the BCS is broken, passing them over for an all-SEC rematch national title.

The quarterback matchup is the most interesting part of this game, showcasing Andrew Luck and Brandon Weeden attempting to lead their respective squads to victory.

Watch it January 2 on ESPN.

National Championship: Alabama vs. LSU

This game is going to cause more questions than answers, which makes it a must-see spectacle.

What if Alabama wins by a slim margin? Do they split the national title?

If LSU wins again, does it prove Alabama didn’t deserve a rematch?

Those questions and more will arise during the game and after the final whistle, so make sure you tune in and have your own opinion.

Watch it live January 9 on ESPN.