RANKING THE BOWLS
No bowls will get more attention and hype than the two playoff semifinals. That’s as it should be, since the Fiesta and Peach bowls will set up next month’s national title game.
Yet the true meaning of the (bowl) season is the unexpected delights, whether it’s a rollicking matchup on a weekday afternoon before the holidays or a pairing of good-though-largely overlooked teams who manage to deliver a fun game in the days leading into the more heavily promoted playoff games.
The thing is, it’s impossible to know what matchups will produce the most fun. It is possible to take an educated guess with this 1-to-41 bowl guide.
41. LendingTree Bowl: Rice vs. Southern Miss (Dec. 17)
Just a year after Southern Miss left for the Sun Belt, these former Conference USA rivals are reunited in Mobile, Ala.
Rice is the lone sub-.500 team still playing, taking advantage of its strong Academic Progress Rate to earn its first bowl berth since 2014. Southern Miss (6-6) owns a victory over AAC champ Tulane (another former C-USA foe).
40. Camellia Bowl: Buffalo vs. Georgia Southern (Dec. 27)
Georgia Southern needed double-overtime in its finale to beat Appalachian State and get to 6-6. Buffalo needed a late touchdown against Akron in a game postponed by a massive snowstorm to do the same.
39. Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. New Mexico State (Dec. 26)
Two 6-6 teams. In Detroit. The day after Christmas. Bowling Green makes a short trip up Interstate 75 for its first bowl appearance since 2015. New Mexico State makes a much longer trip for only its second postseason nod in 62 years.
38. First Responder Bowl: Memphis vs. Utah State (Dec. 27)
Another pair of 6-6 teams, though they got there in different ways. Utah State was 1-4 before winning five of its next six. Memphis started 4-1, then lost five conference games by a combined 23 points.
37. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Wisconsin (Dec. 27)
The Cowboys (7-5) and Badgers (6-6) both began the season ranked in the top 20. Wisconsin made a coaching change in early October, and Oklahoma State has dropped four of five.
36. Bahamas Bowl: Miami (Ohio) vs. UAB (Dec. 16)
There is no greater reward for going 6-6 than going to the Bahamas for a few days, as both teams will learn this month.
35. Cheez-It Bowl: Florida State vs. Oklahoma (Dec. 29)
Florida State (9-3) is enjoying a renaissance season, while Oklahoma (6-6) went 3-6 in the Big 12 under first-year coach Brent Venables.
34. Frisco Bowl: Boise State vs. North Texas (Dec. 17)
A pairing of conference runners-up delivers a compelling strength-vs.-strength showdown: The Broncos’ No. 6 total defense against North Texas’ No. 20 total offense. The Mean Green has the shortest commute of any team this bowl season; per Google Maps, it’s as little as 23.9 miles from Denton to Frisco. North Texas also is the only bowl team to fire its coach after the season, dismissing Seth Littrell last Sunday.
33. Hawaii Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. San Diego State (Dec. 24)
At last, a Christmas Eve tradition returns. The pandemic led to the outright cancellation of the 2020 Hawaii Bowl, and last year’s game was declared a no-contest when Hawaii’s football team had a coronavirus outbreak. Both Middle Tennessee and San Diego State are 7-5.
32. Independence Bowl: UH vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (Dec. 23)
It’s a year late for this matchup. Last season, UH went 12-2, and UL Lafayette was 13-1. This fall? They were 7-5 and 6-6, respectively.
31. Music City Bowl: Iowa vs. Kentucky (Dec. 31)
No power conference team that played 12 games ran fewer plays than Iowa (724). Kentucky took almost two more snaps a game and finished with 744 plays.
30. Las Vegas Bowl: Florida vs. No. 14 Oregon State (Dec. 17)
Which version of 6-6 Florida shows up? It won’t have QB Anthony Richardson after he declared for the NFL draft. The Beavers (9-3) capped a fine year by rallying past Oregon to close the regular season.
29. Liberty Bowl: Arkansas vs. Kansas (Dec. 28)
Would be a great NCAA Tournament game this basketball season. Instead, it’s a pairing of 6-6 teams — though in fairness to Kansas, it’s a cause for plenty of excitement as it ends the longest bowl drought among power conference teams. The Jayhawks’ last bowl berth came in 2008.
28. Arizona Bowl: Ohio vs. Wyoming (Dec. 30)
Ohio (9-4) lost in the MAC title game to miss out on its first league championship since 1968. Wyoming (7-5) was enjoying a fine season before back-to-back losses to Boise State and Fresno State in late November.
27. Myrtle Beach Bowl: Connecticut vs. Marshall (Dec. 19)
It’s UConn’s first bowl trip in seven years, and it’s a chance to escape New England in December. The Thundering Herd (8-4), who drew attention for winning at Notre Dame in September, roll in on a four-game winning streak.
26. Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs. Baylor (Dec. 22)
Air Force (9-3) allowed just 25 points during a four-game winning game streak to close the regular season. Baylor (6-6) heads into this on a three-game slide, though it did almost topple playoff participant TCU last month.
25. New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. SMU (Dec. 17)
It’s the Big 12-bound Cougars’ final game as an FBS independent, and it’s a chance to see SMU senior wideout Rashee Rice (96 catches, 1,355 yards, 10 touchdowns) attempt to produce another monster day for the 7-5 Mustangs.
24. Idaho Potato Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. San José State (Dec. 20)
Eastern Michigan (8-4) is
95th nationally in total offense, while San José State (7-4) is 96th. But it’s two solid teams with coaches who have done fine work reinvigorating downon-their-luck programs.
23. Boca Raton Bowl: Liberty vs. Toledo (Dec. 20)
Toledo (8-5) is coming off a Mid-American Conference title. Liberty (8-4) is coming off an exquisite egg-laying, a 49-14 dud at home against New Mexico State as rumors (later validated) swirled about then-Flames coach Hugh Freeze leaving for Auburn.
22. Gasparilla Bowl: Missouri vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 23)
Missouri (6-6) won its last two (and four of its final six) to salvage something from its season. Wake Forest was 6-1 with a double-overtime loss to Clemson, then lost four of five as its defense unraveled.
21. Pinstripe Bowl: Minnesota vs. Syracuse (Dec. 29)
The Golden Gophers (8-4) are at their best when Mohamed Ibrahim (1,594 yards, 19 TDs) has a heavy workload. Syracuse (7-5), which faded in the second half of the season, counters with Sean Tucker (1,060 yards, 11 TDs).
20. Los Angeles Bowl: Fresno State vs. Washington State (Dec. 17)
The Mountain West champion Bulldogs have some older offensive skill position stars, with QB Jake Haener (2,616 yards, 18 TDs, 3 INTs in nine games), RB Jordan Mims (1,161 yards, 16 TDs in 13 games) and WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper (1,044 yards and 5 TDs on 79 catches) all enjoying fine years. They can get Fresno to the 10win plateau against Washington State (7-5).
19. Fenway Bowl: Cincinnati
vs. Louisville (Dec. 17)
Any game that revives a rivalry trophy that’s gone dormant for almost a decade has to be at least half-decent. And with a trophy name like the Keg of Nails, there was no way the teams’ first meeting since 2013 wouldn’t have some buzz. Then came Monday, when Cincinnati poached coach Scott Satterfield from Louisville. The Bearcats (9-3) aren’t a playoff team like last year, and the Cardinals (7-5) had an average season.
18. New Orleans Bowl: South Alabama vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 21)
South Alabama (10-2) will try to earn its first bowl victory since moving up to the FBS in 2012. Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed ranks second nationally in passing yards (4,249) and is fourth in touchdown passes (36). The Hilltoppers (8-5) won three of their last four.
17. Sun Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. No. 18 UCLA (Dec. 30)
The Bruins (9-3) are aiming for their first 10-win season since 2014, while Pittsburgh (8-4) will try to win a bowl outside Detroit for the first time since knocking off Kentucky in Birmingham, Ala., after the
2010 season.
16. Citrus Bowl: No. 17 LSU vs. Purdue (Jan. 2)
LSU (9-4) enjoyed a fine first season under Brian Kelly, and no one can ever predict when Purdue (8-5) is going to uncork a randomly magical game.
15. Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Maryland vs. No. 23 N.C. State (Dec. 30)
The Terrapins (7-5) and QB Taulia Tagovailoa have a potent offense even with WRs Jacob Copeland and Dontay Demus Jr. turning pro, while N.C. State (8-4) led the ACC in scoring defense (19.4 points per game) and ranks 14th nationally in the category.
14. Military Bowl: Central Florida vs. Duke (Dec. 28)
John Rhys Plumlee led the Knights (9-4) to the AAC title game, while Riley Leonard was a central figure for the Blue Devils (8-4) in their impressive turnaround under first-year coach Mike Elko.
13. ReliaQuest Bowl: Illinois vs. No. 22 Mississippi State (Jan. 2)
Bret Bielema has recreated his Wisconsin days with the Illini (8-4), cultivating a runheavy attack led by Chase Brown. And Mississippi State (8-4) attempted an FBS-high 589 passes this season.
12. Texas Bowl: Mississippi vs. Texas Tech (Dec. 28)
The opposite of the Music City Bowl. No one will pack more football into a game than the Rebels (8-4) and Red Raiders (7-5). Texas Tech has run 1,006 plays, the most in the FBS. Ole Miss is no slouch in that department with 917 plays, tied for 14th nationally.
11. Birmingham Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina (Dec. 27)
If Grayson McCall plays — the fourth-year Coastal Carolina player missed time in November with a foot injury — this could be a wildly entertaining contest. McCall, the three-time player of the year in the Sun Belt, has thrown for 2,633 yards, 24 TDs and two interceptions. East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers has 3,408 yards, 23 TDs and five picks to his credit in 2022.
10. Gator Bowl: No. 21 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 South Carolina (Dec. 30)
The Irish (8-4) will be down their starting quarterback after Drew Pyne opted to transfer. South Carolina (8-4) derailed the playoff hopes of Tennessee and Clemson and can add a victory over another storied program.
9. Cure Bowl: No. 25 UTSA vs. No. 24 Troy (Dec. 16)
Frank Harris (3,865 yards, 31 TDs passing) leads the 11-2 Roadrunners, who have won consecutive Conference USA titles, against Sun Belt champion Troy (11-2) and linebacker Carlton Martial, the all-time leader in tackles at the FBS level.
8. Rose Bowl: No. 11 Penn State vs. No. 8 Utah (Jan. 2)
The Utes (10-3) return to Pasadena by virtue of beating Southern California in the
Pac-12 title game, their second victory over the Trojans this year. They’ll face Penn State (10-2), a team that’s been low on thrilling moments all season.
7. Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Southern California vs. No. 16 Tulane (Jan. 2)
The Trojans (11-2) could have been prepping for Michigan had they handled business against Utah in the Pac-12 title game. Instead, coach Lincoln Riley returns to AT&T Stadium, where he won a few Big 12 titles at Oklahoma. American Athletic champion Tulane (11-2) is the top Group of Five champion, and its No. 21 pass efficiency defense will be tested plenty by Caleb Williams and Co.
6. Sugar Bowl: No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 9 Kansas State (Dec. 31)
Has 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young played his final game for Alabama (10-2)? How about outside linebacker Will Anderson? The Crimson Tide has some roster questions to sift through. Kansas State (10-3), the Big 12 champ, figures to be fired up for its first BCS/New Year’s Six appearance since the post-2012 Fiesta Bowl.
5. Alamo Bowl: No. 20 Texas vs. No. 12 Washington (Dec. 29)
The Longhorns (8-4) can cap an eventful and largely positive year with a win in their backyard, while the Huskies (10-2) have won six in a row — the longest winning streak for any Power Five team not named Georgia or Michigan.
4. Orange Bowl: No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Dec. 30)
ACC champion Clemson (11-2) starts Cade Klubnik at quarterback for the first time. It’s a breakthrough moment for the Volunteers (10-2), who are playing in a BCS/New Year’s Six game for the first time since the Fiesta Bowl after the 1999 season.
3. Holiday Bowl: North Carolina vs. No. 15 Oregon (Dec. 28)
This might be the best quarterback matchup of the postseason. Oregon’s Bo Nix will have a month to heal up from an ankle injury that slowed him late in the regular season, while North Carolina’s Drake Maye — the ACC player of the year with 4,115 yards and 35 touchdowns — gets the spotlight as well.
2. Fiesta Bowl: No. 2. Michigan vs. No. 3 TCU (Dec. 31)
The Big Ten champion Wolverines (13-0) are back in the playoff semifinals for the second year in a row, while the Horned Frogs (12-1) make their playoff debut. The questions for TCU are the same as anyone who encounters Michigan: Can it hold up against the Wolverines’ offensive front, and can it find answers against the No. 3 total defense? Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs have a serious task ahead of them.
1. Peach Bowl: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 4 Ohio State (Dec. 31)
Georgia’s dominant defense gets a crack at QB C.J. Stroud. But the Buckeyes (11-1) got walloped against Michigan, and the Bulldogs (13-0) are more than capable of steamrolling Ohio State as well. Still, it’s no surprise TV chose this game for prime time on New Year’s Eve.