The Bowlst Wonderful Time of the Year

Despite my past disdain for the over-abundance of bowls in the college football postseason, I admit that I do truly love bowl season. There are games on constantly, usually pitting teams that wouldn’t normally play against each other, and it gives us one last chance to see special players in televised showcase contests.

That’s not to say the bowl system is exactly laudable: on the contrary, it remains a shameless money-grab for the most part, and the natural cycle of hirings and firings at the end of the season guarantees some teams will be playing without a coach, with an interim one, or worst of all, with the newly minted boss peering down at his minions from the coaches’ box like an overly critical bird of prey. Throw in the usual no-shows, and the bowls deserve all the scrutiny they get.

Still, there’s something rather magical about the series of games played around the holidays, particularly the storied bowls that have existed for decades. The mystique of the Rose, Sugar and Cotton bowls will never die, even with the onset of the new playoff system. That’s what makes it all worthwhile, in the end.

As always, I’ll break down each matchup (with all times Pacific), pick a winner and rate the games on a 1-5 scale of “watchability”, which should serve as a warning when you’re considering sitting down for an afternoon with a couple of 6-6 mid-major junkball teams. This post will cover all the bowls through next Friday.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl

Arizona (6-6) vs. New Mexico (7-5)

December 19, 11:00 a.m.

Ugh. The Pac-12 is favored in most of its bowls, but the reason for that will become very apparent once you see the matchups. The Wildcats are favored and should be; despite a frustrating 6-6 campaign ‘Zona is much more talented than UNM. The team has a variety of playmakers on the offensive side that should overwhelm the Lobos, though motivation could be an issue. New Mexico’s seven-win season (which included gigantic upsets of Boise State and division champion Air Force) has been very exciting, but I doubt the Lobos’ option-based attack will catch Arizona too off-guard. The ‘Cats see enough of that in the Pac-12.

Watchability: 2. Might be some scoring, but Arizona should win handily.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

BYU (9-3) vs. Utah (9-3)

December 19, 12:30 p.m.

This is a fairly good matchup of two teams who probably deserve a better landing spot than this, but that’s not what makes the Vegas Bowl must-see TV. No, it’s the implications of what might happen in this game that make it potentially thrilling. Utah! BYU! The Holy War! In Las Vegas! This is a top-five rivalry in terms of hatred right now, so much so that the teams stopped playing in the regular season. Add BYU’s recent history of unsportsmanlike conduct, and this thing could get nasty. As for the actual game, well, I would have liked Utah most of the year, but the Utes limped into the postseason and haven’t looked good since October. BYU has been really banged up, but I don’t know how much that will matter once the game kicks off. It’s a push, and I’ll ultimately take Utah, but I’ll probably regret it.

Watchability: 500 million. Are you kidding? This is going to be a disaster. The AD’s are already writing their letters of condemnation in regards to the post-game brawl.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl

Ohio (8-4) vs. Appalachian State (10-2)

December, 19, 2:30 p.m.

Ah, yes. Appalachian State, the once and future king of the hearts of college football fans (except in Ann Arbor), making its bowl debut. The Mountaineers went 10-2 this year, nearly winning the Sun Belt crown in their first season as full FBS members. Alas, I have to pick against them, as I fear their wins – nine of the 10 victories were blowouts – were compiled against the worst of competition. Ohio lost a few games but at least played a couple squads with a pulse, and knocked off MAC West champion NIU in the last game of the year (a game the Huskies needed to win). The Bobcats defense is pretty good, and I’ll take Ohio in a minor upset.

Watchability: 1. I thought about bumping it up, but a 2 would have been generous.

Autonation Cure Bowl

San Jose State (5-7) vs. Georgia State (6-6)

December 19, 4:00 p.m.

Woof. You thought the last game was bad. SJSU was one of the 5-7 teams the NCAA needed to fill the bowls, yet the Spartans are actually favored to beat the Panthers because of how bad GSU was this season. To recap: the team lost to not one but two FCS-level opponents (yes, Charlotte still counts), then won its final four games to finish at .500. The Panthers won five games in the Sun Belt. You can’t say much for SJSU, but at least the Spartans went a respectable 4-4 in Mountain West play. Yikes.

Watchability: Deserves, much, much lower than a 1.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Arkansas State (9-3) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-4)

December 19, 6:00 p.m.

A couple of solid offenses here that should have no problem scoring. Arkansas State did what Arkansas State does: flop around in non-conference play, then wreak havoc on the Sun Belt. LTU was a contender for the Conference USA’s West Division, but got smacked in the final game to eventual winner Southern Miss. I like the Bulldogs more overall, and LTU certainly played a tougher schedule. But Arky State has a pretty impressive offense and the decided quarterback edge with Fredi Knighten. It’s a toss-up, and I’ll go with… Louisiana Tech, after all.

Watchability: 3. Points will be scored.

Miami Beach Bowl

Western Kentucky (11-2) vs. South Florida (8-4)

December 21, 11:30 a.m.

South Florida was pretty good this year, and the American turned out a nice season as the top Group of Five conference. But Western Kentucky was on another level, at least offensively, as QB Brandon Doughty threw for 4,500 yards. I mentioned in the preseason that the Hilltoppers could be a decent candidate to go undefeated and bust the bowl system; they didn’t quite manage it, but they lived up to the hype. USF had a solid year, but I’m not trusting a team that lost to Maryland.

Watchability: 3, but only for WKU.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Akron (7-5) vs. Utah State (6-6)

December 22, 12:30 p.m.

This is a really tough one to call. I like Utah State. The Aggies played a more difficult schedule, but are severely banged-up and weren’t very consistent on offense or defense this year. Akron has the added motivation of going for its first bowl win ever. USU has the benefit of playing close to home. Neither offense is particularly scary. In the end, I’m going with the Aggies, who were battle-tested against the best the Mountain West had to offer. The Zips missed three of the best four teams from the MAC West.

Watchability: 1. It might be a competitive game, but there’s little to be excited about.

Marmot Boca Raton Bowl

Temple (10-3) vs. Toledo (9-2)

December 22, 4:00 p.m.

Finally, a quality matchup. These were two of the best non-power conference schools in 2015, each notching an upset of a Power Five team. Temple knocked off Penn State in its opener, while Toledo took out Arkansas after the Rockets’ first game was cancelled due to inclement weather. It appeared for a time that both could be in line for a New Year’s Six bowl, or even something greater, before a couple of ill-timed losses ended those dreams. The Owls’ resume is more than respectable, as their three losses came to teams with a combined 30 wins. Toledo was the best team in its division and should have won the MAC West, but a pair of five-point losses doomed the Rockets. This is another very close game to call, with two very nice college QB’s. I have to go with Temple because of the defense, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Toledo win.

Watchability: 4. This is about as good as it gets between two Group of Five schools.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

Boise State (8-4) vs. Northern Illinois (8-5)

December 23, 1:30 p.m.

This is a pretty easy one to pick. Boise State was a disappointment this year, but two of the Broncos’ losses were gigantic upsets, including the eight-turnover fiasco against Utah State. For all their issues and inconsistency, the Broncos were still pretty good. NIU got hot late, but the Huskies were thoroughly outclassed by Bowling Green in the MAC title game. BSU has more talent on its roster than the Falcons and will be looking ahead to prove itself for next year’s preseason polls.

Watchability: 2. The teams are decent but there’s not a lot of star power.

Godaddy Bowl

Georgia Southern (8-4) vs. Bowling Green (10-3)

December 23, 5:00 p.m.

For the second straight season, Georgia Southern proved it could play in the FBS. However, that won’t mean much against a buzz saw like BGSU. The Falcons romped through the majority of their schedule and led the nation in passing. The Eagles led the nation in rushing behind a triple-option attack. You won’t find a bigger clash of styles anywhere. The caveat is that BGSU has now lost its coach, and teams without coaches are always unpredictable. Still, I think there’s enough of a talent gap for the Falcons to win without issue.

Watchability: 3. The contrast in styles will be very interesting to see.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl

Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (7-5)

December 24, 9:00 a.m.

Both squads went 6-2 in conference play, but outside of WMU’s upset of Toledo in the finale, neither beat anyone on note. That result alone makes me lean toward the Broncos, though WMU’s better offensive balance also strikes a chord. MTSU’s leading rusher on the year had 468 yards. Both teams are set at QB and the rushing disparity indicates the Broncos are the smarter pick. The Blue Raiders didn’t set the Conference USA on fire, so Western is a pretty obvious choice.

Watchability: 1. I thought about a 2, but I’d have been lying to myself.

Hawai’i Bowl

San Diego State (10-3) vs. Cincinnati (7-5)

December 24, 5:00 p.m.

I thought about going with Cincy and the upset here, I really did. Though SDSU’s nine-game winning streak and Mountain West title are impressive, the Aztecs were shown the door early in their two games against Power Five Competition. The Bearcats boast a talented passer in Gunner Kiel and played an ambitious first-half schedule against Temple, Memphis, Miami (FL) and BYU. Cincy also nearly beat AAC champ Houston. However, in the end, it comes down to defense, which the Aztecs (10^th in points allowed) play and the Bearcats don’t. Cincy’s strategy all year has been to try and outscore people; sometimes it’s worked, sometimes it hasn’t. Playing much closer to home – in a stadium they routinely see, no less – and with the backing of a great D, it’s hard to go against the Aztecs.

Watchability: 3. A moderately tolerable viewing seems in order.

That’s it for the first week of bowl season. Week Two is generally when things ramp up, and this year is no different: there are twice as many games (24) between next Saturday and the following Friday.