It’s the most wonderful time of the year. We’re about to get important college football games basically every day for nearly the next month. We all know about the playoffs – the Alabama-Washington, Clemson-Ohio State matchups. Even the rest of the New Year’s Six looks pretty stout this year with Michigan-Florida State, Auburn-Oklahoma, USC-Penn State, and Wisconsin-Western Michigan rounding out the season’s premiere games. But, what lies past that? I mean, we’ve got…what? 80 of these damn games to get through?
Awwwww – sounds like it’s top 10 countdown time! Your boy has it covered….
10. The Camellia Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Toledo (Dec. 17) – You know me….always gotta dip into the Fun Belt just a little bit. I like App State here a lot, but the Rockets were the closest second to Western Michigan the MAC could hope for. Still, it has the feel of a champion vs. champion type of match between mid-majors. And by December 17, I’ll be screaming for a bowl game. That probably has something to do with my excitement.
9. The Poinsettia Bowl: BYU vs. Wyoming (Dec. 21) – Don’t sleep on my Cowboys. I know Vegas doesn’t like Wyoming a lot, but man – don’t forget this used to be a yearly rivalry! Wyoming and BYU met essentially every year since the 1920s. NBD or anything.
8. The Bahamas Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion (Dec. 23) – I’m a sucker for programs going to their first bowl, for programs with the chance to win their first bowl. This game has it all. I don’t care that I don’t even know where Eastern Michigan is. I don’t care that I had never heard of Old Dominion before they joined C-USA. I love emotion, and this game has it. And, I love Popeye’s.
7. The Independence Bowl: NC State vs. Vanderbilt (Dec. 26) – Wow, what a season for the Commodores. If any SEC team wasn’t supposed to be in a bowl game, it was Vanderbilt (except for…well….5-7 Mississippi State…who is in a bowl but actually shouldn’t be because they have a losing record). They face a Wolfpack team that started the year hot, but limped into a bowl game. Who steals this showdown in Shreveport?
6. The Boca Raton Bowl: Memphis vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 20) – I’m going to advocate for these teams to just not bother putting defenses on the field. Just let those guys enjoy Florida for a bit and air that football out, baby! Offense, offense, offense!
5. The Cactus Bowl: Boise State vs. Baylor (Dec. 27) – There aren’t a lot of people giving Baylor a chance here, but I think this is going to be an absolute shootout. Both teams could hang 50+ on the other. There should be plenty of fireworks.
4. The Las Vegas Bowl: Houston vs. San Diego State (Dec. 17) – This is a HUGE game to kick off the bowl season. The Aztecs’ Donnel Pumphrey is still within shouting distance of Ron Dayne’s all-time rushing record. Meanwhile, it’s the final game for Greg Ward, Jr. as a Cougar.
3. The Russell Athletic Bowl: West Virginia vs. Miami (FL) (Dec. 28) – At one point during the season, these were both top 10 teams. Both could use a bowl win to propel them into the offseason. For Miami, it’s about living up to expectations. Plus, let’s be honest – Brad Kaaya could stand to have a good game after his NFL draft stock has plummeted. For West Virginia, it’s about proving they belong among the nation’s top teams.
2. The Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Colorado (Dec. 29) – My pick to spoil the party in the Big 12, the Cowboys made it all the way to the last game of the season before being eliminated. Still, a solid season to build on, and the prize is a date with the breakout team of the year in the Pac-12: Colorado. Sefo Liufau has had a great year at quarterback, but this Buffs team is balanced. This should be an exciting, even matchup.
1. The Citrus Bowl: LSU vs. Louisville (Dec. 31) – There’s not much to explain here – on one hand, you have one of the best defenses in football. On the other, there’s the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, Lamar Jackson. It’s a battle of strength vs. strength in Orlando.
I can’t wait for all of the action. See you guys in mid-January.
Stoney Keeley is the editor of the SoBros Network, Tennessee Titans Featured Analyst for Pro Football Spot, Contributor to FanSided’s Bama Hammer, and covers the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @PFSpot, @WrestlingNewsCo, @Bama_Hammer
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