ESPN’s Mark Schlabach ranks the upcoming college football bowl games. Here, in part, is his assessment:
1. Citi BCS National Championship Game No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Alabama
8 p.m. ET, Jan. 7
The undefeated Crimson Tide versus the unbeaten Longhorns. SEC versus Big 12. Nick Saban versus Mack Brown. Defense versus offense. What more could you possibly want? Well, if you’re a Crimson Tide fan, you’d probably rather play Ohio State or Oklahoma.
2. Tostitos Fiesta Bowl No. 6 Boise State vs. No. 4 TCU
8 p.m. ET, Jan. 4
Yes, it’s a rematch of last season’s Poinsettia Bowl, in which the Horned Frogs defeated the Broncos 17-16 in Boise’s only loss of the season. But it’s a heck of a lot better than trying to watch Iowa’s offense score against TCU or Georgia Tech’s defense trying to stop Boise State. It’s a matchup of two unbeaten teams, and one of them could finish No. 2 in the country. TCU leads the country in total defense; Boise State leads the country in scoring.
3. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Oregon
4:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 1
The Buckeyes avoided playing an SEC team in a BCS bowl game, but the Ducks might be nearly as fast as the Florida and LSU teams that beat OSU in the past couple of years. Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor gets an up-close look at the Oregon offense he might have flourished in if he’d signed with the Ducks. It also might be one heck of a fashion show: Oregon’s ever-changing wardrobe against Ohio State’s classic uniforms.
4. Allstate Sugar Bowl No. 5 Florida vs. No. 3 Cincinnati
8:30 p.m. ET, Jan. 1
Notre Dame fans won’t get to watch the Fighting Irish play in a bowl game, but the Sugar Bowl might offer them the next-best thing. They’ll get to see Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, who might become their next coach, and Florida’s Urban Meyer, who didn’t want to be their coach. Meyer takes on his alma mater and coaches quarterback Tim Tebow in his final game.
5. Capital One Bowl No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 12 LSU
1 p.m. ET, Jan. 1
It’s a great matchup of traditional powers and an intriguing matchup of head coaches. LSU’s Les Miles has a hard time managing time; Penn State’s Joe Paterno refuses to acknowledge Father Time. The Tigers lost three games in the fourth quarter; the Nittany Lions lost the only two games that really mattered.
6. Konica Minolta Gator Bowl No. 16 West Virginia vs. Florida State
1 p.m. ET, Jan. 1
It’s the Bobby Bowden Bowl, as Florida State coach Bobby Bowden will coach the Seminoles for the final time. It’s fitting that his final opponent is West Virginia, the school where he coached from 1970 to ’75 before leaving for Tallahassee. In his finale, Bowden, 80, will attempt to avoid FSU’s first losing season since 1976.
7. MAACO Las Vegas Bowl No. 18 Oregon State vs. No. 14 BYU
8 p.m. ET, Dec. 22
Oddly enough, Las Vegas has become BYU’s second home. The Cougars will be playing in the Las Vegas Bowl for the fifth consecutive season, and they’ve gone 2-2 against Pac-10 teams in the bowl. It’s the first time they’ll play the Beavers, who were one victory from playing in the Rose Bowl. It’s the first meeting of ranked teams in the Las Vegas Bowl.
8. FedEx Orange Bowl No. 10 Iowa vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech
8 p.m. ET, Jan. 5
Georgia Tech has the triple-option spread offense. At times, Iowa doesn’t seem to have any offense. The ACC champions are playing in their first Orange Bowl since 1966, when they lost to Florida and Heisman Trophy winner Steve Spurrier. Iowa, the Big Ten runner-up, should have back injured quarterback Ricky Stanzi.
Ryan Williams Mitchell Layton/Getty ImagesRyan Williams is fifth in the nation in rushing with over 1,500 yards.
9. Chick-fil-A Bowl No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
7:30 p.m. ET, Dec. 31
NASCAR mogul Bruton Smith once offered the Hokies and Volunteers $20 million each to play a game at Bristol Motor Speedway. With a total payout of $6 million, Chick-fil-A Bowl officials might be getting off cheap. It’s a matchup of two great running backs: Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams and Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty.
10. AT&T Cotton Bowl No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss
2 p.m. ET, Jan. 2
The Rebels return to the Cotton Bowl for the second straight year, after routing Texas Tech 47-34 last season. That victory propelled the Rebels into the preseason top 10, before they fell on their faces too many times in an 8-4 campaign. The Pokes fell short of their lofty preseason goals, too, finishing 9-3.
Source: ESPN
