Bowl Game Rankings: Bowls That Won’t Suck
10. Camellia Bowl
Friday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Buffalo vs Marshall
The matchup itself is great – it’s between two teams that should’ve won their respective conference championships – but is Jaret Patterson healthy for Buffalo? Will Marshall’s offense show up after two total clunkers, and will that D make this game a snooze-fest? Try this – be happy you have a college football game on Christmas, and be prepared to take an absolutely killer late afternoon nap.
Line: Buffalo -3, o/u: 54.5
Last Season: Arkansas State 34, FIU 26
Last year pre-bowl season ranking: 29
Last year final bowl season ranking: 17
9. The Rose Bowl Game Presented by Capital One
Friday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Bowl Matchup: Alabama vs Notre Dame
There’s a chance this ranking is a total gift. Let’s hope that it’s way low and the Irish come up with something special, but it’s Notre Dame, it’s Alabama, it’s the College Football Playoff – we sort of know what’s going to happen, right?
Alabama is always a thrill ride no matter what, and Notre Dame really is a whole lot better than it looked against Clemson in the ACC Championship, and it’s a College Football Playoff semifinal, but … we sort of know what’s going to happen, right?
At least all the parents will be there to watch.
Line: Alabama -19.5, o/u: 65.5
Last Season: Oregon 28, Wisconsin 27
Last year pre-bowl season ranking: 2
Last year final bowl season ranking: 6
8. Outback Bowl
Saturday, January 2
ESPN, 12:30 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Indiana vs Ole Miss
On a Saturday after New Year’s Day, this should help keep all the fun going. Ole Miss is fun. Indiana is fun. Lane Kiffin teams are fun, and Tom Allen has a fun Hoosier squad. This should be fun for the whole family as these two come up with a wild shootout.
Line: Indiana -7.5, o/u: 69.5
Last Season: Minnesota 31, Auburn 24
Last year pre-bowl season ranking: 4
Last year final bowl season ranking: 5
7. Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
Friday, January 1
ESPN, 12:30 pm
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
Georgia vs Cincinnati
Full disclosure, the ranking is only this high because I don’t want to get yelled at by the Group of Five woke crowd. This is where I’m supposed to write something about how it’s Cincinnati’s chance to show the world that it deserved that CFP fourth spot, and … it’s sort of true. This is the chance to make a statement it didn’t in the AAC Championship. However, Georgia is better than it gets credit for. No matter what. there’s going to be a fascinating college football theoretical talking point after this.
Line: Cincinnati -7, o/u: 50.5
Last Season: LSU 63, Oklahoma 28
Last year pre-bowl season ranking: 13
Last year final bowl season ranking: 3
6. Cheez-It Bowl
Tuesday, December 29
ESPN, 5:30 pm
Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
Note: Was Camping World Bowl last season
Miami vs Oklahoma State
We’re dealing with a bit of an exorcism here. The 2018 Cheez-It – a 10-7 TCU OT win over Cal – is gold standard of awful bowl games. Last year’s version wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything special.
We’re also dealing with a Miami team that set another standard for miserable Power Five program performances in a bowl game, losing 14-0 to Louisiana Tech in last year’s Independence.
The Canes and Cowboys might not be amazing, but they should combine for a terrific game in Orlando.
Line: Oklahoma State -1.5, o/u: 59.5
Last Season: Notre Dame 33, Iowa State 9
Last year pre-bowl season ranking: 5
Last year final bowl season ranking: 19