Bowl Game Rankings: It’s a football game. Watch it.
You can put off the new season of The Crown (really, it’s not great and loaded with historical inaccuracies), but go ahead and talk to your family if you must. However, if it’s between one of these bowls and some TV holiday specials involving song, you know what to do.
32. Myrtle Beach Bowl
UConn vs Marshall
Monday, December 19, 2022
2:30, ESPN
Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Last Year: Tulsa 30, Old Dominion 17
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 27, 2020: 16, 2019: NA
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 26, 2020: 25, 2019: NA
Who’s going to be happier to play in a bowl game against these two? Marshall used to be a given, but it hasn’t won a bowl game since 2018. UConn hasn’t done anything in years but got here with a great ground game and tough defense over the second half of the season. It might not be the most scintillating matchup, but these two will try and push for a full four quarters.
31. Easyport Hawaii Bowl
San Diego State vs Middle Tennessee
Saturday, December 24, 2022
8:00, ESPN
Clarence TC Ching Complex, Honolulu, HI
Last Year: Canceled
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 40, 2020: NA, 2019: 36
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: T40, 2020: NA, 2019: 37
Watch a San Diego State game at your own peril. The offense perked up over the second half of the season after Jalen Mayden took over at quarterback, but the offense is still a tough watch. Middle Tennessee got hot late in the year, but it doesn’t have a win over anyone good. Between these two defenses it’s going to be close, even if it’s not always pretty.
30. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
South Alabama vs WKU
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
9:00, ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Last Year: Louisiana 36, Marshall 21
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 32, 2020: 22, 2019: 33
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 23, 2020: 25, 2019: 27
WKU lost QB Austin Reed to the transfer portal. All he did was throw for over 4,000 yards and 36 touchdowns, and now the Hilltoppers have to keep going against a good South Alabama team that was this close to beating UCLA and having an even bigger season. The New Orleans Bowl hasn’t been anything great, but at least these two should crank up the O.
29. TransPerfect Music City Bowl
Iowa vs Kentucky
Saturday, December 31, 2022
12:00, ESPN
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Last Year: Purdue 48, Tennessee 45 OT
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 12, 2020: NA, 2019: 26
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 3, 2020: NA, 2019: 22
This needed to be on January 1st because it’s the all-time perfect hangover bowl. You’ll be able to nap in and out of the whole thing and not miss much. The point total is probably higher for the next Brazilian World Cup match than what this should be, but the final ten minutes of this slugfest will be gripping.
28. Quick Lane Bowl
Bowling Green vs New Mexico State
Monday, December 26, 2022
2:30, ESPN
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Last Year: Western Michigan 52, Nevada 24
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 30, 2020: 28, 2019: 39
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 28, 2020: NA, 2019: 9
There might not be any two teams more fired up to be in a bowl. New Mexico State needed a special waiver from the NCAA to overcome a cancelled game against San Jose State to get bowl eligible with five wins, and then it drilled Valparaiso for a sixth win, just because. Bowling Green has finally turned a corner, but can the offense be better than it was over the second half of the season? Against the New Mexico State defense, yup. This should be a sneaky-good game.
27. TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
East Carolina vs Coastal Carolina
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
6:45, ESPN
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Last Year: Houston 17, Auburn 13
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 22, 2020: NA, 2019: 23
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 8, 2020: NA, 2019: 40
Well this just got weird. Coastal Carolina’s defense decided to end the season early allowing 92 points over the final two games, head coach Jamey Chadwell is off to Liberty, and East Carolina is going to care. It might be a horrible mix unless the Chanticleer offense can get off to a hot start. If so, this will be a wild firefight.
26. Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
UCLA vs Pitt
Friday, December 30, 2022
2:00, CBS
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
Last Year: Central Michigan 24, Washington State 21
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 39, 2020: NA, 2019: 19
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 13, 2020: NA, 2019: 21
There’s no Kedon Slovis – he’s hanging out in the transfer portal – and Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec obviously isn’t going to be in the mix until next season. On the other side, UCLA might be missing most of its top skill guys if they opt-out early. Even so, it’ll be worth paying attention to for the first half while waiting for the Notre Dame-South Carolina Gator Bowl.
25. Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Ohio vs Wyoming
Friday, December 30, 2022
4:30, Barstool
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Last Year: Canceled
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2021: 17, 2020: 11, 2019: 38
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2021: T40, 2020: 26, 2019: 35
Okay, so this gets stuck rolling while other bowls are going, but it’s 2022. Go second screen on this, because it should be entertaining if you’re really, really into bowl games. It might not be all that high-scoring – the Ohio defense stepped it up late in the year and Wyoming likes to keep games tight – but these two might just crank up one of the best hipster underground games of the bowl season.
– Deep Cuts (32-41) | It’s Football. You’ll Watch (25-32)
– Bowls. Just Bowls (17-24) | Restaurant Quality (9-16)
– Watch or Die (1-8) | Initial Thoughts, Picks on all 41