Bowl Game Rankings: Bowls. Just Bowls.
They’re bowl games. College football will be played, there will be refreshments, and then everyone will go home. No big deal.
24. Camellia Bowl
Saturday, December 25
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, AL
Ball State vs Georgia State
Trust me, you’re going to like this bowl game. Yeah, yeah, you don’t really care about the matchup, but it’s a college football game on Christmas. You’re not going to get anything you want, so you might as well enjoy an hour or so of this between two decent, entertaining teams before Green Bay and Cleveland kickoff.
Prediction: this is going to finish high in the post-bowl game rankings – all seven of the new wave of Camellias have been derived by eight points or fewer.
Line: Ball State -5, o/u: 50.5
Last Year: Memphis 25, Florida Atlantic 10
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 10, 2019: 29
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 7, 2019: 17
22. TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 12:00 pm
Protective Stadium, Birmingham, AL
Houston vs Auburn
Auburn might be cranked up because 1) it’s going to be like a home game, 2) there’s a whole lot of drama happening with Bo Nix transferring out and others apparently in the mix to go – the players in the mix are going to care – and 3) Houston has beaten no one. The Cougar schedule made Cincinnati’s look like the SEC West, and there’s one other issue.
Houston has been next-level awful in its last four bowls, including a lifeless loss to Hawaii in last year’s New Mexico – played in Texas, of course – and the 70-14 loss to Army in 2018.
Line: Auburn -3, o/u: 51.5
Last Year: Canceled
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 23
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 40
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21. Military Bowl presented by Peraton
Monday, December 27
ESPN, 2:30 pm
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
East Carolina vs Boston College
Not every bowl matchup can be your favorite, but on a Monday afternoon you’ll probably have some fun with this. East Carolina is an entertaining team that will bring the offense and the want-to – it’s the program’s first bowl game since the 2014 season – and Boston College doesn’t have the type of team that’s going to big-time anyone.
Line: Boston College -3, o/u: 51
Last Year: Canceled
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 27
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 33
20. Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Thursday, December 30
ESPN, 11:30 am
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
North Carolina vs South Carolina
In theory this should be a whole lot of fun, but on a big Thursday of games, this could turn into a big dud in a real hurry if either side doesn’t have it.
North Carolina played in a whole lot of close, tight games over the second half of the season, but it also had a strange habit this season of going bye-bye – Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State – at strange times. South Carolina will be jacked, but it’s hardly going to bring a high-flying offensive fun show. Even so, the Charlotte atmosphere should provide an early jolt.
Line: North Carolina -7, o/u: 58
Last Year: Wisconsin 42, Wake Forest 28
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 24, 2019: 22
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 9, 2019: 4
19. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 3:15 pm
Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Air Force vs Louisville
Air Force didn’t play a Power Five team, but its style, its defense, and its three-game winning streak coming into this makes it a wild-card against an ACC team that really, really needs this. The Cardinal fan base is grouchy at the Scott Satterfield 6-6 season – losing 52-21 to Kentucky will do that – and his team should be ready to roll. QB Malik Cunningham is always worth the price of admission.
Line: Air Force -1, o/u: 55.5
Last Year: Louisiana 31, UTSA 24
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 27, 2019: 25
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 5, 2019: 2
18. Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ABC, 7:30 pm
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Utah State vs Oregon State
Here’s the problem. It’s going up against New England vs Indianapolis in what should be a massive showdown in most fantasy football leagues.
On its own, though, this is one of the Mountain West vs Pac-12 showdowns that will help define a season. The Mountain more than held its own against the big league, but if the high-powered conference champ can’t get by Oregon State …
This will be a blast. There will be offense – lots and lots of offense. The Patriots and Colts can’t guarantee that.
Line: Oregon State -7, o/u: 67
Last Year: Canceled
17. Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl
Friday, December 31
Barstool Sports, 2:00 pm
Arizona Stadium, Tucson, AZ
Central Michigan vs Boise State
Yeah, you’re not going to watch this unless you’re commanded to by El Presidente, and not because it won’t be fantastic – or unique.
Central Michigan comes in on a roll and with a whole lot of firepower, and Boise State was terrific over the second half of the year before San Diego State rose up in the regular season finale.
I’ll always have a thing for the Arizona Bowl – I was part of it all when was first created – but the timing of the game has always been an issue. This year it starts just as the Gator (Wake Forest-Texas A&M) and Sun (Washington State-Miami) are ending, and it’ll finish right around halftime of the Cincinnati-Alabama College Football Playoff semifinal.
The matchup will at least be worth a second screen.
Line: Boise State -8, o/u: 55
Last Year: Ball State 34, San Jose State 13
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 11, 2019: 38
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 26, 2019: 35
How Good Is Your Bowl?
– Deep Cuts (Bowls 32-43)
– Nothing Better To Do (25-32)
– Restaurant Quality Bowls (9-16)
– Watch or Die (1-8)