Bowl Game Rankings: Watch Or Die
You have to watch these bowl games to have any shot at a fulfilling life full of joy and happiness.
8. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
Friday, December 31
ESPN, Time 3:30
AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Alabama vs Cincinnati
You have to watch in case Cincinnati pulls off the win. If Alabama comes in and goes all Alabama on the Bearcats, fine. You did your job and you watched the performance art. But if this is great, and heaven forbid the Group of Five team pulls this off, it’s going to be a key part of your sports-watching resumé forever.
Line: Alabama -13.5, o/u: 58.5
Last Year: Oklahoma 55, Florida 20
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 3, 2019: 8
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 22, 2019: 11
7. Allstate Sugar Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 8:45 pm
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Baylor vs Ole Miss
It’s an interesting moment for the Big 12 and the SEC. It would look really, really bad for the Big 12 if its champion got rolled by an SEC team that wasn’t in a conference championship.
It’s sort of like last year when an also-ran Rebel squad with a losing record beat an Indiana team that was probably the second-best in the Big Ten.
Lane Kiffin teams are fun, Baylor has enough of an offense to keep up, and it should be an entertaining way to finish up your New Year’s Day.
Line: Baylor -1.5, o/u: 54.5
Last Year: Ohio State 49, Clemson 28
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 2, 2019: 11
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 10, 2019: 25
6. San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
FOX, 8:00 pm
Petco Park, San Diego, CA
NC State vs UCLA
All of the buzz will be around the transfers reportedly giving UCLA a look, but this will be the program’s first bowl appearance since 2017 with a shot at its first post-season win since the end of the 2014 season.
In a year of the coaching carousel, Chip Kelly going into the offseason with a bowl win and some momentum would be a big deal.
NC State was quietly a hot team throughout the season, and it’ll be one of the early favorites in the ACC race in 2022. It’s a shot at the first ten-win season at NC State under head coach Dave Doeren.
Both teams will be tough and physical, and both teams have good veteran quarterbacks who should put on a good late-night show.
Line: UCLA -1, o/u: 60.5
Last Year: Canceled
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 7
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: NA, 2019: 26
5. Rose Bowl Game
Saturday, January 1
ESPN, 5:00 pm
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Ohio State vs Utah
Start with this – the Rose Bowl is being played in Pasadena again.
After the abomination of moving the most sacred of bowl games to Texas last year – and with the Alabama annihilation of Notre Dame that ensued – it’s back to where it belongs.
The energy for this should be off the charts as Utah gets its moment. This is a really, really big deal for a program that made its way into the Pac-12 back in 2011 and worked its way into a conference champion.
Ohio State might be National Championship or Bust at this point, but it’s the Rose Bowl. It’s the one non-playoff bowl everyone watches, and for Ryan Day’s team, this might be the announcement that 2022 is about to be special considering what’s coming back.
Line: Ohio State -6.5, o/u: 66.5
Last Year: Alabama 31, Notre Dame 14
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 9, 2019: 2
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 24, 2019: 6
4. AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Tuesday, December 28
ESPN, 6:45 pm
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, TN
Texas Tech vs Mississippi State
Everyone once in a while the bowl gods get cheeky.
Mike Leach vs Texas Tech – and it has nothing to do with the court system.
There’s a whole huge history between these two, and in one way or another, this should be entertaining both on the field and in the press conferences.
If Leach’s Mississippi State team plays at its highest level, this should be a blowout. However, both passing games should combine for well over 800 passing yards – fans of the running game need not apply.
Line: Mississippi State -8, o/u: 60
Last Year: West Virginia 24, Army 21
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 20, 2019: 6
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 6, 2019: 7
Bowl Schedule | Bowl Confidence Picks
Expert Picks: CFP & NY6 | Dec 17-27 | Dec 28-Jan 4
3. Outback Bowl
Saturday, January 1
ESPN2, 12:00 pm
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Penn State vs Arkansas
It’s the first college football game of 2022 – and I just corrected that after typing 2021. It’ll be a good way to kick it all off.
There will be a few opt outs, and Penn State already lost defensive coordinator Brent Pry to the Virginia Tech head coaching gig, but for the most part the cores of both teams should be intact.
It’s been a relatively disappointing season for the Nittany Lions, but they got a whole lot of respect with this prime bowl slot over Minnesota. Win this, and with QB Sean Clifford returning and the addition of Manny Diaz as the defensive coordinator, it’ll be a fun offseason.
Arkansas hasn’t played in a bowl since 2016 and hasn’t won one since 2015. Again with the momentum – for whatever that means – a win would be massive for Sam Pittman and a program coming out of a breakthrough season.
Line: Penn State -2.5, o/u: 47
Last Year: Ole Miss 26, Indiana 20
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 8, 2019: 4
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 11, 2019: 5
2. RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
Saturday, December 18
ESPN, 11:00 am
FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
WKU vs Appalachian State
If you haven’t seen the Bailey Zappe show, this is your chance.
The WKU offense won’t be nearly as fun next year with wunderkind offensive coordinator Zach Kittley taking over the same gig at Texas Tech, but the fireworks should be out for this early Saturday morning bowl game.
The Hilltoppers will throw a ton, because that’s what they do. Appalachian State will run wild, because that’s what it does.
Both these teams were good enough to play in their respective conference championships, and both of them are going to bring the fire as they kickoff a day of six bowl games and two NFL showdowns.
Line: Appalachian State -3, o/u: 68
Last Year: BYU 49, UCF 23
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 5, 2019: 16
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 20, 2019: 23
1. Capital One Orange Bowl
Friday, December 31
ESPN, 7:30
Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Michigan vs Georgia
Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ve all been hurt before in recent College Football Playoff semifinals. There have been a few great ones here and there, but for the most part they’re ugly blowouts.
At the very least, this is the one bowl game you have to watch.
Michigan finally gets a shot under Jim Harbaugh to take things to a whole other level. Georgia gets to show that it really was the No. 1 team in college football throughout the year – at least until it gets Alabama, or Cincinnati, in the national championship.
It’s a new team to the CFP landscape against a program desperate to have another shot at getting over the hump after a heartbreaking national title loss to Alabama to end the 2017 season.
Watch, and then enjoy your New Year’s Eve.
Line: Georgia -7.5, o/u: 44
Last Year: Texas A&M 41, North Carolina 27
Pre-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 4, 2019: 18
Post-Bowl Ranking: 2020: 3, 2019: 12
Of course, once the matchup is figured out, the No. 1 game will be …
College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T
Monday, January 10
ESPN, 8:00 pm
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Bowl Tie-Ins: CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Matchup: COMING
Last Year: Alabama 52, Ohio State 24
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How Good Is Your Bowl?
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– Watch or Die (1-8)