Tuesday’s bowl games

When: 3:30 p.m. PST.

Where: Orlando, Fla.

On the air: ESPN.

About North Carolina State (8-4): The Wolfpack could have won the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Atlantic Division with a victory at Maryland in the final week of the regular season, but having eight regular-season victories — the program’s most since 2002 — is still noteworthy.

About West Virginia (9-3): The Mountaineers closed out the regular season on a four-game Big East Conference winning streak, but it wasn’t enough to earn the conference’s BCS bid. A 19-14 loss to Syracuse and a 16-13 overtime loss at Connecticut cost West Virginia a BCS bowl slot. Junior defensive end Bruce Irvin leads a punishing West Virginia defense with 12 sacks. Senior running back Noel Divine and sophomore quarterback Geno Smith lead the balanced offense.

Watchability: Three of five stars.

Insight Bowl

When: 7 p.m. PST.

Where: Tempe, Ariz.

On the air: ESPN.

About Iowa (7-5): The Hawkeyes have had a tough season. They entered an Oct. 23 game against Wisconsin ranked and unbeaten in the Big Ten Conference but lost. They bounced back the next week with a win over Michigan State, which kept them in the conference title hunt. But they lost their last three games of the regular season, including the finale to lowly Minnesota.

About Missouri (10-2): The Tigers started 7-0, including a 36-27 upset of eventual Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma. Missouri’s offense then stalled under more intense defensive pressure. The Tigers lost at Nebraska, 31-17, and at Texas Tech, 24-17, tumbling out of the conference title race. Missouri closed on a three-game winning streak and senior center Tim Barnes, junior tight end Michael Egnew and sophomore defensive end Aldon Smith all earned first-team All-Big 12 honors. The Tigers’ defense has been especially effective, ranking second nationally by limiting opponents to 15.2 points per game.

Watchability: Two of five stars.

Orlando Sentinel