Column: Hey, college football fans, we’ve got your must-watch bowl matchups (plus some you can probably skip)
USC Coach Clay Helton and the Trojans face the Nittany Lions of Penn State in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.
No one is really claiming — nor should they — that the Rose Bowl got the best two teams in the nation this holiday season.
But with No. 9 USC facing No. 5 Penn State on Jan. 2, the “Granddaddy of Them All” might just have the best matchup.
Certainly no other bowl game offers a couple of major programs with tons of history and winning streaks that add up to 17 games.
“You’re dealing with two of the hotter teams in the country right now,” USC Coach Clay Helton said. “I think it makes for fabulous TV, that’s for sure.”
Saturday begins the annual parade of college football’s brightest — and not-so-bright — in a postseason lineup too big for the continental U.S.
The slate of 42 games will spill off the edges of both coasts, with the Bahamas Bowl being played on that Caribbean island in the Atlantic Ocean and the Hawaii Bowl kicking off five time zones away, across the Pacific.
Throw in dozens of sponsor-laden names — try saying “Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl” in one breath — and it gets hard to keep track.
Here are 10 games that qualify as appointment television over the next three-plus weeks. And five that might not even be worth the trouble of setting the DVR:
1. Rose Bowl, Jan 2: Penn State Coach James Franklin dismissed any concerns that the Nittany Lions, the surprise Big Ten Conference champions, might suffer a letdown after barely missing the College Football Playoff: “They still also know that it’s a tremendous honor to play in the Rose Bowl … two of the more-storied programs in college football.”
2. Fiesta Bowl, Dec. 31: This national semifinal pits No. 2 Clemson and savvy quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, against No. 3 Ohio State’s miserly defense, which has limited opponents to 14 points a game.
3. Peach Bowl, Dec. 31: Everyone talks about top-ranked Alabama scoring a national-best 10 touchdowns on defense this fall, but No. 4 Washington leads the country with 33 turnovers gained and has the more-efficient passer in quarterback Jake Browning.
4. Cotton Bowl, Jan. 2: No. 15 Western Michigan hopes to finish off a Cinderella season in its first marquee bowl appearance, but it must get past a No. 8 Wisconsin team looking for revenge after blowing a second-half lead against Penn State in the Big Ten championship game.
5. Orange Bowl, Dec. 30: Something has to give when No. 11 Florida State, which averages 35 points, faces a No. 6 Michigan defense that surrenders less than 13 a game. Plus you get the Wolverines’ do-everything Jabrill Peppers and Coach Jim Harbaugh’s mystifying/entertaining news conferences.
6. Citrus Bowl, Dec. 31: Here’s a chance to watch Heisman-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson lead No. 13 Louisville against tough No. 20 Louisiana State, which started badly but has rebounded under Coach Ed Orgeron, a mid-season replacement who earned the permanent job.
7. Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29: Call this the “Hunger Games” because both No. 10 Colorado and No. 12 Oklahoma State had a shot at their conference titles but came up one victory short. Now they have a chance for redemption in San Antonio.
8. Sugar Bowl, Jan. 2: In a down year for the Southeastern Conference, No. 14 Auburn doesn’t exactly start your pulse racing. But No. 7 Oklahoma makes this game worthwhile with the combination of quarterback Baker Mayfield and receiver Dede Westbrook, both Heisman finalists.
9. Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 17: San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey needs 108 yards to become the leading rusher in college football history. He averages 155 but will have to dent a Houston defense that surrenders less than 98 a game, third-best against the rush nationally.
10. Russell Athletic Bowl, Dec. 28: No. 16 West Virginia got blown out against Oklahoma on national TV but is still a very good team that can pile up the yards. Miami is looking to end a postseason losing streak that dates back to 2008.
Now for five less-appealing matchups, ranked from not-so-awful to downright snoozy:
1. Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 24: As a reward for going 6-7, Hawaii gets an additional home game against 8-4 Middle Tennessee.
2. Arizona Bowl, Dec. 30: Air Force is decent at 9-3. The problem is inconsistent South Alabama, whose 6-6 record includes upset wins over Mississippi State and San Diego State mixed with losses to Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia Southern.
3. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Dec. 22: Colorado State is on the upswing with a big win over San Diego State. The Idaho Vandals, on the other hand, are 13-point underdogs and fast approaching their drop from FBS to FCS in 2018.
4. New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 17: Hard to get worked up over Southern Mississippi and Louisiana-Lafayette, a couple of 6-6 teams from the Group of Five conferences.
5. Heart of Dallas Bowl, Dec. 27: An improving Army comes off its emotional victory over injury-riddled Navy in the regular-season finale, but North Texas, with a 5-7 record, might be the worst team in the postseason.
The Mean Green — who actually defeated the Black Knights earlier this fall — have sunk to around 100th or lower in most of the extended rankings. And they finished the regular season with a 28-point loss to 4-8 Texas El-Paso.
“Winning isn’t easy,” Coach Seth Littrell said. “It’s a challenge every week.”
That makes them almost a 10-point underdog in this game. Doesn’t exactly get you reaching for the remote, does it?
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