College Football Bowl Games Ranked from Most to Least Entertaining

First of all, I think that there are way too many bowl games and teams that have sub .500 records have no place playing in the postseason.  I ranked all 41 bowl games from most entertaining to least entertaining taking into account the teams playing as well as the importance of the bowl itself.  I tried to be as impartial as possible with the games and just want to see two competitive teams play each other.  I started with the playoff semifinal games, because the four teams are supposedly the four best in the country, and finished with a bowl featuring a 5-7 North Texas team.

• PlayStation Fiesta Bowl - #2 Clemson vs #3 Ohio State - 12/31 7:00 pm

• I think that this will be the best bowl game of the season, most likely after the national championship game.  I think that Clemson is the best team in the nation and will upset Alabama if both teams advance through the semifinals.  Clemson has narrowly gotten through the season at times, barely beating NC State, Florida State, nearly blowing their lead against Louisville, and even losing to Pitt by one point.  Regardless, they still got through the season with just one loss and beat Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game and got better as the season progressed.  Ohio State, after losing seven players from last year's defense to the NFL Draft, has managed to re-tool on the fly and has developed their young players very well.  They lost only one game, at Penn State during a White Out and only by three points, and managed to win most of their wins by large margins.  They are one of the nation's most exciting teams, who have an excellent defense, and they deserved to make the playoff, after beating really good Oklahoma and Michigan teams, and only losing to a Penn State team that developed into one of the better teams in the country.  The matchups I will be watching are Ohio State's front seven against Clemson's offensive line to be able to pressure Deshaun Watson and if they can slow down Clemson's prolific passing offense with the elite secondary they field.  On Clemson's side, I will be interested in seeing if Clemson's defense can lock up the Buckeyes' receivers and force J.T. Barrett and Mike Weber to beat them with their legs. This is how Penn State was able to beat Ohio State because, after removing any threat of a deep passing game, they were able to get after Barrett.
• Initial Pick: Clemson

• Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl - #4 Washington vs #1 Alabama - 12/31 3:00 pm
• I am only picking this game second on my list of most entertaining games because it is a semifinal match and it seems like it needs to be near the top.  I'm not certain that this game will very close though.  Alabama has gone wire-to-wire, starting the preseason ranked first and has finished the regular season ranked there as well.  They have an elite defense that covers up their offensive struggles. Washington has been one of the surprising teams this season, starting the year with great potential and has lived up to that.  They have an excellent offense that is balanced fairly well between their passing and running games.  In this bowl game, I think that the Huskies best chance of winning will be with their passing game.  Jake Browning has been elite all season, throwing for 42 TDs and just 7 INTs.  Alabama is not unbeatable and the teams that have beat them in the past have been led by confident quarterbacks that limit mistakes.  Browning is a very good quarterback who should be playing in the NFL someday.  If Washington can work on spreading the field with their numerous talented receivers and keeping their tempo up, they should have a chance.  Alabama has struggled against opponents who don't allow them to change their personnel group.  There will be open receivers at times and Browning just has to take advantage of them when they occur.   As far as Alabama goes, they are the most talented team in the country and they just need to play their game.
• Initial Pick: Alabama; Washington just doesn't have enough talent to beat them
• Rose Bowl - #9 USC vs #5 Penn State - 1/2, 5:00 pm
• This matchup will feature two of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch.  USC started the season 1-3 and then won eight straight games to close out the season. They upset number four Washington on the road for their statement win and have been led by redshirt freshman Sam Darnold since their fourth game of the year against Utah.  He has been an efficient quarterback who has limited his mistakes, throwing just 8 INTs this season.  Penn State had a good defense this season, as usual, but they dealt with a lot of injuries to their linebacking corps, which played a factor in their 39 point loss to Michigan.  After that Michigan loss, they reeled off nine straight victories en route to a Big Ten Championship, including an upset against second ranked Ohio State.  Their offense is what sparked the team, with QB Trace McSorley helping to develop the team's pass offense.  They have multiple deep receiving threats that stretch a defense's secondary if the offensive line can give McSorley time and the team has quick strike potential.  Plus, none of this has even included Saquon Barkley, one of the best running backs in the nation.  This is a Penn State that is a Pitt loss away from being in the playoff; they're pretty good.
• Initial Pick: Penn State
• Goodyear Cotton Bowl - #15 Western Michigan vs #8 Wisconsin - 1/2, 1:00 pm
• I want to know how good Western Michigan truly is and a game against Wisconsin should determine that.  They haven't played a ranked team all season, but have beaten two Big Ten teams on the road, winning both.  They did, however, play six teams that will be appearing in bowl games and won 11 of their games by 15 points or more.  Wisconsin had one of the best defenses all year long, ranking fourth in the country in scoring defense, but got torched by Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game.  They also have a stellar rushing offense which could give Western Michigan fits.
• Initial Pick: Wisconsin
• Outback Bowl - #17 Florida vs Iowa - 1/2, 1:00 pm
• This should be a very low scoring game, with neither team being able to move the ball much.  Both teams were near the bottom in offensive stats, but are in the top 25 in defense.  A combined score under 20 points is possible.
• Initial Pick: Florida
• Capital One Orange Bowl - #6 Michigan vs #11 Florida State - 12/30, 8:00 pm
• Both teams started the season in the top ten of the preseason AP Poll and had somewhat underwhelming years.  Florida State won some big games against Florida, Miami, and Ole Miss but lost close games to Clemson and North Carolina and were blown out by Louisville. Michigan's defense will give FSU's offense fits and be the stringiest defense they've faced all season.  While Michigan felt left out by the playoff committee, they still get to play in a major bowl and have an excellent defense.  Whether their offense can move the ball will be the question.
• Initial Pick: Michigan
• Allstate Sugar Bowl - #14 Auburn vs #7 Oklahoma - 1/2, 8:30 pm
• Oklahoma has one of the best offenses in the country and they can score quick and at will. Auburn has one of the best scoring defenses in college football, but Oklahoma has a lot of weapons.  Even if Auburn can shut down or even slow the Sooners' offense, they may not be able to even move the ball with their lackluster offense.
• Initial Pick: Oklahoma
• Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl - #20 LSU vs #13 Louisville - 12/31 11:00 am
• LSU has one of the best defenses in the nation, ranking sixth in scoring defense.  They gave up more than 21 points just once, against Texas A&M.  They'll go up against the most electric player in all of college football in Lamar Jackson, who was responsible for 51 touchdowns this season.  He has been turnover-prone, however, and Louisville's offense has been able to be stifled against good defenses. Which side will win out?
• Initial Pick: LSU
• Music City Bowl - Nebraska vs #21 Tennessee - 12/30, 3:30 pm
• Tennessee had national championship aspirations before this season but lost three games in the middle of the season, including being blown out by Alabama at home, and then were beaten by Vanderbilt to close out their regular season.  Nebraska has, in my opinion, just one quality win all season, when they handily beat Iowa on the road.  They were blown out by Ohio State and lost to Wisconsin in overtime on the road.  I don't think that they've played anyone this season and that will cost them in their bowl game.
• Initial Pick: Tennessee
• Valero Alamo Bowl - #12 Oklahoma State vs #10 Colorado - 12/29, 9:00 pm
• Former Big 12 rivals, Oklahoma State and Colorado now get to face each other in bowl games.  Colorado was a surprise team this season and won the Pac-12 south division while Oklahoma State went into the Bedlam Game against Oklahoma with a shot at the Big 12 title.  Both teams are good but with Colorado having the chance to get healthy, which they weren't in the Pac-12 Championship Game, they should be ready to go up against OK State.  I think  Colorado having the better defense will be the difference maker in this game.
• Initial Pick: Colorado
• Hyundai Sun Bowl - #18 Stanford vs North Carolina - 12/30 2:00 pm
• The Sun Bowl will be the last time we get to see Christian McCaffery in a Cardinal uniform since he has declared for the draft.  UNC's run defense is porous and should give McCaffery the opportunity to have his way in this one.  Tar Heels' Mitch Trubisky is one of the best in the country, but Stanford is only giving up just over 200 yards per game.
• Initial Pick: Stanford
• Russell Athletic Bowl - #16 West Virginia vs Miami - 12/28, 5:30 pm
• West Virginia should have had one of the country's best offenses this season but has had problems with scoring throughout the season.  They played only one ranked team all season, eighth ranked Oklahoma, and were destroyed in the game.  They have actually only put up more than thirty points in half of their games, not that many times considering they are a Big 12 team.  For Miami, this was their first season coached by Mark Richt, going 8-4 in a rebound season.  They were a very streaky team, starting the season with four straight wins, then losing four in a row before finally winning their final four games. Miami's offense isn't the greatest, but neither is West Virginia's defense so this could be a game that puts each team's strength against each other.
• Initial Pick: Miami
• National Funding Holiday Bowl - Minnesota vs Washington State - 12/27, 7:00 pm
• I'm intrigued with this game more than a lot of people probably are because I think Minnesota is a better team than they've been given credit for.  Their biggest margin of defeat was just 14 points on the road against a Wisconsin team that was ranked fifth at the time.  They have a pretty good defense and, although their offense isn't prolific, they play a Big Ten style so they control the ball well.  Washington State scores a lot of points, especially through the air, averaging 370 yards per game.  
• Initial Pick: Washington State in a close one
• AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl - Texas A&M vs Kansas State - 12/28 9:00 pm
• Texas A&M was ranked ad high as fourth in the CFP Rankings before losing to Mississippi State.  They ultimately lost three of their final four games, including a dismantling at home by LSU in their final game.  Their offense was high-flying for much of the season, averaging just over 35 points per game before quarterback Trevor Knight was injured in the Mississippi State game and was out the rest of the season.  It appears that he will return for the bowl game.  Kansas State had another good season under Bill Snyder, going 8-4 and losing close games against OK State and West Virginia. K State has a good defense which will look to shut down the Aggies' passing offense.
• Initial Pick: Texas A&M
• New Era Pinstripe Bowl - #23 Pittsburgh vs Northwestern - 12/28 2:00 pm
• Pitt played a lot of close games this season, beating Penn State by three points and Clemson by one, while losing to Virginia Tech by three and North Carolina by one point. They have given up a lot of points all season long and their secondary has been suspect, and have given up more than 35 points each in seven games.  The Panthers' offense, however, has been good enough all season to overcome their defensive struggles and have often been involved in struggles.  Northwestern doesn't have an offense that can compete with Pittsburgh's, but it does have a Big Ten defense.  They have lost close games to Western Michigan (a loss that looks a lot better now) and on the road against Ohio State. They are perfectly capable of keeping this game close and I never doubt a Pat Fitzgerald-coached team.
• Initial Pick: Northwestern
• Military Bowl - #24 Temple vs Wake Forest - 12/27, 3:30 pm
• The Temple Owls won the American Conference after beating 19th ranked Navy on the road last Saturday.  They won ten games again this season for the second consecutive year, the first time in their history that they have done that.  They have one of the stingiest defenses in the country, tied for eighth in scoring defense.  Wake Forest was a surprising team this year and will be going to their first bowl game in five seasons.  They played many close games this year and were in games against ranked opponents for most of the games.  They did lose five out of their final six games and will come into this game struggling greatly.  They also haven't been an offensive-driven team all season and could be in trouble against Temple.  I'm happy to see these two teams on the upswing and in a bowl game.
• Initial Pick: Temple
• Dollar General Bowl - Ohio vs Troy - 12/23, 8:00 pm
• I'm a big fan of bowl games that involve two group of five teams because the competition is usually pretty even.  Ohio had a nine win season this year and even gave Western Michigan a scare in the MAC Championship game.  Troy enters bowl season having lost two out of their final three games.  Both Troy and Ohio have top 30 defenses so this could be a low scoring game.
• Initial Pick: Ohio
• Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - Louisiana Tech vs #25 Navy - 12/23, 4:30 pm
• Navy had an excellent season this year, winning nine games, upsetting sixth ranked Houston, and beating Memphis and Notre Dame.  They lost to Temple in the American Conference Championship game and will be down to their third string quarterback for the rest of the season.  They run a triple option offense which can either be highly potent or find difficulty scoring when a defense attacks the ball.  LA Tech can score about as well as any team in the nation and rank fifth in points per game.  Navy doesn't exactly have the stoutest of defenses, so this game could get out of hand.
• Initial Pick: LA Tech
• Boca Raton Bowl - Memphis vs Western Kentucky - 12/20, 7:00 pm
• Memphis' only losses on the season were either against teams that were ranked at the time or who finished with at least nine wins.  They got quality wins against Temple and against Houston in the last game of the season.  Memphis has a fast-strike offense that didn't score less than 24 points in any game this season.  Against Houston, a defense that held Louisville to 10 points and Oklahoma to 23 points, Memphis put up 48.  Western Kentucky runs a spread offense quite well and scored more than 50 points in six of their games this year.  Both teams should be able to move the ball fairly easily in this game and it should be a back-and-forth game all the way through.
• Initial Pick: Memphis
• Las Vegas Bowl - Houston vs San Diego State - 12/17, 3:30 pm
• Houston upset Oklahoma to open the season and rolled through the early portion of their schedule before losing two out of three against Navy and SMU.  They bounced back with wins against Central Florida and upset third ranked Louisville before losing their final game against Memphis. Houston will be without their head coach Tom Herman who left for Texas, something that could play a factor in this game.  San Diego State has Donnell Pumphrey who is one of the best backs in the country and I think that he could be the difference maker.
• Initial Pick: San Diego State
• Raycom Media Camellia Bowl - Appalachian State vs Toledo - 12/17, 5:30 pm
• It is amazing the climb that Appalachian State has been on since becoming an FBS program in 2014.  This is another matchup between two group of five schools that I love to watch and they are typically quite competitive.  Appalachian State had the 7th best scoring defense in the country and will be going against a Toledo offense that scored over 38 points per game.  I like this match up because it will pit both teams' strengths against each other.
• Initial Pick: Appalachian State
• Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl - North Carolina Central vs Grambling State -               12/17, 12:00 pm
• This bowl game is a match up between two FCS schools.  I know nothing about these two teams except that FCS games are usually really entertaining.
• Initial Pick: Grambling State
• Birmingham Bowl - South Florida vs South Carolina - 12/29, 2:00 pm
• I don't exactly think that this game will be close and expect South Florida to light up a South Carolina defense that gave up 56 points to Clemson.  The only question will be how South Florida responds to playing without head coach Willie Taggart, who left to become the head coach at Oregon.  I'm excited for South Carolina which bounced back this season with a new head coach after Steve Spurrier stepped down midseason last year.
• Initial Pick: South Florida
• TaxSlayer Bowl - Georgia Tech vs Kentucky - 12/31, 11:00 am
• This game has the potential to be a shootout because Georgia Tech had the 10th best rushing attack in the country this season at 257 yards per game.  Kentucky had a horrible rush defense and basically the opposite is true with Tech having a bad defense as well and Kentucky's offense has the ability to put up points.  I think that the triple option has the potential to give Kentucky fits as I don't think any SEC schools run that offense.
• Initial Pick: Georgia Tech
• Belk Bowl - Arkansas vs #22 Virginia Tech - 12/29 5:30 pm
• Neither of these teams rank high in scoring defense or offense but Virginia Tech is certainly trending in the better direction of the two teams.  They stayed close with Clemson in the ACC Championship game and Arkansas certainly isn't Clemson.  With a win, the Hokies will get their tenth win of the season, a great step for first year head coach Justin Fuente.
• Initial Pick: Virginia Tech
• Motel 6 Cactus Bowl - Boise State vs Baylor - 12/27, 10:15 pm
• Both of these teams have pretty prolific offenses, both scoring more than 34 points per game. Boise State has the better defense of the two, but it should be a high-scoring game regardless.  The question will be how Baylor comes out to start the game following a season that was headlined by scandal, an interim coach, and a new coach on the horizon. A 6-6 record for Baylor was pretty impressive given the circumstances and a bowl win may be just too much.
• Initial Pick: Boise State
• Independence Bowl - NC State vs Vanderbilt - 12/26, 5:00 pm
• Neither of these teams have good offenses and neither have real good defenses so this game could be a really ugly game.  Sometimes, though, those games are the best.  I think that picking the team with the best win during the season is who I'll go with.
• Initial Pick: Vanderbilt
• San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - BYU vs Wyoming - 12/21, 9:00 pm
• Wyoming puts up a ton of points but their defense seems to want to always keep games close by allowing nearly as many points as their offense scores.  BYU plays a tough defense and played a much more difficult schedule than Wyoming did and held some really good offenses to lower than average scores.
• Initial Pick: BYU
• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - Idaho vs Colorado State - 12/22, 7:00 pm
• Idaho was one of the best stories in college football this season and will be playing in just their third bowl game in history.  They'll also be dropping to the FCS in 2018 so this could be their last chance to play in a bowl.  The competition they played against wasn't overly strong though compared to Colorado State, who has a high-flying offense and will probably give the Vandals' defense fits.
• Initial Pick: Colorado State
• Quick Lane Bowl - Boston College vs Maryland - 12/26, 2:30 pm
• Both of these teams enter bowl season as 6-6 teams and were horrible against their conference opponents.  They both got blown out by the high-quality teams in their conferences.  Neither of these teams have particularly good offenses so this should be a very low scoring match between former ACC rivals.
• Initial Pick: Boston College
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl - Georgia vs TCU - 12/30, 12:00 pm
• There will be a lot of motivation in this game between two teams that underachieved this season.  Georgia, under new head coach Kirby Smart, had aspirations of a potential playoff berth while TCU is coming off 12-1 and 11-2 seasons.  This year they regressed to just a 6-6 record but still had a prolific offense.  I think that with Nick Chubb in the backfield and extremely talented quarterback Jacob Eason under center, Georgia's offense should be able to keep up.
• Initial Pick: Georgia
• Popeyes Bahamas Bowl - Eastern Michigan vs Old Dominion - 12/23, 1:00 pm
• This game will be between two teams who haven't had a lot of experience playing in the postseason in recent years, especially Old Dominion who has only been playing in the FBS since 2014.  I know basically nothing about these teams except that Old Dominion played a little tougher schedule and won five in a row at the end of the season.
• Initial Pick: Old Dominion
• New Orleans Bowl - Southern Mississippi vs Louisiana-Lafayette - 12/17, 9:00 pm
• Southern Miss has a much better offense than Lafayette in this game but it should be fairly close.  This game has strong regional feel about it with both being southern colleges.  Southern Miss has held some really good offenses in check and Lafayette doesn't have a very good offense.
• Initial Pick: Southern Mississippi
• Gildan New Mexico Bowl - New Mexico vs Texas-San Antonio - 12/17, 2:00 pm
• New Mexico has a very good offense that can put up points at will.  Neither of these teams have good defenses though so there is potential for this one to be a shootout.  It could also be a blow out if UTSA struggles to move the ball.
• Initial Pick: New Mexico
• AutoNation Cure Bowl - Central Florida vs Arkansas State - 12/17, 5:30 pm
• UCF had three straight winning seasons, including a 12-1 record in 2013 before going winless last season. They rebounded nicely this year to a 6-6 record under first year head coach Scott Frost.  UCF also played the better schedule out of the two teams and have experience in the postseason and will be playing close to home.
• Initial Pick: Central Florida
• Foster Farms Bowl - Indiana vs #19 Utah - 12/28, 8:30 pm
• Utah suffered some tough losses this year including losing by 7 at Washington and 5 at Colorado.  Their defense is really good and is filled with players who will be playing on Sundays.  Indiana has a good offense that gave Penn State, Michigan, and Nebraska runs for their money.  The Hoosiers are surrounded by scandal after the dismissal of head coach Kevin Wilson so it will be interesting to see how motivated they are.
• Initial Pick: Utah
• Miami Beach Bowl - Central Michigan vs Tulsa - 12/19, 2:30 pm
• Tulsa had a powerful offense that ranked 11th in the country in points per game and played a tough schedule.  They finished second in an AAC West division that ended up being very competitive.  Central Michigan started off the season quite well but lost four of five down the stretch and struggled mightily in those games.
• Initial Pick: Tulsa
• Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl - South Alabama vs Air Force - 12/30, 5:30 pm
• Somehow South Alabama managed to be a team that beat both Mississippi State and San Diego State but also lost to Georgia Southern and Louisiana-Lafayette.  Air Force had a similar season, upsetting Boise State and beating Navy en route to winning the Commander in Chief's Trophy.  They also dealt with a three game slide in the middle of the season against Wyoming, New Mexico, and Hawaii.  I think that Air Force's triple option system will give South Alabama's defense fits in what might be head coach Troy Calhoun's last game at Air Force.
• Initial Pick: Air Force
• Hawaii Bowl - Hawaii vs Middle Tennessee - 12/24, 8:00 pm
• Hawaii is known for its air raid offense that traditionally scores a lot of points.  This year, however, they struggled scoring points and were blown out against all of their quality opponents.  Middle Tennessee lost their starting quarterback towards the end of the season but they still scored 115 points in their last two games without him.  The only real chance that Hawaii has is that they are playing at home but that still may not be enough to keep the game close.
• Initial Pick: Middle Tennessee
• St. Petersburg Bowl - Miami (OH) vs Mississippi State - 12/26, 11:00 am
• Mississippi State is a 5-7 team that probably shouldn't even be playing in a bowl game while Miami won six in a row to finish with a 6-6 record.  They should be clicking on all cylinders but Mississippi State is still an SEC team with top tier talent.
• Initial Pick: Mississippi State
• Zaxby's of Dallas Bowl - Army vs North Texas - 12/27, 12:00 pm
• North Texas is another 5-7 team that also had a losing record in conference play.  They got destroyed by all of the quality teams that they played and actually beat Army when they played earlier this season, winning by 17.  I think it will be much closer this time, but will be very boring with Army running a triple option system.
• Initial Pick: Army