It can be controversial to enjoy college football bowl games in this day and age. But if you don’t like bowl games, you’re not a college football fan. At least that is my opinion. You may be a fan of a specific school, but you are unconcerned with the sport in general.
After all, bowl games are played by college football teams. Maybe some have lost importance in the College Football Playoff era — and I’m concerned that expanding to 12 teams next season will result in major changes to the system — but they’re here now, and I intend to see them all, if feasible.
Every bowl season, I go through the (often tedious) process of ranking each bowl game before and after it is played. That is how much.
While there is no true science to these rankings, please keep in mind that I do not take available opt-outs into serious consideration. It’s not straightforward to anticipate which players are more likely to sit out games than others, but it’s impossible to know for certain, so I try not to get too caught up in determining the severity of their impact.
Furthermore, each player that sits out gives us the opportunity to meet the game’s next big star, which is a fantastic way to approach bowl season in general. Consider these games a preview of 2024, not the finale of the 2023 season.
Monday, December 18 at 2:30 p.m. I once had a piece of toast with a burn mark that resembled Abraham Lincoln. I’m not sure if that would qualify as a Famous Toastery. In any case, we welcome the Famous Toastery Bowl into the rotation, but I’m not really excited about the matchup. Western Kentucky appears to be a club that can put on excellent performances against inferior opponents but may be extremely irritating to watch against better teams. What does Old Dominion classify as? I have no idea! Every game the Monarchs play appears to be a one-score game, so this one will most likely be close.v
Tuesday, December 26 at 2 p.m. — There are 82 teams competing in this Bowl Season, and just one of them lost more games than it won. Congratulations, Minnesota. You received the call. Unfortunately, I hold my bowl games to a higher standard, and I simply cannot — will not! — rank this game higher than any other involving teams that won half of their games! I’ll put you ahead of the Famous Toastery Bowl, though, because I have no idea what to think of that game.
This matchup pits a 5-7 team whose starting quarterback has transferred against a Bowling Green team that defeated Georgia Tech this season. So, this is one of the rare opportunities for a
Tuesday, December 26 at 5:30 p.m. Putting two Texas teams in a bowl game in Dallas should help fill the stadium, which is fantastic. I’m not sure how good it is for those of us watching from home on television. Texas State is a high-variance squad. The Bobcats might score or allow 70 points. This year’s victorious team averaged 42.9 points across 12 games. The Owls have the same spirit, but quarterback J.T. Daniels announced his retirement following the team’s 24-21 victory over FAU in the regular-season finale due to concussion difficulties. He will not participate in this game, and the Owls were not as good when A.J. Padgett played this season.
Thursday, December 28 at 11 a.m. Our first look at SMU in the ACC! If you had told me before the season that SMU would win the AAC, I would not have been surprised. Now, if you had told me the Ponies would win the league because of their excellent defense, I would have done a double take. This SMU defense is no joke, and Boston College will have to solve a tough riddle. Of course, BC has faced complicated defenses. While 25 points per game might have saved Brian Ferentz’s job at Iowa, it isn’t particularly impressive. We can’t completely rule out the Eagles, however, because quarterback Thomas Castellanos can cook with his legs if given the opportunity.
Thursday, December 21, at 8 p.m. Alex Golesh took over a South Florida team that had gone 4-29 the previous three seasons and led them to a bowl game in Year 1. I don’t care how you spin it; that is impressive. We should also remember that one of those six losses was a 17-3 defeat to Alabama, which had many wondering if the Alabama dynasty was finished. The Bulls’ defensive performance against the Tide was an outlier compared to the rest of the season; they have a tendency to give up points quickly when things go wrong. QB Byrum Brown, a surprising talent at the position this season, helps them respond quickly. Syracuse will most likely not experience the same thrill as
Saturday, December 23, at 7:30 p.m. This will be awful. Neither of these teams scored many points this season, but both were strong defensively. It’s difficult to predict how many points will be scored, but it doesn’t mean it will be awful. Regardless, this is not the matchup I was expecting to witness. While an 8-4 record is nothing to be ashamed of, it is a disappointing year for a Utah team coming off two consecutive Pac-12 championships. Northwestern is on the opposite end of the spectrum; no one predicted the Wildcats to bowl this season. The school sacked Pat Fitzgerald shortly before the regular season began, and it appeared that the program was on the point of mutiny. Instead, interim coach David Braun stabilized the ship, earning Big Ten Coach
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