A Wolfpacker’s Viewing Guide to the Bowl Season

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Following up on the today’s article with a list of the full bowl schedule and how to help SFN, we want to take a slightly deeper look at the 35 games. I will take a moment now to remember Temple, who went 8-4 and was the only FBS team with at least a 6-6 record who did not get a bowl invitation. Maybe next year Coach Golden.

Every year I have a resolution to watch part of every single bowl game. Every year I fail. (I haven’t been able previously to watch the Insight Bowl as it has always been broadcast on the NFL Network and I don’t get that channel. Thanks Time Warner Cable.) Now that we know all of the bowl games, here is a viewer’s guide to the games we should watch and tidbits about each one.

Saturday, December 18th

New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP 2:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
The newest Independent team plays UTEP in the first bowl. Hey BYU, at least you aren’t playing in your 6th consecutive Las Vegas Bowl.

Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois 5:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
NIU is reeling from a heartbreaking MAC title game loss. Fresno State is on a high after beating a BCS school, Illinois, again.

New Orleans Bowl: Ohio vs. Troy 8:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Um, Frank Solich is the Ohio head coach. That’s all I got.

Tuesday, December 21st

St. Petersburg Bowl: Louisville vs. Southern Miss 8:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
A bowl game for the Cardinals is an achievement for first year coach Charlie Strong. The Golden Eagles will be playing for their 3 teammates, who are still recovering from a shooting outside a club a few weeks ago.

Wednesday, December 22nd

Las Vegas Bowl: Boise State vs. Utah 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Kellen Moore’s last game. The Broncos, who probably deserved a BCS berth, play a Utah team who never recovered from the TCU beatdown and now are without their QB. The Broncos win big time.

Thursday, December 23rd

Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. San Diego State 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Who will be the home crowd be pulling for here? The game in San Diego pits the surprising Aztecs (Brady Hoke is a great up and coming coach) versus the Midshipmen. Should be a very good game.

Friday, December 24th

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs. Tulsa 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
On Christmas Eve, a high octane matchup between two prolific offenses. Hawaii was the only team to beat Nevada. Tulsa throws the ball all over the field.

Sunday, December 26th

Little Caesars Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo 6:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
FIU’s first ever bowl game. Watch this if you don’t want to watch San Diego at Cincinnati on NBC.

Monday, December 27th

Independence Bowl: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech 5:00 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)
Two option offenses collide. I thought Army-Navy was this Saturday. Oops.

Tuesday, December 28th

Champs Sports Bowl: North Carolina State vs. West Virginia 6:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Two teams who easily could be playing in a higher profile bowl. Will be an interesting matchup between Geno Smith and Russell Wilson. Could this be Bill Stewart’s final game? Go Pack! Must see TV.

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs. Missouri 10:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Missouri, who couldn’t follow-up beating Oklahoma, faces the 7-5 Hawkeyes. On paper this is a mismatch. The winner depends on how motivated the 12th ranked Tigers are.

Wednesday, December 29th

Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. Maryland 2:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
ECU is happy to be bowling. The Terps are probably not happy falling down to this bowl after a 8-4 season. That’s what a non-traveling fanbase will do for you.

Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Illinois 6:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Robert Griffith is an extremely good QB. The Bears are going to a bowl for the first time since joining the Big 12. They play Illinois, who probably saved Ron Zook’s job with a bowl bid.

Alamo Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma State 9:15 p.m. ESPN (HD)
This is always a good bowl game no matter who plays. And these teams should put on a good show. I love watching the Cowboys play. Justin Blackmon is phenomenal. And Arizona’s Julio Criner is not shabby either. Must-see TV.

Thursday, December 30th

Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. SMU 12:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
This is Army’s first bowl since 1996. This is a great matchup in contrasting styles. Army’s triple option versus June Jones’ Run –n-Shoot offense.

Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas State vs. Syracuse 3:20 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Was this game played in the NCAA Tournament? No. Well, outside of the Syracuse’s revival, the only reason to watch this is that the game is being played at Yankee Stadium.

Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Tennessee 6:40 p.m. ESPN (HD)
To copy what a poster said earlier, the Volunteers vs. the Professionals. Is this Butch’s last game? Does this make up for UT canceling the home-and-home? Go Vols!

Holiday Bowl: Nebraska vs. Washington 10:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
A rematch of a September game at Husky Stadium. Hopefully, this will be a better matchup as the first one was a Nebraska beatdown of Jake Locker and Co.

Friday, December 31st

Car Care Bowl: Clemson vs. South Florida 12:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Kyle Parker’s last game with his underachieving team versus Skip Holtz’s first USF team. Clemson should fill the stadium in Orange to play the Bulls.

Sun Bowl: Miami vs. Notre Dame 2:00 p.m. CBS (HD)
Catholics vs. Criminals. Oh, it isn’t 1988 anymore? 2 teams whose fans live in the past play in the present in El Paso.

Liberty Bowl: Central Florida vs. Georgia 3:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
The Golden Knights, winners of Conference USA, play AJ Green and the Bulldogs who improved after a horrible start.

Peach Bowl: Florida State vs. South Carolina 7:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
2 conference title game losers play in Atlanta. Can the FSU defensive line get to Stephen Garcia while keeping Marcus Lattimore in check? I hope so.

Saturday, January 1st

TicketCity: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech 12:00 p.m. ESPNU (HD)
The Wildcats, whose QB, Dan Persa, is out after getting injured celebrating a TD, will struggle to keep up with Mike Leach’s offense, even though Leach is no longer the coach.

Capital One Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan State 1:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
The best non-BCS bowl matchup by a long shot. The defending champs play the Big 10 champs. A very physical game is in store. Must-see TV.

Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Penn State 1:00 p.m. ABC (HD)
2 teams who are playing on January 1 because of name and not because of accomplishments. Can the Gators have a good shotgun snap? Can the Nittany Lions win away from home?

Gator Bowl: Michigan vs. Mississippi State 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 (HD)
Can Denard Robinson run through the Bulldog defense like he did everyone else? The Bulldogs were a FG against Auburn and a OT FG against Arkansas away from being 10-2 and in the BCS.

Rose Bowl: TCU vs. Wisconsin 5:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
TCU was so mad about not being in the title game that they blew up their stadium. Take solace guys. The Granddaddy of them all, along with a high-scoring Wisconsin offense awaits. Must-see TV.

Fiesta Bowl: Connecticut vs. Oklahoma 8:30 p.m. ESPN (HD) / ESPN 3D
Is Connecticut this year’s Boise State? All respect to Jordan Todman, but no. Oklahoma will roll over the Huskies.

Monday, January 3rd

Orange Bowl: Stanford vs. Virginia Tech 8:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
This is the ACC’s chance to prove its worth. Beating Stanford and Andrew Luck will show that the Hokies slow start was an anomaly. Must-see TV.

Tuesday, January 4th

Sugar Bowl: Arkansas vs. Ohio State 8:30 p.m. ESPN (HD)
The BCS game between two at-large teams. Ryan Mallett versus Terelle Pryor. Mallett, who transferred from Michigan, gets a chance to do something Rich Rodriguez never has done, beat the Buckeyes. Must-see TV.

Thursday, January 6th

Go Daddy Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio) 8:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Will there be any Danica Patrick commercials? Seriously, Miami had the biggest turnaround of a FBS team and are MAC champs.

Friday, January 7th

Cotton Bowl: LSU vs. Texas A&M 8:00 p.m. FOX (HD)
The Mad-Hatter versus General Sherman. 2 coaches who, in mid-October, were going to be fired by their fanbases meet. These teams improved dramatically over the season, especially at QB.

Saturday, January 8th

Birmingham Bowl: Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh 12:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Randall Cobb is the best player in the nation that few people have ever seen. Watch him for the Wildcats.

Sunday, January 9th

Emerald Bowl: Boston College vs. Nevada 9:00 p.m. ESPN (HD)
Can Mark Herzlich and Luke Kuechly contain the Wolf Pack’s Pistol offense? Will Nevada still be on Cloud 9 from ruining Boise State’s season?

Monday, January 10th

BCS Championship: Auburn vs. Oregon 8:30 p.m. ESPN (HD) / ESPN 3D
Will either team be stopped? Auburn has a bad habit of getting down early before taking over the game. Oregon wears people down in the 2nd half. Can’t wait to see this game. Obviously, this is must-see TV.

Look out for a SFN Bowl Game Challenge. Information to follow. Please look for this out on our forums page.

Originally published on December 8, 2010. Re-published on December 27, 2010.

About ruffles31

1996 NC State graduate who is still waiting on his first ACC conference championship in any of the four main revenue sports (football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and baseball) since enrolling. All I want is a ACC Champions t-shirt.

'10 Football ACC Teams College Football General

15 Responses to A Wolfpacker’s Viewing Guide to the Bowl Season

  1. 61Packer 12/08/2010 at 9:54 AM #

    Think ESPN has any say-so over who goes to the bowls nowadays?

  2. SMD 12/08/2010 at 10:07 AM #

    I’ve got a question. What the heck is going on with all these crap ass bowls playing after New Year’s? Is it merely a function of having a gazallion bowls now?

    And how the heck did the BCS title game get so freakin’ late?

  3. SeaWolf 12/08/2010 at 10:07 AM #

    Poinsettia Bowl:

    You gotta remember that there are 2 or 3 naval bases in San Diego. Probably 100,000 naval personnel there.

  4. ruffles31 12/08/2010 at 10:19 AM #

    SeaWolf, that is why I don’t know which team will have more fans.

  5. WV Wolf 12/08/2010 at 10:26 AM #

    Thanks for the summary, it was a good read.

    In my opinion there are just way too many bowls. There are too many games that unless you are a fan/alumni of one of the two schools or just an absolute football junkie, nobody cares.

  6. SeaWolf 12/08/2010 at 10:38 AM #

    Sorry ruffles. I read your comment as sarcasm. Thought you were saying it’ll be a no doubt home game for SDSU.

  7. ruffles31 12/08/2010 at 10:50 AM #

    No problem SeaWolf. Actually, 3 teams will be playing a bowl in their home stadium:

    Hawaii
    San Diego State
    SMU

    Hmmm…should C-F host say the < insert sponsoring company> Triangle Bowl?

  8. VaWolf82 12/08/2010 at 12:03 PM #

    There are too many games that unless you are a fan/alumni of one of the two schools or just an absolute football junkie, nobody cares.

    I agree with the second part, but not necessarily the first. I think that alot of the college bowl games are just like the entries here at SFN. Some people won’t care about some bowls/entries…so what? Watch the ones you like, skip the ones you don’t. It’s not like ESPN is skipping some premiere event to cover the Raisin Bowl.

  9. MrW00Fpack 12/08/2010 at 2:16 PM #

    kellen moore is a junior

  10. Six Pack 12/10/2010 at 2:22 AM #

    C-F should host the tobacco bowl

  11. LRM 12/27/2010 at 12:44 PM #

    “I will take a moment now to remember Temple, who went 8-4 and was the only FBS team with at least a 6-6 record who did not get a bowl invitation.”

    Technically, this isn’t correct. Temple was the only *bowl-eligible* 6-6 team that didn’t receive a bid.

    Arizona State was 6-6 and did not get a bowl, because they couldn’t count both of their wins over Portland State and Northern Arizona. And USC was 8-5, but not bowl eligible due to their probation (yet they got their 13th game anyway, by exploiting that NCAA loophole that allows a 13th game if it’s played in Hawaii, just like Alabama did when they were on probation almost a decade ago).

  12. ruffles31 12/27/2010 at 8:42 PM #

    They need to close that NCAA loophole…otherwise, UNC will start looking into that scenario very soon.

    My word…Georgia Tech is awful. I hope we never wind up in Shreveport.

  13. Deucepeters 12/28/2010 at 12:41 PM #

    Vol fan can be tough to stomach at times, especially with their recent success on the hardwood. As such, I’m torn as to who to root for in the Music City Bowl. They give the ACC zero respect with regards to football so it would be nice to silence them prior to 2012 when the Pack come to Neyland. If sanctions are looming for UNC and Butch could be on his way out, do I really care if they hang their hat on beating a very down UT team?

  14. ruffles31 12/28/2010 at 3:26 PM #

    ^, The Pack isn’t going to Neyland in 2012. The game will be played in Atlanta. And growing up a Vols fan I can honestly say I will win twice on Thursday…when UT wins and UNC loses. HAHA!

  15. Deucepeters 12/28/2010 at 3:51 PM #

    Ah yes. Thanks for the reminder, ruffles31. It’s the season opener in ATL. Either way, the Vols need a little humility. 😉 And you may get three wins that day. I think the Vols have bball on the same day.

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