Games before New Year offer cause for cheer
All eyes are focused on the finish line: Alabama and Notre Dame in the Bowl Championship Series national title game Jan. 7. But bowl season begins before that Monday in January — and even before New Year's Day, believe it or not.
While the start of January coincides with the start of more marquee postseason pairings, college football's postseason begins early, Dec. 15, and includes 23 bowl games before the end of the month.
Will any one of the 23 December bowls have a profound impact on the final rankings? One or two, perhaps, but it's generally true that the level of national importance decreases the further removed a bowl becomes from the championship game.
The early bowl games hold tremendous importance for the teams in question, however. What's the difference between 8-5 and 7-6? For a team such as Arizona State, which is looking to build momentum under first-year coach Todd Graham, a Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl win against Navy could be the springboard to a fantastic 2013 season.
So there's always something to watch, even if the December games lack the same draw as the BCS games in January. Here are the 23 December bowls, with at least one reason why each game remains must-see TV:
New Mexico Bowl
Who: Nevada (7-5) vs. Arizona (7-5)
When: Dec. 15, 1 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? With a victory against Nevada, Arizona's Rich Rodriguez can tie Jim Young for most wins by a first-year coach in program history. Both teams rank in the top 11 nationally in total offense.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Who: Toledo (9-3) vs. Utah State (10-2)
When: Dec. 15, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Having set a school record for most wins in a season, Utah State is looking to improve its all-time bowl record to 2-5. Toledo's Matt Campbell, 33, is the youngest coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Poinsettia Bowl
Who: Brigham Young (7-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3)
When: Dec. 20, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? The Mountain West Conference hasn't lost a Poinsettia Bowl since 2005, when Navy topped Colorado State 51-30. BYU is looking to avoid its second six-loss finish in three years.
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
Who: Central Florida (9-4) vs. Ball State (9-3)
When: Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? UCF hopes to use a bowl win as a push into the Big East, which it joins in 2013. Ball State is looking to win 10 games for the third time in program history.
New Orleans Bowl
Who: East Carolina (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4)
When: Dec. 22, noon ET, ESPN
Why watch? Louisiana-Lafayette makes a return trip to the New Orleans Bowl after beating San Diego State 32-30 a year ago. The Ragin' Cajuns can win nine games for the second consecutive season.
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
Who: Washington (7-5) vs. Boise State (10-2)
When: Dec. 22, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Boise State's win against Nevada to end the regular season gave the Broncos seven consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins, tying it with Southern California (2002-08) for the fifth-longest streak of the modern era.
Hawaii Bowl
Who: Fresno State (9-3) vs. SMU (6-6)
When: Dec. 24, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Southern Methodist is looking for its fourth consecutive winning season, which would mark the program's best run since 1981-84.
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Who: Western Kentucky (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (6-6)
When: Dec. 26, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Central Michigan coach Dan Enos enhanced his job security by earning a bowl bid in his third season. Lance Guidry will lead Western Kentucky after Willie Taggart left for South Florida.
Military Bowl
Who: San Jose State (10-2) vs. Bowling Green (8-4)
When: Dec. 27, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? While San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre has boosted his stock during the Spartans' 10-win regular season, don't sleep on Bowling Green's Dave Clawson, the former Tennessee offensive coordinator.
Belk Bowl
Who: Cincinnati (9-3) vs. Duke (6-6)
When: Dec. 27, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Duke stumbled into bowl play after losing five of its last six. Cincinnati heads into bowl play without its coach, Butch Jones, who left for Tennessee.
Holiday Bowl
Who: Baylor (7-5) vs. UCLA (9-4)
When: Dec. 27, 9:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Baylor is one of the hottest teams in the country, having run off wins against Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State to earn a bowl bid. UCLA's Jim Mora did a wonderful job in leading the Bruins to a Pac-12 South Division championship.
Independence Bowl
Who: Ohio (8-4) vs. Louisiana-Monroe (8-4)
When: Dec. 28, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Having Louisiana Tech in this game would have been nice, but getting a pair of strong eight-win teams makes the Independence Bowl one of the top under-the-radar games of the bowl season.
Russell Athletic Bowl
Who: Rutgers (9-3) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6)
When: Dec. 28, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? After eight consecutive seasons of 10 or more wins, a loss would hand Virginia Tech its first losing season since 1992.
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Who: Minnesota (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (7-5)
When: Dec. 28, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Minnesota and Texas Tech meet for the first time since the 2006 Insight Bowl, in which the Red Raiders made a furious comeback in a 44-41 win.
Armed Forces Bowl
Who: Rice (6-6) vs. Air Force (6-6)
When: Dec. 29, 11:45 a.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Is this the worst game of the bowl season? That's probably not a stretch. Regardless, kudos to Rice for reaching a bowl.
Pinstripe Bowl
Who: West Virginia (7-5) vs. Syracuse (7-5)
When: Dec. 29, 3:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Offense will rule the day — passing offense, more specifically. With Geno Smith and Ryan Nassib, the game will feature two of the best quarterbacks in the country.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Who: Navy (8-4) vs. Arizona State (7-5)
When: Dec. 29, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Why watch? After beating Arizona to end the regular season, Arizona State could use a win vs. Navy as the leaping-off point to a Pac-12 North Division championship in 2013. Navy is back in a bowl after its streak of eight consecutive bowl games ended last season.
Alamo Bowl
Who: Texas (8-4) vs. Oregon State (9-3)
When: Dec. 29, 6:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? This is one of two pre-January bowls to feature teams ranked in the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll (No. 25 Texas, No. 14 Oregon State). The Longhorns' best quarterback in this game will have the edge for the starting role in 2013.
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Who: TCU (7-5) vs. Michigan State (6-6)
When: Dec. 29, 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? Michigan State can help brighten a dismal season — the Spartans were once a Big Ten favorite — by beating a TCU team that cobbled together seven wins despite several personnel issues.
Music City Bowl
Who: North Carolina State (7-5) vs. Vanderbilt (8-4)
When: Dec. 31, noon ET, ESPN
Why watch? A win against the Wolfpack would give Vanderbilt 15 wins over the last two seasons, which would set a program record for most victories over a two-year span during the modern era.
Sun Bowl
Who: Southern California (7-5) vs. Georgia Tech (6-7)
When: Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET, CBS
Why watch? It's a long way down for USC, which limps into the game after a disappointing regular season. Georgia Tech follows in UCLA's footsteps by making a bowl with a losing record, thanks to a loss to Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game.
Liberty Bowl
Who: Iowa State (6-6) vs. Tulsa (10-3)
When: Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? So we meet again, say Iowa State and Tulsa. The two played in the season opener, with the Cyclones taking a 38-23 win. They also are scheduled to play in 2013. The Golden Hurricane went 0-2 against BCS conference competition and 10-1 against the rest of their schedule.
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Who: LSU (10-2) vs. Clemson (10-2)
When: Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why watch? The only pre-January bowl featuring two teams ranked in the top 15 of the Paste BN Sports Coaches Poll. One could make the case that both deserved BCS bids. Outside of the BCS bowls, this is as good as it gets during the postseason.