Ranking college football's bowl games: Nos. 40-31
Is America ready for 40 bowls? Hey, a top 40 worked for Casey Kasem and Ryan Seacrest, right?
In that spirit, we'll rank every game in this year's college football postseason lineup over the next four days.
By the time we get to the top 10, you'll find the ones that should be appointment TV.
40. Cure — Georgia State vs. San Jose State
Sat., Dec. 19, 7 p.m. ET, CBSSN
Georgia State is to be commended for achieving eligibility this year, considering the Panthers won just one game during their first two FBS seasons. But a contest between these bowl rookies and the Spartans, one of three 5-7 teams that made their way to the bowl lineup this season thanks to an insufficient number of six-win teams, aren't likely to provide much in the way of highlight-worthy football.
39. Quick Lane — Central Michigan vs. Minnesota
Mon., Dec. 28, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2
The Golden Gophers are another of those 5-7 teams that got to go bowling. We're relegating all such contests to the bottom of this ranking, but of course if you're a fan of Minnesota or the Chippewas, you'll make time to tune in.
38. Foster Farms — UCLA vs. Nebraska
Sat., Dec. 26, 9:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Cornhuskers at least can claim a win against a College Football Playoff team among its five victories. The Bruins were a win away from playing for the Pac-12 title but were also moving in the wrong direction at the end of the season.
37. Arizona — Colorado State vs. Nevada
Tue., Dec. 29, 7:30 p.m. ET, ASN
They weren't happy at the Mountain West Conference offices that two of the league's teams got paired off in this first-year bowl. But the Rams and Wolf Pack are in opposite divisions, at least, so it's not a rematch.
36. Famous Idaho Potato — Akron vs. Utah State
Tue., Dec. 22, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
These are two middle-of-the-pack teams from Group of Five conferences in a cold-weather venue. Don't expect much in the way of fireworks.
35. Liberty — Arkansas vs. Kansas State
Sat., Jan. 2, 3:20 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Razorbacks have some nice wins to go with some puzzling losses. The Wildcats managed to qualify for the postseason the old-fashioned way by getting to six wins, but they figure to be overmatched here.
34. St. Petersburg — Marshall vs. Connecticut
Sat., Dec. 26, 11 a.m. ET, ESPN
UConn had some solid performances, but none of them occurred when the Huskies left home. The Thundering Herd don't have as much firepower as they did a year ago but should still have enough.
33. Independence — Virginia Tech vs. Tulsa
Sat., Dec. 26, 5:45 p.m. ET, ESPN
Hokies fans would have undoubtedly preferred to bid farewell to longtime coach Frank Beamer at a higher-profile bowl stop. Historical significance aside, this clash of 6-6 teams is unlikely to move the needle.
32. Bahamas — Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan
Thu., Dec. 24, Noon ET, ESPN
On paper this matchup won't appeal to a national audience. But it's a nice destination for the participating teams, so it could turn out to be one of the sneaky-good games of the bowl season.
31. TaxSlayer — Georgia vs. Penn State
Sat., Jan. 2, Noon ET, ESPN
This is arguably the least compelling of the games matching big-name programs. It's almost certain that neither team's fan base is happy to be here. We'll just have to hope the players can rise above and stage some watchable football.
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