5 must-see college football bowl games

This year’s College Football Playoff is undoubtedly one of the best ever, but there are plenty of other fantastic bowl games during the holiday season that should have you glued to your seat from start to finish. Let’s take a look at the top five bowl games that don’t involve the New Year’s Six.

5. Gator Bowl: Indiana vs. Tennessee (-1.5), January 2, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN

Indiana has a chance to get to nine wins for the first time since 1967. 1967! This has been a remarkable year for the Hoosiers, and their results haven’t come from luck or gimmicks. They are a well-coached team with just enough creativity and firepower on offense to get them wins in the tough Big Ten. T

he beginning of the season was a total disaster for Tennessee, but the Vols have come on strong. They won their final five games to get bowl eligible and ended the season at 7-5. This should be a competitive affair.

4. Citrus Bowl: Alabama (-7) vs. Michigan, January 1, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

If I told you during the preseason that you’d get to watch this bowl matchup, you’d probably assume it was a CFP game. These are two teams with tremendous talent and fan bases, both of which will contribute to a fantastic matchup.

Alabama is a deserving favorite, and should probably be favored by more, but getting to watch two of the preseason favorites to win it all compete after their seasons were derailed by just a couple losses will make for great sport.

3. Sun Bowl: Arizona State (-3.5) vs. Florida State, December 31, 2 p.m. ET, CBS

Florida State will be playing for interim coach Odell Haggins, whom the players absolutely love. The Sun Devils have Herm Edwards motivating them. Motivation in this mid-tier bowl game should not be hard to come by for either side, and that always helps keep things interesting.

This has the feel of a “Pac-12 after dark, during the day” game. Florida State is undisciplined, and Arizona State is unpredictable. Expect fireworks.

2. Camping World Bowl: Iowa State vs. Notre Dame (-3.5), December 28, noon ET, ABC

Even though they've both been playing since the 1800s, these two programs have never met on the football field. Notre Dame had an impressive season and enters at 10-2, while Iowa State had a season full of bad luck on its way to a 7-5 record. Iowa State is without a doubt the best five-loss team in the country, and Matt Campbell is one of the better young coaches in the game. Notre Dame is a stronger team, but the Cyclones thrive in the underdog role.

1. Boca Raton Bowl: Florida Atlantic vs. SMU (-3), December 21, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Anybody who has ever watched this bowl knows it has the potential for craziness. Florida Atlantic is without coach Lane Kiffin, who was just hired by Ole Miss, but this game still has the highest total of any on the board, so I expect fireworks. Don’t be surprised to see lots of points and back-and-forth action. Pick your side, buckle in and enjoy the kickoff of the bowl season!

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