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If you include the Celebration Bowl and the National Championship (and why wouldn’t we), there are 41 different college football bowl games for you to watch over the next few weeks. That’s a bowl game for every season of Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU with four more games to spare.
At first glance, you might think these are too many bowl games. You’d be wrong. You never really can have too many bowl games as long as there are teams willing to play in them and people willing to watch them. That’s the Schnellenberger’s Law of bowl games. You might not be as amped for the Cure Bowl as you are for, say, the Fiesta Bowl or either of the Playoff matchups, but you don’t have to be. Every bowl is special, just like all of you are special. And it’s my job to find the joy in each and every game.
So, here’s your guide to bowl season, complete with lines and TV times (in Eastern). Consider this an early Christmas present, or something.
SATURDAY, DEC. 19
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Noon: Celebration Bowl – NC A&T vs. Alcorn State (ABC) (No line available)
SportsCenter will be in Atlanta before this game kicks off, and you’ve got the chance to see the winners of the SWAC and the MEAC squaring off in a new postseason game between HBCUs. Obviously the bands will be great, and there’s lots of talented players on both teams. Plus, it’s the official start to bowl season.
2 p.m.: New Mexico Bowl – Arizona (-8.5) vs. New Mexico (ESPN)
What, the promise of exciting Gildan ads isn’t enough? Okay, what if we told you this bowl always gets a little bit strange, like to the point where one time Arizona players got in a fight with other Arizona players? Alright, fine. This is the first time New Mexico has made a bowl since 2007, and it is pretty neat that former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie has the Lobos playing in the postseason again.
3:30 p.m.: Las Vegas Bowl – BYU vs. Utah (-2.5) (ABC)
A Holy War in Vegas! No, this isn’t a Nic Cage movie. It’s a chance for two sneaky good teams to put a cap off solid seasons. Utah’s got the special teams play that most college programs drool over, and BYU has a fun quarterback in Tanner Mangum. The Utes are pretty solid at forcing turnovers, which is important especially considering Utah running back Devontae Booker is out.
5:30 p.m.: Camellia Bowl – Ohio vs. Appalachian State (-7.5) (ESPN)
As fun Group of Five games go, this one really could be interesting. Ohio could’ve had a win over Minnesota this year, but got dinged for one of the weirdest penalties of the season (a delay of game called after their kicker attempted a field goal when the Golden Gophers iced the Bobcats with a timeout), and also beat Marshall and NIU this season. Appalachian State had 10 wins (with losses to Clemson and Arkansas State) thanks to a really solid rushing attack (268.83 yards per game) and a super fun quarterback in Taylor Lamb.
7 p.m.: Cure Bowl – San Jose State (-2.5) vs. Georgia State (CBS Sports Network)
You might be tempted to skip this one because of the five-win San Jose State team and what looks to be a mostly empty Citrus Bowl. But don’t! Georgia State is a really neat story this year. In just their third year in FBS (sixth overall as a program), and a year removed from a one-win season, the Panthers are in a bowl game. And they got there because they beat rival Georgia Southern the last week of the season to get to six wins. If they were to win the Cure Bowl, it’s a story you could tell your grandkids someday.
9 p.m.: New Orleans Bowl – Arkansas State vs. Louisiana Tech (-2) (ESPN)
All bowl games in New Orleans are good bowl games. And also, I’m pretty sure the Red Wolves did karaoke at their welcoming party a couple days ago.
Team bonding #WolvesUp #NewOrleansBowl #RLBOWL pic.twitter.com/8xlmIXAllR
— New Orleans Bowl (@NewOrleansBowl) December 16, 2015
MONDAY, DEC. 21
2:30 p.m.: Miami Beach Bowl – Western Kentucky (-2.5) vs. South Florida (ESPN)
Two big things stand out in this one. Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty is really, really good in that offense (he had 4,594 yards with a 71.8 completion percentage and a 45:7 TD:INT ratio), and the Hilltoppers won 11 games. Plus South Florida coach Willie Taggart, who turned around the Bulls season and closed the year red hot, was a quarterback at WKU, started his coaching career there, and was the head coach from 2010 to 2012 before taking the USF job. Nice job pulling this one together, Miami Beach Bowl reps!
TUESDAY, DEC. 22
3:30 p.m.: Potato Bowl – Akron vs. Utah State (-7) (ESPN)
Akron is in a bowl game!!! This is cause for celebration. The last (and only) time the Zips went bowling was in 2005 under then-coach J.D. Brookhart.
Zippy needs your help! She can't do it alone. Help us send the band to the @IDPotatoBowl! https://t.co/rW0nNnpsYm pic.twitter.com/FpsAozttdC
— University of Akron (@uakron) December 17, 2015
7 p.m.: Boca Raton Bowl – Temple (-2) vs. Toledo (ESPN)
Both of these teams had incredibly strong years, combining to win 19 games. Temple beat Penn State and almost beat Notre Dame, and Toledo took down Arkansas and Iowa State. Among the early bowls, this one should be incredibly physical and filled with lots of guys who could’ve played at the Power Five level.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23
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4:30 p.m.: Poinsettia Bowl – Boise State (-8.5) vs. Northern Illinois (ESPN)
The Huskies are no stranger to the Poinsettia Bowl, which finds them playing Group of Five darling Boise State in a battle for some pride and bragging rights. If you’ve watched either team over the past few seasons, you know what you’re going to get: great defense, inventive offenses, and an entertaining football game.
8 p.m.: GoDaddy Bowl – Georgia Southern vs. Bowling Green (-7.5) (ESPN)
Georgia Southern’s option attack against Bowling Green’s up-tempo Baylor clone offense led by quarterback Matt Johnson and his eye-popping numbers? Make sure you’re watching this one if you aren’t already committed to sitting through Home Alone for the thousandth time with your family.
THURSDAY, DEC. 24
Noon: Bahamas Bowl – Middle Tennessee vs. Western Michigan (-3) (ESPN)
It’s a bowl game in the Bahamas sponsored by Popeyes. What else do you need? And there’s the off chance that Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck actually rowed a boat all the way to Nassau.
8 p.m.: Hawai’i Bowl – San Diego State vs. Cincinnati (-1) (ESPN)
Tommy Tuberville in a lei and/or Hawaiian shirt is well worth the price of admission. Plus there’s no better Christmas Eve tradition than watching your dad fall asleep to the sweet sounds of the second half of the Hawai’i Bowl as you wait for Santa to make his way to your house.
SATURDAY, DEC. 26
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11 a.m.: St. Petersburg Bowl – Connecticut vs. Marshall (-4.5) (ESPN)
Bob Diaco has transformed that UConn program pretty quickly and he has a chance to make a statement against a Marshall team that rebounded nicely following Rakeem Cato’s (owner of just about every school passing record) graduation to be in a prime position for another 10-win season under Doc Holliday.
2 p.m.: Sun Bowl – Miami vs. Washington State (-2.5) (CBS)
It’s the cot dang Sun Bowl. And Mike Leach is in it. Don’t try to tell me you aren’t watching this thing. The U still has plenty of players who’ll make their way to NFL rosters, and the Cougars have that offense that can actually run the ball now (along with the vaunted passing attack). Watch it. It’s on CBS!
2:20 p.m.: Heart of Dallas Bowl – Washington (-8.5) vs. Southern Mississippi (ESPN)
That line is tasty if you’re someone who followed Southern Miss all season long. The Golden Eagles can put up points in bunches at times (scoring 30 or more in all of their nine wins), and if they get hot against a potentially disinterested Washington team, it could snowball in a hurry. That being said, don’t count out arguably the best 6-6 team in the nation. The Huskies are ranked 20th overall in S&P+ numbers, above teams like Mississippi State, TCU, and Oklahoma State. So, they’re pretty rock solid despite their record.
3:30 p.m.: Pinstripe Bowl – Indiana (-2) vs. Duke (ABC)
Normally, I would say the reason to watch Duke is because of Jeremy Cash, but he isn’t playing in this game after surgery, so I need to change my focus a bit. Let’s go with the Hoosiers’ offense, which has an effective quarterback in Nate Sudfeld, and a pair of good running backs, Jordan Howard and Devine Redding, who rushed for almost two yards shy of 2,000 between them in the regular season.
5:45 p.m.: Independence Bowl – Tulsa vs. Virginia Tech (-13.5) (ESPN)
It’s Frank Beamer’s last game as coach of Virginia Tech. He’s going to ride off into the sunset in an RV (likely acquired at Camping World, this year’s sponsor of the Independence Bowl) and see the world. If it’s anything close to as emotional as his last home game was, you might need a tissue or two.
9:15 p.m.: Foster Farms Bowl – UCLA (-7) vs. Nebraska (ESPN)
The Cornhuskers slipped into the bowl field despite finishing 5-7 this year, and they’ve got a choice bowl game in a great destination to show for it. Beating the Bruins would be a super good way to close out Year 1, and would show that Mike Riley has things going in the right direction. As for UCLA, injuries derailed an otherwise promising season, but it’s worth keeping an eye on freshman Josh Rosen and how he caps off his debut season.
MONDAY, DEC. 28
2:30 p.m.: Military Bowl – Pittsburgh vs. Navy (-3.5) (ESPN)
Two words: Keenan Reynolds. It’s your duty as an American to watch the electric quarterback finish his vaunted and memorable career.
5 p.m.: Quick Lane Bowl – Central Michigan vs. Minnesota (-6) (ESPN2)
Because we all need to someday find out what a Quick Lane is.
TUESDAY, DEC. 29
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2 p.m.: Armed Forces Bowl – California (-7) vs. Air Force (ESPN)
Jared Goff might just be your favorite NFL team’s new quarterback, as he’s been linked to pretty much half the league already in mock drafts. Might as well see what all the fuss is about.
5:30 p.m.: Russell Athletic Bowl – North Carolina vs. Baylor (-2) (ESPN)
The over/under on this one is 70 and that seems suspiciously low. These are two incredible offenses with lots of talent at the skill positions, and if Baylor can manage to clone Bryce Petty one more time in the next couple weeks, we could be in for a shootout.
7:30 p.m.: Arizona Bowl – Nevada vs. Colorado State (-3) (Campus Insiders/ASN)
Rashard Higgins is still on Colorado State. He is extremely talented. If you didn’t know about him after his incredible season last year, I’m sorry, but now’s your chance to make things right. Even if this is a game between two teams in the same conference.
9 p.m.: Texas Bowl – LSU (-7.5) vs. Texas Tech (ESPN)
Contrasts in styles are always interesting, and watching the Red Raiders try to light up LSU’s defense and keep it fast should be intriguing. And you get another chance to watch Leonard Fournette, who might have some extra motivation to end the season on a high note after being snubbed as a Heisman finalist.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30
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Noon: Birmingham Bowl – Auburn (-2.5) vs. Memphis (ESPN)
Let’s see if Paxton Lynch can get his second SEC West win of the season!
3:30 p.m.: Belk Bowl – Mississippi State (-5.5) vs. N.C. State (ESPN)
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When you realize we are exactly 2 weeks from @PackFootball & @HailStateFB playing in the #BelkBowl