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Ten Best College Football Bowl Matchups
What are the ten best college football bowl matchups of the 2015-2016 season? Every bowl is beautiful. Some are just much hotter - and they cook. These are the ones you have to watch no matter what. These are the reason why you love the bowl season – at least that’s how the matchups look.
December 9, 2015
Ten Best College Football Bowl Matchups
What are the ten best college football bowl matchups of the 2015-2016 season? Every bowl is beautiful. Some are just much hotter – and they cook. These are the ones you have to watch no matter what. These are the reason why you love the bowl season – at least that’s how the matchups look.
10. Florida State vs. Houston
Peach Bowl
Dec. 31, Atlanta, Ga.
Shouldn’t this be a bit higher? It’s the first game of the New Year’s Six season, Houston is going to be fired up to make a statement, and Florida State needs to prove it deserved the spot over North Carolina. A humongous dud last year – TCU beat Ole Miss 42-3 – the game needs to rock again. The goal, set the tone for the College Football Playoff games later in the day. Good luck.
9. BYU vs. Utah
Royal Purple Bowl
Dec. 19, Las Vegas, Nev.
It’s Michigan-Ohio State, Auburn-Alabama, Texas-Texas A&M in a bowl game between two heated rivals. The Holy War stopped in 2013, but now each of their seasons will be defined by what happens in Las Vegas. (I spared you the Stays In Las Vegas rest of the line. You’re welcome.) Utah had a fantastic year and deserved the No. 1 spot for a while, and BYU came up with scintillating win after scintillating win. None of that matters now.
8. Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 1, New Orleans, La.
You don’t think Ole Miss wants back at this whole bowl thing after coming up with a total dud against TCU in last year’s Peach? You don’t think Oklahoma State will be jacked to get the prime game that Baylor and TCU weren’t able to grab? What does the matchup have to live up to? The Sugar has been among the best bowl games in each of the last five seasons, and now it should be one of this season’s best shootouts.
7. North Carolina vs. Baylor
Russell Athletic Bowl
Dec. 29, Orlando, Fla.
Defense, schmefense. Baylor should finally be healed up a bit at quarterback, North Carolina should just be getting over its loss to Clemson, and these two should put on a whale of a show. Expect close to 100 combined points. Expect lots and lots of gigantic stat sheets. Expect something special, but … history has to be broken. The Russell Athletic is the home to last year’s 40-6 Clemson win over an Oklahoma team that looked like it flat-quit. The year before? Louisville won 36-9. The bowl is due for a game that doesn’t stink.
6. Bowling Green vs. Georgia Southern
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Dec. 23, Mobile, Ala.
I’m putting too much pressure on the Arkansas State Bowl. The Red Wolves played in each of the last four games, and they’ve all been interesting. However, this might be the game’s best matchup since Marshall and East Carolina went at it in 2001. It’s Georgia Southern’s first ever bowl appearance, while Bowling Green needs to uphold the MAC’s honor despite the loss of head coach Dino Babers. Whatever. It’s going to be a wild offensive showdown.
MORE: Click for the No. 11 to 20: The Good Ones , No. 21 to 30: Bowls To See, No. 31 to 40: Because You Love College Football
5. Iowa vs. Stanford
Rose Bowl
Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif.
It feels like the game has to be high on the list because it’s the Rose Bowl, but that’s merely out of respect. Iowa will care because it’s the first trip to Pasadena since 2000, while Stanford is back for the second time in three years. Christian McCaffrey will be the marquee name, but the Iowa defense gets a chance to make amends for getting steamrolled over by Michigan State. Not that it matters at this point, but Northwestern beat Stanford in Evanston to open the season, and Iowa destroyed the Cats.
4. TCU vs. Oregon
Valero Alamo Bowl
Jan. 2, San Antonio, Tex.
Trevone Boykin will be healthy again, the Oregon offense should be ready to roll, and somewhat quietly, this will grow into one of the more anticipated matchups of the bowl season. It’s not on January 1st, so it’s not going to get lost in the wash after the CFP games the day before, and it should standout as one of the key offensive battles that’ll define the bowl season. TCU has won four of its last five bowl games, while Oregon won four in a row before losing the national championship last season.
3. Clemson vs. Oklahoma
Capital One Orange Bowl
Dec. 31, Miami, Fla.
Obviously the two teams are in a far different place, and obviously the circumstance are much different, but Clemson walloped the Sooners 40-6 in last season’s Russell Athletic Bowl. Bouncing back nicely after losing the 2012 Orange 70-33, winning three straight very, very big bowl games, while OU got obliterated in two of their last three bowls. It’s the CFP opener and it’s going to be terrific. With these two offenses and the expectations now on each, it’ll be a war.
2. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 1, Glendale, Ariz.
1. Alabama vs. Michigan State
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
Dec. 31 Arlington, Tex.
With only some due respect to the Orange Bowl, this is the national championship. The Sugar had that feel in hindsight last season when Ohio State ran away with the win, and this time around for Alabama it’s another Big Ten team with a chip on its shoulder. Even though Michigan State didn’t get to the playoff last year, it’s a veteran team that’s been in the big bowl games with the Cotton last season and the Rose the year before as part of a run of four straight excellent post-season wins. Alabama is all business this time around after doing what it was supposed to in the SEC title game. It’s the last game of 2015 and every New Year’s Eve party worth its salt will revolve around it.
