What are the five best non-New Year’s Six Bowl Games this year?
All eyes are going to be on the New Year’s Six Bowl games this year, especially the two playoff games between Michigan/Alabama and Texas/Washington. They should be the best games of the bowl season, but there are still other games to pay attention to this year.
We take a look at the top five non-New Year’s six games here and why you should watch them.
5. James Madison vs Air Force – Armed Forces Bowl
James Madison went 11-1 this year, but wasn’t able to play for its conference championship game because of their move to Division 1. The Dukes also weren’t going to be able to play in a bowl, but not enough teams became bowl-eligible.
So now they get their chance and their reward is playing the triple option attack of Air Force. It is going to be a tough matchup for the Dukes, but they are looking to make the most of their opportunity.
The Falcons had a horrible ending to their season as they lost their last four games after winning their first eight. They went from possibly playing in a New Year’s Six game to falling out of the rankings. They will be looking to bounce back and get a win.
This is a great matchup of two teams that should have most of their team playing as the opt-outs should be very few if any. It isn’t a game that just jumps out at you, but it still going to be a great game.
4. Utah vs Northwestern – Las Vegas Bowl
Utah was the two-time defending Pac-12 champ and Northwestern won just one game last year. The two teams were opposite ends of the spectrum, but yet here we are with an interesting bowl game between the two teams.
The Utes had to play all season without Cam Rising, but still found a way to win eight games. Their four losses were all against ranked opponents, but they just didn’t have enough to pick up that signature win this year.
The Wildcats, on the other hand, were the surprise team in the Big Ten. They lost their head coach just before the season started and opened the year with losses to Rutgers and Duke.
They would alternate wins and losses over their first 10 games, but ended the year with three straight wins and a 7-5 record. They overachieved all season long and will be looking to continue that with a win over Utah.
3. Oregon State vs Notre Dame – Sun Bowl
Both of these teams had good years, but came up short of their ultimate goals. The Beavers thought they were good enough to compete for a Pac-12 title, while the Fighting Irish wanted to push for a playoff spot.
The Fighting Irish lost just three games this year, but they were against Ohio State, Louisville and Clemson. None of them were bad losses, but they kept them out of the CFP picture.
The Beavers lost four games, the first three of which were by a combined eight points. They were close to being at the top of the Pac-12, but just couldn’t get over the hump. They get one more chance to get that win, but they will be without both their quarterback (transfer) and coach (left for Michigan State).
2. Louisville vs USC – Holiday Bowl
Louisville nearly won the ACC, while USC had the talent to win the Pac-12 and both teams will be looking to bounce back from some disappointment to end the season.
The Cardinals were a bit of a surprise this year, but have lost their last two games and are looking to bounce back with a big bowl win. They were shut down in the ACC Championship game, but the Trojans defense is not nearly as good as Florida State.
The Trojans defense has taken heat all year long and rightfully so. They had the reigning Heisman trophy winner in Caleb Williams back, but they still went 7-5. All five of their losses came in the last six games and they gave up at least 34 points in all of those losses. They even gave up 41 or more points in three of their wins.
Williams will likely opt out of the game, but if he does play this could be a shoot-out and a lot of fun. Even without Williams this game is still worth a watch.
1. Oklahoma vs Arizona – Alamo Bowl
Unfortunately, Dillon Gabriel will not play in this game for Oklahoma. Gabriel is transferring to Oregon after two seasons in Norman. If he were playing this game may have been better than some of the New Year’s Six games.
Both of these teams can score a ton of points and can give up some points. The Wildcats are led by Noah Fifita who threw for 2,515 yards and 23 touchdowns this year. He is the best player that nobody knows and could be a Heisman candidate next year.
The Sooners are going to have a tough time stopping him and are going to need to have their offense clicking to beat the Wildcats.
This should be a great game as the Sooners are looking to cap off a bounce-back year and the Wildcats will be looking to show a national audience just how good they are.
Watch Bowl Games with Fubo:Â Start your free trial now!
Regional restrictions may apply.
