2013-2014 College Bowl Games

It has come time for my annual post listing all of the of College Football Bowl games. I have never really been much of a big follower of college football in the regular season, but have enjoyed keeping up with these Bowl games. However, this year, I sort of got more into the sport, as my alma mater, Northern Illinois, on the heels of a surprise Orange Bowl appearance last year, was poised to have another great season.

The Huskies went undefeated in the regular season, one of only three teams in the nation that would do so, and looked like they were bound for another BCS game in early January. That is quite an amazing accomplishment for a mid-major school. They were expected last week to take their third consecutive Mid-American Conference title, but somewhat surprisingly lost in the championship game. Their dreams of a shot at the Fiesta Bowl were dashed and so is likely the hopes that Quarterback Jordan Lynch, a Chicago native, might become an improbable Heisman Trophy winner.

That is all disappointing to me, but still, the Huskies, now a one loss team, are playing in a Bowl game, and one that might be somewhat easier to win, against a major school in a BCS showdown. Lynch, will be in New York City tonight as a Heisman finalist, and while he is almost certain not to win, it is still a great accomplishment, for him, the team, and anyone who has ever been associated with Northern Illinois University.

After last week's conference championships, there is only one undefeated team left in the country, who will be playing early next year for a national championship, in the last season of this particular BCS system. I will list all the games now, with the AP rankings for the Top 25 included, and the team in bold as who I want to win, not necessarily who I think will win. I do not really have strong opinions on most of these games. I just hope they are entertaining. However, I do tend to root a bit for underdogs and also hope that since the Huskies could not have a perfect season, that nobody else does either.

1. New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, NM

Washington State Cougars vs. Colorado State Rams

2. Las Vegas Bowl
Las Vegas, NV

# 21 California State, Fresno Bulldogs vs. Southern California Trojans

3. Potato Bowl
Boise, ID

State University of New York Buffalo Bulls vs. San Diego State Aztecs

4. New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, LA

Tulane Green Wave vs. Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

5. St. Petersburg Bowl
St. Petersburg, FL

East Carolina Pirates vs. Ohio Bobcats

6. Hawai'i Bowl
Honolulu, HI

Boise State Broncos vs. Oregon State Beavers

7. Pizza Bowl
Detroit, MI

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Bowling Green State Falcons

8. Poinsettia Bowl
San Diego, CA

Utah State Aggies vs. # 24 Northern Illinois Huskies

9. Military Bowl
Annapolis, MD

Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Maryland, College Park Terrapins

10. Texas Bowl
Houston, TX

Syracuse Orange vs. Minnesota, Twin Cities Golden Gophers

11. Fight Hunger Bowl
San Francisco, CA

Brigham Young Cougars vs. Washington Huskies

12. Pinstripe Bowl
New York, NY

Rutgers, State University of New Jersey Scarlet Knights vs. #25 Notre Dame du Lac Fighting Irish

13. Belk Bowl
Charlotte, NC

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels

14. Athletic Bowl
Orlando, FL

Miami Hurricanes vs. # 18 Louisville Cardinals

15. Wild Wings Bowl
Tempe, AZ

Michigan Wolverines vs. Kansas State Wildcats

16. Armed Forces Bowl
Fort Worth, TX

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders vs. United States Naval Academy Midshipmen

17. Music City Bowl
Nashville, TN

Mississippi Rebels vs. Georgia Institute of Technology Yellow Jackets

18. Alamo Bowl
San Antonio, TX

# 10 Oregon Ducks vs. Texas at Austin Longhorns

19. Holiday Bowl
San Diego, CA

# 16 Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

20. V100 Bowl
Shreveport, LA

Arizona Wildcats vs. Boston College Eagles

21. Sun Bowl
El Paso, TX

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Hokies vs. # 17 California, Los Angeles Bruins

22. Liberty Bowl
Memphis, TN

William Marsh Rice Owls vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

23. Chick-fil-A Bowl
Atlanta, GA

# 22 Duke Blue Devils vs # 20 Texas Agricultural and Mechanical Aggies

24. Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, FL

Nebraska-Lincoln Cornhuskers vs. # 23 Georgia Bulldogs

25. Heart of Dallas Bowl
Dallas, TX

Nevada, Las Vegas Rebels  vs. North Texas Mean Green

26. Capitol One Bowl
Orlando, FL

# 19 Wisconsin-Madison Badgers vs. # 8 South Carolina Gamecocks

27. Outback Bowl
Tampa, FL

Iowa Hawkeyes vs. # 14 Louisiana State Tigers

28. Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA

# 5 Leland Stanford Junior Cardinal vs. # 4 Michigan State Spartans

29. Fiesta Bowl
Glendale, AZ

# 15 Central Florida Knights vs. # 6 Baylor Bears

30. Sugar Bowl
New Orleans, LA

# 11 Oklahoma Sooners vs.# 3 Alabama Crimson Tide

31. Cotton Bowl
Arlington, TX

# 13 Oklahoma State-Stillwater Cowboys vs. #9 Missouri-Columbia Tigers

32. Orange Bowl
Miami Gardens, FL

# 12 Clemson Tigers vs. # 7 Ohio State Buckeyes

33. Compass Bowl
Birmingham, AL

Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Houston Cougars

34. GoDaddy Bowl
Mobile, AL

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Ball State Cardinals

35. National Championship
Pasadena, CA

# 1 Florida State Seminoles vs.  #2 Auburn Tigers