2018-2019 College Football Bowl Games

Next Saturday, Bowl Season will be underway. For some odd reason, I have come to enjoy college football more recently than I ever did previously, although after several of these games, it can get to be a bit much.

It is fun though to at least check out a few minutes from each game or highlights of those that I will not be able to see at all. The teams listed in bold font will be those that I want to win, although as I always say, I do not have a strong rooting interest in most cases. I just want to see competitive games that go down to the wire. This is a pretty exciting time though in the Chicagoland area (as long as one is not a fan of the hapless University of Illinois.)  Undefeated Notre Dame is in the Playoff and while many feel they will be over-matched in their first game, are one of four teams with a chance to win the National Championship. Then, the Northwestern Wildcats, "Chicago's Big Ten Team" actually won a Big 10 Division title (albeit by far the weaker of the two divisions) and while they did not make it to the Rose Bowl, they and their coach are easy to root for.

Finally, my alma mater Northern Illinois, continues to be far better than they ever were when I was a student. This year, they won all sorts of close games in the MAC (while being competitive with some big name schools on their schedule) and won a division, even though they were lethargic and lost their last two regular season games. In their conference championship game, they looked out of their depth and were down 29-10 early in the Second Half. What followed was an exciting comeback though, as they took the lead in the final minute and won 30-29. For that, they are headed to what is likely to be a sparsely attended Bowl Game in the middle of the week, but all Huskies should still be excited.

What follows are a list of the games. The rankings will be taken from the official College Football Playoff standings.

1. Celebration Bowl
Atlanta, GA

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State Aggies vs. Alcorn State Braves

2. New Mexico Bowl
Albuquerque, NM

North Texas Mean Green vs. Utah State Aggies

3. Cure Bowl
Orlando, FL

Tulane Green Wave vs. Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

4. Las Vegas Bowl
Whitney, NV

# 21 California State, Fresno Bulldogs vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

5. Camellia Bowl
Montgomery, AL

Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles

6. New Orleans Bowl
New Orleans, LA

Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers

7. Boca Raton Bowl
Boca Raton, FL

Alabama at Birmingham Blazers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

8. Frisco Bowl
Frisco, TX

San Diego State Aztecs vs. Ohio Bobcats

9. Gasparilla Bowl
Tampa, FL

Marshall Thundering Herd vs. South Florida Bulls

10. Bahamas Bowl
Nassau, Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Florida International Panthers vs. Toledo Rockets

11. Potato Bowl
Boise, ID

Western Michigan Broncos vs. Brigham Young Cougars

12. Birmingham Bowl
Birmingham, AL

Memphis Tigers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

13. Armed Forces Bowl
Fort Worth, TX

Houston Cougars vs. United States Military Academy at West Point Black Knights

14. Dollar General Bowl
Mobile, AL

State University of New York at Buffalo Bulls vs. Troy Trojans

15. Hawai'i Bowl
Halawa, HI

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs vs. Hawai'i at Manoa Rainbow Warriors

16. First Responder Bowl
Dallas, TX

Boston College Eagles vs. # 25 Boise State Broncos

17.  Quick Lane Bowl
Detroit, MI

Minnesota, Twin Cities Golden Gophers vs. Georgia Institute of Technology Yellow Jackets

18. Cheez-It Bowl
Phoenix, AZ

California, Berkeley Golden Bears vs. Texas Christian Horned Frogs

19. Independence Bowl
Shreveport, LA

Temple Owls vs. Duke Blue Devils

20. Pinstripe Bowl
New York, NY

Miami Hurricanes vs. Wisconsin-Madison Badgers

21. Texas Bowl
Houston, TX

Baylor Bears vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

22. Music City Bowl
Nashville, TN

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Auburn Tigers

23. Camping World Bowl
Orlando, FL

# 16 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. # 20 Syracuse Orange

24. Alamo Bowl
San Antonio, TX

# 24 Iowa State University of Science and Technology Cyclones vs. # 13 Washington State Cougars

25. Peach Bowl
Atlanta, GA

# 10 Florida Gators vs. # 7 Michigan Wolverines

26. Belk Bowl
Charlotte, NC

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Virginia Cavaliers

27. Arizona Bowl
Tuscon, AZ

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs. Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack

28. Cotton Bowl
Arlington, TX

# 2 Clemson Tigers vs. # 3 Notre Dame du Lac Fighting Irish

29. Orange Bowl
Miami Gardens, FL

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. # 4 Oklahoma Sooners

30. Military Bowl
Annapolis, MD

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Hokies

31. Sun Bowl
El Paso, TX

Leland Stanford Junior Cardinal vs. Pittsburgh Panthers

32. Redbox Bowl
Santa Clara, CA

Michigan State Spartans vs. Oregon Ducks

33. Liberty Bowl
Memphis, TN

# 23 Missouri Tigers vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

34. Holiday Bowl
San Diego, CA

# 22 Northwestern Wildcats vs. # 17 Utah Utes

35. Gator Bowl
Jacksonville, FL

North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. # 19 Texas A&M Aggies

36. Outback Bowl
Tampa, FL

# 18 Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science Bulldogs vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

37. Citrus Bowl
Orlando, FL

# 14 Kentucky Wildcats vs. # 12 Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions

38. Fiesta Bowl
Glendale, AZ

# 11 Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Tigers vs. # 8 Central Florida Knights

39. Rose Bowl
Pasadena, CA

# 9 Washington Huskies vs. # 6 Ohio State Buckeyes

40. Sugar Bowl
New Orleans, LA

# 15 Texas at Austin Longhorns vs. # 5 Georgia Bulldogs

41. National Championship
Santa Clara, CA

Cotton Bowl Winner vs. Orange Bowl Winner

Notre Dame over Oklahoma
Notre Dame over Alabama
Clemson over Oklahoma
Clemson over Alabama