The skinny on the 2010-11 bowl season

The skinny on each of the 2010-11 bowl games (all times Eastern):

New Mexico Bowl — BYU vs. UTEP

Dec. 18, 2 p.m., Albuquerque, N.M.

• Traditionally a dog of a bowl, the New Mexico Bowl gets a UTEP team that lost five of its last six games, has no offensive consistency, and little defensive line. BYU isn't the BYU of the past, but it managed to rally from an awful start to win four of its last five games to get here.

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl — Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois

Dec. 18, 5:30 p.m., Boise, Idaho

• NIU head coach Jerry Kill is off to Minnesota, and after the stunning gag against Miami (Ohio) in the MAC Championship, this hasn't been a good week for the Huskies. Fresno State would rather be playing a BCS, brand-name team, but beating Illinois in the regular-season finale will have to do. The NIU running game vs. the aggressive Bulldogs pass rush should be worth the price of admission.

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl — Troy vs. Ohio

Dec. 18, 9 p.m., New Orleans, La.

• Troy and Central Michigan played one of the best games of the 2009-2010 bowl season, but Ohio's offense isn't the CMU attack of last year. The Bobcats play great run defense and have an efficient offense, while Troy doesn't play defense and has good, explosive pop. It'll be a better game than most of the bowls, but it won't get any attention.

Beef O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl — Louisville vs. Southern Miss

Dec. 21, 8 p.m., St. Petersburg, Fla.

• Charlie Strong has quickly turned around the Louisville program and took a great first step to get to a bowl game in his first year. The Cardinals is known for its offense, but the defense is the star under Strong. USM is known for its defense, but its explosive offense rocks ranked 15th in the nation in yards and 15th in scoring. The Big East needs this.

MAACO Las Vegas Bowl — Utah vs. Boise State

Dec. 22, 8 p.m., Las Vegas, Nev.

• Mountain West old star, meet your replacement. Considering Boise State got hosed out of a BCS appearance, this isn't a bad matchup against the future Pac 12 member that could make future appearances here. It would've been great if Utah QB Jordan Wynn was healthy to make this a battle of young guns, but Terrence Cain is a good, veteran passer and the Utes will give the Broncos a game. An argument could be made that this is the best non-New Year's Day matchup.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl — San Diego State vs. Navy

Dec. 23, 8 p.m., San Diego

• Navy always brings its A-game for the bowls, but San Diego State will be jacked up to be here in Brady Hoke's second year at the helm. The Aztecs have one of the nation's most explosive passing games and a strong run defense that finished third in the Mountain West. Can it handle the Navy option? Expect an entertaining game.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl — Tulsa vs. Hawaii

Dec. 24, 8 p.m., Honolulu

• Defense is boring. Demand 65-61 between two teams that put their feet on the offensive gas pedal and don't let up. Hawaii is first in the nation in passing and has hung up 159 points in its last three games and 45 or more in five of its last six games. Tulsa is fifth in the nation in total offense and beat Southern Miss 56-50 to close out the regular season.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl — Toledo vs. Florida International

Dec. 26, 8:30 p.m., Detroit

• You've got to love, LOVE bowl games to make this appointment television. FIU had a great year under head coach Mario Cristobal, who'll be off to bigger and better things soon, while Toledo overcame a bad offense and a slew of injuries to win five of its last six games. It'll be a defensive battle.

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl — Air Force vs. Georgia Tech

Dec. 27, 5 p.m., Shreveport, La.

• If you like passing, the Hawaii Bowl is for you. On the other hand, there's a chance the Falcons and Yellow Jackets combine to throw fewer than ten passes if everything goes according to plan. Blink, and you might miss a game that'll go by in a flash with the nation's No. 1 (GT) and No. 2 (Air Force) running attacks going at it.

Champs Sports Bowl — N.C. State vs. West Virginia

Dec. 28, 6:30 p.m., Orlando, Fla.

• 21-17. That'll be the final score between the tremendous NC State defense that's 12th in the nation against the run and a West Virginia D that's the only one in the nation to not allow anyone to score more than 21 points. The Mountaineers have quietly had a good year and would've been a far better battle for Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl than Connecticut.

Insight Bowl — Iowa vs. Missouri

Dec. 28, 10 p.m., Tempe, Ariz.

• A good matchup in brand name, Mizzou could use a big bowl win after a clunker last year against Navy. Iowa was supposed to be national title-good, but was a major disappointment as it goes from the Orange Bowl last year to the Insight. While the Tigers might have finished the regular season as the best team in the Big 12 North, Iowa finished with a disastrous loss to Minnesota.

BOWL SEASON WRAP
• Scores: Postseason scoreboard
• Complete bowl schedule, results
• Photos: Week 1 | 2 | NYD | BCS
• BCS: Auburn wins on last-second FG
• Sugar: Buckeyes get sweet relief
• Orange: Stanford has good Luck
• Rose: TCU more than qualifies
• Fiesta: Sooners end BCS skid

EagleBank Bowl — Maryland vs. East Carolina

Dec. 29, 2:30 p.m., Washington, D.C.

• If nothing else, the stands should be packed and there should be plenty of excitement for a game with two good geographic tie-ins. Maryland had a phenomenal bounce back year after a disastrous 2009, but can the offense keep up the pace with an East Carolina offense that's one of the most explosive in the nation? Yup ... the Pirates have the worst defense in college football. This will be a sneaky-fun shootout.

Texas Bowl — Illinois vs. Baylor

Dec. 29, 6 p.m., Houston

• The Dynamic Quarterback Bowl, Baylor's Robert Griffin and Illinois' Nathan Scheelhaase are two of the nation's most exciting young quarterbacks and they should put on a show. Illini RB Mikel Leshoure will be looking to make a statement as he's starting to climb up draft boards in a hurry. Ron Zook could desperately use this win, while Baylor is just happy to be in a bowl game for the first time since the Southwest Conference days.

Valero Alamo Bowl — Oklahoma State vs. Arizona

Dec. 29, 9:15 p.m., San Antonio

• GET ... YOUR ... POPCORN ... READY. It'll be a dogfight between the Hawaii Bowl (Tulsa vs. Hawaii) and this for the honor of being the most wild shootout of the bowl season. Arizona might have hit the skids over the final month of the season, losing four straight, but the offense has been explosive throughout. The defense has been good, but it has to go against the nation's top offense. Expect 750 passing yards.

Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl — SMU vs. Army

Dec. 30, 12 p.m., Fort Worth, Texas

• SMU came up with a whale of a performance in last year's bowl win over Nevada, and now it has to try to handle the Army offense that's hit-or-miss with its ground game. Dead-last in the nation in passing, Army isn't exactly going to be winging it all over the field and it'll have to control the clock to keep Kyle Padron and the Mustang attack on the sidelines.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl — Syracuse vs. Kansas State

Dec. 30, 3:15 p.m., New York

• How can it not be fun? A bowl game in New York in late December? It'll be kitschy, but it might not be a very entertaining game. Scoring is optional at Syracuse, but it plays tough defense, while Kansas State will try to run the ball in the cold. First to 20 wins?

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl — North Carolina vs. Tennessee

Dec. 30, 6:30 p.m., Nashville, Tenn.

• This isn't exactly where the two teams hoped to be at the start of the season, but it's a nice reward for Tennessee, who was dead and buried until the schedule started to soften up. The Vols feasted on the weak and the sad of the SEC and closed the year strong, while North Carolina was never able to find a groove with all the suspensions early on. The Tar Heels lost a slew of heartbreaking games, but they can't take the hot Vols lightly.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl — Nebraska vs. Washington

Dec. 30, 10 p.m., San Diego

• Booooooooo. We did this already, and it sucked. Nebraska embarrassed Washington 56-21 in Seattle and turned Jake Locker from a first overall pick to possibly out of the first round with a 4-of-20, 71-yard, one touchdown, two interception performance. If this isn't another Nebraska blowout, be ecstatic.

Meineke Car Care Bowl —South Florida vs. Clemson

Dec. 31, 12 p.m., Charlotte, N.C.

• Clemson had a disappointing year, but it managed to come within an eyelash of beating Auburn in a 27-24 overtime thriller. All six losses were to bowl teams, and while expectations were higher for a team that played for the ACC title last year, a win over a mediocre USF team would be a nice finish. A win for Skip Holtz would do wonders in his first year with the Bulls.

Need the latest news on all the bowls? Check out Scout.com for coverage from bowl-bound teams.

Hyundai Sun Bowl — Miami vs. Notre Dame

Dec. 31, 2 p.m., El Paso, Texas

• This is to Miami vs. Notre Dame what a Def Leppard/Quiet Riot concert would be to reunion tours, but Miami vs. Notre Dame sounds like it should be cool. While Miami is playing through a holding pattern as it figures out what it's going to do next now that Randy Shannon has been canned, a win for the Irish would be a phenomenal finish to a tumultuous season. If Notre Dame wins, Brian Kelly will go into the offseason with wins over USC and Miami.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl — Central Florida vs. Georgia

Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m., Memphis, Tenn.

• That Georgia is ecstatic to be here shows just how awful the season was for a team with such high hopes. The Dawgs managed to win five of their last seven games with the losses to Florida in an overtime thriller and to Auburn in a battle. UCF can do Conference USA proud with a win over an SEC team. The Knights are efficient, play aggressive defense, and should give a good battle. The matchup between Georgia WR A.J. Green and UCF CB Josh Robinson will be worth the price of admission.

Chick-fil-A Bowl — Florida State vs. South Carolina

Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., Atlanta

• The battle of big game losers, South Carolina is licking its wounds after being erased by Cam Newton and Auburn in the SEC Championship, while Florida State couldn't handle Tyrod Taylor and Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. However, both teams have had tremendously successful seasons with the Gamecocks showing they can play with the elite of the elite, while the Seminoles rebounded well in the first season under Jimbo Fisher.

Dallas Football Classic — Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

Jan. 1, 12 p.m., Dallas

• If Northwestern can be half as entertaining as it was in last year's Outback Bowl loss to Auburn, this should be worth watching. However, Northwestern is a shadow of its former self with QB Dan Persa out for the year with a torn Achilles, but he didn't play defense. The Wildcats got destroyed by the Illinois ground game in Wrigley, and then they lost 70-23 at Wisconsin. Tommy Tuberville has had a rough first season at Texas Tech, but a bowl win would do wonders for those who still wish Mike Leach was on the sidelines.

Outback Bowl — Penn State vs. Florida

Jan. 1, 1 p.m., Tampa, Fla.

• This sounds like a great matchup, but Penn State and Florida are bad at playing college football. This will be a phenomenal game ... next year. The Gators are rebuilding and haven't found an identity in an uneven season, while the Nittany Lions were mediocre throughout with the one good win coming against Michigan, and the second best win coming against Northwestern. Neither team has much of an offense, but they're each is playing a team its own size.

Capital One Bowl — Michigan State vs. Alabama

Jan. 1, 1 p.m., Orlando, Fla.

• This could be the Sugar Bowl and no one would say boo about it. Michigan State should be in a BCS game, but it got left out because of the silly rule that only two teams from the same conference can be in the BCS. If Alabama hadn't gagged away the Iron Bowl, it would've been in the Sugar Bowl in an epic battle against Ohio State. As is, with Nick Saban coaching against his old team, this is easily the best matchup of the pre-BCS season and it should be a statement game for both programs and their conferences.

Gator Bowl — Michigan vs. Mississippi State

Jan. 1, 1:30 p.m. , Jacksonville, Fla.

• With all the craziness and all the controversy surrounding Rich Rodriguez, beating Mississippi State would be a major plus to show that things are headed in the right direction. Mississippi State came up with a tremendous year and can show that its style of spread offense is good enough to keep up against the high-powered Wolverines. Denard Robinson will be healthier than he has been all season long. That alone is reason to watch.

GoDaddy.com Bowl — Miami (Ohio) vs. M. Tennessee State

Jan. 6, 8 p.m.. Mobile, Ala.

• As the GMAC Bowl, this was, arguably, the best bowl of last season's games when Central Michigan won a thriller over Troy. Middle Tennessee came up with a big win over Sun Belt co-champ FIU to get here, while Miami shocked Northern Illinois to win the MAC title and solidify its spot in the pecking order. With the biggest turnaround in college football this season, this is all gravy for the RedHawks, while a disappointing year can end on a plus for a Blue Raider that was supposed to be good enough to walk away with the Sun Belt title.

AT&T Cotton Bowl — Texas A&M vs. LSU

Jan. 7, 8 p.m., Arlington, Texas

• The place should be rocking. Texas A&M was one of the hottest teams in the country after Ryan Tannehill took over the offense started to shine, while LSU was a win against Arkansas away from being in the Sugar Bowl. Each team has major flaws, but they play wildly entertaining games and they're each going to use this game as a stepping-stone for what should be a great 2011. The two will almost certainly be in everyone's preseason top 15 next year, if not top 10.

Birmingham Bowl — Pitt vs. Kentucky

Jan. 8, 12 p.m., Birmingham, Ala.

• It might not be the sexiest matchup, but it should be competitive. Pitt flexed its muscle a bit in the season finale against Cincinnati, with Dion Lewis and the attack rolling for a dominant 28-10 win. Kentucky closed with a thud, losing three of its last five games with the wins coming against Charleston Southern and Vanderbilt. However, the offense has enough firepower to make this a decent 30-27ish sort of a fight.

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl — Boston College vs. Nevada

Jan. 9, 9 p.m., San Francisco

• Nevada has been a complete and utter dud in the bowl games over the last few years, but if the offense is working and Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua are playing up to their capabilities, the 12-1 Boise State slayers could become one of the stories of the bowl season. Boston College doesn't score, ranking 109th in the nation in scoring offense and 105th in yards, but it's No. 1 in the nation against the run. It's strength vs. strength.

BCS BOWLS

Rose Bowl — Wisconsin vs. TCU

Jan. 1, 5 p.m., Pasadena, Calif.

• A case could be made that Wisconsin was the best team in America over the second half of the season, or at least No. 2 next to Auburn. With frightening precision, the offense hung 83 on Indiana and 70 on Northwestern without running it up, but now it has to prove it can produce against the nation's No. 1 defense. TCU, if you think you belonged in the BCS Championship, this is your game to show it.

Fiesta Bowl — Oklahoma vs. UConn

Jan. 1, 8:30 p.m., Glendale, Ariz.

• Oklahoma has had a bad habit of clunking in BCS games in recent years, choking away losses to inferior Boise State and West Virginia teams in Fiesta Bowls, but if the offense can come up with 17 points in the first half, this will be over. Connecticut is a great story and it plays hard, but it doesn't have the firepower to keep up if this gets into any sort of a shootout. If you saw what OU did to the Nebraska running game in the Big 12 Championship, get ready for Part Two.

Orange Bowl — Virginia Tech vs. Stanford

Jan. 3, 8:30 p.m., Miami

• A fascinating game. Stanford needs this win to justify the lofty status and all the respect it received throughout the second half of the season. The biggest win was over Notre Dame ... yippee. Beating Virginia Tech would prove that the Cardinal was the real deal, while Tyrod Taylor and the ACC Champions are looking to further cement themselves as the superpower that doesn't get the respect it deserves. Both teams are tough and physical, and this should be a heavyweight fight.

Sugar Bowl — Arkansas vs. Ohio State

Jan. 4, 8:30 p.m., New Orleans, La.

• Ohio State, it's time to finally beat an SEC team in a bowl game. The Buckeyes' only loss came to Wisconsin on the road, but they didn't beat anyone of note. Winning at Iowa doesn't seem like that big a deal now, and beating Miami wasn't anything to get fired up over. However, beating an SEC team in a BCS game would exorcise plenty of demons, while a loss would be devastating; at least it would for the message board types. The Hogs boast one of the nation's most effective offenses, able to play any style. A win over the Buckeyes would make Arkansas the IT team going into 2011, even if Ryan Mallett takes off for the NFL.

BCS Championship — Auburn vs. Oregon

Jan. 10, 8:30 p.m., Glendale, Ariz.

• The world will focus on the offenses, but the two teams got here by also showing up every week against the run. Auburn and the defensive front will finally, FINALLY provide real test for a Duck ground game that struggled with ... Cal? Oregon has a fast, aggressive defense that should be able to keep Cam Newton neutralized, at least somewhat, but this will end up being about each team's running game. The both have similar styles, with Auburn using more power and Oregon more about speed and tempo, and whichever ground game is more effective should walk away with the national title.