Source:www.smokeys-trail.com

The college football bowl season starts in 4 days and every year there are more bowls, more renamed bowls, and mostly pointless bowls.

I'm glad for the guys on mediocre teams who will have a chance to possibly impress some pro scouts, but really, is a team that went 6-6 worthy of post season play?

I've been a fan of college football longer than most of you have been alive, and when there were only a few bowl games, they were all worth watching, and generated enormous excitement. For years now, thanks to the NCAA and Corporate America, the whole bowl scene has been diluted and degraded IMHO, much the same as boxing, with its multiple champions in each weight division.

But, I'm not in charge, so we have what we have, and if that's what people want, OK, let the games begin.

12/19: Poinsettia - Northern Illinois (7-5) vs. No. 25 TCU (10-2)

12/21: Las Vegas - No. 19 BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon (7-5)

12/22: New Orleans - Rice (7-5) vs. Troy (7-5)

12/23: New Mexico - New Mexico (6-6) vs. San Jose State (8-4)

12/23: PapaJohns.com - South Florida (8-4) vs. East Carolina (7-5)

12/23: Armed Forces - Tulsa (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)

12/24: Hawaii - Arizona State (7-5) vs. Hawaii (10-3)

12/26: Motor City - Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (9-4)

12/27: Emerald - Florida State (6-6) vs. UCLA (7-5)

12/28: Independence - Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6)

12/28: Texas - No. 16 Rutgers (10-2) vs. Kansas State (7-5)

12/28: Holiday - No. 20 California (9-3) vs. No. 21 Texas A&M (9-3)

12/29: Music City - Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)

12/29: Sun - No. 24 Oregon State (9-4) vs. Missouri (8-4)

12/29: Liberty - Houston (10-3) vs. South Carolina (7-5)

12/29: Insight - Texas Tech (7-5) vs. Minnesota (6-6)

12/29: Champs Sports - Purdue (8-5) vs. Maryland (8-4)

12/30: Meineke Car Care - Navy (9-3) vs. No. 23 Boston College (9-3)

12/30: Alamo - No. 18 Texas (9-3) vs. Iowa (6-6)

12/30: Chick-fil-A - Georgia (8-4) vs. No. 14 Virginia Tech (10-2)

12/31: MPC Computers - Miami, Fla. (6-6) vs. Nevada (8-4)

1/1: Outback - No. 17 Tennessee (9-3) vs. Penn State (8-4)

1/1: Cotton - No. 10 Auburn (10-2) vs. No. 22 Nebraska (9-4)

1/1: Gator - No. 13 West Virginia (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (9-4)

1/1: Capital One - No. 12 Arkansas (10-3) vs. No. 6 Wisconsin (11-1)

1/6: International - Cincinnati (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)

1/7: GMAC - Ohio (9-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-5)

In theory, the later a bowl game is played, the more prestige it carries, the earlier bowls being considered "preliminaries," or the "undercard," as in boxing.

So why didn't some of the better teams get the better minor bowls? Well, sometimes a bowl has committed to the champion of a particular conference, but money, my friends, is what determines most match ups. Bowl selection committees chose match ups based on what schools they feel will draw a larger TV audience. That's why unranked 6-6 Miami, rather than #16, 10-2 Rutgers, or #19, 10-2 BYU, is in the MPC Computer bowl on 12/31, while Rutgers and BYU languish in earlier, less prestigious bowl games.

Talent and accomplishment does not always reap a proper reward.

And now for the bowl games that really matter:

1/1: Rose - No. 8 USC (10-2) vs. No. 3 Michigan (11-1)

1/1: Fiesta - No. 9 Boise State (12-0) vs. No. 7 Oklahoma (11-2)

1/2: Orange - No. 5 Louisville (11-1) vs. No. 15 Wake Forest (11-2)

1/3: Sugar - No. 11 Notre Dame (10-2) vs. No. 4 LSU (10-2)

1/8: Title game - No. 1 Ohio State (12-0) vs. No. 2 Florida (12-1)

As you can see there are some questionable match ups in the big bowl games too.

Why isn't #6 Wisconsin in a premier bowl game? To be blunt, because it is construed that no one outside of Wisconsin would give a damn, that's why. So a team that every college football fan either loves, or hates, lower ranked #11 Notre Dame, gets the berth. Notre Dame has huge alumnus that is very loyal, and will tune in, along with the aforementioned, and that guarantees great ratings, which translates into higher revenues from advertising.

That's why #10 Auburn got a second rate bowl, very few people outside of Alabama cares about that team, and most Alabamians root for Alabama, even though they aren't that good anymore.

And why is # 15, Wake Forest in a BCS bowl? Frankly, I don't know, perhaps there was a commitment to the ACC Champion, but I doubt that.

Shouldn't the Top 10 teams be in the top 5 bowls?

As for betting, no predictions here, except that I still don't see Ohio State winning the title, as I said weeks ago, but that's just a gut feeling so don't take that as advice. However, Ohio State is giving 8 points on the early line, and, well, you decide.

The links on this page take you to a good analysis of the bowl teams, and predicted outcomes, so perhaps you can find some viable advice there.

Whether or not you agree with my feeling on college bowl selections enjoy the games and good luck to you bettors.