Five bowl games that you should care about

Bowl season is nearly upon us. The three-week celebration of college football and everything that makes us love it is sure to be full of surprises and excitement. While the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games are rightfully billed as the most exciting of the bunch, the non-BCS bowls can be just as exciting. Here are five non-BCS games you should be paying attention to for 2013.

1.  Cotton Bowl- Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m., FOX

This is a premier matchup of two teams who were a win away from being a national championship contender. The University of Missouri and their explosive pass offense came out of nowhere to be a top-five team heading into the final week of the season. Senior quarterback James Franklin and sophomore wide reciever Dorial Green-Beckham led Mizzou to an 11-2 record that included wins over the University of Georgia and Texas A&M University. Oklahoma State University, on the other hand, has a similarly explosive style of offense, averaging 268.5 passing yards per game. Aside from a setback at West Virginia University and a home loss at the hands of the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State has dominated opponents. This one should be a fun matchup.

Remember when the University of South Carolina was a national championship contender? Me neither. The Gamecocks lost in the second week of the season to Georgia, and in the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference, that is practically a death knell. Aside from another setback at the University of Tennessee, South Carolina was one of the most consistent teams in the nation. The Gamecocks scored wins over two BCS teams, the University of Central Florida and Clemson University. Additionally, South Carolina handed Mizzou its only regular season loss. Now, they will run headlong into Wisconsin, a team that rolled through a weakened Big Ten Conference. Can South Carolina prove they are an elite team? Stay tuned.

3.     Poinsettia Bowl- Northern Illinois vs. Utah State, Dec. 26, 9:30 p.m., ESPN

Northern Illinois University, the BCS-busters of a year ago, was a win in the Mid-American Conference championship game away from going back to the BCS. The Huskies are led by Heisman Trophy finalist and senior quarterback Jordan Lynch, who set an NCAA single-game quarterback rushing record earlier in the season. This team is eager to get revenge against another mid-major team who lost a conference championship game. Utah State University dropped the Mountain West Conference championship, snapping what was a five-game winning streak. The Aggies had the top defense in the Mountain West, and held teams to 14 points or fewer six times this season.  A solid defense against a dominating offense? Bring it on.

4.     Chick-Fil-A Bowl- Duke vs. Texas A&M, Dec. 31, 8 p.m., ESPN

Oh, Duke University, how you humor us. The Blue Devils, darlings of the college football world, rolled to 10-2 during the 2013 season but ran into a brick wall in the form of Florida State University in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. That game, a 45-7 loss for Duke, could be a preview of this game. Texas A&M might have lost four games in the regular season, but redshirt sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel is a playmaker. The biggest reason to watch this game is intrigue- can Duke contain Johnny Manziel? Do the Blue Devils stand a chance? We’ll find out.

5.     Las Vegas Bowl- Fresno State vs. USC, Dec. 21, 3:30 p.m., ABC

Fresno State University and senior quarterback Derek Carr come into the Las Vegas Bowl at 12-1. The Bulldogs racked up impressive win after impressive win until they were defeated by San Jose State University on Black Friday. The University of Southern California, which fired head coach Lane Kiffin after the season’s first five games, rebounded with a five-game win streak. Will the talent of USC be too much for Fresno State? This game on the first day of the bowl season will tell us