College Football Bowl Rankings: We Ranked All 35 Non-CFP Bowl Games This Year

While the 12-team College Football Playoff is the biggest draw of the postseason, there are still 35 other bowl games taking place between Dec. 13 and Jan. 2. So what are the best matchups to watch during the holiday season?

We break down the best non-CFP bowl games with a closer look at 10 must-see bowl matchups, while also looking at the most underrated games, the most fun games for casual fans, and my ranking for every single non-CFP bowl from No. 1 to No. 35.

Stay ahead this bowl season with our updated college football bowl game odds and schedule.

👀 Top 10 bowl games to watch

Can't keep track of which top players are suiting up this bowl season? Bookmark our college football opt-out tracker for the latest updates on every bowl game.

No. 1: Georgia Tech vs. BYU (Pop-Tarts Bowl)

• When: Saturday, Dec. 27 (3:30 p.m. ET)
• Where: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
• How to watch: ABC
• NFL prospect to watch: Chase Roberts, WR, BYU
• Why it’s worth watching: Ever seen an edible mascot get devoured by a winning team?

Not only does the Pop-Tarts Bowl bring the best pageantry to bowl season with its antics led by its crew of edible mascots, but it consistently has one of the best non-CFP matchups of the season. This year is no different, with a ranked matchup between Georgia Tech and BYU, featuring two of the toughest QBs in the nation (Haynes King, Bear Bachmeier) and potent rushing attacks.

No. 2: Michigan vs. Texas (Citrus Bowl)

• When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 (3 p.m. ET)
• Where: Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
• How to watch: ABC
• NFL prospect to watch: Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan
• Why it’s worth watching: Arch Manning against a top defense to build the Manning mania back up heading into next season

These are two of the biggest brands in the sport and a pair of programs that expect to be in the College Football Playoff, so getting to see them in a Christmas Eve bowl game is a treat. On top of that, it's Arch Manning against a defense that has NFL talent, and a strong performance will certainly set him up to be a Heisman favorite heading into next season. Plus, it will be our first opportunity to see the Wolverines following the Sherrone Moore firing.

No. 3: Iowa vs. Vanderbilt (ReliaQuest Bowl)

• When: Wednesday, Dec. 31 (noon ET)
• Where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
• How to watch: ESPN
• NFL prospect to watch: Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
• Why it’s worth watching: Diego Pavia's last collegiate game

Anytime you get a pair of Power Four teams known for bringing toughness and grit to the field, it's a good sign that they'll bring their best in a bowl game. This will also be the last collegiate game for Heisman finalist Diego Pavia, one of the faces of college football the last few years and a player Vanderbilt should probably build a statue for in the near future.

No. 4: Boise State vs. Washington (LA Bowl)

• When: Saturday, Dec. 13 (8 p.m. ET)
• Where: SoFi Stadium (Inglewood, Calif.)
• How to watch: ABC
• NFL prospect to watch: Denzel Boston, WR, Washington
• Why it’s worth watching: Mountain West Champion vs. a sneaky loaded Washington team

The first bowl game of bowl season will also be the last LA Bowl, at least for the near future. Despite the LA Bowl folding following this year, the last one gives us a perfect Pacific Northwest matchup between the Mountain West Champion (Boise State) and a Washington team full of talent that doesn't plan on opting out, according to Jedd Fisch. 

No. 5: Cal vs. Hawaii (Hawaii Bowl)

• When: Wednesday, Dec. 24 (8 p.m. ET)
• Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex (Honolulu)
• How to watch: ESPN
• NFL prospect to watch: Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal
• Why it’s worth watching: Football on Christmas Eve featuring two electric Hawaiian QBs in Hawaii

The Hawaii Bowl is always one of the best bowl games because it's the only football game that's played on Christmas Eve, and it sure beats watching another corny holiday movie. This year's is especially strong, though, with Timmy Chang's turnaround at Hawaii and Cal employing former Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich as its interim head coach for the game. Even better is this QB matchup between Hawaiian QBs Micah Alejado (Hawaii) and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal).

No. 6: Virginia vs. Missouri (Gator Bowl)

• When: Saturday, Dec. 27 (7:30 p.m. ET)
• Where: EverBank Stadium (Jacksonville, Fla.)
• How to watch: ABC
• NFL prospect to watch: Zion Young, DL, Missouri
• Why it’s worth watching: Two overachieving and scrappy teams

Though neither of these teams is a classic college football power, they both spent most of the season ranked, and Virginia was even one win away from making the College Football Playoff. These two programs are perfect examples of how quickly you can find success if you evaluate the transfer portal well. Virginia completely reinvented itself through portal additions, and Missouri found an All-American running back in transfer Ahmad Hardy.

No. 7: USC vs. TCU (Alamo Bowl)

• When: Tuesday, Dec. 30 (9 p.m. ET)
• Where: Alamodome (San Antonio)
• How to watch: ESPN
• NFL prospect to watch: Makai Lemon, WR, USC
• Why it’s worth watching: The temperature of the losing coach's seat will heat up heading into the offseason

Neither of these fan bases can be happy about playing in the Alamo Bowl, but losing the Alamo Bowl will turn up the heat on either Lincoln Riley's and Sonny Dykes' seat. While both former Mike Leach proteges have found enough success through dynamic offenses, neither has won enough games over the last three years. This should also feature several NFL-level players on both teams, assuming there aren't too many opt-outs.

No. 8: Tennessee vs. Illinois (Music City Bowl)

• When: Tuesday, Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET)
• Where: Nissan Stadium (Nashville)
• How to watch: ESPN
• NFL prospect to watch: Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
• Why it’s worth watching: Lots of scoring led by veteran QBs

Tennessee's Joey Aguilar and Illinois' Luke Altmyer have over 17,000 career passing yards and 139 passing touchdowns combined. This will likely be the last time either plays college football, and there are a pair of QBs who are proof of the importance of second chances that the transfer portal provides. This should also be ultra fun with the defensive struggles of both teams, setting this up to be a shootout like most Tennessee games. 

No. 9: Arizona vs. SMU (Holiday Bowl)

• When: Friday, Jan. 2 (8 p.m. ET)
• Where: Snapdragon Stadium (San Diego)
• How to watch: FOX
• NFL prospect to watch: Treydan Stukes, DB, Arizona
• Why it’s worth watching: The last non-CFP bowl game of the year, and two quality teams

The last two non-CFP bowl games of the season involve egg-based products being dumped on the winning coach. And while the Duke's Mayo Bowl gets more fanfare with the mayo bath, the Holiday Bowl is the better game (the winning coach is given an eggnog bath). Arizona has one of the most underrated defenses in the country with an elite secondary, and SMU has a top-25 offense full of playmakers. 

No. 10: North Texas vs. San Diego State (New Mexico Bowl)

• When: Saturday, Dec. 27 (5:45 p.m. ET)
• Where: University Stadium (Albuquerque, N.M.)
• How to watch: ESPN
• NFL prospect to watch: Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
• Why it’s worth watching: Elite offense vs. elite defense

Assuming North Texas doesn't have a mass exodus ahead of this game due to head coach Eric Morris leaving for Oklahoma State, this could be an all-timer. North Texas has the best offense in the Group of Six, and San Diego State has the best defense in the G6. Mean Green QB Drew Mestemaker also has one of the best stories in college football after going from high school backup to college star.

💎 Most underrated bowl games

Don't miss our college football picks for every bowl game.

• Myrtle Beach Bowl (Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan): This matchup pits a pair of programs that came out of nowhere to win their conference championship this year - Kennesaw State (Conference USA Champion) and Western Michigan (MAC Champion).
• Rate Bowl (New Mexico vs. Minnesota): First-year New Mexico coach Jason Eck has done one of the best coaching jobs in the country and has the Lobos one win over a P4 team away from hitting double-digit wins for the second time in school history.
• Frisco Bowl (UNLV vs. Ohio): Two of the most exciting G6 QBs in the country take the field in this one with Anthony Colandrea (UNLV) and Parker Navarro (Ohio), though Ohio head coach Brian Smith is on a mysterious paid leave.
• New Orleans Bowl (Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss): Both these teams came so close to playing in their conference championships thanks to explosive offenses, plus, this will be the first time interim-turned full-time head coach Blake Anderson leads Southern Miss.
• Birmingham Bowl (Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State): In the most bizarre bowl matchup of the season, a Sun Belt rivalry known as "Deeper Than Hate" is being played for the second time this season due to a shortage of bowl-eligible teams and Appalachian State being the only program to step up.

🍿 Best bowl games for casual fans

• Pop-Tarts Bowl (Georgia Tech vs. BYU): No bowl leans into the zaniness more than this one, and there are size edible Pop-Tart mascots split up between "Team Sprinkles" and "Team Swirls," and these are two ranked teams
• Duke's Mayo Bowl (Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State): The winning coach gets a sweet, sweet "twangy" mayo bath, and Tubby is one of the best bowl mascots
• Citrus Bowl (Michigan vs. Texas): This is a great game between massive programs, and it includes a Manning playing QB, but it also has an elite mascot combo with Ched-Z and Prince Cheddward making his return to the Cheez-It kingdom
• Holiday Bowl (Arizona vs. SMU): It might not be a mayo dump, but an eggnog dump is nearly as good, and this is one of the best actual football matchups of bowl season
• Pinstripe Bowl (Penn State vs. Clemson): Football at a baseball stadium always looks ridiculous (complimentary), and this time Yankee Stadium will be hosting two major programs coming off horrific seasons

📊 Best bowl games to watch: Ranking all 35 non-CFP matchups

Check out all of our college football analysis and expert predictions for every bowl game.