It's time to go bowling. Outside of the NFL playoffs, it may be the greatest sports season of year--in fact it <em>is</em> the harbinger of the playoffs for the pros. It surrounds the Christmas and New Year holidays, and it even spurs annual debate by crowning a Champion without a playoff system. 

Unlike many people who feel there are too many bowls, I don't care who the bowl sponsor is, or who's playing in it...I'll watch it and enjoy it. At first glance the match-ups looked pretty uninteresting a couple weeks ago, yet after careful consideration, I've found that in the 2010-2011 bowl schedule, there lies potential for some great football games.

Let's break 'em down in play order:
<h3>12/18 - New Mexico Bowl: BYU vs. UTEP</h3>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3133" title="UTEP" src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/UTEP-e1292376625439.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="600" />
BYU is a pretty easy favorite in this match-up. UTEP QB Trevor Vittatoe is a difference maker, yet his ankle is busted up, and he's looking at less than a week for it to get any better. If he's somehow able to play through the pain, the Miners could make it interesting.
<h3>12/18 - Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State</h3>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3135" src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Fresno.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="387" />
Northern Illinois put up an impressive 10-3 season, but now they're meeting a Fresno team led by veteran coach Pat Hill after multiple weeks of preparation. This promises to be a battle, and picking either team would be a logical decision. The vast majority of the nation is going with the bulldogs, but I'm taking the Huskies. 
<h3>12/18 - New Orleans Bowl: Ohio University vs. Troy</h3>
<img src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Boo-Jackson-OhioU-e1292378277401.jpg" alt="" title="" width="500" height="342" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3136" />
Ohio QB, Franshaw "Boo" Jackson. He can be quite exciting when he's hitting on all cylinders, yet I was unimpressed with the MAC this season. I'm going against the populous once again on this one, and sticking with the team from the south. I see another battle, and Troy coming out on top. 
<h3>12/21 - St. Petersburg Bowl: Southern Miss. vs. Louisville</h3>
<img src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SouthernMiss.jpg" alt="" title="" width="500" height="368" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3137" />
Didn't ya hear? Brett Favre found a game of NCAA eligibility and is coming out of collegiate retirement. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use the image. Look at the young gun slinger... Call me insane this year, but I'm going against the majority again with this pick. I feel like Louisville has the slight edge. I like it to be another close one. 
<h3>12/22 - Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Boise State</h3>
<img src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/KellenMooreBoise.jpg" alt="" title="" width="500" height="312" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3138" />
Aside from a couple missteps vs. TCU and Notre Dame, Utah put together a pretty impressive season. They won close games down the stretch and earned this match-up vs. the powerhouse known as Boise State. The Broncos BCS dreams were crushed in the NCAA game of the year vs. Nevada, yet a week later they went back to work and took care of business. I have a feeling that Kellen Moore is going to go off in Vegas like a 21 year old with their multi-millionaire father's credit card. ...that Kellen Moore is going to go off in Vegas like a fat dude at the Circus Circus buffet. He may opt for both options. BSU is the team that I would never bet against. You shouldn't either. 
<h3>12/23 - Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. San Diego State</h3>
<img src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Ricky-Dobbs-NAVY.jpg" alt="" title="" width="500" height="310" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3139" />
Navy is impressive... but San Diego State is possibly the best 8-4 team in the country. They have played <em>everyone</em> close. Everyone. Their 4 losses were by a combined 15 points. While I think the Navy option might give them headaches, and I'm rolling with the Midshipmen...as of now. I reserve the right to change my mind due to the factual evidence listed above. It's worth noting, this is the final game for Navy QB Ricky Dobbs--the kid is a stud. He has always played big in big games. 
<h3>12/24 - Hawai'i Bowl: Hawaii vs. Tulsa</h3>
<img src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Hawaii-e1292390690856.jpg" alt="" title="Hawaii" width="500" height="331" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-3143" />
Hawaii at home? Check. Hawaii with a devastating passing attack? Check. Tulsa with a suspect secondary? Check. Tulsa with the ability to gunsling? Check. Could be a shoot out, but this one is going to the Warriors of Hawai'i
<h3>12/26 - Little Caesars Bowl: FIU vs. Toledo</h3>
<h3>12/27 - Independence Bowl: Air Force vs. Georgia Tech</h3>
<h3>12/28 - Champs Sports Bowl: West Virginia vs. NC State</h3>
<h3>12/28 - Insight Bowl: Missouri vs. Iowa</h3>
<h3>12/29 - Military Bowl: East Carolina vs. Maryland</h3>
<h3>12/29 - Texas Bowl: Illinois vs. Baylor</h3>
<h3>12/29 - Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Arizona</h3>
<h3>12/30 - Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. SMU</h3>
<h3>12/30 - Pinstripe Bowl: Kansas St. vs. Syracuse</h3>
<h3>12/30 - Music City Bowl: North Carolina vs. Tennessee</h3>
<h3>12/30 - Holiday Bowl: Nebraska vs. Washington</h3>
<h3>12/31 - Meineke Car Care Bowl: South Florida vs. Clemson</h3>
<h3>12/31 - Sun Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Miami</h3>
<h3>12/31 - Liberty Bowl: Georgia vs. UCF</h3>
<h3>12/31 - Chick-Fil-A Bowl: South Carolina vs. Florida State</h3>
<h3>1/1 - TicketCity Bowl: Northwestern vs. Texas Tech</h3>
<h3>1/1 - Outback Bowl: Florida vs. Penn State</h3>
<h3>1/1 - Capital One Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan State</h3>
<h3>1/1 - Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Michigan</h3>
<h3>1/1 - Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. TCU</h3>
<h3>1/1 - Fiesta Bowl: UConn vs. Oklahoma</h3>
<h3>1/3 - Orange Bowl: Stanford vs. Virginia Tech</h3>
<h3>1/4 - Sugar Bowl: Ohio State vs. Arkansas</h3>
<h3>1/6 - GoDaddy.com Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (OH)</h3>
<h3>1/7 - Cotton Bowl: LSU vs. Texas A&amp;M</h3>
<h3>1/8 - BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky</h3>
<h3>1/9 - Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Nevada vs. Boston College</h3>
<h3>1/10 - BCS National Championship: Oregon vs. Auburn</h3>
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VS.

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