The most unusual college football season in modern history is almost over, and in a fitting end to 2020, bowl season is a mess. Over 20 teams have opted out of playing in the postseason, forcing the cancellation of many of the (admittedly unnecessary) lower-tiered bowls.
While it's not ideal that anyone who wants a bowl game will get one this year -- we're looking at you, 2-8 South Carolina -- the paring down could be a sign of things to come.
Obviously the College Football Playoff stands alone, but that doesn't mean you should ignore bowl season until the semifinals on New Year's Day. Here are five of the "other" bowl games that you should be watching this year:
Boca Raton Bowl - BYU vs. UCF (Dec. 22): Points could come in bunches in Boca Raton. BYU was one of the best non-Power 5 teams in the country this year, going 10-1 and boasting one of the nation's most efficient offenses with likely first-round draft pick Zach Wilson (30 TDs; 3 INTs). The Cougars will face one of the few teams averaging more points than them in the Knights, who have one of the top passers in the country in Dillon Gabriel (3,353 yards, 30 TDs, 4 INTs). The two teams combine for 87.3 points per game... fireworks are coming.
Cure Bowl - Coastal Carolina vs. Liberty (Dec. 26): The newbie bowl. We were supposed to get this matchup in November before the Flames had to cancel because of COVID-19 issues. So instead we get two of the youngest - and best - programs in the country in the postseason. In its fourth year of FBS existence the Chanticleers took the college football world by storm, going a perfect 11-0 and playing in arguably the best game of the year against BYU.
The Flames, meanwhile, are in its second full-fledged season of FBS football and enter at 9-1. An independent, Liberty beat a pair of ACC teams (Syracuse and Virginia Tech) and saw its only loss of the year come against a third in NC State, a 15-14 setback last month.
Arizona Bowl - Ball State vs. San Jose State (Dec. 30): Speaking of undefeated conference champs, the Spartans finished a perfect 7-0 season with a Mountain West championship in a victory over traditional league power Boise State. San Jose State boasts a known name at quarterback in Nick Starkel, the former Texas A&M and Arkansas signal caller who has found new life out west (1,906 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INTs in seven games) and a coach in Brent Brennan who will have one of the busiest agents in the nation this winter, as Power 5 teams come calling.
They'll face a Ball State team that's quietly very good. The Cardinals beat the electric Jarrett Patterson and Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game to finish 6-1, with their lone setback coming in the season opener. QB Drew Plitt (1,937 yards, 16 TDs) has a pair of legitimate weapons to throw to in Justin Hall and Yo'Heinz Tyler, who in a normal season would both threaten to top 1,000 yards.
Peach Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Georgia (Jan. 1): The Bearcats are going to be fired up. They went 9-0, including 3-0 against the top-25, won in blowout fashion in seven of those nine games, are top-20 nationally in both total offense and total defense... and never stood a chance in making the CFP, initially getting ranked seventh before sliding backwards.
They briefly managed to fall behind Georgia, a team that went 8-2 (losses: Alabama and Florida) whose best win came against either 6-4 Auburn or 5-5 Missouri. Now, it's a legitimate question as to how different the Bulldogs' season would have gone had JT Daniels been healthy all year. Before he debuted, UGA's quarterback play was... suspect, as the team averaged 29 points in six games. In the three games Daniels has played, the Bulldogs have scored 31, 45 and 49 points.
Orange Bowl - North Carolina vs. Texas A&M (Jan. 2): The Aggies were left waiting for their College Football Playoff hopes, only to watch the committee take Notre Dame despite the Irish's blowout loss to Clemson in the ACC title game. So the Aggies will have to settle for the Orange Bowl, and if they don't show up, they could get blown out.
North Carolina can't really stop anybody - they finished 56th in total defense, but gave up 45 points to Virginia Tech, 44 to Virginia and 53 to Wake Forest. But boy can they score. Javonte Williams and Michael Carter are the best backfield duo in the country, combining for nearly 3,000 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns. Though Carter opted out of the bowl, Williams is still a load to handle. Then there's QB Sam Howell (3,352 yards), a projected high draft pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The winner of this one might simply be who shows up more.