There are only 44 games left in the college football season: Saturday's annual Army-Navy clash, a far-too-cluttered 42 bowl games, and then the national championship. Obviously all eyes will be on the four teams in the College Football Playoff, when on New Years' Eve Alabama faces Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl, while it's Michigan against Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
But there's a better part of a month to breakdown those two games and figure out who might win it all. As for the other 40 games, there are some intriguing matchups. If you're going to have the TV on as background noise as you get set for the holiday season, here are the five non-CFP games you need to watch:
Sat, Dec. 18 - Boca Raton Bowl (Western Kentucky vs. App State): There's really only one reason to watch, and it's Hilltoppers quarterback Bailey Zappe. If you're a casual fan you might not know the name, but he's setting records. The nation's leading passer (by 1,100 yards!), he has a chance to set the FBS single-season record for both yardage and touchdown passes. He needs 288 yards and five touchdowns to do it, he's averaged 426 yards per game and has thrown at least five TDs in a game five times this season.
Thursday, Dec. 23 - Gasparilla Bowl (UCF vs. Florida): Who has the best program in the state of Florida? That's... an interesting answer. The Knights will say it's them, after going 8-4 despite losing quarterback Dillon Gabriel early in the year to a season-ending injury. Florida is still probably the answer, but that 31-29 encouraging loss to Alabama sure seems like a long time ago, as the Gators went 2-4 down the stretch, needed a win over Florida State to even make a bowl and fired Dan Mullen. Are they interested in this game? Because UCF sure will be.
Wednesday, Dec. 29 - Alamo Bowl (Oregon vs. Oklahoma): Two teams who won't be thrilled to be here, but it's the highest-ranked non-New Years' Six game on the board. The Sooners, of course, lost head coach Lincoln Riley in a stunning move to USC (Bob Stoops will be the interim coach for the game)... will Oregon have its head coach in San Antonio? Rumors are swirling around Mario Cristobal and a potential exit for Miami. There's a 50/50 chance - maybe more - that there are two interim coaches on the sidelines for this game between teams who had Playoff hopes a month ago.
Thursday, Dec. 30 - Peach Bowl (Pitt vs. Michigan State): Neither will win it, but there's a chance to see two folks who had Heisman hopes this year. Kenny Pickett (4,319 yards, 42 TDs) and the ACC champion Panthers will be licking their chops at the chance to face a Spartan secondary that's dead last nationally in pass defense. On the other side, the nation's second-leading rusher in Kenneth Walker (136.3 yards per game) will face a stout Pitt run defense.
Of course, if one (or both) opt out and focus on the NFL Draft... there are plenty of other games on.
Saturday, Jan. 1 - Fiesta Bowl (Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma State): The Cowboys were about a football length away from potentially being in the Playoff. The Irish weren't quite as close, but if any of Alabama, Cincinnati or Michigan had lost on Saturday then Notre Dame was likely in, too. On paper it's a very even matchup, with both teams featuring top-10 scoring defenses that largely carry otherwise-decent offenses. It's also the debut of new Irish head coach Marcus Freeman after he was promoted following Brian Kelly's bolt to LSU.