Top Bowl Games to Watch Outside of the College Football Playoff

There were plenty of talented teams left out of the CFP, giving us a host of interesting bowl games to end the season.

The four-team College Football Playoff is on the way out, but its final year left many strong teams on the outside longing for the expanded format. With the selections made and talented squads left playing for some swag bags instead of a national championship, here are 10 non-Playoff bowl games worth watching.

Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Georgia

How are we feeling, non-Playoff participants? Enraged? Depressed? Motivated? Opting out? Digging in? These are two talented teams that had great seasons but went unrewarded in terms of playoff bids. Gauging their level of interest in this game, after national championship dreams were dashed, will be fascinating.

Even without QB Travis, the Seminoles could put up a strong fight against a Bulldogs team that has won the last two national championships.  :: Erik Verduzco/AP

If both show up with rosters relatively intact, it could be a great game. (And yes, I say that knowing that the Seminoles do not have Jordan Travis. It doesn’t mean the team is now worthless, no matter what the CFP selection committee thinks.) For Florida State, this is a chance to rekindle an old college football favorite—win the game and unilaterally declare yourselves alternate national champs. Maybe even one of the polls would vote that way. For the Bulldogs, motivation is more elusive with the three-peat quest coming to an end, but program pride should be worth protecting.

Cotton Bowl: Missouri vs. Ohio State

No exaggeration, this is Missouri’s biggest bowl game since the 1969 season, when it played Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Top-five Mizzou teams played in Cotton Bowls in 2007 and ’13, but their opponents in those games lacked both the ranking and the program cachet of the Buckeyes. So it’s abundantly clear Missouri will view this game as a validating opportunity for the program to cap off a great season. Mizzou fans responded by selling out their ticket allotment in less than 24 hours.

How will the Buckeyes view it? That remains to be seen. Opt-outs and transfers likely will have a major impact on the Ohio State roster—starting quarterback Kyle McCord and receiver Julian Fleming hit the portal Monday, and it remains to be seen whether draft-eligible stars like Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, J.T. Tuimoloau and others will participate. But the game will provide a window into the next iteration of the Buckeyes as Ryan Day attempts to solve his Michigan crisis in 2024.

Alamo Bowl: Arizona vs. Oklahoma

It can be argued that no program is on a sharper upward trajectory than Arizona, which has gone from 0–5 to 1–11 to 5–7 to 9–3 in the span of four seasons. The Wildcats are on a six-game winning streak, going on a tear in a tough conference. Freshman quarterback Noah Fifita stepped in when Jayden de Laura was injured and has become a star, throwing 23 touchdown passes over the last eight games. Now they get a shot at a glam program in a fairly high-profile bowl game.

The Sooners will be transitioning into a new offensive look without coordinator Jeff Lebby (now the head coach at Mississippi State) and two-year starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel (now in the portal as he looks to become the next Stetson Bennett in terms of endless college careers). How does Oklahoma look in its last pre-SEC game?

Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. USC

To the surprise of no one, 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is not playing in the bowl game. (That news also should end the contrived midseason story line about Williams possibly skipping the ’24 NFL draft and staying in school.) Lincoln Riley has a major reboot to work on his program in terms of defense, toughness and overall culture before joining the Big Ten; we’ll see what progress he makes during bowl prep.

For 10-win Louisville, this is a chance to finish one of its better seasons on a high note after two disappointing losses, to rival Kentucky and then Florida State and its third-string quarterback in the ACC championship game. The Cardinals were major players in the portal last offseason and figure to do the same this year, but taking care of business and winning the school’s first meeting with USC would serve as a nice capper to the season.

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L.A. Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State

Sadly, this bowl will no longer feature a vomiting camel mascot. Jimmy Camel is out, as is previous game host Jimmy Kimmel. Rob Gronkowski is in, which should make for a fun party at least.

As for the game itself: The Bruins are sticking with Chip Kelly after his program lost momentum in 2023—and lost presumptive ’24 starting quarterback Dante Moore to the portal. The Broncos are embracing new coach Spencer Danielson, who was elevated from the interim role in which he took Boise to the Mountain West title. Can Danielson get the Broncos back to the top of the Group of 5 conference hierarchy?

Celebration Bowl: Howard vs. Florida A&M

It’s been a long way back to the top of the MEAC for Howard, which has not won the league since 1993. Since then, there have been plenty of woeful one- and two-win seasons, but Larry Scott has gotten them a league title after back-to-back 4–1 seasons in conference play. A 50–20 win over North Carolina Central served as a tiebreaker for the Bison and a shot at the big title.

Florida A&M is also breaking through for its first appearance in the Celebration Bowl after years of knocking at the door. In 2019, the Rattlers won the league and were unable to go to the bowl game due to NCAA sanctions. In ’21, they lost by one point to Deion Sanders’s Jackson State team (although they did make the FCS playoffs), and in ’22, they lost again to Jackson State. This year, they finally finish SWAC play unbeaten under coach Willie Simmons and have their chance at a 16th Black national championship tying the all-time record held by Tennessee State.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas vs. UNLV

You can watch a lot of college football and not see two offenses as unique and dynamic as what Kansas and UNLV bring to the table. Although KU offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is headed to Penn State, his work with head coach Lance Leipold on making the Jayhawks into a dangerous out has been awesome to see no matter who is playing QB. Head coach Barry Odom has turned UNLV into an absolute revelation as offensive coordinator Brennan Marion has the Rebs scoring at quite the clip.

Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee

They say styles make fights. And, well, we don’t have much clearer evidence of that than the Citrus Bowl this year. Iowa brings one of the worst offenses in college football to the table against a Tennessee team that, when clicking, can basically name its score. The problem for the Vols is that its offense hasn’t been clicking much against good defenses at the end of the season. This is the part of the program where we mention that Iowa’s defense is one of the nation’s best. Who knows how entertaining this game will be, but it will certainly be interesting.

Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion

It may surprise you, but if there’s any chance for a game to get pointsy, it’s this game. Two defenses that leave a lot to be desired and two offenses that can deliver explosive plays. It isn’t a headliner, but it does have the chance to be ample entertainment to ignore your family during the holidays.

Fiesta Bowl: Liberty vs. Oregon

A chance to see Bo Nix potentially one final time, and a chance for Liberty to make its case that it belongs with the big boys is not a game that should be passed up. Jamey Chadwell’s Flames seem here to stay as a preeminent Group of 5 power as long as he’s around, and Oregon has a bad taste in its mouth since losing to Washington in the Pac-12 title game. Ducks fans will claim a lack of motivation if they lose, but make no mistake, the Flames are not to be taken lightly.