Ranking the 2016-17 bowl games: From worst to first

For suffering Longhorn fans, Houston vs. San Diego State in the Las Vegas Bowl offers all kinds of angles: Tom Herman’s old team, the head coaching debut of Major Applewhite and the Cougars trying to stop Donnel Pumphrey from breaking Ron Dayne’s career rushing record, blowing past D’Onta Foreman as the 2016 NCAA yardage champ along the way.

More Texas connections will pop up in the Dec. 29 Birmingham Bowl (South Florida vs. South Carolina). Charlie Strong won’t yet be coaching the Bulls, but 15 starters from this 10-2 team return for 2017. Former UT defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will be prowling the Gamecock sidelines.

Texas A&M has an old Big 12-style matchup against Kansas State in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl — and let’s hope it’s half as entertaining as their last meeting: the Wildcats’ 53-50, four-overtime thriller in 2011.

Of the other Texas bowls, the Alamo (Oklahoma State vs. Colorado) and Sun (Stanford vs. North Carolina) came up big winners.

Three teams with losing records — North Texas, Mississippi State and Hawaii — slinked their way into minor bowls. Then again, last year the three sub-.500 bowl teams went 3-0.

And then there’s the College Football Playoff. No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Ohio State is can’t-miss-stuff, but does anyone think No. 4 Washington has a prayer against No. 1 Alabama? We don’t.

Taking into account matchups, watchability and area ties, here is our list for the holiday season, and we’ll rerank them again after they’re all over. (Note: We left out the national title game for obvious reasons.)

RANKING THE BOWLS: WORST TO FIRST

40. New Orleans (Saturday)

Southern Miss vs. Louisiana-Lafayette: A regional pairing of 6-6 Group of Five teams isn't sexy, but they'll probably pull 40,000 fans to the Big Easy and enjoy a helluva party afterward. You know, there could be worse games, like …

39. Quick Lane (Dec. 26)

Maryland vs. Boston College: Yawn. Two offensively impotent 6-6 clubs — the Terps are 92nd in scoring, the Eagles 123rd — who have a combined zero victories against FBS teams with winning records hook up in lovely Detroit.

38. Heart of Dallas (Dec. 27)

Army vs. North Texas: Didn't have the heart to rank this one last, but it breaks two cardinal rules — a rematch of a regular-season game and one of the teams has a losing record. The Mean Green (5-7) were 35-18 winners on Oct. 22 at West Point. Tip of the cap to the Cadets for their second bowl trip in 20 years.

37. St. Petersburg (Dec. 26)

Miami, Ohio vs. Mississippi State: The morning after Christmas, the bowl blitz resumes in an ugly baseball stadium with a team that started 0-6 vs. a team that finished 5-7. At least the RedHawks finished on a 6-0 run, but they're in over their heads against the SEC.

36. Potato (Dec. 22)

Idaho vs. Colorado State: Normally, teams move up from FCS to FBS. The Vandals (still one of our favorite names) are making the unprecedented drop the other way after next season. Their eight wins in 2016 are one more than in the previous four seasons combined.

35. Hawaii (Dec. 24)

Middle Tennessee vs. Hawaii: A game on Christmas Eve is always a hard sell. Toss in the fact the Warriors have a losing record, and watching "A Christmas Story" for the 49th time seems the way to go. Just know the Blue Raiders hung 77 points on Florida Atlantic in their last game.

34. Cure (Saturday)

Arkansas State vs. Central Florida: The Knights improved from 0-12 last year to 6-6 this year — and first-year coach Scott Frost is sure to be a hot commodity if he keeps this up.

33. Miami Beach (Dec. 19)

Central Michigan vs. Tulsa: The Chippewas beat another Oklahoma school back in September in Stillwater, and that raised quite a ruckus. Don't expect it again. The Golden Hurricane, averaging 41.4 points, should blow them away.

32. Independence (Dec. 26)

North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt: When a mediocre ACC team meets a mediocre SEC team, you can (and should) throw the 6-6 records out the window. But did you know (or care) that this is a rematch of the 2012 Music City Bowl, won 38-24 by Vandy?

31. Dollar General (Dec. 23)

Ohio vs. Troy: The rebranded GoDaddy Bowl in Mobile, Ala., between the 8-win Bobcats and 9-win Trojans is getting short-changed. It's worth at least a couple dollars, don't you think? Odd head coaching stat: Ohio's Frank Solich, 72, is twice as old as Troy's Neal Brown, 36, a former Texas Tech Air Raid coordinator.

30. Arizona (Dec. 30)

Air Force vs. South Alabama: We salute our military academies for each making bowls. Wish they could've drawn more interesting opponents. The Falcons won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy and finished 5-0. The Jaguars beat San Diego State and Mississippi State, yet somehow went 2-6 in the Sun Belt.

29. Military (Dec. 27)

Temple vs. Wake Forest: Baylor fans will want to see Matt Rhule's AAC championship squad. Too bad the Owls' reward for a 10-3 season is a return trip to Annapolis, where they just won the conference title game, to play a 6-6 ACC also-ran. That's weak.

28. New Mexico (Saturday)

UTSA vs. New Mexico: In their sixth FBS season, the Roadrunners earned their first bowl trip, but it's no day at the beach. UTSA is tasked with slowing down the nation's top rushing attack in the Lobos' home stadium.

27. Bahamas (Dec. 23)

Old Dominion vs. Eastern Michigan: So many times you hear bowl games are decided by "who wants to be there." These two programs are overjoyed to be there — and not just because it's an island paradise. The Monarchs are making their first bowl trip. The Eagles haven't played in a bowl in 29 years.

26. Foster Farms (Dec. 28)

Utah vs. Indiana: Utes RB star Joe Williams and DE Hunter Dimick (14½ sacks) could be entirely too much for the Hoosiers to handle. How will Indiana players react after coach Kevin Wilson was just fired for reportedly mistreating them?

25. Pinstripe (Dec. 28)

Pitt vs. Northwestern: Panthers RB James Conner beat cancer and came back to rush for 1,060 yards and 16 TDs. Wildcats WR Austin Carr had 84 catches for 1,196 yards. A little snow in Yankee Stadium could move this one into our top 15.

24. Poinsettia (Dec. 21)

BYU vs. Wyoming: It'll be just like old times for these former WAC/Mountain West rivals, who've clashed 77 times but not since 2010. The Cowboys' Brian Hill (1,767 yards, 21 TDs) is up against the Cougars' No. 8 run defense.

23. Camellia (Saturday)

Appalachian State vs. Toledo: A pair of 9-win Group of Five teams who can cause trouble for a lot of Power Five schools, but have to settle for playing each other. Rockets QB Logan Woodside is No. 2 in NCAA passer rating with 43 TDs and 9 INTs.

22. Liberty (Dec. 30)

TCU vs. Georgia: The Big 12 and SEC send two of their disappointments to Beale Street. If we get the road version of the Horned Frogs (4-1 away, 2-5 home), the Dawgs will be in trouble. QB Kenny Hill didn't face Georgia while at Texas A&M.

21. Cactus (Dec. 27)

Baylor vs. Boise State: If the Bears' train wreck continues (0-6 in the season's second half), this could get ugly in a hurry. The Broncos, who make a living out of embarrassing Power Five teams, are always entertaining, and this year they offer two 1,000-yard receivers and 1,663-yard, 23-TD rusher Jeremy McNichols.

20. TaxSlayer (Dec. 31)

Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky: Hard to believe it's been 56 years since these two regional teams have hooked up. They each slayed a personal dragon in their finales — the Yellow Jackets stinging Georgia and the Wildcats stunning Louisville.

19. Armed Forces (Dec. 23)

Navy vs. Louisiana Tech: The Midshipmen's fourth-rated rushing offense will need to milk every second it can off the clock in Fort Worth because the Bulldogs own an Xbox offense that is fifth in the nation in scoring at 44.1. Fun matchup.

18. Boca Raton (Dec. 20)

Western Kentucky vs. Memphis: Here's the best of your minor bowl matchups for this year — and leave at least four hours to watch it. The Hilltoppers are second in the NCAA in scoring at 45.1. The Tigers are 17th at 39.5. Together, they average just shy of 1,000 yards.

17. Holiday (Dec. 27)

Minnesota vs. Washington State: A contrast in styles. The Golden Gophers pound it; Mike Leach's Cougars let it rip. The Pirate's team is hurling 51.1 passes per game with 39 TDs, showcasing Luke Falk as the trigger man.

16. Belk (Dec. 29)

Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas: Bret Bielema is always in the middle of something, and this time his latest Top 25 ballot left off the Hokies. He said it was a mistake. VaTech would like nothing better than to make his SEC team pay.

15. Outback (Jan. 2)

Florida vs. Iowa: To be kind, let's call them two offensively challenged teams. The best punter wins, right? For the folks who still appreciate defense, the Gators have one of the best, with perhaps three first-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.

14. Birmingham (Dec. 29)

South Florida vs. South Carolina: This one zipped up our chart because of the Longhorns connections. It's Charlie Strong's new team (although he won't be coaching yet) vs. Will Muschamp's current team. Strong will inherit QB Quinton Flowers (2,551 yards passing, 1,425 yards rushing), the AAC's version of Lamar Jackson.

13. Texas (Dec. 28)

Texas A&M vs. Kansas State: Aggies fans were hoping for a matchup with more sizzle, but be careful not to underestimate a Bill Snyder team. The 77-year-old patriarch squeezed everything he could out of the Wildcats (8-4), who grabbed fourth in the Big 12. K-State DE Jordan Willis had more sacks and tackles for loss than A&M's Myles Garrett.

12. Music City (Dec. 30)

Tennessee vs. Nebraska: In the '90s, this would have been a really big deal with Peyton Manning vs. Tommie Frazier. It's still pretty interesting with two rabid fan bases and big-name programs in an SEC vs. Big Ten test of strength. The Vols were enormous underachievers, yet they've got plenty of talent.

11. Russell Athletic (Dec. 28)

West Virginia vs. Miami: Old Big East rivals clash in Orlando with a twist: The Mountaineers appear to have the stronger team. The Hurricanes won the last six games in the series, but surprisingly haven't won a bowl in 10 years. This could be tight all the way.

10. Sun (Dec. 30)

Stanford vs. North Carolina: The folks in El Paso landed a premium matchup for a mid-major bowl. Cardinal all-purpose yardage king Christian McCaffrey will play his final college game. Tar Heels passer Mitch Trubisky might be making his farewell, too, as some NFL draft analysts rate him the top quarterback, should he come out early.

9. Alamo (Dec. 29)

Oklahoma State vs. Colorado: The San Antonio bowl rolled another strike here, grabbing two teams that narrowly missed winning conference titles. The revival of the Buffaloes program is one of the top stories in college football this season, and they're making their first postseason trip in nine years. The Cowboys' Mason Rudolph is a top-10 quarterback.

8. Sugar (Jan. 2)

Oklahoma vs. Auburn: The Centex triplets of QB Baker Mayfield, RB Samaje Perine and WR Dede Westbrook can put on a scoring show in New Orleans. Bob Stoops has never had trouble with the SEC, and this is a favorable matchup. But beware of Tigers RB Kamryn Pettway; he had a four-game SEC streak of 169, 192, 236 and 173 yards.

7. Cotton (Jan. 2)

Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin: We're a sucker for David vs. Goliath matchups. The unbeaten Broncos are this year's Boise State, and they've "rowed the boat" as coach P.J. Fleck says, all the way to Dallas. This is a team that's pretty much destroyed all comers. It's a shame the playoffs aren't big enough to give them the ultimate shot at glory.

6. Las Vegas (Saturday)

Houston vs. San Diego State: Tune in, Texas fans, to inspect Tom Herman's old team, check out Major Applewhite's new team and see whether Todd Orlando, expected to be Texas' next defensive coordinator, can do anything to slow down Donnel Pumphrey and the Mountain West champions. The Aztecs RB is about to seize the NCAA rushing yardage title from UT's D'Onta Foreman.

5. Citrus (Dec. 31)

Louisville vs. LSU: Lamar Jackson's Heisman Trophy win sent this rocketing up the board. Defending Jackson, who threw for 3,390 yards and ran for 1,538 and combined for 51 TDs, is a Tigers defense that includes five projected early-round NFL picks, including S Jamal Adams.

4. Peach (Dec. 31)

1-Alabama vs. 4-Washington: Sorry, folks, we cannot rank this national semifinal any higher. In fact, you could knock it several notches backward. It has the highest point spread (15) of the 40 bowls. Bama is just too darn good. Suppose you could marvel over a team that has three of the top seven and five of the top 20 players on Mel Kiper's big board.

3. Orange (Dec. 30)

Michigan vs. Florida State: We'd pay to see two tempestuous coaches, Jim Harbaugh and Jimbo Fisher, throw their headsets and erupt over every call that goes against them. The talent is impressive in this game, too, starting with Wolverines do-everything defender Jabrill Peppers and Seminoles RB Dalvin Cook and sack-master DE Demarcus Walker.

2. Rose (Jan. 2)

Penn State vs. USC: By year's end, one could argue these are two of the finest four teams. The Nittany Lions won the nation's toughest conference (sorry, SEC), and the Trojans slapped around Washington in Seattle. QBs Sam Darnold of USC and Trace McSorley are breakout stars, and there's no better bowl backdrop than the San Gabriel Mountains.

1. Fiesta (Dec. 31)

2-Clemson vs. 3-Ohio State: Vegas says this is the semifinal to watch — and we agree. The 2015 national runners-up vs. the 2014 national champs. Deshaun Watson vs. J.T. Barrett. Dabo Swinney vs. Urban Meyer. Playmakers all over the field. The Tigers took down the Buckeyes 40-35 three years ago in the Orange Bowl, and the rematch should be just as entertaining.