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Column: Marathon bowl season begins with a big yawn and a big who cares

In case you’re suffering from the cold weather doldrums, the college football bowl season begins its holiday marathon on Saturday. Its endless schedule goes until the first week of January with games being played in stadiums from the bright lights of Las Vegas to the sleepy Texas village of Frisco.

Bowls have become made-for-TV events pushing aside the Hallmark holiday movies so fans who are hooked on college football can get a momentary fix even though many of the teams that are playing are regular season leftovers that would be forgotten in the back of the fridge were it not for the 41 bowl games we must endure.

Games begin with a match-up of North Carolina A&T and Alcorn State this weekend in the Air Force Celebration Bowl. This thriller will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta with kickoff at noon on Saturday. And yes, it’s on network television.

Fans from the area must wait until later to see their favorite teams. Auburn doesn’t play until Dec. 28 when the Tigers meet Purdue in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville. This delay will give Coach Gus Malzahn some additional time to draw up more trick plays — maybe even some that work.

Georgia Tech will throw a going away party for departing Coach Paul Johnson when they play Minnesota at the Quick Lane Bowl. This will also give new head coach Geoff Collins a chance to watch the team practice before spring football workouts begin. Problem is, if fans want to say goodbye to Johnson and his option offense, they’ll have to endure a few days in Detroit touring abandoned automobile plants and driving through Eminem’s old neighborhood.

Georgia plays on New Year’s Day in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Bulldogs, who finished regular season play a touchdown away from the championship playoffs, meet No. 15 Texas, hoping to preserve a spot in the Top 5.

As usual, Alabama is in College Football Playoff Semifinals. The top-ranked Crimson Tide meets No. 4 Oklahoma and Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Kyler Murray in the Capitol One Orange Bowl in the nightcap. That follows a duel between No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Notre Dame in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington, Texas.

If you’re curious, and if you care, here’s the complete bowl lineup:

Saturday, Dec 15, 2018

Bowl
Location
Time (ET) / TV
Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
12:00pm ET
ABC
New Mexico Bowl
North Texas vs. Utah State
Dreamstyle Stadium
Albuquerque, NM
2:00pm ET
ESPN
AutoNation Cure Bowl
Louisiana vs. Tulane
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
2:30pm ET
CBSSN
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
21 Fresno State vs. Arizona State
Sam Boyd Stadium
Las Vegas, NV
3:30pm ET
ABC
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan
Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, AL
5:30pm ET
ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Appalachian State vs. Middle Tennessee
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
9:00pm ET
ESPN

Tuesday, Dec 18, 2018

Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl
UAB vs. Northern Illinois
FAU Stadium
Boca Raton, FL
7:00pm ET
ESPN

Wednesday, Dec 19, 2018

DXL Frisco Bowl
Ohio vs. San Diego State
Toyota Stadium
Frisco, TX
8:00pm ET
ESPN

Thursday, Dec 20, 2018

Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Marshall vs. USF
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
8:00pm ET
ESPN

Friday, Dec 21, 2018

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
FIU vs. Toledo
Thomas Robinson Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas
12:30pm ET
ESPN
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
BYU vs. Western Michigan
Albertson’s Stadium
Boise, ID
4:00pm ET
ESPN

Saturday, Dec 22, 2018

Birmingham Bowl
Wake Forest vs. Memphis
Legion Field
Birmingham, AL
12:00pm ET
ESPN
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
Houston vs. Army
Amon G. Carter Stadium
Fort Worth, TX
3:30pm ET
ESPN
Dollar General Bowl
Troy vs. Buffalo
Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Mobile, AL
7:00pm ET
ESPN
SoFi Hawai’i Bowl
Hawaii vs. Louisiana Tech
Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, HI
10:30pm ET
ESPN

Wednesday, Dec 26, 2018

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Boston College vs. 25 Boise State
Cotton Bowl Stadium
Dallas, TX
1:30pm ET
ESPN
Quick Lane Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Minnesota
Ford Field
Detroit, MI
5:15pm ET
ESPN
Cheez-It Bowl
California vs. TCU
Chase Field
Phoenix, AZ
9:00pm ET
ESPN

Thursday, Dec 27, 2018

Walk On’s Independence Bowl
Temple vs. Duke
Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
1:30pm ET
ESPN
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Miami (FL) vs. Wisconsin
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, NY
5:15pm ET
ESPN
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
Baylor vs. Vanderbilt
NRG Stadium
Houston, TX
9:00pm ET
ESPN

Friday, Dec 28, 2018

Franklin Amer. Mort. Music City Bowl
Purdue vs. Auburn
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, TN
1:30pm ET
ESPN
Camping World Bowl
20 Syracuse vs. 16 West Virginia
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
5:15pm ET
ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl
13 Washington State vs. 24 Iowa State
Alamodome
San Antonio, TX
9:00pm ET
ESPN

Saturday, Dec 29, 2018

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
10 Florida vs. 7 Michigan
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, GA
12:00pm ET
ESPN
Belk Bowl
Virginia vs. South Carolina
Bank of America Stadium
Charlotte, NC
12:30pm ET
ABC
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Nevada
Arizona Stadium
Tucson, AZ
1:00pm ET
CBSSN
Goodyear Cotton Bowl
3 Notre Dame vs. 2 Clemson
AT&T Stadium
Arlington, TX
4:00pm ET
ESPN
Capital One Orange Bowl
4 Oklahoma vs. 1 Alabama
Hard Rock Stadium
Miami Gardens, FL
8:00pm ET
ESPN

Monday, Dec 31, 2018

Military Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Navy-Marine Corps Mem. Stadium
Annapolis, MD
12:00pm ET
ESPN
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Stanford vs. Pitt
Sun Bowl Stadium
El Paso, TX
2:00pm ET
CBS
Redbox Bowl
Oregon vs. Michigan State
Levi’s Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
3:00pm ET
FOX
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
23 Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium
Memphis, TN
3:45pm ET
ESPN
SDCCU Holiday Bowl
17 Utah vs. 22 Northwestern
Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego, CA
7:00pm ET
FS1
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl
19 Texas A&M vs. NC State
TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, FL
7:30pm ET
ESPN

Tuesday, Jan 1, 2019

Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. 18 Mississippi State
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, FL
12:00pm ET
ESPN2
VRBO Citrus Bowl
14 Kentucky vs. 12 Penn State
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, FL
1:00pm ET
ABC
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl
11 LSU vs. 8 UCF
State Farm Stadium
Glendale, AZ
1:00pm ET
ESPN
Rose Bowl Game
6 Ohio State vs. 9 Washington
Rose Bowl Stadium
Pasadena, CA
5:00pm ET
ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl
15 Texas vs. 5 Georgia
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
New Orleans, LA
8:45pm ET
ESPN

Monday, Jan 7, 2019

CFP National Championship
Semifinal Winners
Levi’s Stadium
Santa Clara, CA
8:00pm ET
ESPN

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