What do college football bowl games and major television awards shows have in common? That's easy. They can either be snapshots of time which create moments we'll remember for years to come, or they can be a gigantic three-hour waste of time. Tonight's football championship is closer to the former this year, although there were a few other post-season games that fell closer to Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards.

I wanted to write more about the Globes, but I spent a lot of (too much) time and effort watching all of the 43 bowl games in order to rank them, best to worst. I did not watch all of them live, which would be impossible because there were some that were going on simultaneously, but I did record the ones I didn't see live (and yes, I fast-forwarded through the boring parts).

What led to this, besides a gigantic amount of free time, was that a few years ago, I developed a scoring system for bowl games. The bigger the game, and the closer it was, the more points it would score. I've never really tested this system, and this year I finally got the chance. One big problem arose, however. I forgot the formula. I wrote it on another computer, which was stolen a couple of years ago. I thought I wrote about it in one of these editions, but I can't find it. Didn't realize that until we were half way through the bowl season. Ugh.

So instead, I just watched a game, and then decided where it would rank compared to the others. I will say, though, that a lopsided game with better teams could have placed higher than a closer game with more mediocre teams. It's subjective, so if you would like to peruse the list of all 43 games (way too many, and also including tonight's championship game to make it more topical), that may mean you have more free time on your hands than I do.

One other note about the Golden Globes. Did you watch? It's like the writers and actors strike ended yesterday. No production value, no lifetime achievement awards. There was a host, but I had never heard of Jo Koy, other than he's coming to Bakersfield in March. If you wanted no frills, you got it. The show also moved to CBS this year. I'm sure they're excited.

Anyway, the bowl rankings. Whatever. Here goes...

1) Rose Bowl (January 1 in Pasadena); #1 Michigan 27, #4 Alabama 20 (OT): This might be easy pickin's, but the Granddaddy of Them All was also the best bang for your football buck. The first of the two playoff semifinals was intense all the way through. The Wolverines tied the game on their final possession in regulation, and then won it on the second snap of overtime. It was 7-7 after one quarter, 13-10 Michigan at halftime, neither team scored in the third, and Alabama went up 20-13 before unbeaten Michigan rallied.

2) Sugar Bowl (January 1-New Orleans, LA); #2 Washington 37, #3 Texas 31: The Huskies never trailed in the other playoff semifinal, but didn't lead by more than a touchdown in the first half. They had a brief 13-point lead in the fourth quarter at 34-21 before the Longhorns got back within six. Washington QB Michael Penix, Junior passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns—both to Dillon Johnson. Texas QB Quinn Ewers put the ball up 43 times for 318 yards and a TD.

3) CFP National Championship Game (January 8-Houston, TX); Michigan 34, Washington 13: There were no ties or lead changes, but plenty of drama in the game for all the marbles. Michigan scored the final TD with under four minutes to go, sealing its first championship since it split the title with Nebraska in 1997. The Wolverines led 17-10 at halftime, and 20-13 through three quarters before pulling away. Michigan RB Blake Corum scored two touchdowns. Huskies QB Michael Penix, Jr. was intercepted twice.

4) ReliaQuest Bowl (January 1-Tampa, FL); #13 Louisiana State 35,. Wisconsin 31: The first bowl game of 2024 was on ESPN2, and also featured several players opting out, including LSU QB and Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. The Tigers didn't get their first lead until just over three minutes to go, and trailed by 14 points on two occasions. Garrett Nussmaier filled in for Daniels at QB, and passed for 395 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception.

5) Gator Bowl (December 29-Jacksonville, FL); #22 Clemson 38, Kentucky 35: Trials and tribulations. Barion Brown took the second half opening kickoff 100 yards for a score to give Kentucky a 21-10 lead, but in the fourth quarter, Brown fumbled, and one play later, Clemson took it to the end zone to lead 27-21. Brown wasn't done, though, catching a 60-yard pass for a score and a Wildcats 28-27 lead. Three lead-changes in the final four-and-a-half minutes later, Phil Mafah rushed three yards for his fourth TD to win it.

6) Alamo Bowl (December 28-San Antonio, TX); #14 Arizona 38, #12 Oklahoma 24: They say basketball is a game of runs, but this football game was full of them. Arizona led 13-0 before the Sooners scored 24 unanswered points. The Wildcats then scored 25 straight to pull away. Oklahoma turned the ball over six times, and U-of-A's Gunner Maldonado had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a TD. The game featured the highest-ranked pairing outside the 'New Year's Six' bowls.

7) Holiday Bowl (December 27-Petco Park in San Diego); USC 42, #15 Louisville 28: The first of the 'bigger bowls' was also the first featuring a ranked team and the first not on ABC or ESPN (Fox). Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams did not play, but backup Miller Moss threw for six touchdowns, four in the first half. The Trojans had 24 players missing from their earlier season roster due to the transfer portal or opting-out for NFL draft reasons, but the remaining squad showed they were more than motivated.

8) Texas Bowl (December 27-Houston, TX); #20 Oklahoma State 31, Texas A&M 23: Two major programs and several big plays, but the game was a little more one-sided than the score would indicate. OSU never trailed, but the Aggies did have a shot at the end zone in the final seconds. This game was on ESPN opposite the Holiday Bowl on Fox—a sign that bowl season is heating up.

9) LA Bowl (December 16-SoFi Stadium in Inglewood); UCLA 35, Boise State 22: It was the prime time matchup on ABC Opening Day with some drama. The Bruins trailed 16-7 at half, but changed quarterbacks for the final 30 minutes. In previous years, the game was hosted by late night talk host Jimmy Kimmel, but now the duties belong to former NFLer Rob Gronkowski who was omnipresent, and even sung the national anthem.

10) New Orleans Bowl (December 16-New Orleans, LA); Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana 31 (OT): This Jacksonville State is in Alabama, playing in their first bowl game, and winning it. The game featured 4 ties and 5 lead changes, including the winning field goal in overtime. Louisiana, in their seventh trip to the nearby Superdome, capitalized on defense, scoring two touchdowns on interceptions, and one on a fumble.

11) Famous Toastery Bowl (December 18-Charlotte, NC); Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT): Perhaps the greatest comeback that no one saw. Played at 11:30am Pacific Time so it wouldn't conflict with Monday Night Football, this game had 'who cares?' written all over it. ODU took a 21-0 lead in just seven minutes, providing another reason not to stick around, but WKU tied the game 35-35 with 19 seconds remaining. To add insult to the viewers actually watching the game, ESPN moved the conclusion to ESPN2 at 3pm so that NFL Monday Night Countdown (the two-hour pregame show!) wouldn't be pre-empted.

12) Quick Lane Bowl (December 26-Detroit, MI); Minnesota 30, Bowling Green 24: The first post-Christmas bowl game is not the most enticing matchup for those not in the Midwest, but the Falcons beat Minnesota in 2021, and struck quickly in this one. The Gophers came roaring back and controlled this one, but never had a commanding lead. Detroit-area native, and Minnesota running back Darius Taylor rushed for 208 yards and a TD.

13) Camellia Bowl (December 23-Montgomery, AL); Northern Illinois 21, Arkansas State 19: Two bowl games in the state of Alabama (Birmingham Bowl on ABC) kicked off at the same time (this one on ESPN). There was more offense in this one, and a controversial ending. After a two-point conversion attempt failed for ASU with 1:14 remaining, the ensuing on-side kick was recovered by the Red Wolves, but off-sides was called. Replays appeared inconclusive.

14) Cotton Bowl (December 29-Arlington, TX); #9 Missouri 14, #7 Ohio State 3: If, after a long day (and several days) of watching football, you nodded off during the first half (I did), you didn't miss much. The Buckeyes had a 3-0 halftime lead, and punted six times. All-everything receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. waited until the last minute to opt out, and starting QB Kyle McCord has already transferred. There was only one turnover (fumble), but 16 punts. The first TD of the game came on the first play of the fourth quarter.

15) Peach Bowl (December 30-Atlanta, GA); #11 Mississippi 38, #10 Penn State 25: Still considered a 'New Year's Six' bowl, it was played a little early this year. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart didn't mind, tossing for 379 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran into the end zone for a score. Tight end Caden Prieskorn caught two TD passes. Penn State has had one of the better defenses in the country this year, but gave up 540 yards to the Rebels. To be fair, though, the Nittany Lions amassed 510 yards of offense.

16) Citrus Bowl (January 1-Orlando FL); #21 Tennessee 35, #17 Iowa 0: Despite a 10-3 record, Iowa came in only averaging 17 points a game. They couldn't score any against the Vols. The game was scoreless after the first quarter, and 14-0 at halftime, marking the fourth time this year the Hawkeyes had no points at the break. U-T quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three TDs and threw one more.

17) Myrtle Beach Bowl (December 16-Conway, SC); Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21: A one-sided game, but the one that started the marathon. Ohio RB Rickey Hunt scored 5 touchdowns. GSU turned the ball over five times. Also, a pretty good broadcast with announcers Drew Carter, Dustin Fox, and Stormy Buonatony having fun by the beach, not taking themselves too seriously, but not coming off as clowns, either.

18) Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (December 23-Boise, ID); Georgia State 45, Utah State 22: Played on the blue 'smurf turf' at Boise State, there were 378 yards of offense, five touchdowns, and five plays of 25 of more yards, and that was just in the first quarter (Georgia State led 21-14). Big plays were made on both sides, with the Aggies getting TDs on a 35-yard catch and a 65-yard run. Darren Grainger connected with Cadarrius Thompson on TD passes of 23 and 37 yards.

19) Fenway Bowl (December 28-Boston, MA); Boston College 23, #24 SMU 14: Pros: Inclement weather, game played at a baseball park. Cons: Early kickoff (8am Pacific), lopsided matchup. The Mustangs were 11-2 coming in, compared to BC's 6-6, but there were three lead changes in the first half before the Eagles, trailing 17-10 at halftime, pulled off the upset.

20) Guaranteed Rate Bowl (December 26-Phoenix, AZ); Kansas 49, UNLV 36: If you like a lot of points, you loved this one. The Jayhawks were a big favorite coming in, and it didn't take long to see why. The Rebels scored on their first drive, but it was all Kansas in the first half after that—leading 28-7 at halftime. UNLV mounted a comeback in the their quarter, closing to 28-24, but Kansas kept scoring.

21) Pinstripe Bowl (December 28-New York, NY); Rutgers 31, Miami (Florida) 24: The game at Yankee Stadium immediately followed the one at Fenway Park, with both games featuring a local team. Miami wasn't ranked, but in both games, the home town team pulled out the victory. The Scarlet Knights led 14-0, trailed 17-14, and then blocked a punt for a TD, turning the momentum in their favor. Miami made it interesting with a late TD and recovering an onside kick, but fell short on fourth down with :07 remaining.

22) Music City Bowl (December 30-Nashville, TN); Maryland 31, Auburn 13: Although neither team was ranked, it had the feel of a major bowl game. It was all Maryland, though. The Terrapins led 24-7 at halftime, meaning there wasn't much happening in half number two. Plenty of players were used in this one, meaning the stat sheet wasn't all that impressive, but crowd size and it's close-to-New Year's Eve status gives this bowl some bonus points.

23) Gasparilla Bowl (December 22-Tampa, FL); Georgia Tech 30, Central Florida 17: An entertaining game between two 6-6 schools. Georgia Tech was down 17-3 in the first half before coming back. ESPN never really explained this during the game, but if you are wondering what a gasparilla is, it's the name for legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, who terrorized the waters off Florida in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The legend of Gasparillo is also likely how the NFL Buccaneers got their name.

24) Pop Tarts Bowl (December 28-Orlando, FL); #25 Kansas State 28, #18 North Carolina State 19: Are you kidding me? You can't come up with a better name (although better than the Duke's Mayo Bowl)? It is the first one with two ranked teams, giving the bowl some street cred. K-State QB Avery Johnson threw 2 TD passes, but the interest was more about the edible mascot and treats inside the championship trophy. This was the inaugural contest, and it has been announced that the game will be back next year.

25) Liberty Bowl (December 29-Memphis, TN); Memphis 36, Iowa State 26: Neither team was ranked, but 9-3 Memphis dominated the Cyclones through three quarters. ISU quarterback Rocco Becht threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns, but it was Memphis QB Seth Henigan who got the W, throwing for 364 yards and 4 TDs. The Tigers led 19-0 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.

26) Independence Bowl (December 16-Shreveport, LA); Texas Tech 34, California 14: In a battle of two 6-6 teams that barely became bowl eligible, Cal struck quickly after Texas Tech fumbled the opening kickoff and the Bears scored on the next play. Cal led 14-7 after the first quarter, but it was all Red Raiders after that. TTU quarterback Behren Morton threw for 259 yards and 3 TDs with one interception. It is still not a major bowl, but the Independence Bowl has been around a long time—since the U-S Bicentennial in 1976.

27) Sun Bowl (December29-El Paso, TX); #14 Notre Dame 40, #19 Oregon State 8: An unfortunate example of what can happen when many players choose for various reasons to opt out of a game. Both teams were missing several players, but OSU didn't score their only touchdown until late in the final quarter. The Irish were also playing with a backup QB and only led 14-0 at halftime. This being one of the upper tier bowls made this an even larger disappointment. Receiver Jordan Faison—115 yards and 2TDs.

28) New Mexico Bowl (December 16-Albuquerque, NM); Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10: Always some added interest here when two western schools face off. New Mexico State won at Auburn this year, but the Bulldogs controlled this one from the outset, and led all game. FSU QB Mikey Keene completed 31 of 39 passes for 380 yards and 3 touchdowns, and added a rushing TD.

29) First Responder Bowl (December26-Dallas, TX); Texas State 45, Rice 21: An example of too many bowl games-- a game in Texas with two mediocre Texas schools, but a high-scoring shootout in a small stadium with a good crowd (SMU's stadium). Texas State (7-5) in their first-ever bowl game, scored right away and never trailed. Rice (6-6) kept it close most of the way, but the Bobcats pulled away. SMU transfer Brian Holloway had two interception returns for touchdowns for TSU.

30) Duke's Mayo Bowl (December 27-Charlotte, NC); West Virginia 30, North Carolina 10: Not a top tier bowl, but two 8-4 teams. The Mountaineers struck for a 75-yard score on the first play from scrimmage and never looked back. Some new all-time broadcasting lows, though. ESPN Announcers Matt Barrie, Dan Mullen, and Harry Lyles Junior had to 'taste test' various mayonnaise flavors throughout the night. Also, instead of a Gatorade bath, the winning coach gets a bucket of mayo dumped on him. Yecchh.

31) Cure Bowl (December 16-Orlando, FL); Appalachian State 13, Miami (Ohio) 9: The weather provided the viewer interest in this one. An inch and a half of rain, seven fumbles (three for turnovers), three field goals, and no touchdowns, and that was just in the first half. The weather got worse, but both teams finally found the end zone in the third quarter. The rain, mud, and the paint coming off the logos on the field was far more entertaining than the game itself.

32) Celebration Bowl (December 16-Atlanta, GA); Florida A&M 30, Howard 26: This is the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) championship game between the winners of the SWAC and MEAC conferences. Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard grad, was in attendance, and even went into the broadcast booth for an interview. An added perk was FAMU alum Tiffany Greene doing the play-by-play on ESPN with former HU QB Jay Walker. There were three lead changes in the fourth quarter.

33) Hawai'i Bowl (December 23-Honolulu, HI); Coastal Carolina 24, San Jose State 14: This game is traditionally played on Christmas Eve, but was still the last game before the holiday. It was a low-scoring affair until the fourth quarter, with the Chanticleers leading 7-0 at halftime, and 14-0 at the end of the third quarter after an SJ State fumble near their goal line resulted in a Coastal Carolina TD drive. Two Spartans touchdowns made it 17-14, but an Ethan Vasko pass to Sam Pinckney with 2:43 to go salted the victory.

34) Armed Forces Bowl (December 23-Fort Worth, TX); Air Force 31, James Madison 21: JMU was 11-1 coming in, but having just moved up to the bowl subdivision, they were only granted eligibility because there weren't enough other eligible teams. The Dukes represented themselves well, though, although they never led. Ironically, Air Force mostly kept the ball on the ground, with Emmanuel Michel rushing for 203 yards and two touchdowns.

35) Frisco Bowl (December 19-Frisco, TX); Texas-San Antonio 35, Marshall 17: ESPN missed almost all of the first quarter because the Florida-Michigan basketball game went double overtime, but it was a close, back-and fourth contest through three quarters before the Roadrunners pulled away for their first bowl victory in program history. Marshall's QB was Cole Pennington, son of former NFL QB Chad Pennington.

36) Military Bowl (December 27-Annapolis, MD); Virginia Tech 41, Tulane 20: It's puzzling that Army wasn't invited after becoming bowl eligible with its win over Navy, but the bowl lineup was apparently set by then. Wet weather turned into a torrential downpour in the second half, but down three TDs, Tulane had to throw the ball. There were 8 fumbles resulting in 4 turnovers.

37) Las Vegas Bowl (December 23-Las Vegas, NV); Northwestern 14, Utah 7: This wasn't the Rose Bowl, but it was the Big Ten vs. the Pac-12. Not a lot of points were scored but both teams moved the ball. Tied 7-7 in the fourth quarter, Wildcats quarterback Ben Bryant fount Bryce Kirtz in the end zone for what turned out to be the winning score. Bryant ended up with 222 yards passing.

38) Birmingham Bowl (December 23-Birmingham, AL); Duke 17, Troy 10: A 9am PT kickoff, little interest, and, it turns out, little offense.There were only two touchdowns in the game (one per team), so easy to fast-forward through a recording. Troy was 11-2 going in, but Duke never trailed, and earned their fifth consecutive bowl win.

39) Fiesta Bowl (January 1-Glendale, AZ); #8 Oregon 45, #23 Liberty 6: We were hoping undefeated Liberty would put on a show, and they scored on an impressive opening drive, but we expected Oregon to dominate, and the Ducks did just that. QB Bo Nix, who announced immediately that he would play in the game, threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns to five different receivers.

40) Orange Bowl (December 30-Miami, FL); #6 Georgia 63, #5 Florida State 3: Sad for what could have been, and an embarrassment for the sport. Over a dozen FSU players opted out of this game while almost all of the Bulldogs stayed. The result was nine Georgia touchdowns and 673 yards of offense. The 60-point margin of victory is the largest of any bowl game in history. It's hard to rank this one because it needed to be seen, and was still better than having two 6-6 teams playing where a food product was the bigger star.

41) Arizona Bowl (December 30-Tucson, AZ); Wyoming 16, Toledo 15: Barstool Sports is the title sponsor and broadcast rights holder (game was carried on the CW network), and company executives were the ones in the booth. They sounded like they were in a bar, criticizing coaches and even people bad-mouthing them on Twitter. The sideline reporter had a great line at halftime with his “Charissa Thompson exclusive”, though, saying maybe he did talk to the coaches or maybe he didn't. The game only had one touchdown on each side, but Toledo's was an 80-yard first half run. The game was decided on a field goal as time ran out.

42) Boca Raton Bowl (December 21-Boca Raton, FL); South Florida 45, Syracuse 0: The only bowl game of the night featured two 6-6 teams. USF did have two 'scoop and score' touchdowns, including one on a Syracuse field goal attempt. This game was 14-0 after one quarter, and 31-0 at the half. Syracuse QB Dan Villari wears #89, which is unusual. More interesting than the game was breaking news that the Dodgers had signed Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

43) 68 Ventures Bowl (December 23-Mobile, AL); South Alabama 59, Eastern Michigan 10: Although technically the road team, the Jaguars were playing on their home field, and manhandled the Eagles from the outset. South Alabama led 17-0 after one period and 41-3 at halftime. It was 59-3 with seven minutes remaining when the game was switched from ESPN to ESPN2 for the live start of the Hawai'i Bowl. The EMU touchdown came in the final minute. Both teams entered the game with a record of 6-6.

A lot of paragraphs tonight, but I wanted to include that Tuesday (January 9) marks five years since my mother passed away. I miss her, of course, but this anniversary is extra sad for me, and my own fault. There are many of her affairs that haven't been taken care of, that I had wanted to do by now. I'm in the process of some of them, but I wish they were done. A lot of it is procrastination, but it's also hard, too. I hope she understands.