It's finally time for college football bowl season, and that means watching 40 games from the start of bowl season on Dec. 16 to the end of the college football season on Jan. 8.
But we know not all bowl games are created equal, especially with 40 to choose from. So we here at Sporting News decided to rank them (which includes the College Football Playoff national championship).
MORE: Picks for every bowl game, including national championship
With that said, here are the rankings for every single game in the 2017-18 bowl season:
No. 40 Independence Bowl: Florida State vs. Southern Miss
Florida State’s battle for bowl eligibility is more interesting than the bowl itself, though the 'Noles do face a perfectly capable Conference USA team in Southern Miss.
No. 39 Cure Bowl: Georgia State vs. WKU
You’ve got two six-win teams facing off in the Cure Bowl. But you can tune in to watch WKU's Mike White, who has the fourth-most passing yards of any quarterback this year, with 3,826 on the season.
No. 38 The Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl: FIU vs. Temple
Other rankings systems seem more interested in this bowl game’s name than the teams on the field (us too). That should tell you something.
No. 37 Frisco Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. SMU
This one’s basically a home game for SMU, which makes its first bowl since 2012.
No. 36 Arizona Bowl: New Mexico State vs. Utah State
It’s a battle of the Aggies in the Arizona Bowl. Also, congratulations to New Mexico State, which makes its first bowl game since the 1960 Sun Bowl against, surprise surprise, Utah State.
No. 35 Quick Lane Bowl: Duke vs. Northern Illinois
This bowl doesn’t look great on paper, but keep an eye out for MAC Defensive Player of the Year Sutton Smith, who has a nation-leading 14 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.
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No. 34 Potato Bowl: Central Michigan vs. Wyoming
This may be Josh Allen’s last college game. The Wyoming quarterback hasn’t played well this season but, if he’s healthy, would probably like to show out for any scouts in attendance at the game.
No. 33 New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Marshall
Colorado State has a good offense (12th in yardage) and bad defense (88th in yards allowed). Marshall has a bad offense (90th in yardage) and good defense (25th in yards allowed). Something’s got to give.
No. 32 Military Bowl: Navy vs. Virginia
Any time a service academy makes a bowl game, it’s a good thing. Quarterback Zach Abey (803 passing yards, 1,322 rushing yards) is the name to watch in this one.
No. 31 Camellia Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Middle Tennessee
Arkansas State boasts the nation’s No. 6 pass offense thanks to quarterback Justice Hansen, who has 3,630 yards, 34 touchdowns and 15 interceptions this season.
No. 30 Boca Raton Bowl: Akron vs. FAU
Is it really a reward if you play your bowl in your home stadium? Look for Lane Kiffin and FAU to pour on the points against Akron in this one.
MORE: How expanded College Football Playoff would look in 2017
No. 29 Bahamas Bowl: UAB vs. Ohio
There’s not a better feel-good story than UAB’s season this year, which won a program-record eight games after not fielding a team in 2015 and ‘16. The Blazers deserve the Bahamas Bowl, as does Ohio, the second-best team in the MAC.
No. 28 Belk Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Wake Forest
It’s going to be a little weird watching the Aggies play without Kevin Sumlin at the helm. Also: Is this Christian Kirk’s last game?
No. 27 Heart of Dallas Bowl: Utah vs. West Virginia
We think this one would have been more interesting during the season.
No. 26 Pinstripe Bowl: Boston College vs. Iowa
Two teams that seem like they’re built in each other’s image face off. Iowa’s Nathan Stanley and Boston College’s AJ Dillon could make this fun.
No. 25 Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State vs. Houston
Houston defensive lineman Ed Oliver didn’t dominate quite like he did last year, but he can finish off his sophomore season with a few more sacks and tackles for losses.
No. 24 Armed Forces Bowl: Army vs. San Diego State
Hope you like lots of rushing yards with your bowl games. The nation’s No. 1 rush offense (368.1 yards per game) takes on the nation’s leading rusher in San Diego State’s Rashaad Penny (2,027 yards, 19 touchdowns).
No. 23 Birmingham Bowl: Texas Tech vs. USF
So. Much. Offense. Both teams rank in the top 26 in total and scoring offense, and the quarterback battle between South Florida’s Quinton Flowers and Texas Tech’s Nic Shimonek will be awesome.
No. 22 Foster Farms Bowl: Arizona vs. Purdue
Was Khalil Tate’s incredible October just a flash in the pan, or is he the real deal? We can find out in this game against Purdue, which has the nation’s 18th-ranked scoring defense (19.3 points per game).
No. 21 New Orleans Bowl: North Texas vs. Troy
North Texas has one of the most potent offenses in the country. Troy beat LSU earlier this season. It’s a good matchup. Also, look for North Texas’ Seth Littrell and Troy’s Neal Brown to be on some coaching radars this offseason.
No. 20 Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. No. 21 Northwestern
On paper, this doesn’t look like the most exciting matchup. But hey, it’s another opportunity for SEC and Big Ten fans to argue about whose conference is better.
MORE: New Year's Day Six bowls: Dates, time, TV for biggest matchups
No. 19 Las Vegas Bowl: No. 25 Boise State vs. Oregon
You have the Mountain West champion take on an Oregon team that features explosive offensive talent in Royce Freeman (1,475 yards, 16 touchdowns) and quarterback Justin Herbert.
No. 18 Sun Bowl: Arizona State vs. No. 24 N.C. State
Arizona State ranks 120th in the nation in sacks allowed (38). Bronko Nagurski winner Bradley Chubb — if he plays — comes into this game with 10 sacks and 23 tackles for loss. Just a thought.
No. 17 Texas Bowl: Missouri vs. Texas
Lots of storylines in this one: This is the teams’ first meeting since 2011, when Missouri was still a member of the Big 12; Tom Herman can end his first season on a positive note; and Missouri quarterback Drew Lock (SEC single-season-record 43 passing touchdown) takes on Texas safety DeShon Elliott (six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns).
No. 16 Dollar General Bowl: Appalachian State vs. Toledo
Look for some excellent quarterback play from the MAC champion and Sun Belt co-champion: Toledo’s Logan Woodside and App State’s Taylor Lamb have combined for 55 passing touchdowns and only 11 interceptions this season.
No. 15 Cactus Bowl: Kansas State vs. UCLA
There’s not much to this one, but it is Josh Rosen’s last college game. And Bill Snyder always has his K-State teams ready to play.
No. 14 TaxSlayer Bowl: Louisville vs. No. 23 Mississippi State
Dan Mullen and Nick Fitzgerald are gone, otherwise this could have been a top-10 bowl. Still, it’s likely the last time you can watch Lamar Jackson work his magic at Louisville. This is must-watch TV for that reason alone.
No. 13 Outback Bowl: Michigan vs. South Carolina
You remember the last time these teams played, right? Michigan probably is a little disappointed it ended up in the Outback Bowl, but they get a South Carolina team that’s on the rise in the SEC under Will Muschamp. It’ll be interesting to see how Jake Bentley handles that Michigan front seven.
No. 12 Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. No. 20 Memphis
Memphis ranks second nationally in scoring offense and fourth in total offense. The Tigers are led by bona fide stars in quarterback Riley Ferguson and running back Darrell Henderson, and have beaten top-25 opponents (at the time) in UCLA and Navy. This will be another chance for Matt Campbell to add an impressive win to his resume after upending Oklahoma and TCU.
No. 11 Holiday Bowl: No. 16 Michigan State vs. No. 18 Washington State
No one expected Michigan State to have such a turnaround season after going 3-9 last year, but the 9-3 Spartans look ready to take on Wazzu. How will their ninth-ranked defense handle Luke Falk?
MORE: College Football Playoff odds: Who's favored to win?
No. 10 Camping World Bowl: No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 22 Virginia Tech
Oklahoma State will be a good opponent for the Hokies and their typically staunch defense. This game also features the No. 1, No. 17 and No. 31 receivers in the country in Oklahoma State’s James Washington (1,423 yards), Marcell Ateman (1,049) and Virginia Tech’s Cam Phillips (964 yards), respectively.
No. 9 Orange Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 6 Wisconsin
It’s a game of contrasting styles: Wisconsin’s slower, power offense (led by Jonathan Taylor) against the high-flying, opportunistic Canes defense. The Hurricanes can stake their claim early if they come out in their famous smoke entrance.
No. 8 Alamo Bowl: No. 13 Stanford vs. No. 15 TCU
Heisman finalist Bryce Love faces off against TCU and its fourth-ranked rush defense (99.8 yards per game). Kenny Hill can finish off his college career with a win. This one’s going to be fun.
No. 7 Citrus Bowl: No. 14 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 LSU
LSU’s Derrius Guice vs. Notre Dame’s Brandon Wimbush and Josh Adams. Expect lots of rushing yards in this one. The Irish won the last meeting between these teams, 31-28 in the 2014 Music City Bowl.
No. 6 Peach Bowl, No. 7 Auburn vs. No. 12 UCF
The Tigers have a chance at their 11th win of the season against UCF, the last remaining unbeaten FBS team. Look for Kerryon Johnson to get healthy and for Jarrett Stidham to put on a passing clinic. But don’t count out the Knights, who boast the nations’ top scoring offense (49.4 points per game)
No. 5 Fiesta Bowl: No. 9 Penn State vs. No. 11 Washington
Arguably the nation’s most exciting player in Saquon Barkley faces off against a Huskies defense that ranks No. 1 in rushing yards per game. Washington’s Myles Gaskin and Dante Pettis can break the game open at any time.
No. 4 Cotton Bowl, No. 5 Ohio State vs. No. 8 USC
Sam Darnold and J.T. Barrett face off in a matchup of elite quarterbacks. USC’s Stephen Carr and Ronald Jones face off against J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. Can the Trojans beat a second-straight Big Ten opponent in a bowl?
No. 3 Rose Bowl, No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Georgia
Two young coaches in Kirby Smart and Lincoln Riley face off in the most hallowed venue in college football. Roquan Smith is one of the best linebackers in the country, and that matchup against Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is going to be so, so good.
No. 2 Sugar Bowl, No. 1 Clemson vs. No. 4 Alabama
Alabama-Clemson III is here a little earlier than we expected, but this is going to be a great rubber match. The Tide will have time to get a little healthier, especially on defense, but Clemson’s offense is running on all cylinders with Kelly Bryant. Jalen Hurts has a chance at redemption against Clemson's defense. Be excited.
No. 1 College Football Playoff championship game
It’s the championship game. What else do you need to know?
