To paraphrase Chuck Todd of NBC's "Meet the Press": If it's the end of the college football season, it must be time for the Owljock Bowl Board. But first, a couple of notes.
- Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Oklahoma are this year's contestants in the College Football Playoff, which means there's a 75 percent of a team from the South winning the national championship. The Crimson Tide, which has been the top-ranked team all season, is favored to win another title.
- The CFP semifinals will now be on the last Saturday in December, in response to calendar quirks and declining TV ratings, That is, if the rotation falls on New Year's Day. In which case, by tradition and contract, the Rose and Sugar bowls would host the semifinals.
- As usual, there's the whining over which teams got passed over for the four-team playoff, which usually leads to calls for an eight-team playoff. This year it's Central Florida and Ohio State. The Knights' crime is going undefeated in something called the American Athletic Conference, and playing pushovers just like the big boys do. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten Plus title, but lost a key game or two for the committee to consider them. Now coach Urban Meyer is leaving after the Rose Bowl, allegedly for health reasons, and will be replaced by assistant Ryan Day.
If you haven't been here before (or if you just plain forgot), here's how the Bowl Board works: We name the game, who's playing and where, who's televising it, and a brief description of the game's sponsor and what they're known for (where appropriate). Got all that? Good. Let's get on with it.
Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl: North Carolina A&T vs. Alcorn State (Atlanta, GA 12/15) ABC
New Mexico Bowl: North Texas vs. Utah State (Albuquerque, NM 12/15) ESPN
AutoNation Cure Bowl: Tulane vs. Louisiana (Orlando, FL 12/15) CBS Sports Network
Automotive retailer.
Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl: Fresno State vs. Arizona State (Las Vegas, NV 12/15) ABC
Auto manufacturer.
Raycom Media Camellia Bowl: Georgia Southern vs. Eastern Michigan (Montgomery, AL 12/15) ESPN
Media company.
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State (New Orleans, LA 12/15) ESPN
Shipping firm.
Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl: Alabama-Birmingham vs. Northern Illinois (Boca Raton, FL 12/18) ESPN
Energy drink.
DXL Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. Ohio (Frisco, TX 12/19) ESPN
Men's clothing store chain.
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall vs. South Florida (Tampa, FL 12/20) ESPN
Lawn mowers.
Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo (Nassau, Bahamas 12/21) ESPN
Industrial park in Elk Grove Village, IL, near Chicago.
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Western Michigan vs. Brigham Young (Boise, ID 12/21) ESPN
Jared Birmingham Bowl: Memphis vs. Wake Forest (Birmingham, AL 12/22) ESPN
Retail jewelry store chain.
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl: Houston vs. Army (Fort Worth, TX 12/22) ESPN
Defense contractor.
Dollar General Bowl: Buffalo vs. Troy (Mobile, AL 12/22) ESPN
Retail chain.
SoFi Hawaii Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii (Honolulu, HW 12/22) ESPN
Financial services.
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl: Boston College vs. Boise State (Dallas, TX 12/26) ESPN
Disaster cleanup service. Formerly Heart of Dallas Bowl.
Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech (Detroit, MI 12/26) ESPN
Auto care shops.
Cheez-It Bowl: California vs. Texas Christian (Phoenix, AZ 12/26) ESPN
Cheese crackers. Formerly Cactus Bowl.
Walk-On's Independence Bowl: Temple vs. Duke (Shreveport, LA 12/27) ESPN
Sports restaurant chain.
New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Miami vs. Wisconsin (New York City, NY 12/27) ESPN
Sports apparel.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. Vanderbilt (Houston, TX 12/27) ESPN
Sporting goods retail chain.
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Purdue vs. Auburn (Nashville, TN 12/28) ESPN
Financial services.
Camping World Bowl: West Virginia vs. Syracuse (Orlando, FL 12/28) ESPN
Camping and RV supplies.
Valero Alamo Bowl: Iowa State vs. Washington State (San Antonio, TX 12/28) ESPN
Energy company.
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: Florida vs. Michigan (Atlanta, GA 12/29) ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.
Belk Bowl: South Carolina vs. Virginia (Charlotte, NC 12/29) ABC
Regional department stores.
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Nevada (Tucson, AZ 12/29) CBS Sports Network
Mortgage lender.
Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (CFP Semifinal): Clemson vs. Notre Dame (Arlington, TX 12/29) ESPN
Tires and blimps.
Capital One Orange Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Alabama vs. Oklahoma (Miami Gardens, FL 12/29) ESPN
Financial services.
Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech (Annapolis, MD 12/31) ESPN
Defense contractor.
Hyundai Sun Bowl: Stanford vs. Pittsburgh (El Paso, TX 12/31) CBS
Auto manufacturer.
Redbox Bowl: Michigan State vs. Oregon (Santa Clara, CA 12/31) Fox
Movie and game rentals. Formerly Foster Farms Bowl.
San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl: Northwestern vs. Utah (San Diego, CA 12/31) FS1
Financial services in southern California.
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Texas A&M (Jacksonville, FL 12/31) ESPN
Online tax preparation.
Outback Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Iowa (Tampa. FL 1/1/19) ESPN2
Steak and seafood restaurants.
VRBO Citrus Bowl: Kentucky vs. Penn State (Orlando, FL 1/1/19) ABC
Vacation rental and travel website.
PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: Louisiana State vs. Central Florida (Glendale, AZ 1/1/19) ESPN
Videogame consoles.
Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual: Washington vs. Ohio State (Pasadena, CA 1/1/19) ESPN
Financial services.
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Texas vs. Georgia (New Orleans, LA 1/1/19) ESPN
Insurance and financial services.
College Football Playoff National Championship Game Presented by AT&T: Teams TBD (Santa Clara, CA 1/7/19) ESPN
Communications giant.