Bowls galore, featuring "Boring Bowls"

First and foremost, let's check out how I did when I tired to predict where some of the ranked teams would end up in my week 15 rankings.
Cincy/Florida- I said Sugar, and Sugar it is, though Sugar is supposed to be sweet and this is anything but as a Gator fan.
TCU- Nope. I thought Orange. Instead the Fiesta pit them against Boise. More on that subject later though.
Iowa/Penn State- Predicted a BCS berth for one, but got the bowl wrong (Orange, not Fiesta).
Miami (FL)- Champs Sports, boom!
Pittsburgh- Meineke Car Care Bowl FTW.
Brigham Young- Las Vegas Bowl bound indeed.
Stanford- I said Emerald or Holiday, but they got Brut Sun Bowl. Swing and a miss.
Arizona- Holiday Bowl, called it.
Central Michigan- I thought the Little Caesars got the MAC champs? Guess not. Wrong.
Wisconsin- I foresaw Champs Sports, and Champs Sports it is.
Utah- Pointsettia, done and done.
Oregon State- Not, in fact, playing in the Brut Sun Bowl. Another one in the wrong column.
Nebraska- At least I ended with a win (Holiday Bowl).
So what's that put me at, nine out of 14? Not too shabby, but I'm not going to start betting or anything.
Next up, I'd like to share with you a helpful guide. I've divided the bowls into three categories. The three categories are "Boring Bowls," "Decent Bowls," and "Exciting Bowls." Not the flashiest names, but hey, Occam's Razor. Not surprisingly, there's more "Decent" than "Boring" or "Exciting" bowls, probably due to simple rules of random distribution.
I've classified each bowl game into one of those three categories for various reasons. Right now, I'll start with the "Boring Bowls," or the bowls you shouldn't stress missing, and shouldn't go out of your way to watch unless your alma matter is involved or something. So without further ado, here we go.
The "Boring Bowls," presented to you in chronological order!

New Mexico Bowl, Saturday, December 19, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
Fresno State vs Wyoming
This is the first bowl game of the season, so a lot of people will watch it anyways. However, there's not much to get excited about here. Wyoming is unimpressive in a conference that couldn't qualify enough teams for its tie-ins, and Fresno State isn't the BCS busting machine we once thought they were. Each team had stretches of decent-ness (Wyoming for the first 1 1/2 quarters vs Texas, Fresno State for awhile against Boise) but these are two "meh" teams, and they're going to play "meh" football.

Hawaii Bowl, Thursday, December 24, 8:00 P.M. on ESPN
Nevada vs Southern Methodist
Well, Nevada is an exciting and good football team. Their offense has been downright scary at times. SMU, however, is not very good. Their best win was over ECU, but they also lost to some baaaad (Washington State) teams. The reason this is a "Boring" bowl is because it'll probably be Nevada running SMU ragged. I like competition, not blowouts. I'll pass on this one and open presents instead.

Little Caesars Bowl, Saturday, December 26, 1:00 P.M. on ESPN
Ohio vs Marshall
Ohio was second place in the MAC, losing to CMU. Marshall was not good this year, going 6-6. Bowls like this (Little Caesars Bowl, really?) are why people like me become disillusioned with the sport when bowl season comes around. Ohio will probably run train on Marshall, because they can grind it out against the likes of Tennessee, while Marshall lets Memphis into games.

Humanitarian Bowl, Wednesday, December 30, 4:30 P.M. on ESPN
Bowling Green vs Idaho
Truth be told, this matchup would've been much more intriguing to me if Idaho hadn't gone into free-fall mode to end the season. The Vandals have grown by leaps and bounds, but now have to face an established Mid-Major in Bowling Green. Will the motivation to win be there? Maybe. But when you have a team coming in hot facing one coming in ice cold, it's a recipe for a boring bowl game.

Insight Bowl, Thursday, December 31, 6:00 P.M. on NFL Network
Iowa State vs Minnesota
Well... Iowa State had a nice win over Nebraska. Minnesota came out hot and has been on life support since. Neither team, especially Iowa State, is a powerhouse program. Not saying that's why not to watch this game, but neither team plays football particularly well. Most people don't even get the NFL Network, so it's all good.

Gator Bowl, Friday, Friday, January 1, 1:00 P.M. on CBS
West Virginia vs Florida State
Am I being too harsh putting this game in the losers bracket? No. And it's not just because I hate Florida State. But this game will be over before it starts. FSU has been gashed by the run and West Virginia certainly loves to run the ball. The Noles are only 6-6 and truthfully shouldn't even be here, as per the bowl's contract. But they are. The only thing that may make this game better is if the team comes out fired up for Bobby Bowden's last game. Still, I don't think the Noles have a chance. Foregone conclusions make for bad bowls.

International Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 12:00 P.M. on ESPN2
South Florida vs Northern Illinois
Well... Both finished in the middle of their conference. NIU in the MAC, and USF in the Big East. Now don't get me wrong, NIU is a decent program. But the MAC isn't close to the Big East, even if the Big East is the weakest BCS conference. USF has shown flashes at times this year, and has big playmakers on defense. If Matt Grothe hadn't been hurt, who knows what the Bulls might have done? Still, they managed to beat some decent and good teams (FSU, WVU) so they know how to play. NIU may try to get up for this one, but USF will beat them down soundly. Parity is good in bowls, blowouts aren't.

Alamo Bowl, Saturday, January 2, 9:00 P.M. on ESPN
Michigan State vs Texas Tech
Just looking at names, one may think this would be a good matchup. Well, one would be wrong- Saban's at Alabama now, not Michigan State. The Spartans lost to every good Big Ten team they went up against, while Texas Tech was a respectable 5-3 in the Big 12. What I'm hinting at here is the disparity in talent. Michigan State will be way overmatched. The Big 12 is the second best conference for a reason, and a winning record there is something to be proud of. Going .500 in the Big Ten isn't. Romps don't make for entertaining football, unless you're a Red Raider.

So that's it for the boring bowls. I'll split up the "Decent" and "Exciting" bowls over the next few entries. Check back for more.