It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Bowl season starts Saturday to the delight of college football fans that revel in the interesting non-conference matchups these games produce. The fact they coincide with the holidays make the atmosphere that much more... festive, even merry.
That said, no one would confuse the start of the bowl season for producing the best matchups. Indeed, Saturday's slate of games are filled with six-win and seven-win teams. All told, there are five such games happening on Saturday involving these also-rans from the season.
It's why today's guide will balance that out by also detailing the FCS, Division II, and Division III action happening tomorrow and on Saturday as well. The FCS is having two semifinal games and a post-season bowl game of its own. Division II and Division III will crown their national champions this weekend as well.
Here's your viewing guide for the weekend.
Friday
Sam Houston State at North Dakota State (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). This guide has you covered on your lower-tier football options as well. This will be the first FCS semifinal of the weekend in which North Dakota State hosts Sam Houston State.
North Dakota State's reputation has been well-established by now. The program is arguably the best FCS program of the young century. The Bison won five straight national championships from 2011 to 2015, surpassing the previous best of Appalachian State from 2005 to 2007. That streak ended last year with a semifinal loss to James Madison.
Sam Houston State has yet to get to the promised land. Indeed, it has the Bison to thank for that. North Dakota State's first two national championship came at the expense of the Bearkats in 2011 and 2012.
Mount Union vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor [Stagg Bowl] (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). This is the Stagg Bowl, i.e. the Division III championship game.
Ohio State fans know of Mount Union. The Purple Raiders are Division III royalty, winning 12 national championships since 1993. Mount Union will compete for its first national championship since 2015 on Friday.
However, the path to the title goes through the defending champion Mary Hardin-Baylor, which beat the Purple Raiders in the semifinals last year. The Crusaders finally won its first national championship last year after coming close in the preceding years. It was even runner-up in 2004.
Saturday
Grambling State vs. North Carolina A&T [Celebration Bowl] (ABC, 12 p.m.). FCS "bowl games" are still a foreign concept for me so I had to look this up.
This postseason exhibition game started in 2015 as a contest between champions from conferences whose membership consists entirely of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion North Carolina A&T Aggies will play the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champion Grambling State Tigers in Atlanta early Saturday afternoon.
The overlap with the FCS playoffs is curious. The SWAC's case is a little clearer; its regular season extends too late into the calendar year, cutting into the FCS playoffs. As such, it cannot crown a conference champion in time for the playoff and has instead opted to forgo it altogether.
The MEAC's case is a little more curious. The MEAC used to crown their champion in time for the FCS playoff selection but decided to skip those festivities in lieu of a postseason game with the SWAC champions. Bethune-Cookman was the last MEAC champion to participate in the playoffs in 2013.
Troy vs. North Texas [New Orleans Bowl] (ESPN, 1 p.m.). This is our first "true" bowl game of the season.
The New Orleans Bowl, which representatives from the Sun Belt and Conference USA against each other, has carved out a nice niche in an otherwise diluted bowl schedule as the first on the schedule. This game in the Superdome isn't reliably the best attended affair but some fan bases are eager to travel to New Orleans for this game. In the past, that had been Louisiana-Lafayette, which had participated in this game from 2011 to 2014.
This year, the 10-2 Sun Belt champion Troy Trojans clash with the 9-4 North Texas Mean Green. North Texas is a much improved team from previous season, winning the C-USA West before falling to Florida Atlantic in the championship game.
Vegas likes Troy by at least a touchdown on Saturday. This is the same Troy team that beat LSU in Baton Rouge.
Western Kentucky vs. Georgia State [Cure Bowl] (CBS Sports, 2:30 p.m.). Georgia State returns to the Cure Bowl for its second-ever bowl game. It had previously participated in this game in 2015 but lost to San Jose State by 11.
Georgia State only started playing football in 2010 before moving to the FBS level in 2013. It should be unsurprising the football was bad. The Panthers got to six wins again and a second berth in this bowl and, given a scheduling quirk, is guaranteed at least its first ever .500 season at the FBS level. Georgia State only played 11 games this season after the spate of hurricanes forced the cancellation of its game against Memphis.
It'll have a decent shot to win this game too. Western Kentucky is a recent power in the C-USA but the Hilltoppers are 6-6 after Jeff Brohm left the program for Purdue. Vegas likes Georgia State by a touchdown in this contest.
Boise State vs. Oregon [Las Vegas Bowl] (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). Oregon starts yet another new era in Las Vegas. Willie Taggart left Eugene after one year to take over Florida State. Oregon promoted Mario Cristobal, the interim coach for this contest, to full-time status.
It's about time for Cristobal as well. Mario Cristobal got a raw deal at FIU, run out on a rail by the same athletic department that thought Isiah Thomas was a good idea. He since landed at Alabama as an offensive line coach before joining Willie Taggart's staff in Eugene.
Truthfully, this opportunity had been a long time coming for Cristobal. He's an excellent coach who only improved his chops since leaving FIU. The only misgiving one might have over Cristobal's tenure in Oregon is that recruiting to Oregon is a challenge notwithstanding Oregon's Nike money.
His first game will be in the Las Vegas Bowl against the Mountain West champion Boise State Broncos. Oregon fans are no stranger to Boise State and I think we're all hoping it ends with another LeGarrette Blount situation.
Vegas does like Oregon to get its first win all-time against Boise State. The Ducks are touchdown favorites.
Marshall vs. Colorado State [New Mexico Bowl] (ESPN, 4:30 p.m.). It'll be hard to muster enthusiasm for this year's New Mexico Bowl, which pits two 7-5 teams against each other. Both finished middle of the pack in their respective conference's divisions.
Further, both are limping into this contest. Marshall has lost four of its last five games. Colorado State had a three-game losing streak snapped in the season finale with a 42-14 win over San Jose State.
Vegas likes Colorado State, though. The Rams are a 5.5-point favorite.
South Dakota State at James Madison (ESPNU, 4:30 p.m.). This is the other semifinal game. Winner gets the winner of North Dakota State-Sam Houston State on Jan. 6 in Frisco, Texas.
Readers who do not follow FCS football regularly may at least have a passing familiarity with James Madison by now. The Dukes unseated North Dakota State last year in the semifinals and later won its second-ever national championship by defeating Bo Pelini's Youngstown State program in the finals. James Madison even hosted ESPN's College GameDay earlier this year.
Undefeated, the Dukes are poised for a repeat.
South Dakota State is looking for its first-ever FCS Championship Game berth and is up for the challenge. The Jackrabbits are 11-2 and are even responsible for North Dakota State's only loss this season. The Jackrabbits beat the Bison by 12 in Brookings to secure the Dakota Marker trophy.
West Florida vs. Texas A&M-Commerce (ESPN2, 6 p.m.). This is the Division II championship game, held this year in Kansas City.
West Florida is a surprising addition to the championship game. Those who follow Division II football carefully expected Indiana University of Pennsylvania to be playing in this game. However, West Florida stunned the heavily favored Crimson Hawks last week to secure its berth in this game.
Someone is breaking through to the promised land on Saturday night. Neither side has won a national championship in football.
Middle Tennessee vs. Arkansas State [Camellia Bowl] (ESPN, 8 p.m.). Having lived there for six years, I'll never understand the focus group or board room that thought, "let's have a bowl game in Alabama" was a good idea.
This is doubly true for this contest. At least the conspicuously branded "Dollar General Bowl" is in Mobile, on the Gulf. This game is in Montgomery, a city with absolutely no aesthetic value whatsoever.
Catty comments about Alabama aside, this game should serve as a useful distraction for those of you looking for something to have on the background. Middle Tennessee is 6-6 and Arkansas State is 7-4. The Red Wolves are the better team and are slight (-4) favorites in Montgomery.
That said, Middle Tennessee has a curious transitive win over Clemson this year. The Blue Raiders beat Syracuse by seven in the Carrier Dome.
