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Top 5 Non-College Football Playoff and New Year's Six Bowl Games

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:51 p.m. ET

Fansided, Zach Bigalke/FanSided via Saturday Blitz

Every year there are far more great teams than New Year’s Six bowl slots. Which games outside the College Football Playoff put together the best showdowns?

The beauty of college football is that, even now that we have a playoff system, there will always be more quality teams than slots available. Even with the affiliated New Year’s Six games providing more opportunities for the top programs to be rewarded with high-profile opponents, there always seem to be some games that end up outshining what the College Football Playoff selection committee conjures up for the preeminent part of the postseason calendar.

Everyone already knows the importance of the Peach and Fiesta Bowls this season, and the rest of the New Year’s Six games are sure to draw solid audiences thanks to the extended New Year’s schedule. But which other bowl games do you want to make sure not to miss this year? Click through to see our choice for the five best games of the 2016-2017 postseason that fall outside the College Football Playoff-affiliated contests.

NOTE: All rankings are from the final College Football Playoff rankings released December 4.

Dec 3, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers wide receiver Daikiel Shorts (6) scores a touchdown and celebrates with Mountaineers wide receiver Gary Jennings (12) during the second quarter against the Baylor Bears at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

5. Russell Athletic Bowl

#16 West Virginia Mountaineers v. Miami Hurricanes

Though West Virginia managed to finish only third in the Big 12, the Mountaineers pulled off their first 10-win season since moving from the Big East in 2012. Dana Holgorsen’s team ranked 30th in passing on the strength of Skyler Howard’s 3100 passing yards. WVU did even better on the ground, as Justin Crawford’s 1168 yards helped the Mountaineers finish 18th nationally in rushing offense. The defense held teams to three touchdowns or less in nine of 12 regular-season games, but West Virginia went just 1-2 when they allowed more than 21 points.

The Mountaineers will be taking on a Miami team that had a rough middle of the season in Mark Richt’s first year at the helm. The Hurricanes won four straight, then lost four straight, before closing out the year on another four-game winning streak. Three of their four losses were by a single score, the only exception a 37-16 blowout at Virginia Tech. A Richt-coached team has never missed out on the postseason, and Miami will bring one of the top defenses in the country to the Russell Athletic Bowl.

This game marks the first time these two former Big East rivals will square off against one another since the Hurricanes bolted for the ACC in 2004. West Virginia will be looking to knock off Miami for the first time since 1997. In terms of past history, the Mountaineers have lost all three times they have played in the Russell Athletic Bowl, while Miami is 2-2 in four previous appearances.

November 26, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) scores a touchdown against Rice Owls cornerback J.T. Blasingame (14) and safety Cole Thomas (28) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

4. Sun Bowl

#18 Stanford Cardinal v. North Carolina Tar Heels

Stanford will be sending off one of its greatest players ever in this contest. Christian McCaffrey didn’t have the sort of electric season that got him invited to the Heisman ceremony last year, but he still went for over 2000 all-purpose yards in his junior season and could be a first-round NFL Draft pick this spring. The Cardinal leaned heavily on a defense that allowed just 20 points per game. Thanks to that unit, Stanford is within reach of a sixth double-digit win season in the past seven years. Keller Chryst seems to have snagged the starting quarterback position from Ryan Burns, though neither has been overwhelming.

North Carolina has its own star shooting up the NFL Draft charts in quarterback Mitch Trubisky. The Tar Heel was one of the dozen most efficient quarterbacks in the country, throwing for nearly 3500 yards with 28 touchdowns and just four interceptions. But Trubisky got little help from a rushing attack that ranked 99th nationally, and the defense did UNC few favors. In the end the Tar Heels managed to knock off teams like Pitt and Florida State and challenged for the ACC Coastal until suffering late upsets to Duke and NC State.

The Sun Bowl arrived on the college football landscape way back in 1935. The game was inaugurated the same year as the Orange and Sugar Bowls, and has a long history on the bowl landscape. Both teams playing in the game this year have been among the Sun Bowl’s most featured teams over the decades. Stanford and North Carolina haven’t played one another in nearly two decades, and they’ve never squared off in this contest.

3. Music City Bowl

Nebraska Cornhuskers v. #21 Tennessee Volunteers

Tennessee is undoubtedly disappointed after missing a wide-open chance to win the SEC East this season. But while the Volunteers fell flat in the middle of the season, they nevertheless finally ended their losing streak to Florida. Joshua Dobbs never did progress to the next level at quarterback, but Tennessee did get strong play from a defense that allowed just 13 points per game. Derek Barnett finished the regular season averaging a sack per game, and he will be looking to consolidate his first-round draft status in this contest.

The Cornhuskers arrive in Nashville having lost three of their last five outings after a 7-0 start to the season. Like Tennessee, Mike Riley’s team had hoped to challenge for the Big Ten title this season. Instead, they finished just third in the Big Ten West after losing to Wisconsin and Iowa in division play. Even as a veteran offense regressed, the Blackshirt defense stepped up and managed to keep the Huskers in most games this year. Time of possession and field position will both be critical in this contest, as Nebraska has had a down year on special teams.

The Music City Bowl welcomes a Big Ten team to Nashville for the first time since 2005, and as it celebrates its 19th year it will hope for another close contest. The game has traditionally been one of the most competitive of the bowl season, with 13 of its previous 18 editions settled within a single score. The Volunteers lost their only previous appearance in a 30-27 double overtime thriller to North Carolina in 2010, while Nebraska has never before played in this game.

Sep 9, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) leaps over Syracuse Orange defensive back Cordell Hudson (20) during the second quarter at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

2. Citrus Bowl

#20 LSU Tigers v. #13 Louisville Cardinals

Heisman winner Lamar Jackson is guaranteed to be back next year after winning the award as a true sophomore. He could use the Citrus Bowl to springboard Louisville into the discussion as an early favorite for a spot in the College Football Playoff in 2016. To make such a statement, though, the Cardinals will first have to get over a two-game losing streak to end the season. Louisville was the top scoring team in the nation this year, and the defense held opponents to an average of 22 fewer points than Jackson and company scored each game.

LSU will have its hands full with Louisville’s offense, but the Tigers have held opponents to just 16.4 points a game this year. The Bayou Bengals could stifle Jackson just like Houston managed to do, thanks to a front seven that averaged more than 2.5 sacks per game. They will need to keep Louisville’s scoring to a minimum, as the LSU offense ranks 60th in yards gained and 67th in scoring. If they can win the turnover battle, Ed Orgeron’s team has a chance to pull off an upset at the Citrus Bowl

Orlando is fortunate to receive two of the top non-New Year’s Six bowl games this season. Founded in 1947, the Citrus Bowl is one of the oldest bowl games in the country and regularly features some of the top teams in the nation. This year it boasts the distinction of being just one of two non-New Year’s Six games to feature a matchup of two ranked teams.

Dec 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes running back Phillip Lindsay (23) celebrates with offensive lineman Tim Lynott (56) after scoring a touchdown in the first quarter against the Washington Huskies during the Pac-12 championship at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

1. Alamo Bowl

#12 Oklahoma State Cowboys v. #10 Colorado Buffaloes

Oklahoma State is still crying about their loss to Central Michigan that went against the letter of the law but vindicated the spirit of the game. Even then, the Cowboys had a shot at the Big 12 title and a Sugar Bowl berth had they won an eighth straight against Oklahoma in the Bedlam game. Mike Gundy’s team featured one of the top 20 offenses in the nation, but was let down time and time again by its defense. The unit allowed 28 points and over 450 yards per game, ranking it in the bottom half of the country in both statistics. Central Michigan wouldn’t have had a chance at a Hail Mary, after all, had the Pokes not already given up 24 points to the Chippewas.

They still pose a formidable matchup for Colorado. The Buffaloes are this year’s surprise contender after coming out of nowhere to emerge as Pac-12 South champs. Though they were trounced by Washington in the league championship, Colorado nevertheless remains one of the ten best teams in the nation. Mike McIntyre’s team matched a top-20 defensive unit with a balanced offense that provided either feast or famine on the scoreboard. Though the loss to the Huskies snapped a six-game winning streak, Colorado proved itself to be a premier team throughout 2016.

The Buffaloes and Cowboys, former Big 12 rivals, will square off for the first time since 2009. The Alamodome has featured some exciting finishes in recent years. Two years ago Kansas State nearly came back against UCLA in a 40-35 thriller. Last year TCU pulled off the comeback, erasing a 31-0 halftime deficit to beat Oregon in triple overtime. The battle between Oklahoma State and Colorado could prove to be the best game of this postseason, New Year’s Six or otherwise.