Ranking the non-Big 12 January college football bowl games

2. Orange Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Florida State, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN: The Mid-American Conference makes its major bowl debut.

3. Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Wisconsin, 4 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN: Stanford plays Wisconsin style better than does Wisconsin.

4. Sugar Bowl: Louisville vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN: One more successful Big East team headed out the door.

5. Capital One Bowl: Nebraska vs. Georgia, noon Tuesday, ABC: Huskers have sold less than a third of their 12,500 ticket allotment.

6. Outback Bowl: Michigan vs. South Carolina, noon Tuesday, ESPN: How did the Gamecocks pass the Wolverines on the college football food chain?

7. Gator Bowl: Mississippi State vs. Northwestern, 11 a.m., ESPN2: Mississippi State is a monument to SEC gerry-rigging. The 8-4 Bulldogs' best win is Arkansas or Tennessee, whichever of those ghost teams you prefer.

8. BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss, noon Saturday, ESPN: Hey, it looks like Pitt is going to keep coach Paul Chryst. Good for the Panthers.

9. GoDaddy.com Bowl: Kent State vs. Arkansas State, 8 p.m. Sunday, ESPN: Darrell Hazell, headed to Purdue, will coach Kent State. Gus Malzahn, headed to Auburn, will not coach Arkansas State.