Watchability Index: Ranking all bowl games by interest level

35. Sun Bowl: Stanford vs. Pittsburgh (Dec. 31)

Despite launching in the same year as the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, the Hyundai Sun Bowl has never developed nearly the same cachet as the other bowl games that have since launched into the stratosphere of the New Year’s Six. Despite getting a pair of Power Five opponents every year, the El Paso institution rarely seems to get the kind of matchup that creates instant classics.

The last time Stanford and Pittsburgh met on the gridiron, Herbert Hoover was still the president and the country was in the throes of the Great Depression. Pittsburgh claimed the victory at home on November 26, 1932, in a 7-0 victory over the Cardinal. Over the course of their three games against one another between 1922 and 1932, the two teams combined to score a grand total of 43 points.

While the scoreline will probably be slightly higher than their low-scoring results from more than eight decades ago, it is still probably going to be a fairly subdued Sun Bowl game. This year, Stanford punched far below their weight. And while Pitt made it to the ACC championship game, they still also performed far below their potential.

To be honest, the lowest-ranked of the Power Five-versus-Power Five donnybrooks on the 2018-2019 bowl schedule is probably going to be less watchable than a lot of the other statement opportunities on the schedule. Even with four losses, against an ACC finalist, Stanford is a touchdown favorite. That says all you need to know about this game’s watchability, when the team that finished better in its conference is going to struggle just to cover the spread.