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Ranking 2022-23 College Football Playoff, NY6 bowls by watchability

By Michael Thompson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 10: The Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff Championship held at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 10: The Alabama Crimson Tide take on the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff Championship held at Lucas Oil Stadium on January 10, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 02: (L-R) Cameron Rising #7, Devin Kaufusi #90 and head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Utah Utes celebrate with the Schwabacher Trophy after defeating the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium on December 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 02: (L-R) Cameron Rising #7, Devin Kaufusi #90 and head coach Kyle Whittingham of the Utah Utes celebrate with the Schwabacher Trophy after defeating the USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship at Allegiant Stadium on December 02, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /

3. Rose Bowl (Penn State vs. Utah)

I’ll be honest, I’m a sucker for the occasional whacky big bowl game. Yes, seeing the traditional powers of college football is fun, but there’s something about seeing teams whose fanbases are truly stoked about a non-playoff big bowl that takes me back to my BCS childhood. We got that here with the Rose Bowl between Utah and Penn State.

A week ago, it looked like Utah was going to get trounced by USC and end up somewhere between the Alamo Bowl and the Holiday Bowl, but that’s what a 44-7 run against USC in Vegas will do to you. Once again, Utah may not have met your preseason expectations, yet find themselves on top of the Pac-12 for the second straight year.

Last year, Utah stormed Pasadena and put on an incredible show, nearly upsetting the heavily favored Ohio State Buckeyes in one of the wildest Rose Bowls ever. This year, Cam Rising and head coach Kyle Whittingham are hoping to finish the job. Utah will bring with them two future NFL stars in tight end Dalton Kincaid and shutdown cornerback Clark Phillips III.

A week ago, the Nittany Lions appeared destined for the Cotton Bowl or Orange Bowl, but then there were the rumors the Rose Bowl preferred Penn State over Ohio State. While I would have enjoyed watching the Rose Bowl have to answer these questions, they were bailed out by having both Michigan and OSU make the playoff. Now the 11th-ranked Nittany Lions are bound for Pasadena.

This team may not have the offensive talent that their previous Rose Bowl team had when Trace McSorley and Saquan Barkley were going down to the wire against Sam Darnold and USC, but senior Sean Clifford should have a few tricks up his sleeve in his final collegiate game.

While the offense is good, it’s their defense that should give them a great chance to beat Utah. Led by future first-round picks Joey Porter Jr. and Abdul Carter, Penn State has the 10th-best defense in the country.

A top-10 defense going up against a top-10 offense. Intense coaches, passionate fan bases, and veteran teams looking for that good old-fashioned Rose Bowl victory.

Call it nostalgia, but I’m all in.

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