Welcome to my seventh annual ranking of this year's bowl games, No. 1 through 34, in order of anticipated entertainment value. Much like the bowl business itself, these rankings are based only marginally on the teams' actual merits. They also take into consideration star quality, fan appeal, evenness of matchup, aesthetic appeal of the two teams' colors and whether or not any NCIS reruns will be airing at the same time.

I have to hand it to the BCS: All five games this year are must-see TV. In fact, this is the first time in recent memory that I ranked all the BCS games before any other. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of many of the higher-profile non-BCS games we usually count on for quality matchups. One New Year's Day game didn't even crack the Top 15.

So read, enjoy, and remember -- just because a particular bowl checks in way down at No. 29 doesn't guarantee you'll have anything better to do that night.

1) BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 7): Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0). It's the first-ever matchup of two 13-0 teams. Colt McCoy. Mark Ingram. Rolando McClain. Sergio Kindle. Yeah, I'm thinking you might want to tune in.

2) Sugar (Jan. 1): Cincinnati (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1). It's spread vs. spread, Tim Tebow vs. Tony Pike, Mardy Gilyard vs. Joe Haden. It may be a letdown game for the Gators, but it should still be entertaining.

3) Fiesta (Jan. 4): TCU (12-0) vs. Boise State (13-0). Enough with the outrage, people: You know you're going to watch. The nation's No. 1 passer, Broncos quarterback Kellen Moore, goes up against the nation's top-ranked defense.

4) Rose (Jan. 1): Ohio State (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-2). Dangerous dual-threat star Jeremiah Masoli is what Terrelle Pryor was supposed to be. But the Buckeyes present the toughest defense the Ducks have faced since Boise.

5) Orange (Jan. 5): Georgia Tech (11-2) vs. Iowa (10-2). You remember the Hawkeyes. They love low scores and dramatic finishes. With a month to prepare, can Pat Angerer, Tyler Sash and Co. stifle Josh Nesbitt and the triple-option?

6) Capital One (Jan. 1): Penn State (10-2) vs. LSU (9-3). If the Tigers win, it's yet another example of the SEC's superiority over the Big Ten. If the Nittany Lions win, it's because LSU was without injured running back Charles Scott.

7) Gator (Jan. 1): West Virginia (9-3) vs. Florida State (6-6). While hardly the most compelling on-field matchup, there's no denying the significance of Bobby Bowden's last game. Florida native Noel Devine could ruin the party.

8) Sun (Dec. 31): Stanford (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (7-5). Admittedly, this one loses a bit of luster if injured Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck can't play, but we still get to see Toby Gerhart go against the nation's No. 7 rushing defense.

9) Las Vegas (Dec. 22): BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon State (8-4). Shootouts make for the most enjoyable bowl games, and with Sean Canfield, Max Hall, Dennis Pitta and the Rodgers brothers all on the same field, there will be points aplenty.

10) Champs Sports (Dec. 29): Miami (9-3) vs. Wisconsin (9-3). 'Canes quarterback Jacory Harris and Badgers running back John Clay, both sophomores, can set the stage for potential 2010 Heisman campaigns with big games in this one.

11) Holiday (Dec. 30): Nebraska (9-4) vs. Arizona (8-4). It's a rematch of the memorable 1998 Holiday Bowl, when Chris McAllister intercepted Eric Crouch to seal the game. Will Ndamukong Suh leave a similar stamp on San Diego?

12) Meineke (Dec. 26): Pittsburgh (9-3) vs. North Carolina (8-4). The Panthers came up a point short of the BCS, but they're still fun to watch. Freshman star running back Dion Lewis goes up against Marvin Austin and the stout UNC defense.

13) Chick-fil-A (Dec. 31): Virginia Tech (9-3) vs. Tennessee (7-5). No word whether Lane Kiffin plans to take any jabs at Frank Beamer. We can be pretty sure, however, that this will be Eric Berry's last collegiate game.

14) Cotton (Jan. 1): Oklahoma State (9-3) vs. Ole Miss (8-4). Would it be too harsh to dub this the Preseason Fraud Bowl? Rebels quarterback Jevan Snead looks to recapture the magic of his breakout performance here a year ago.

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