Some bowl games produce fascinating matchups. Others produce complete duds. These rankings can basically be broken down into three categories: games 1-14 are “must see tv”, games 15-28 are “decent/watchable” bowl games, and games 29-42 are “potential duds geared towards alumni only”. In fact, I would argue that the top game on this list is the most important bowl game ever played, as it will shape how Group of Five teams are viewed for the next several decades, whereas, the last game on this list is possibly the most meaningless bowl game ever, as it is a one-time only exhibition created for the sole purpose of giving every bowl eligible team a postgame to play in. Without further ado, here is my subjective ranking of the most intriguing bowl games for the 2021 season.
| 1 | Dec. 31 | Cotton (Semifinal # 1) | Cincinnati (13-0) vs. Alabama (12-1) | 3:30 | ESPN |
| 2 | Dec. 31 | Orange (Semifinal # 2) | Georgia (12-1) vs. Michigan (12-1) | 7:30 | ESPN |
| 3 | Dec. 31 | Gator | Wake Forest (10-3) vs. Texas A & M (8-4) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 4 | Dec. 28 | Liberty | Mississippi State (7-5) vs. Texas Tech (6-6) | 6:45 | ESPN |
| 5 | Jan. 1 | Citrus | Iowa (10-3) vs. Kentucky (9-3) | 1:00 | ABC |
| 6 | Dec. 30 | Duke’s Mayo | North Carolina (6-6) vs. South Carolina (6-6) | 11:30 (AM) | ESPN |
| 7 | Jan. 1 | Sugar | Baylor (11-2) vs. Ole Miss (10-2) | 8:45 | ESPN |
| 8 | Jan. 1 | Rose | Utah (10-3) vs. Ohio State (10-2) | 5:00 | ESPN |
| 9 | Dec. 28 | Birmingham | Houston (11-2) vs. Auburn (6-6) | 12:00 | ESPN |
| 10 | Dec. 29 | Alamo | Oregon (10-3) vs. Oklahoma (10-2) | 9:15 | ESPN |
| 11 | Dec. 30 | Peach | Pittsburgh (11-2) vs. Michigan State (10-2) | 7:00 | ESPN |
| 12 | Dec. 29 | Cheez-It | Clemson (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5) | 5:45 | ESPN |
| 13 | Jan. 1 | Fiesta | Oklahoma State (11-2) vs. Notre Dame (11-1) | 1:00 | ESPN |
| 14 | Dec. 21 | Frisco Bowl | UTSA (12-1) vs. San Diego State (11-2) | 7:30 | ESPN |
| 15 | Jan. 1 | Outback | Penn State (7-5) vs. Arkansas (8-4) | 12:00 | ESPN 2 |
| 16 | Dec. 30 | Las Vegas | Wisconsin (8-4) vs. Arizona State (8-4) | 10:30 | ESPN |
| 17 | Dec. 31 | Sun | Washington State (7-5) vs. Miami-FL (7-5) | 12:00 | CBS |
| 18 | Dec. 28 | Holiday | UCLA (8-4) vs. NC State (9-3) | 8:00 | FOX |
| 19 | Dec. 27 | Military | Boston College (6-6) vs. East Carolina (7-5) | 2:30 | ESPN |
| 20 | Dec. 22 | Armed Forces | Missouri (6-6) vs. Army (8-3) | 8:00 | ESPN |
| 21 | Dec. 18 | LA Bowl | Utah State (10-3) vs. Oregon State (7-5) | 7:30 | ABC |
| 22 | Dec.18 | Independence | UAB (8-4) vs. Brigham Young (10-2) | 3:30 | ABC |
| 23 | Dec. 18 | Boca Raton | Western Kentucky (8-5) vs. App. State (10-3) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 24 | Dec. 23 | Gasparilla | UCF (8-4) vs. Florida (6-6) | 7:00 | ESPN |
| 25 | Dec. 28 | First Responder | Air Force (9-3) vs. Louisville (6-6) | 3:15 | ESPN |
| 26 | Dec. 29 | Fenway | SMU (8-4) vs. Virginia (6-6) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 27 | Jan. 4 | Texas | LSU (6-6) vs. Kansas State (7-5) | 9:00 | ESPN |
| 28 | Dec. 27 | Quick Lane | Western Michigan (7-5) vs. Nevada (8-4) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 29 | Dec. 28 | Guaranteed Rate | West Virginia (6-6) vs. Minnesota (8-4) | 10:15 | ESPN |
| 30 | Dec. 18 | New Orleans | UL-Lafayette (12-1) vs. Marshall (7-5) | 9:15 | ESPN |
| 31 | Dec. 17 | Cure | Northern Ill. (9-4) vs. Coastal Carolina (10-2) | 6:00 | ESPN 2 |
| 32 | Dec. 30 | Music City | Tennessee (7-5) vs. Purdue (8-4) | 3:00 | ESPN |
| 33 | Dec. 18 | New Mexico | UTEP (7-5) vs. Fresno State (9-3) | 2:15 | ESPN |
| 34 | Dec. 29 | Pinstripe | Maryland (6-6) vs. Virginia Tech (6-6) | 2:15 | ESPN |
| 35 | Dec. 21 | Famous Idaho Potato | Kent State (7-6) vs. Wyoming (6-6) | 3:30 | ESPN |
| 36 | Dec. 25 | Camellia | Georgia State (7-5) vs. Ball State (6-6) | 2:30 | ESPN |
| 37 | Dec. 31 | Arizona | Central Michigan (8-4) vs. Boise State (7-5) | 2:00 | Barstool |
| 38 | Dec. 17 | Bahamas | Middle Tennessee (6-6) vs. Toledo (7-5) | 12:00 | ESPN |
| 39 | Dec. 24 | Hawaii | Memphis (6-6) vs. Hawaii (6-7) | 8:00 | ESPN |
| 40 | Dec. 20 | Myrtle Beach | Old Dominion (6-6) vs. Tulsa (6-6) | 2:30 | ESPN |
| 41 | Dec. 18 | Lending Tree | Eastern Michigan (7-5) vs. Liberty (7-5) | 5:45 | ESPN |
| 42 | Dec. 23 | Frisco Football Classic | North Texas (6-6) vs. Miami-OH (6-6) | 3:30 | ESPN |
Ramblings of the Ultimate Sports Sentimentalist 
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