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 29-41 are “potential duds geared towards alumni only”. Without further ado, here is my subjective ranking of the most intriguing bowl games for the 2023 season.
| 1 | Jan. 1 | Fiesta | Liberty (13-0) vs. Oregon (11-2) | 1:00 | ESPN |
| 2 | Dec. 30 | Orange | Georgia (12-1) vs. Florida State (13-0) | 4:00 | ESPN |
| 3 | Jan. 1 | Rose (Semifinal # 1) | Alabama (12-1) vs. Michigan (13-0) | 5:00 | ESPN |
| 4 | Jan. 1 | Sugar (Semifinal # 2) | Texas (12-1) vs. Washington (13-0) | 8:45 | ESPN |
| 5 | Dec. 28 | Alamo | Arizona (9-3) vs. Oklahoma (10-2) | 9:15 | ESPN |
| 6 | Dec. 30 | Peach | Ole Miss (10-2) vs. Penn State (10-2) | 12:00 | ESPN |
| 7 | Dec. 29 | Gator | Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) | 12:00 | ESPN |
| 8 | Dec. 26 | Guaranteed Rate | Kansas (8-4) vs. UNLV (9-4) | 9:00 | ESPN |
| 9 | Dec. 29 | Sun | Oregon State (8-4) vs. Notre Dame (9-3) | 2:00 | CBS |
| 10 | Dec. 27 | Mililtary | Virginia Tech (6-6) vs. Tulane (11-2) | 2:00 | ESPN |
| 11 | Dec. 16 | LA Bowl | UCLA (7-5) vs. Boise State (8-5) | 7:30 | ABC |
| 12 | Dec. 28 | Pop-Tarts | NC State (9-3) vs. Kansas State (8-4) | 5:45 | ESPN |
| 13 | Dec. 23 | Armed Forces | James Madison (11-1) vs. Air Force (8-4) | 3:30 | ABC |
| 14 | Dec. 30 | Arizona | Toledo (11-2) vs. Wyoming (8-4) | 4:30 | CW/Bar. |
| 15 | Dec. 29 | Cotton | Missouri (10-2) vs. Ohio State (11-1) | 8:00 | ESPN |
| 16 | Dec. 23 | Birmingham | Troy (11-2) vs. Duke (7-5) | 12:00 | ABC |
| 17 | Dec. 27 | Texas | Oklahoma State (9-4) vs. Texas A & M (7-5) | 9:00 | ESPN |
| 18 | Dec. 19 | Frisco | UTSA (8-4) vs. Marshall (6-6) | 9:00 | ESPN |
| 19 | Jan. 1 | Citrus | Iowa (10-3) vs. Tennessee (8-4) | 1:00 | ABC |
| 20 | Dec. 26 | First Responder | Texas State (7-5) vs. Rice (6-6) | 5:30 | ESPN |
| 21 | Dec. 30 | Music City | Auburn (6-6) vs. Maryland (7-5) | 2:00 | ABC |
| 22 | Dec. 28 | Fenway | SMU (11-2) vs. Boston College (6-6) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 23 | Dec. 28 | Pinstripe | Rutgers (6-6) vs. Miami-FL (7-5) | 2:15 | ESPN |
| 24 | Dec. 29 | Liberty | Memphis (9-3) vs. Iowa State (7-5) | 3:30 | ESPN |
| 25 | Dec. 27 | Holiday | Southern Cal (7-5) vs. Louisville (10-3) | 8:00 | FOX |
| 26 | Dec. 16 | Cure | Miami-OH (11-2) vs. Appalachian State (8-5) | 3:30 | ABC |
| 27 | Dec. 16 | Independence | California (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (6-6) | 9:15 | ESPN |
| 28 | Dec. 22 | Gasparilla | Georgia Tech (6-6) vs. UCF (6-6) | 6:30 | ESPN |
| 29 | Dec. 16 | New Orleans | Jacksonville State (8-4) vs. UL-Lafayette (6-6) | 2:15 | ESPN |
| 30 | Dec. 16 | New Mexico | New Mexico State (10-4) vs. Fresno State (8-4) | 5:45 | ESPN |
| 31 | Dec. 23 | Hawaii | San Jose State (7-5) vs. Coastal Carolina (7-5) | 10:30 | ESPN |
| 32 | Dec. 23 | Camelllia | Arkansas State (6-6) vs. Northern Illinois (6-6) | 12:00 | ESPN |
| 33 | Dec. 18 | Famous Toastery | Western Kentucky (7-5) vs. Old Dominion (6-6) | 2:30 | ESPN |
| 34 | Dec. 23 | Famous Idaho Potato | Georgia State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6) | 3:30 | ESPN |
| 35 | Dec. 26 | Quick Lane | Bowling Green (7-5) vs. MInnesota (5-7) | 2:00 | ESPN |
| 36 | Dec. 27 | Duke’s Mayo | West Virginia (8-4) vs. North Carolina (8-4) | 5:30 | ESPN |
| 37 | Dec. 16 | Myrtle Beach | Georgia Southern (6-6) vs. Ohio (9-3) | 11:00 (AM) | ESPN |
| 38 | Dec. 21 | Boca Raton | South Florida (6-6) vs. Syracuse (6-6) | 8:00 | ESPN |
| 39 | Dec. 23 | Las Vegas | Northwestern (7-5) vs. Utah (8-4) | 7:30 | ABC |
| 40 | Jan. 1 | ReliaQuest | Wisconsin (7-5) vs. LSU (9-3) | 12:00 | ESPN 2 |
| 41 | Dec. 23 | 68 Ventures | South Alabama (6-6) vs. Eastern Michigan (6-6) | 7:00 | ESPN |
Ramblings of the Ultimate Sports Sentimentalist 