Top 10 Bowl Games of 2010-2011 Bowl Season

College football's bowl season is finally here. There are 35 bowl games on tap for the 2010-2011 college football bowl schedule. There are certainly some boring matchups out there, but there are also some terrific bowl matchups. You won't be able to watch all the bowl games, but you'll want to make sure you can enjoy the best games of this season. Let's take a look at the top ten bowl games for this year. This list is based on the storylines surrounding the game as well as the actual matchup between the teams.

Top Ten Bowl Games of 2010-2011 Bowl Season

10. Alamo Bowl- Oklahoma State vs. Arizona- This is the best early bowl game on this year's schedule. Both of these teams played some of the top teams in the nation very tough this year. Arizona has a very good defense, but Oklahoma State's offense is terrific.

9. Chick-fil-A Bowl- South Carolina vs. Florida State- It's Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks against his old rivals at Florida State. Both teams were improved this season and both will be looking for a big win to carry momentum into next year.

8. Gator Bowl- Mississippi State vs. Michigan- This one has some added importance because Rich Rodriguez's job may be on the line here. Dan Mullen is a fast rising coaching star for the Bulldogs, which makes this matchup very intriguing.

7. Orange Bowl- Stanford vs. Virginia Tech- Andrew Luck is the top pro prospect in the game, and he leads an impressive Stanford offense. Virginia Tech has been in this situation more often, but will that help them beat the Cardinal?

6. Cotton Bowl- LSU vs. Texas A&M- Texas A&M gets a virtual home game here, but there will be plenty of LSU fans in Dallas as well. The high-flying Aggies offense meets a great Tigers defense. This is a real clash of styles.

5. Outback Bowl- Florida vs. Penn State- The coaching matchup moves this one all the way up into the top five. This is Urban Meyer's last game at Florida and Penn State's Joe Paterno will be on the opposite sideline. Both of these coaches have done very well historically in bowl games.

4. Capital One Bowl- Michigan State vs. Alabama- It's time for Nick Saban to coach against his old school. The Spartans are feeling snubbed and they'll be looking to prove a point, but this Alabama team is extremely talented on both sides of the ball.

3. Sugar Bowl- Arkansas vs. Ohio State- The Buckeyes are 0-9 all-time against SEC opponents. Ohio State players and fans are sick of hearing about their troubles against SEC teams. It's a great quarterback matchup between Pryor and Mallett.

2. Rose Bowl- TCU vs. Wisconsin- TCU believes they are the best team in the nation, and they are out to prove it in this game. Wisconsin has been crushing people with their amazing running game, but TCU has a great defense. Who will control the line of scrimmage in this one?

1. BCS National Championship Game- Oregon vs. Auburn- It is the BCS title game, and it is the best matchup on the board this year. Oregon's high-powered offense should be able to score plenty of points here, but will it be enough to top Heisman winner Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers? I expect a very compelling game.