The main event of bowl season is yet to come on Jan. 13, but we wanted to take a look back on the past few weeks to put together a ranking of the best undercard bouts.
Dramatic endings and memorable highlights were the two main things considered, but the stakes also factored prominently into the rankings. The New Year's Six bowls—especially the College Football Playoff semifinals—carried a little extra weight, since they featured the best teams playing for more prestigious honors.
But that didn't stop the Belk Bowl—aka Lynn Bowden Jr. Day—from ranking in our top five, nor did it keep a pair of games featuring teams from the Mid-American Conference from sneaking into the top 10.