| If you are not a college football fan and could care | | | | 11) $2.35 million - Holiday Bowl with Nebraska (9-4) and |
| less if you never see a bowl game in your life, you | | | | Arizona (8-4) on Dec. 30. |
| might wonder what all of the fuss is about. If you have | | | | 12) $2.25 million - Champs Sports Bowl with Miami, FL |
| a red-blooded male in your life, just ask him. | | | | (9-3) and Wisconsin (9-3) on Dec. 29. |
| There will be 34 NCAA bowl games this year and the | | | | 13) $2.25 million - Alamo Bowl with Texas Tech (8-4) |
| fuss in each one will be about prestige and money, big | | | | and Michigan State (6-6) on Jan. 2. |
| money, as in more than a collective $139 million for the | | | | 14) $1.9 million - Sun Bowl with Stanford (8-4) and |
| participating teams and their respective conferences. | | | | Oklahoma (7-5) on Dec. 31. |
| The actual bowl payouts reflected below add up to | | | | 15) $1.7 million - Liberty Bowl with East Carolina (9-4) |
| $127+ million, but the actual $139+ million figure arises | | | | and Arkansas (7-5) on Jan. 2. |
| because of some additional payouts for participating | | | | 16) $1.6 million - Music City Bowl with Clemson (8-5) |
| teams beyond the automatic qualifiers from the 6 | | | | and Kentucky (7-5) on Dec. 27. |
| major BCS conferences-the Atlantic Coast, Big East, | | | | 17) $1.35 million - Insight Bowl with Iowa State (6-6) and |
| Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern. | | | | Minnesota (6-6) on Dec.31. |
| A team must win 6 games to be bowl-eligible, | | | | 18) $1.1 million - Independence Bowl with Georgia (7-5) |
| according to NCAA standards. Some of the qualifying | | | | and Texas A&M (6-6) on Dec. 28. |
| teams automatically receive bowl bids, and others are | | | | 19) $1 million - Las Vegas Bowl with Brigham Young |
| asked to participate in the less significant bowl games. | | | | (10-2) and Oregon State (8-4) on Dec. 22. |
| Just about every news organization that publishes the | | | | 20) $1 million - Meineke Car Care Bowl with Pittsburgh |
| bowl-game lineups does so by the date of the contest, | | | | (9-3) and North Carolina (8-4) on Dec. 26. |
| the first (on December 19th) to the last (the Bowl | | | | 21) $1 million - St. Petersburg Bowl with Rutgers (8-4) |
| Championship Series title game on January 7th). | | | | and Central Florida (8-4) on Dec. 19. |
| I choose to do it this year by the importance of the | | | | 22) $1 million - EagleBank Bowl with Temple (9-3) and |
| bowl based on its payout first, and then the | | | | UCLA (6-6) on Dec. 29. |
| prominence of the game based on its participants. The | | | | 23) $850,000 - Emerald Bowl with Southern California |
| first 5 bowl games listed comprise the prestigious BCS | | | | (8-4) and Boston College (8-4) on Dec. 26. |
| super-contests with the biggest payouts. | | | | 24) $750,000 - GMAC Bowl with Central Michigan |
| Here is the complete lineup for the 2009 season | | | | (11-2) and Troy (9-3) on Jan. 6. |
| (which stretches into 2010). | | | | 25) $750,000 - Poinsettia Bowl with Utah (9-3) and |
| 1) $17 million - The BCS National Championship Game | | | | California (8-4) on Dec. 23. |
| between Alabama (13-0) and Texas (13-0) on Jan. 7. | | | | 26) $750,000 - Little Caesars Pizza Bowl with Ohio |
| 2) $17 million - Sugar Bowl with Florida (12-1) and | | | | (9-4) and Marshall (6-6) on Dec. 26. |
| Cincinnati (12-0) on Jan. 1. | | | | 27) $750,000 - New Mexico Bowl with Fresno State |
| 3) $17 million - Fiesta Bowl with Texas Christian (12-0) | | | | (8-4) and Wyoming (6-6) on Dec. 19. |
| and Boise State (13-0) on Jan. 4. | | | | 28) $750,000 - Humanitarian Bowl with Idaho (7-5) and |
| 4) $17 million - Rose Bowl with Oregon (10-2) and Ohio | | | | Bowling Green (7-5) on Dec. 30. |
| State (10-2) on Jan. 1. | | | | 29) $750,000 - International Bowl with South Florida |
| 5) $17 million - Orange Bowl with Georgia Tech (11-2) | | | | (7-5) and Northern Illinois (7-5) on Jan. 2. |
| and Iowa (10-2) on Jan. 5. | | | | 30) $700,000 - Texas Bowl with Missouri (8-4) and |
| 6) $4.25 million - Capital One Bowl with Penn State | | | | Navy (8-4) on Dec. 31. |
| (10-2) and Louisiana State (9-3) on Jan. 1. | | | | 31) $600,000 - Armed Forces Bowl with Houston (10-3) |
| 7) $3.3 million - Outback Bowl with Northwestern (8-4) | | | | and Air Force (7-5) on Dec. 31. |
| and Auburn (7-5) on Jan. 1. | | | | 32) $398,000 - Hawaii Bowl with Nevada (8-4) and |
| 8) $3.005 million - Chick-fil-A Bowl with Virginia Tech | | | | Southern Methodist (7-5) on Dec. 24. |
| (9-3) and Tennessee (7-5) on Dec. 31. | | | | 33) $325,000 - New Orleans Bowl with Middle |
| 9) $3 million - Cotton Bowl with Oklahoma State (9-3) | | | | Tennessee (9-3) an Southern Mississippi (7-5) on Dec. |
| and Mississippi (8-4) on Jan. 2. | | | | 20. |
| 10) $2.5 million - Gator Bowl with West Virginia (9-3) | | | | 34) $300,000 - Bowl with South Carolina (7-5) and |
| and Florida State (6-6) on Jan. 1. | | | | Connecticut (7-5) on Jan. 2. |