New Years Day is upon us, and with 2011 comes a slew of bowl games to enjoy today. There are six bowl games scheduled today, highlighted by the Granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl. With the way bowl games are spread out now, it's not quite the 10+ games on January 1 that we grew up with, but today's schedule provides some interesting matchups, including the first two BCS bowls of the season.
↵TicketCity Bowl (9 a.m., ESPNU)
↵Northwestern vs. Texas Tech, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas
↵OK, let me get this straight. The Cotton Bowl, a traditional New Years Day staple, won't be played today but rather on Friday, January 7. Oh yeah, and it won't be played at the Cotton Bowl, but rather at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. But there is a January 1 game at the Cotton Bowl, and it's not the Cotton Bowl? My head is spinning.
↵Outback Bowl (10 a.m., ABC)
↵Penn St vs. Florida, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa
↵This game features a coaching matchup of 84-year old Joe Paterno and 46-year old Urban Meyer, and it will be Meyer stepping down after the game.
↵Capital One Bowl (10 a.m., ESPN)
↵Alabama vs. Michigan St, at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando
↵This is a good matchup, featuring last year's national champion facing an 11-1 team and co-champions of the Big Ten.
↵Gator Bowl (10:30 a.m., ESPN2)
↵Michigan vs. Mississippi St, at Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville
↵See Rich Rodriguez fight to keep his job with the Wolverines, while the SEC looks to improve upon it's 0-3 showing in Friday's bowl games.
↵Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio (2 p.m., ESPN)
↵TCU vs. Wisconsin, in Pasadena
↵It is rare that this game isn't on ABC. For more information on the game, click here.
↵Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (5:30 p.m., ESPN)
↵Oklahoma vs. UConn, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
↵Oklahoma is a heavy favorite, just as they were against Florida in 2008, West Virginia in 2007, and Boise St in 2006.
↵For more college bowl news and for the complete bowl schedule, be sure to follow SB Nation.