If you know the bare minimum about college football — say, you realize the field is 100 yards and winning the Heisman Trophy is good — then chances are you know who's playing in the big bowl games.

Of course, Ohio State vs. Florida for the national title and Michigan vs. USC in the Rose Bowl will attract all the glamorous fans and advertising dollars.

But there are compelling stories in the lesser bowls, too, whether it's fans not being able to see the surprise team of the year (Rutgers) on TV, or Ohio University — not Ohio State, mind you — going to a bowl game for the first time since before any of its players were born.

Here's a look at five of the more interesting second-tier matchups:

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TEXAS BOWL

No. 16 Rutgers (10-2, Big East) vs. Kansas State (7-5, Big 12), Houston, Dec. 28, 8 p.m., NFL Network

WHY IT'S INTERESTING: Dude, it's Rutgers in a bowl game. If that isn't enough to pique your interest, then at least tune in to see if alum James Gandolfini has a referee whacked after a call goes against the Scarlet Knights. Of course, that's if you can see it. The game is exclusively on NFL Network, which doesn't happen to be on the cable systems in most of New York, New Jersey and Kansas (which covers probably about 98 percent of the two teams' fan bases). The NFL is in negotiations with Time Warner and Cablevision to carry the game, but as of Monday, there was no resolution. If you can tune in, do so to see if Rutgers can cap off its second 10-win season ever with a bowl win against a Kansas State team that won a 45-42 shootout over Texas in one of the most entertaining games of the year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Rutgers: RB Ray Rice (1,624 yards and 19 touchdowns) and DT Eric Tucker; Kansas State: QB Josh Freeman and DL Ian Campbell.

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INTERNATIONAL BOWL

Cincinnati (7-5, Big East) vs. Western Michigan (8-4, Mid-American Conference), Toronto, Jan. 6, noon, ESPN2

WHY IT'S INTERESTING: Congratulations, UC and Western Michigan! You made it to a bowl game. In college football hotbed Toronto. Yes, the one in Canada. In January. So while other bowl teams are hanging out in L.A., Miami and New Orleans, you'll be in Toronto, which is more moderate than most of Canada, but still averages 13 inches of snow in January. But, hey, when you're Cincinnati and Western Michigan, you'd play a bowl game at the South Pole if you had to. As for the game itself, UC will be unveiling new coach Brian Kelly, who came over from Central Michigan to replace Mark Dantonio, who jumped to Michigan State. This will be the first bowl game outside the U.S. since the 1937 Bacardi Bowl was played in Havana.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Cincinnati: LB Kevin McCullough and CB Mike Mickens; Western Michigan: QB Ryan Cubit (coach Bill Cubit's son) and LB Ameer Ismail, who led the country with 17 sacks.

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GMAC BOWL

Ohio (9-4, MAC) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-5, Conference USA), Mobile, Ala., Jan. 7, 8 p.m., ESPN

WHY IT'S INTERESTING: They're partying on the campus of the Harvard on the Hocking, and it has nothing to do with Halloween or a sale at the Birkenstock store. Ohio is going to its first bowl game since 1968 and takes on Southern Miss, which is in its ninth bowl game in 10 years. Ohio has never won a bowl game and the two teams have never faced each other, but Ohio coach Frank Solich was 2-0 against Southern Miss while at Nebraska. This is Solich's first bowl game since he was run out of Nebraska for winning "only" 75 percent of the time.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Ohio: RB Kalvin McRae (1,215 yards, 15 TDs); Southern Miss: RB Damion Fletcher (1,330 yards, nine TDs)

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MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL

Navy (9-3, Independent) vs. No. 23 Boston College (9-3, Atlantic Coast), Charlotte, N.C., Dec. 30, 1 p.m., ESPN

WHY IT'S INTERESTING: Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, in his two best games this season, threw for a total of 758 yards. The three players who threw passes for Navy this season — Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, Brian Hampton and Jarod Bryant — combined to throw for 647 yards. All year. The Midshipmen led the country in rushing, racking up 3,929 yards on the ground, while the Eagles only allow 90.1 yards per game on the ground. Boston College will be trying to win its seventh straight bowl game, but will be doing it under defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, who was named interim coach after Tom O'Brien — a 1971 Navy graduate — took the job at North Carolina State.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: BC: Ryan (2,700 yards, 14 TDs); Navy: Adam Ballard (792 yards, three TDs), Kaheaku-Enhada (480 rushing yards, 10 TDs).

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MPC COMPUTERS BOWL

Miami (6-6, ACC) vs. Nevada (8-4, Western Athletic), Boise, Idaho, Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

WHY IT'S INTERESTING: Well, first of all, it's on the Smurf-blue turf at Boise State. So that's always fun (try adjusting your tint to make the field green!). Secondly, things are never dull with "The U" involved, and this year is no different. Several players were suspended, coach Larry Coker was fired — but will coach the team in the bowl game before defensive coordinator Randy Shannon takes over — and the season took a tragic turn when defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot and killed. Throw in the fact that the players are spending New Year's Eve in Boise instead of on South Beach and it will be interesting to see if Miami even shows up or if it gets run out of the joint like it did in last year's Peach Bowl against LSU. As for Nevada, they run one of the more interesting offenses in college football — the Pistol, where quarterback Jeff Rowe lines up in a semi-shotgun with a running back directly behind him.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Miami: RB Javarris James, who is Arizona running back and former Miami star Edgerrin James' cousin (767 yards, four touchdowns on 158 carries); Nevada: Rowe (1,715 yards, 16 TDs) and CB Joe Garcia (six interceptions).

asap contributor Casey Laughman has the NFL Network. No, New Jersey, you can't come over and watch the Rutgers game.

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