2011-12 college football bowl schedule

Bowl games are the last way to really evaluate potential NFL Draft candidates. After the jump, find the schedule of this season’s games.

New Mexico Bowl
Dec. 17, 2011 Albuquerque, NM, 2 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
Mountain West No. 5 vs. WAC
uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Dec. 17, 2011 Boise, ID, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
WAC No.1 or No. 2 vs. MAC No. 3
R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Dec. 17, 2011 New Orleans, LA, 9 p.m., ESPN
Payout: $1 million
Sun Belt No. 1 vs. C-USA No. 5
Beef O’Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl
Dec. 20, 2011 St. Petersburg, FL, 8 p.m., ESPN
Payout: $1 million
Big East No. 5 vs. C-USA No. 2
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 21, 2011 San Diego, CA, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $1 million
Mountain West No. 2 vs. WAC
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 22, 2011 Las Vegas, NV, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $2.2 million
Mountain West No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 5
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Dec. 24, 2011 Honolulu, HI, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
C-USA No. 6 vs. WAC (Hawaii, if eligible)
Advocare V100 Independence Bowl
Dec. 26, 2011 Shreveport, LA, 5 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $2.3 million
Mountain West No. 3 vs. ACC No. 7
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Dec. 27, 2011 Detroit, MI, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
MAC No. 1 vs. Big Ten No. 8 (or Sun Belt if no Big Ten)
Belk Bowl 8 p.m. ESPN
Dec. 27, 2011 Charlotte, NC, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $3.4 million
Big East No. 3 vs. ACC No. 4
Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman
Dec. 28, 2011 Washington, DC, 4:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $1.725 million
ACC No. 8 vs. Navy (or C-USA if Navy not eligible)
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Dec. 28, 2011 San Diego, CA, ESPN
Payout: $4.3 million
Big 12 No. 5 vs. Pac-12 No. 3
Champs Sports Bowl
Dec. 29, 2011 Orlando, FL, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $4.65 million
ACC No. 3 vs. Big East No. 2
Valero Alamo Bowl
Dec. 29, 2011 San Antonio, TX, 9 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $6.35 million
Big 12 No. 2 or 3 vs. Pac-12 No. 2
Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 30, 2011 Fort Worth, TX, 12 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $1.2 million
C-USA No. 3 vs. BYU (or Mountain West if BYU not eligible)
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Dec. 30, 2011 Bronx, NY, 3:20 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $3.6 million
Big East No. 4 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Dec. 30, 2011 Nashville, TN, 6:40 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $3.675
ACC No. 6 vs. SEC No. 7
Insight Bowl
Dec. 30, 2011 Tempe, AZ, 10:00 p.m.
Payout: $6.7 million
Big Ten No. 4 or 5 vs. Big 12 No. 4
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas
Dec. 31, 2011 Houston, TX, 12 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $3.4 million
Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Dec. 31, 2011 El Paso, TX, 2 p.m. CBS
Payout: $4 million
ACC No. 4 vs. Pac-12 No. 4
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Dec. 31, 2011 Memphis, TN, 3:30 p.m. ABC
Payout: TBA
C-USA No. 1 vs. SEC No. 6 or No. 7 (Big East if no SEC team)
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Dec. 31, 2011 San Francisco, CA, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $1.675 million
Pac-12 No. 6 vs. Army (WAC if Army not available)
Chick-fil-A Bowl
Dec. 31, 2011 Atlanta, GA, 7:30 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $6.9 million
ACC No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3, 4 or 5
TicketCity Bowl
Jan. 2, 2012 Dallas, TX, 12 p.m. ESPNU
Payout: $2.2 million
Big Ten No. 6 vs. C-USA
Capital One Bowl
Jan. 2, 2012 Orlando, FL, 1 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $9.2 million
Big Ten No. 2 vs. SEC No. 2
Gator Bowl
Jan. 2, 2011 Jacksonville, FL, 1 p.m. ESPN2
Payout: $5.4 million
Big Ten No. 4 or 5 vs. SEC No. 6
Outback Bowl
Jan. 2, 2012 Tampa, FL, 1 p.m. ABC
Payout: $7 million
Big Ten No. 3 vs. SEC No. 3, 4 or 5
AT&T Cotton Bowl
Jan. 6, 2012 Arlington, TX, 8 p.m. FOX
Payout: $7.25 million
Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC No. 3, 4, or 5 (West)
GoDaddy.com Bowl
DATE TBA Mobile, AL ESPN
Payout: $1.5 million
MAC No. 2 vs. Sun Belt
BBVA Compass Bank Bowl
Jan. 7, 2012, Birmingham, AL, 12 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $1.925 million
Big East No. 4 vs. SEC (or MAC if no Big East or SEC)
BCS BOWLS
Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
Jan. 2, 2012 Pasadena, CA, 5 p.m. ESPN
Payout: $36 million
Big Ten No. 1 vs. Pac-12 No. 1
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Jan. 3, 2012 New Orleans, LA, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
SEC No. 1 vs. BCS at-large
Discover Orange Bowl
Jan. 4, 2012 Miami, FL, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
ACC No. 1 vs. BCS at-large
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Jan. 5, 2012 Glendale, AZ, 8 p.m. ESPN
Payout: TBA
Big 12 No. 1 vs. BCS
BCS Championship
Jan. 9, 2012 New Orleans, LA, 8 p.m. ESPN
BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2