One after another, in relentless waves of kickoffs, halftime shows and Gatorade showers … it's the final bowl season of the millennium. And we're thinking it's going to be one of the most eventful, ranking right up there with the matchups of Crusaders in those memorable bowls of the 1100s.

But let's be serious. You've got to have a lot of time on your hands to be able to still watch bowl games into the new year.

And that's where we come in to provide this public service. It's all about prioritizing your time, and limbering up your clicker finger.

First of all, let's throw the won-lost records (all together now) out the window.

What we're looking for is pure entertainment -- exciting games, sensational plays, terrific players, heart-stopping endings … you know … a typical bowl season.

Easy on the clicker

Although the calendar seems to be crowded with way too many bowls, they are doing a much better job of scheduling these days. Of 23 total bowl games, only a couple are seriously conflicted. Consider that there are only three serious decisions to be made, and if you've got a quick thumb, you'll be able to click back and forth (the "previous channel" button works best).

Here's the help you need on the three competitive broadcasts:

• Thursday night, Dec. 30 -- Micron PC vs. Peach: Neither of these games figures to move too quickly, so it's a good warmup for New Year's Day. Start with the Micron PC. Virginia RB Thomas Jones and Illinois QB Kurt Kittner are both very good, but not especially flashy -- you'll be seeing Jones on Sundays next fall, as Kittner will become a national name as a junior. The Peach has Tommy Bowden's wildly varied offense at Clemson trying to do something against Mississippi State's incredible defense. It could be a game with lots of good tension to it, so you might want to settle in with it for a while.
• Friday afternoon, Dec. 31 -- Sun vs. Insight.com: This is not a real tough call. The Sun will be entertaining, especially if Minnesota gets a lead on Oregon; the Gophers have the kind of defense and ball-control offense to hang on -- but Oregon will keep firing, and the outcome will be very much in doubt. If Oregon gets on top, the Ducks' Pac-10 defense doesn't figure to put away Minnesota, either. But keep the clicker in touch with Colorado-BC in the Insight -- at least for the fourth quarter.
• Saturday morning, Jan. 1 -- Cotton vs. Outback: This is a solid back-and-forth situation … maybe worthy of two televisions (picture-in-picture a huge bonus). The Cotton will give you a glimpse of the Texas two-step at quarterback in solid Major Applewhite and future star Chris Simms (who stank it up in his one chance to play, against Texas A&M). And the Outback is a terrific pairing of offenses, with 2000 Heisman front-runner Drew Brees and Georgia's Quincy Carter leading the way. Keep in mind, too, that the Gator Bowl starts at about halftime of these two games, so be ready to roll among the three games.

Best chance for an upset

Considering that only five teams are listed as underdogs by as much as a touchdown, Arkansas is a team that -- had it not blown its final game to LSU -- would have gone into the Cotton Bowl as a near-pick with Texas.

Instead, the Razorbacks are just 7-4, and rate with the likes of Boston College, Hawaii, Stanford and Washington among the biggest underdogs on the board. With Clint Stoerner throwing, Arkansas is capable of beating the Longhorns.

One other thought: Stanford won the last two times it played in the Rose Bowl, even though it was a huge underdog each time.

Best chance for a blowout

There are plenty of reasons why Kansas State is going to drill Washington. The Wildcats want to show they are good enough for the BCS, they want to show that last year's pratfall against Purdue in the Alamo Bowl was in their distant past, they want to show that the 1991 56-3 loss to Washington still hurts, and they happen to have some perfect matchups in strength vs. weakness areas.

This one's gonna get ugly … and uglier.

Future NFL stars to watch

C'mon, this time last year, Miami's Edgerrin James was pretty much just another junior who was weighing his options. Then he ran for 156 yards and a couple of touchdowns in the Micron PC Bowl against N.C. State, as NFL scouts did a double-take … and now he's the $15-million rookie.

Who should we watch to make a splash this time and in the future?

• Chris Redman, QB, Louisville -- By most accounts, he'll be the first QB taken. You can see when he faces Boise State in the Humanitarian Bowl what he'll be able to do against the Browns.
• Shaun Alexander, RB, Alabama -- The most versatile back in college football, he catches, blocks … oh, and he runs, too, as he'll show against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. Earlier in the day, Wisconsin's Ron Dayne will perform against Stanford.
• Plaxico Burress, WR, Michigan State -- Yes, Florida State's Peter Warrick is "the man," but Burress' 6-6 frame and overall skills make him special. And he'll be playing in the Citrus Bowl against short Florida cornerbacks.
• LB LaVar Arrington and DE Courtney Brown, Penn State -- Arrington is spectacular, but Brown is just as promising. Both of these guys will make plays in the backfield against Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.
• J.R. Redmond, RB, Arizona State -- The Sun Devils are going to run the ball even more than usual against Wake Forest in the Aloha Bowl. And, now that Redmond is single again, he'll be able to run more carefree.

Team ready to emerge

When we watched Virginia Tech blow out Alabama last year, we were saying, "man, those guys look like they could be great next year." Which teams do we expect to be saying the same thing about this bowl season?

• Texas -- The Longhorns (vs. Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl) had the best recruiting class in the country last year, won nine games this year, and will have 19 starters returning next season.
• Nebraska -- The Cornhuskers (vs. Tennessee in the Fiesta Bowl) lose only three starters on offense after this season … so watch out in 2000.
• Miami -- Consider that the Hurricanes (vs. Georgia Tech in the Gator) have two starting quarterbacks and four starting-quality running backs returning next season, along with a young core on defense.

Three games for offense lovers

• Gator: Georgia Tech vs. Miami -- The Yellow Jackets are the only team in the nation to average more than 500 yards (509.4) -- plus, they are bad on defense. The Hurricanes, who scored 155 points in the past three games, can take advantage.
• Rose: Wisconsin vs. Stanford -- If only we could combine Wisconsin's running game and Stanford's passing game …
• Motor City: Marshall vs. BYU -- The teams combine to average 891 yards, 67 points and 77 pass attempts.

Three games for defense lovers

• Fiesta: Nebraska vs. Tennessee -- People speak of the Cornhusker defense in reverent tones, while Tennessee's star-filled defensive unit simply doesn't yield against the run, allowing only three TDs by the ground.
• Peach: Clemson vs. Mississippi State -- The Tigers recently went through a stretch where they allowed 27 total points to Florida State, Wake Forest and Duke; Mississippi State is the nation's leader in total defense.
• Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M -- If only because the offenses are nothing special.

Not much of an act to follow

The championship game in the Sugar Bowl just needs to be an OK game, after that stinker of last year. Twenty-one penalties, seven fumbles, four interceptions, at least that many dropped passes … let's just say the bar isn't all that high for Virginia Tech and Florida State to top the FSU-Tennessee Fiesta Bowl.

Record watch

• After gaining 246 yards last year in the Rose Bowl against UCLA, what's to say Wisconsin's Ron Dayne won't get another 35 yards against Stanford? That would be 281, which would break the all-time bowl record, set by Texas Tech's James Gray in the 1989 All-American Bowl (280 yards, 33 carries). Dayne, by the way, also went for 246 in the 1996 Copper Bowl.
• We're thinking that Hawaii and Oregon State will make the Oahu Bowl the "passingest" of all bowl games ever played. The record for pass attempts in a game is 93, set by Idaho and Southern Miss in last year's Humanitarian Bowl … and the Rainbow Warriors and Beavers typically throw the ball a combined 87 times a game. Heck, this could go over 100.
• Gator Bowl opponents Miami and Georgia Tech average 914 yards of offense between them. And no bowl game has ever seen a total of more than 1,143 yards (1977 Bluebonnet Bowl, USC and Texas A&M) … so that one looks like a dunk.
• Also, we don't want to forget about the most passes ever thrown by a quarterback in a bowl game. The mark is 63, and as long as the weather is good in Boise (iffy, at best), the combination of Chris Redman's arm (he averages 44 passes a game), and Louisville coach John L. Smith's propensity for running up a score, we're thinking that record is very much in jeopardy.
• Can Virginia Tech's Corey Moore, Penn State's LaVar Arrington, Minnesota's Tyrone Carter or Mississippi State's Ashley Cooper make more than five tackles behind the line of scrimmage? Sure they can … and if they do, they'll break the all-bowl record, held by Colorado's Michael Jones (1988 Freedom Bowl vs. BYU) and Arkansas' Jimmy Walker (1978 Fiesta Bowl vs. UCLA).