These are how the minor bowls would be played as modified by Round 1 of the Golden Bowl Playoffs. These bowls may select from all teams that have at least six wins, a winning record, and either did not make or lost in Round 1 of the Golden Bowl Playoffs. Bowl names with modified matchups are in bold. I’ll be playing those games out after the real versions are played. The Cotton Bowl has been selected as the fifth BCS bowl, so the SEC’s third choice goes to the Outback Bowl no questions asked.
| BOWL | Team Selection Order | Teams | DATE/ TIME/ CHANNEL |
| EagleBank Bowl | ACC #9 | Miami (FL) | Dec. 20, 11 a.m. |
| Navy | Navy | ESPN | |
| New Mexico | Mountain West #4 | BYU | Dec. 20, 2:30 p.m. |
| WAC #3 | Fresno State | ESPN | |
| St. Petersburg | Big East (#6?) | South Florida | Dec. 20, 4:30 p.m. |
| Conference USA #5 | Memphis | ESPN2 | |
| Pioneer Las Vegas | Mountain West #1 | Utah | Dec. 20, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #4(/5) | Arizona | ESPN | |
| R+L Carriers New Orleans | Conference USA #4 | Southern Miss | Dec. 21, 8:15 p.m. |
| Sun Belt #1 | Troy | ESPN | |
| San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia | Mountain West #2 | TCU | Dec. 23, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #7 (WAC #4 if none) | Boise State | ESPN | |
| Sheraton Hawaii | WAC #2 (gen. Hawaii) | Hawaii | Dec. 24, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #6 (C-USA #7 if none) | Notre Dame | ESPN | |
| Motor City | MAC #1/2 | Central Michigan | Dec. 26, 8 p.m. |
| Big Ten #7 | Wisconsin | ESPN | |
| Meineke Car Care | ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 6) | North Carolina | Dec. 27, 1 p.m. |
| Big East #3 | West Virginia | ESPN | |
| Champs Sports | ACC #4 | Florida State | Dec. 27, 4:30 p.m. |
| Big Ten #(4/)5 | Iowa | ESPN | |
| Emerald | Pac-10 #(4/)5 | California | Dec. 27, 8 p.m. |
| ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 7) | Clemson | ESPN | |
| Independence | SEC #8 | Kentucky | Dec. 28, 8:15 p.m. |
| Big 12 #7 | Wake Forest | ESPN | |
| Papajohns.com | Big East (#5?) | Rutgers | Dec. 29, 3 p.m. |
| SEC #9 (Sun Belt if none) | Florida Atlantic | ESPN | |
| Valero Alamo | Big Ten #4(/5) | Northwestern | Dec. 29, 8 p.m. |
| Big 12 #4/5 | Missouri | ESPN | |
| Roady’s Humanitarian | WAC #1 (gen. BSU) | Nevada | Dec. 30, 4:30 p.m. |
| ACC #8 | Maryland | ESPN | |
| Texas | Big 12 #8 | NC State | Dec. 30, 8 p.m. |
| Conference USA #6 | Rice | NFL Network | |
| Pacific Life Holiday | Big 12 #3 | Oklahoma State | Dec. 30, 8 p.m. |
| Pac-10 #2 | Oregon | ESPN | |
| Bell Helicopter Armed Forces | Conference USA #3? | Houston | Dec. 31, Noon |
| Mountain West #3 | Air Force | ESPN | |
| Brut Sun | Pac-10 #3 | Oregon State | Dec. 31, 2 p.m. |
| Big 12 #5/Big East #2 | Pittsburgh | CBS | |
| Gaylord Hotels Music City | SEC #6/7 (Team’s Pref.) | Vanderbilt | Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m. |
| ACC #5/6/7 (gen. 5; must pick Chmp. Gm. Loser if >8 wins) | Boston College | ESPN | |
| Insight | Big 12 #6 | Kansas | Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m. |
| Big Ten #6 | Minnesota | NFL Network | |
| Chick-fil-A | SEC #5 | South Carolina | Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m. |
| ACC #2 | Virginia Tech | ESPN | |
| Outback | SEC #3/4 (East) | Mississippi | Jan. 1, 2009, 11 a.m. |
| Big Ten #3 | Michigan State | ESPN | |
| Capital One | Big Ten #2 | Ohio State | Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. |
| SEC #2 | Georgia | ABC | |
| Konica Minolta Gator | Big 12 #4/Big East #2 | Nebraska | Jan. 1, 2009, 1 p.m. |
| ACC #3 | Georgia Tech | CBS | |
| AutoZone Liberty | SEC #6/7 (Team’s Pref.) | LSU | Jan. 2, 2009, 5 p.m. |
| Conference USA #1 | East Carolina | ESPN | |
| International | Big East (#4?) | Connecticut | Jan. 3, 2009, Noon |
| MAC #3 | Buffalo | ESPN2 | |
| GMAC | Conference USA #2 | Tulsa | Jan. 6, 2009, 8 p.m. |
| MAC #1/2 | Ball State | ESPN |