Bowl season enters it second week tonight with an entertaining matchup featuring Rutgers and Arizona State, while another noteworthy game this week pits traditional powers Michigan and Nebraska in Wednesday’s Alamo Bowl. Here’s a preview.

INSIGHT BOWL
RUTGERS (7-4) VS. ARIZONA ST. (6-5)
(Tonight, 8:30 p.m., ESPN)

The Insight Bowl is, to be charitable, a second-tier bowl game. But don’t tell that to Rutgers.

The State University of New Jersey has waited 27 years for the opportunity to play in a postseason game. It may have taken the watering down of the Big East for the Scarlet Knights to finally surpass the six-win plateau for bowl eligibility, but this is still an important step in the program-building process for head coach Greg Schiano.

Rutgers thought enough of Schiano’s efforts this season to reward the fifth year coach with a seven-year extension on Thursday. The move indicates to recruits that there is stability in the program, but much of the momentum of this season could be undone if Rutgers gets blown out by the Sun Devils, who will be playing just a few miles from campus. The situation was reversed in Rutgers’s last bowl appearance, when the Sun Devils beat the Scarlet Knights in the short-lived Garden State Bowl at Giants Stadium in 1978.

Despite enjoying their best season since 1992,the Scarlet Knights are a very uneven team. But the same could be said of their opponents, who came within a fourth-down pass of knocking off LSU in September and gave USC all it could handle for a half, but struggled down the stretch as injuries and narrow losses took their toll on the team’s psyche.

The only thing Rutgers does particularly well is rush the passer. The Scarlet Knights were second in the nation with 45 quarterback sacks, most coming from the defensive line. Still, they were only 63rd in pass defense, suggesting an all-or-nothing defense that was too often the latter.

To pull off the upset (ASU is a 13-point favorite), Rutgers must take care of the ball. The Scarlet Knights were -3 in turnover differential on the season, rare for a winning team. Arizona State was much more opportunistic, going +7 on the season. Rutgers must also control the tempo to keep the explosive ASU offense (36.1 points per game) on the bench.

Rutgers has the backs and the short passing game to do just that – look for tailback Ray Rice and 235-pound fullback Brian Leonard to test the soft ASU rush defense early and often. Leonard, who reminds people of the Tampa Bay Bucs’ MikeAlstott, is also an effective receiver who presents matchup problems for defenses in the open field.

Defensively, Rutgers must pressure quarterback Rudy Carpenter and avoid giving up big plays to standout receiver Derek Hagan in the passing game. Carpenter, a redshirt freshman who took over for the injured Sam Keller at midseason, has shown accuracy and poise playing behind a patchwork offensive line. If the Rutgers defensive line doesn’t get to him, he’ll put up big numbers and light up the scoreboard.

The fact that this was a triumphant season for Rutgers and a disappointing one for Arizona State could be a significant factor in this game. Bowl games are often won by the team that most wants to be there, which in this case is almost certainly Rutgers. But Arizona State, which also rewarded its coach, Dirk Koetter, with a recent contract extension, should get a boost from the home crowd.

ALAMO BOWL
NO. 20 MICHIGAN (7-4) VS. NEBRASKA (6-5)
(Wednesday, 8 p.m., ESPN)

Eight years ago, Michigan and Nebraska shared a national title in the pre-BCS days, but neither program has seen those heights since. There have been close calls, to be sure – Big Blue has played in three BCS games since 1999, while Big Red lost to Miami in the national title game following the 2001 season.

Michigan was a chic preseason pick, but dropped early games to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and Minnesota before saving its season with a win over Penn State. The Cornhuskers, meanwhile, are still suffering plenty of growing pains in the second year under Bill Callahan, so the bowl appearance represents progress.

Michigan is a heavy favorite in this game because of balance. The Wolverines rank in the middle of the pack nationally in both offense and defense, but don’t beat themselves with penalties or turnovers. Nebraska, on the other hand, is a work in progress on offense. Callahan’s arrival signaled the abandonment of the option in favor of a West Coast, short-passing attack.

As a result, the once prideful Nebraska rushing attack is now one of the nation’s worst …only the passing game isn’t much better. To upset Michigan, Nebraska’s aggressive defense must rattle quarterback Chad Henne and limit the Wolverine rushing game. The health of tailback Mike Hart is still in question, and if he’s not at full strength, it will be a big advantage for the Huskers.

On offense, Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor should be able to put up some big yards against Michigan’s soft zones, but if Nebraska becomes completely one-dimensional, Michigan’s edge in athleticism at the skill positions will lead to a Wolverine victory.

The Insight and Alamo are just two of 10 bowl games between today and Friday, with plenty of interesting matchups in the pre-BCS portion of the bowl schedule. Here are some things to look for in the other games.

CHAMPS SPORTS BOWL
COLORADO (7-5) VS. CLEMSON (7-4)
(Today, 5 p.m., ESPN)

After three straight losses (the last two by a combined scored of 100-6), Colorado canned Gary Barnett and will be led in this game by defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz. Can the Buffaloes get up for a Clemson team riding a three-game winning streak?

MPC COMPUTERS BOWL
BOISE ST. (9-3) VS. BOSTON COLLEGE (8-3)
(Wednesday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN)

Boise State has won an NCAA-best 31 straight home games, but is a slight underdog against B.C in Boise. Can the Broncos keep the streak alive in their final game under Dan Hawkins, who takes over at Colorado next season?

EMERALD BOWL
GEORGIA TECH (7-4) VS. UTAH (6-5)
(Thursday, 4:30 p.m., ESPN)

Like the Insight Bowl, this game is played at a baseball stadium (San Francisco’s SBC Park), forcing the teams to stand on the same sideline. It’s worth tuning in to watch Georgia Tech’s passing combo of quarterback Reggie Ball and acrobatic receiver Calvin Johnson, maybe the nation’s best wideout.

HOLIDAY BOWL
OREGON (10-1) VS. OKLAHOMA (7-4)
(Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN)

After being snubbed by the BCS in favor of Notre Dame, Oregon must try to avoid the same fate Cal suffered last year, when the Bears were left out of the BCS only to get embarrassed by Texas Tech in this bowl. The Holiday almost always produces entertaining, high-scoring games, and this could be another in that vein.

MUSIC CITY BOWL
MINNESOTA (7-4) VS. VIRGINIA (6-5)
(Friday, 12 p.m., ESPN)

Virginia was a disappointment this season, yet four Cavaliers made the all-ACC team, and both coordinators landed head coaching jobs in recent weeks. What gives? The Cavs attempt to answer those questions against one of the nation’s best rushing attacks.

SUN BOWL
NORTHWESTERN (7-4) VS. UCLA (9-2)
(Friday, 2 p.m., CBS)

Defense is decidedly optional in what should be an explosive scoring contest in El Paso. The UCLA offense is powered by quarterback Drew Olson and tailback Maurice Drew, while Northwestern counters with crafty quarterback Brett Basanez and tailback Tyrell Sutton.

INDEPENDENCE BOWL
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-4) VS. MISSOURI (6-5)
(Friday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN)

Steve Spurrier got the Gamecocks to a bowl game in his first season back in the college game, which earned him some consideration for Coach of the Year honors. He’s sure to have some trickery cooked up for Missouri, whose standout run/pass quarterback, Brad Smith, will be playing his final college game.

PEACH BOWL
MIAMI (9-2) VS. LSU (10-2)
(Friday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN)

This is clearly the best matchup of the pre-BCS bowl season and one of just three bowls pitting top-10 teams. Will LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell, injured in the SEC title game, play? If so, LSU should take care of the Hurricanes.

Mr. Levine is a regular writer for FootballOutsiders.com.