PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Eleventh-ranked Oklahoma will meet No. 9 Texas A&M in the Jan. 4 Cotton Bowl in the headliner among non-BCS bowl game pairings finalized Sunday.
The Sooners (10-2) missed out on an at-large BCS bid due to surprising Northern Illinois grabbing an automatic conference champion bid, and so will meet the Aggies (10-2) and their Heisman Trophy-candidate quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Meanwhile, fifth-ranked Georgia (11-2), which saw its national title hopes dashed with a loss to Alabama in Saturday's SEC championship game, will take on No. 21 Nebraska on in the Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl.
Other New Year's Day bowl matchups will include No. 10 South Carolina meeting No. 22 Michigan in the Outback Bowl; Purdue facing Oklahoma State in the Heart of Dallas Bowl; and Northwestern taking on Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl.
Games to played Dec. 31 include No. 7 Louisiana State against No. 13 Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl; Southern California versus Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl; North Carolina State facing Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl; and Iowa State taking on Tulsa in the Liberty Bowl.
