Don’t expect LSU head coach Les Miles to pull the Statue of Liberty play out of his team’s playbook tonight in the BCS title game. Tonight ends the wild three-week ride of 32 bowl games.

Playoffs? Who needs playoffs after some of the crazy and miraculous finishes during this year’s bowl season? Here are our top three bowl games from this year.

1. Motor City Bowl – Purdue outlasted and staved off three separate rallies by Central Michigan to pull out a 51-48 win on Dec. 26 in Detroit. Purdue quarterback Curtis Painter’s 546 passing yards ranks fourth all-time in any bowl performance, and both teams combined for 1,022 yards. Chris Summers’ 40-yard field goal as time expired gave Purdue the win.

2. Gator Bowl – Texas Tech’s Red Raiders are known more for their high-scoring offense than pulling off come-from-behind wins. But that’s what Mike Leach’s team did on Jan. 1 in Jacksonville. Texas Tech overcame a 28-14 deficit with less than six minutes to play and left with a 31-28 win after Alex Trlica made a 41-yard field goal as time expired.

3. Las Vegas Bowl – The two previously mentioned games ended with a game-winning field goal. This defensive-minded affair between BYU and UCLA ended with an improbable win by the Cougars. BYU’s Eathyn Manumaleuna blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt as time expired to preserve BYU’s 17-16 win on Dec. 22 in Las Vegas.

Matt Daniels can be reached at 581-7936 or at mwdaniels@eiu.edu