Remember the good old days when you could invite friends over New Year’s Day to watch football and use a Big Eight or a Big 12 Conference game as the centerpiece?

You can’t do that this year. Five bowl games are scheduled New Year’s Day, but not a single one involves a Big 12 team — a curious development when you consider eight league teams haven’t put their uniforms in mothballs yet.

Then again, when you stop to consider that only one Jan. 1 game — the BCS Orange Bowl — had a potential link with the Big 12, it’s easy to understand.

Of the five games Jan. 1, three are yawners — Iowa-Florida (Outback), Maryland-West Virginia (Gator) and Purdue-Georgia (Capital One) — and who outside of the nation’s largest peninsula cares who wins the Miami-Florida State game?

The only one worth watching New Year’s Day is Michigan-USC in the Rose Bowl.

Here are capsule looks at the bowls involving Big 12 teams:

Tangerine Bowl (Dec. 22)

North Carolina State (7-4) vs. Kansas (6-6).

Line: N.C. State by 11.

This lead-in to the Green Bay-Oakland Monday Night Football clunker is potentially the better game. The Jayhawks are highly unfavored by the oddsmakers. In fact, of the three Big 12 bowl underdogs, the spread against Kansas is by far the widest. In a nutshell, KU’s only hope is to out-tally the Tobacco Roaders in a scoreboard-buster.

Alamo Bowl (Dec. 29)

Nebraska (9-3)

vs. Michigan State (8-4).

Line: Nebraska by 3.

This is your only football offering this Monday night and the Cornplasters may be eager to win one for deposed coach Frank Solich, whose personal Alamo came after a not-good-enough nine-win season. By the way, Michigan State’s quarterback is Jeff Smoker. Wouldn’t he have been a perfect fit for N.C. State or Wake Forest or North Carolina?

Houston Bowl (Dec. 30)

Navy (8-4) vs. Texas Tech (7-5).

Line: Texas Tech by 13.

Or is it Army against Air Force? Texas Tech has the most devastating aerial attack since the Black Sheep Squadron while the ground-oriented Midshipmen actually do more marching than floating. B.J. Symons could make John Paul Jones turn over in his grave.

Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30)

Washington State (9-3) vs. Texas (10-2).

Line: Texas by 9.

Look out here. Texas may consider a trip to San Diego a consolation prize after BCS demotion and may be too loose for boys from Pullman, who would like nothing better than to strip Longhorns of everything except their hooves.

Independence Bowl (Dec. 31)

Missouri (8-4) vs. Arkansas (8-4).

Line: Arkansas by 2 1/2.

When Kansas and Missouri collide, they call it the Border War. However, geography buffs know Missouri actually borders eight states, and this will be the Tigers’ ninth game against a school from a bordering state. Is that a record? Mizzou has played at least one school from every neighbor state except Kentucky. So they can bill the Independence Bowl as the Border War if they want, but we know better.

Cotton Bowl (Jan. 2)

Mississippi (9-3) vs. Oklahoma State (9-3).

Line: Ole Miss by 2.

I have a sneaking suspicion OSU quarterback Josh Fields will outperform Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning, the Ted Kennedy of the Manning family. Too, the Rebels soon will learn you can’t stop Vernand Morency, you can only hope regular OSU tailback Tatum Bell will be able to play.

Fiesta Bowl (Jan. 2)

Kansas State (11-3) vs. Ohio State (10-2).

Line: Kansas State by 7.

If Roberson doesn’t give Buckeyes Ell, then Darren Sproles — the leading candidate for the 2004 Heisman if Pitt’s Larry Fitzgerald turns pro — will. Nobody can accuse red-hot ‘Cats of peaking too soon.

Sugar Bowl (Jan. 4)

Oklahoma (12-1) vs. LSU (12-1).

Line: Oklahoma by 6.

Funky things happen to Big 12 Conference teams in the Louisiana Superdome. Just ask Kansas. Nine months ago, the Jayhawks couldn’t buy a free throw against Syracuse. Texas fizzled in New Orleans, too. Come on Sooners, snap the jinx.