As many bowl games will be played on New Year’s Eve as on New Year’s Day. Three bowls are scheduled for Jan. 2 and the Fiesta Bowl will be played Jan. 5.

The days when the college football season usually ended on Jan. 1 with a flurry of about eight mostly, must-see games are long gone.

Whether this is good, bad or simply different is a personal choice, but the BCS and the overcrowded bowl lineup have made it so.

It has also taken much of the luster from what was once a major achievement in college football: playing on New Year’s Day.

The BCS is mostly to blame for this. The Bowl Championship Series, wanting to give each major bowl it’s own exclusive TV spot, pushed the Sugar, Fiesta and Orange off Jan. 1 — depending on the year — and extended the college football season.

Still, Jan. 1 remained a line of demarcation. The games played on or after Jan. 1 were big. Those played before, not so much.

New Year’s Day is still sacred. The five games to be played Jan. 1 all qualify as tradition-rich, quality bowls. But among the other games played in the first few days of 2009 are the GMAC Bowl and the International Bowl, both third-tier games.

Playing after the calendar turns over is no longer only for the college football elite — no offense, East Carolina, Connecticut and Ball State.

At least the last game is the most important: No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Oklahoma on Jan. 8 in Miami for the BCS national title.