The following are REAL bowl games (in order of awesomeness)...The Rose Bowl, The Orange Bowl, The Cotton Bowl, The Sugar Bowl, The Gator Bowl, The Sun Bowl, The Tangerine/Citrus Bowl (the original, now Capital One), The Liberty Bowl, The Peach Bowl (now Chick-fil-A), The Fiesta Bowl, The Independence Bowl (now Advocare V100 Bowl), Holiday Bowl, Outback Bowl, and the Copper Bowl (now Buffalo Wild Wings).
So basically, any bowl game 1989 and before.
The following are not real bowl games (in order of possibly real someday to not likely real ever): Russell Athletic Bowl (formerly new Tangerine/Champs/etc), Las Vegas Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (formerly Motor City Bowl), Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (former Humanitarian Bowl), Music City Bowl, GoDaddy Bowl, New Orleans Bowl, Fight Hunger Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Belk Bowl, Armed Forces Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl, Texas Bowl, BBVA Compass Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Military Bowl, Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, and the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
The BCS National Championship Game is an anomaly in and of itself. It's not a real bowl game but it is the national championship so it has to be in its own category.
Of all the defunct bowl games, the only one I truly miss is the College All-Star Game, played from 1934-1976, in which the Super Bowl champion from the previous year played an all star team of college seniors.