Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Best time of the year??

Hello to all and I hope that you all are having a wonderful and enjoyable holiday season! While the holiday season itself may be coming quickly to a close, college football bowl season is just getting heated up. As we enter the mid-point of the bowl season, we thought it only appropriate to highlight a few of the most thrilling – and not so thrilling – bowl games thus far this year. With 19 (of the more exciting) games left to be played and 13 under our belts, here is just a taste of what I (and I am by no means a college football expert, but someone’s got to do it) believe are the deserving winners of the following awards:

Biggest Let-Down: Georgia vs. Texas A&M. Independence Bowl. Georgia’s three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter turned this competitive game into a rout.
Biggest Beat Down: SMU vs. Nevada. Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. Did you happen to watch the first quarter? If so, you saw the entire game. Congrats to Ponies on their fist winning season in over a decade and their first Bowl victory since 1984.
Biggest Comeback: I thought it should go to someone but I honestly haven’t seen one yet…Maybe UCLA over Temple in the EagleBank Bowl last night?
Biggest Upset: Pitt. Vs. UNC. Meineke Car Care Bowl. Okay, this obviously isn’t true as Pitt was ranked higher than the Heels, but as a born and bred Carolina fan, I had to say it.

Games to Watch this Bowl Season:
(In no specific order other than appearance…)

Allstate Sugar Bowl – Florida vs. Cincinnati
Friday, January 1st – 7:30p.m.
Reason(s) to watch: All eyes will be on this game to watch the Tim Tebow era at Florida officially come to a close. Whether you love him or you hate him, Tebow quickly blossomed into one of the greatest football players of his era during his career at Florida, becoming the “face” of college football. Tebow fans and foes will bid him adieu Friday at the Superdome after Tebow plays his final 60 minutes of football in a Florida jersey. Meanwhile, head coach Urban Meyer’s future at the school is currently up in the air as this could very well be his last game as the Gator’s leader. It will likely be a good match-up and a sad, sad day for Florida fans everywhere.

Konica Minolta Gator Bowl – FSU vs. WVU
Friday, January 1st – 1:00p.m.
Reason(s) to watch: It might not have the (or any, rather) matchup appeal as FSU’s struggling defense will likely be no match for the No. 2 rushing offense in the Big East, but it will have a dramatic tone as FSU fans will bid farewell to longtime coach Bobby Bowden. On Saturday, Bowden will coach his final game for the Seminoles against his former school. Let’s just hope it won’t be a blow out.

PapJohns.com Bowl – Connecticut vs. South Carolina
Saturday, January 2nd – 2:00p.m.
Reason(s) to watch: The Huskies became “America’s team” this year after cornerback Jasper Howard was killed in October and the team struggled get back on their feet, suffering five loses by 15 points or more before getting their season back on track. It will likely be a good match-up as well with South Carolina egos flying high after capping off their season with a big win over rival Clemson.

AT&T Cotton Bowl – Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss
Saturday, January 2nd – 2:00p.m.
Reason(s) to watch: Ole Miss Dexter McCluster is likely to become the first player in SEC history to have 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a season. He needs 15 yards on the ground and 25 in the air. Despite Oklahoma’s stout defense, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet he’s going to snag that record on Saturday. If you don’t care about the record, this will likely be a good game either way as both teams are equally competitive and have had shockingly similar seasons.

Citi BCS National Championship Game – Alabama vs. Texas
Thursday, January 7th – 8:00 p.m.
Reason(s) to watch: Not that it needs to be explained but it’s two of the most storied programs in college football meeting for the first time in 30 years. The star-studded matchup will feature Alabama’s Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and their six All-Americans going up against Texas QB star Colt McCoy and an equally-loaded roster. Oh, and because it’s the National Championship Game.

In other news…a Quinnipiac University survey shows that 63% of people who consider themselves “college football fans” are in favor of ditching the current BCS system and replacing it with a playoff system. However, despite wanting a change, 48% of those surveyed don’t see the college football post-season as a federal issue and would like Congress to stay out of it…despite President Obama being in concurrence with the majority of those who want a “change” (ESPN).

Check back at the end of Bowl season for a complete recap on this year’s Bowl games.