Moving along, our order will be chronological, and I'll even tell you if you who I think will win, and if you should even bother to watch the bowl in question. This week's more of an appetizer than a main course. Which is regrettable, as this appetizer is like getting a chicken wing and a plate full of goo. I will leave you to determine which of the following games is the "chicken wing" in the above metaphor. We go!
December 19, 2009
New Mexico Bowl
Fresno State vs. Wyoming
Well, the first bowl of the year takes place in an obscure state between two obscure teams that roughly 7 people care about. Fresno played a challenging schedule against several good teams. Wyoming, meanwhile, played Texas close for 1 quarter, then faded to 5th in its conference, getting a bowl berth by beating similarly mediocre Colorado State in its final game. The outcome doesn't look too brilliant for the Cowboys, though they are in their first bowl since 2004. So there's something to cling to.
Should I watch this bowl? Well, if you have nothing to do on Saturday at 4:30, sure. If you have something better to do (examples: brush your teeth for 3 hours, repaint your ceiling, take a nap) then I'd say do that.
CFR pick: Fresno State should win this one. That's all I got...
St. Petersburg Bowl presented by Beef 'O' Brady's
UCF vs. Rutgers
You know, I get the feeling that bowl season would be better if the good bowls were spaced out a bit, to build the excitement. Central Florida and Rutgers play in this game which should have better quality football than Wyoming/Fresno, but is that really saying all that much? Rutgers had a pretty disappointing year, especially when one considers their 8 wins ring hollow due to their awful conference and their fairly bad non-conference schedule. The Scarlet Knights only played one major conference opponent outside of the Big East, and that opponent was Maryland; the worst team in the pretty darn bad ACC. UCF, meanwhile, played multiple good teams and lost to most of them. They did, however, beat a ranked Houston team, which is more impressive than the ranked team Rutgers beat: South Florida.
Should I watch this? Honestly? I'm going to watch this game just to hear how many times they say the sponsor's name. "Beef 'O' Brady's" is just fun to say. Do I have any idea what the heck it is? No. Which is another reason to watch! Oh, you want a valid football reason to watch this game? There are none unless you're a Rutgers or UCF fan. Condolences if you are, by the way.
CFR pick: I'm picking Central Florida for the upset. I am going to watch this game only because I love you, dear readers, and I am willing to punish myself for your entertainment.
December 20, 2009
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Southern Mississippi vs. Middle Tennessee State
I love bowl season. As I understand it, it's a feast of football. Unfortunately, these first three games serve as atrocious appetizers. It'd be like going to a swanky restaurant and having someone offer you fish heads as your appetizer. Sure, you'll be getting filet mignon after a bit, but the fish heads are hard to swallow. This particular bowl, for example, features two middling teams from two middling conferences. At least the diversity in play style will be nice: MTSU is a defensive team, while Southern Miss is offensively minded. Unfortunately, to watch this game one must look directly at Southern Miss's bright yellow unis, which can cause blindness, as shown below:
Sorry, folks. I had to warn you, though...
Should I watch this game? Look at the photo above. Are you nauseated? If yes, then don't watch the game. If no, keep reading.
Look at the matchup of the two teams. Did you know these teams existed? If no, then don't watch the game. If yes, then stop playing so much NCAA on your Playstation and still don't watch the game.
CFR Prediction: Southern Miss wins thanks to a good running game and the fact that they'll play a Sun Belt team.
December 22, 2009
MAACO Bowl Las Vegas
#18 Oregon State vs. #14 BYU
A bowl featuring two ranked teams! Oh my gosh! Bowl season has begun!
No, seriously, this actually should be a pretty good game. Sadly, it features two teams that fit the definition of "pretty good." "Pretty good" means you don't lose games to teams that you're supposed to beat, but it also means that you don't upset many opponents. In this case, the greatest contribution either of these teams made to the season was BYU's defense hurting Sam Bradford. Oregon State climbed into the Top 25 by beating a series of bad teams during conference play. Really, I can't say much more about this one. Here's hoping that it's better than that Southern Miss/MTSU game...
Should I watch this game? Well, it's the first matchup of semi-decent teams during bowl season, plus it's the only football game on Tuesday. Tuesday's a pretty dry night for TV. Need proof? I'm typing this on a Tuesday. We're watching an episode of Dirty Jobs where they're working with cows that have windows in them. I am not joking. You should watch this game, if only for your sanity.
CFR Pick: I'm picking Oregon State. Oregon State was not great but they finished second in a major conference against major conference competition. BYU finished second in their conference; a minor conference with one good team. They beat Oklahoma (a win that got less and less impressive as the weeks wore on), got killed by Florida State (a loss that got worse and worse as the weeks wore on), and never stood a chance against TCU. So...that's why I'm picking Oregon State. Mind you, last season the Pac-10 was 1-5 against Mountain West teams, so I could be wrong.
December 23, 2009
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
#23 Utah vs. California
Another MWC/Pac-10 matchup. I imagine that these sort of things get people into seats, especially in California. Here on the east coast, however, we don't care all that much. Utah's a far cry from the dominant team of last season, and the California Golden Bears were incredibly spotty this season. This game's a bit of a toss up, depending totally on which California team shows up: The one that knocked off Stanford at Stanford? Or the one that lost 42-3 and 30-3 in consecutive weeks to Oregon and Southern Cal, respectively. Note that the teams that killed Cal were the teams that Stanford defeated later in the season. Welcome to the Pac-10, arguably the most muddled conference in the country. Utah's the third-best team in the Mountain West, which isn't really an insult when you consider that the BEST team in the Mountain West is TCU. Plus, Utah is a boring state.
Should I watch this game? Yes, since this should be a good game featuring two fairly good teams. Also, since it's not played in Utah or Ohio, the game will be in a place that doesn't suck.
CFR Pick: Cal's undefeated when unranked. I'm picking them. That is the reason why. Is it a good reason? No. But you know what? It's as likely to be right as any of the other picks.
December 24, 2009
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada vs. Southern Methodist
You know, last year Notre Dame won this bowl, and started the year ranked because a victory in the Hawaii bowl proved that they were "back." This season, of course, proved that they were not. Southern Methodist, meanwhile, is back in its first bowl since the 1980's. For those of you who don't know, SMU is the only football program to ever get the "Death Penalty." (The fact that about 100 other teams should have gotten some sort of similar penalty is irrelevant...) SMU has finally made a partial recovery after 22 years of mediocrity. Way to go, Mustangs. As for Nevada, they're one of the better teams in the WAC. So Conference USA and the WAC get to go to Hawaii? And two major conference teams have had to go to Idaho for their bowl in the past? What the heck, man?
Should I watch this game? I doubt it. It'll just make you want to go to Hawaii, and it could lead to you becoming a fan of mediocre teams like SMU or Nevada. And no one wants that, right?
CFR Pick: Southern Methodist to win this game, then, since they won the Hawaii Bowl and had their first decent season since the '80s, Lou Holtz will pick them to win the national title in 2010.
December 26, 2009
Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl
Marshall vs. Ohio
An obscure school from West Virginia plays an unimportant school from the scar on the face of the earth known as Ohio. To add to the awfulness, the two teams play one another in Detroit. I know Michigan's been hit hard by the recession, but hard enough to host a bowl game featuring a MAC school and a .500 Conference USA school? Poor state. Oh, and as a final note, ESPN has this ranked as the worst bowl game this season. Hard to disagree with that one.
Should I watch this bowl? Are you a US interrogator? Do you need information out of an Al-Qaeda operative who won't talk? Sit him in a chair, tape open his eyes, and make him watch this game. He'll crack by the first commercial break. All other people should steer clear.
CFR Pick: My pick? The remote, so I won't have to watch this crap. As for a team to win? Ohio.
Meineke Car Care Bowl
#17 Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina
You have to feel for Pitt. They're one badly blown lead away from playing in a BCS game. Instead they wind up here, in a bowl game named for a company that is known for fixing George Foreman's brakes. Carolina, meanwhile, went on a hot streak starting the last weekend of October. Unfortunately for them, that hot streak ended the last week of the season when they lost to lowly NC State. Come to think of it, Pitt lost to NC State, too. At least they have that in common. This game will feature two teams that can really only wonder what might have been this season: Carolina fizzled early, Pitt fizzled late. Anyone else get the feeling this bowl should have been sponsored by a soda company?
Should I watch this game: Yes, especially since it's an opportunity to wash the taste of that previous one out of your mouth. Also, it'll be interesting to see if Pitt can redeem itself. The last time they beat an ACC team was September 2, 2006. The team they beat? UVa...
CFR Pick: Well, Pitt's a good team. A ranked team, even. They should defeat Carolina easily. Which is why I'm picking UNC. Carolina's lost to UVa and NC State this year. They beat Miami and Virginia Tech. The way Carolina's been playing, they'll beat the superior Pitt Panthers. Don't ask me why.
Emerald Bowl
Boston College vs. #24 Southern Cal
You know, if you'd told me at the beginning of the year that Southern Cal would wind up in a low-caliber bowl, I'd have been pleased with you, yet assumed that you know nothing of how college football works. See, stuff just happens for Southern Cal. They've been to 7 BCS bowls in the 7 seasons prior to this one. Other than their one (pronounced "one!" not "two," Coach Carroll) National Title season, the Trojans have consistently lost one game per year to the worse teams in the Pac-10. Yet the other good teams in the Pac-10 always roll over and die when Southern Cal comes to town, and SC goes to the Rose Bowl every dang year. So it's refreshing to see the Ketchup and Mustard finish tied for 5th in their conference, above only 4 teams, only one of which is headed to a bowl. Heck, had Southern Cal not played San Jose State and Notre Dame, they'd be in danger of not going bowling at all. Does this have anything to do with the bowl? No, but I just thought you'd like your weekly dose of USC hating...
Boston College, meanwhile, is an overachieving team. This doesn't mean they'll win.
Should I watch this game? It's an opportunity to see Southern Cal AND hear, inevitably, about Matt Ryan. Now, note that Matt's been out of college for 2 years now. I guarantee that if you drank a shot of whiskey each time Matt Ryan's name is said during this game that you'd be hammered by the end of the 1st quarter. I'd recommend avoiding this one, and instead playing with your day-old Christmas presents. Or nursing your day-long post-Christmas hangover.
CFR Pick: Picking Southern Cal to win, hoping that the game gets canceled when Pete Carroll's ego causes the stadium to collapse under its weight.
That's all for the first week of bowls. Keep checking back for game reviews and the week 2 preview!
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