CollegeFootballPoll.com Message Board

I figured this could be our running thread for the Poinsettia, Beef O' Brady's, New Orleans, and Las Vegas Bowls for the pre-Christmas weekend.

I'm watching the Poinsettia right now. Sluggish offenses, pretty much expected. This board had mixed opinions on this game, but everybody in the national media and ESPN seemed pretty confident in BYU. I think that's because of BYU's contract with ESPN putting them on national television. With the MWC's TV deal, not a whole lot of people are familiar with the teams. If you told them SDSU were MWC co-champs at 9-3 with a win on the road against Boise State, most people wouldn't even know that.

The refs are apparently from the MAC, and they are wayyy too lax. I've seen holdings, defensive holdings, pass interferences, unecessary roughness, and more. They've hardly called anything, and I think that is contributing to the 6-3 current score. I have noticed that Rocky Long hasn't done well in bowl games historically, so that's why I went with BYU. That, and the better defensive ranking.

Typical bowl game that struggles to be entertaining. Offenses were not coherent. BYU just outmaned them....Not sure it was indicative of much. BYU is typical of what is happening now days...they start out...get some losses and are out of the National Picture and so the whole season never has focus......One of the problems, as I see it, with a National Self Proclaimed Greatness.

Well, good to know Ball State is representing the MAC well tonight

This game isn't even as bad as the score looks. Ball State is this close on 3rd down, but UCF has gotten enough on 3rd down to keep the drives going. Shanked field goal and stupid CB blitz call later, UCF tacks on another score to make it 28-7. This is downright sad.

I thought this game was tomorrow. I guess I'll see 10 minutes of it. I even looked at my bowl schedules and thought this was on before the Boise State - Washington game.

Spence wrote:I thought this game was tomorrow. I guess I'll see 10 minutes of it. I even looked at my bowl schedules and thought this was on before the Boise State - Washington game.

You didn't miss much

I actually thought that Ball State and UCF didn't see that much of a separation in the first half despite the score. UCF came out hot and did the little things, unlike Ball State. The fact that Ball State couldn't even come close in closing the gap in the second half though is pretty telling that UCF was just a lot better tonight. Ball State is a team to watch out for in 2013 though, they get their best players back. I would put them right up there with Northern Illinois and Ohio next year.

UCF is going to be a player though. Blake Bortles has two more years left. I was really, really unimpressed with him last season, but he made a lot of strides. I wish I would have watched more C-USA football because I don't know as much as I should about these teams. I only watched ECU play about 15 aggregate minutes of football this year and I only watched two games that Rice played (against Marshall and UCLA). I'm aware of what these teams have done through box scores and what not, but as far as the eye test goes, I wasn't able to get a very good read on them.

UCF's quarterback play was a huge difference maker.

He could sidestep sacks, buy time, go through progressions...he had a great game last night.

UCF converted third downs at a 75% rate while Ball State converted at a 33% rate....that was a killer for Ball State.

Well first things first. Goodwill must have had a sale on football uniforms and Boise just grabbed all the could. Did someone think those were anything but hideous>

If you had a dog in the fight, was a nail bitter at the end...not as much as some...but UW offense took hold second half and Boise's defense tired. All in all good game and both teams played well....Boise needs to sneak back into the MWC, and just play against their own ilk.....

Good win for them and they take home the Earl Schieb trophy..or MAACO or some paint shop....wouldn't think the las Vegas Bowl could be sponsored by some Sports Booking outfit...even though you can not bet on sports played in the State of Nevada at Nevada sports booking joints.

I thought is was a good game. The fourth quarter was tight. I thought that Boise State was wearing down at the end, but that long return on their last drive seemed to energize them.