Bowls that I'll Like

[billybud]

While there are some stinkers, as Eric has pointed out, there will be some really good games.


Alabama-LSU....while many wanted a different match, this should be a good game for guys who like to watch defenses work.

Clemson-WVU...Dabo vs Dana...the WVU offense vs the Clemson offense...the 3-5 vs the 4-3..a lot to watch for.

Stanford -Ok State...the match of quarterbacks. Will the best defensive backfield win the game?..will Ok State's running game influence the game?

Ark-KSU....well, I like the Hogs on this one because OKlahoma and OK State scored over 50 and Texas Tech over 40 on KSU. Arkansas should give e'em a game.

Ohio State-Florida....I love this one since I don't care for either team but the Gators gotta go down. I can, for the very first time, cheer for OSU.

Mich. St-Georgia...we all love intersectional games...can the Dawgs hold up to Sparty? I like Mich St in this one...but will cheer for Georgia.

[billybud]

And lest I forget....The Haters Bowl.

Two of the teams that people love to hate (and who are usually most overrated) will go at each other in the Champs Bowl. Is Notre Dame hated more than FSU?

I see Notre Dame's decent offense (beat Sparty convincingly and played Michigan within four) against FSU's good defense but weak offense. I call a Nole win.

[Spence]

While there are some stinkers, as Eric has pointed out, there will be some really good games.


Alabama-LSU....while many wanted a different match, this should be a good game for guys who like to watch defenses work.

Clemson-WVU...Dabo vs Dana...the WVU offense vs the Clemson offense...the 3-5 vs the 4-3..a lot to watch for.

Stanford -Ok State...the match of quarterbacks. Will the best defensive backfield win the game?..will Ok State's running game influence the game?

Ark-KSU....well, I like the Hogs on this one because OKlahoma and OK State scored over 50 and Texas Tech over 40 on KSU. Arkansas should give e'em a game.

Ohio State-Florida....I love this one since I don't care for either team but the Gators gotta go down. I can, for the very first time, cheer for OSU.

Mich. St-Georgia...we all love intersectional games...can the Dawgs hold up to Sparty? I like Mich St in this one...but will cheer for Georgia.

I haven't seen Florida play this year, but they couldn't be as bad as we are this year. I root for anyone over Notre Dame, but I root for Florida State fairly often. I have a cousin from Florida who is a big FSU fan and I have become a minor fan over the years.

[billybud]

My dad's legacy came to me in a weird way. As you may remember, he was a Michigan grad.

He would rather have Ohio State lose than Michigan win on any given weekend. His fandom was a little twisted in that it focused on the Ohio State rivalry all year. I guess that I have carried some of that legacy on with Florida, except that I don't understand the trade. I want FSU to win, and incidentally if Florida also loses, well...that's a nice Saturday.

[Spence]

My dad's legacy came to me in a weird way. As you may remember, he was a Michigan grad.

He would rather have Ohio State lose than Michigan win on any given weekend. His fandom was a little twisted in that it focused on the Ohio State rivalry all year. I guess that I have carried some of that legacy on with Florida, except that I don't understand the trade. I want FSU to win, and incidentally if Florida also loses, well...that's a nice Saturday.

I focus on the rivalry. It is my favorite game of the year. It is usually the best game Ohio State plays all year - win or lose. I don't generally root for Michigan to lose, but it doesn't hurt me to know they did. I would rather Michigan beat Notre Dame, root would probably be too strong a word, but I like to see Notre Dame lose every game.

I have liked to watch Florida State over the years because of defense. I always thought that Mickey Andrews was the best defensive coach - ever. I have thought Dick LeBeau was second, but I like to watch that aggressive style Andrews brought to the game. I have been a fan of Alabama over the years because their fan base and ours are similarly over-the-top and it is hard not to be a fan of Bear Bryant. I follow different teams around the nation. Lots of teams I wouldn't have before I started posting on this board. I'm actually a better college football fan nationally because of this board. Before this board I had lots of the same prejudices against teams I really didn't know anything about, like many on the "team" boards. I almost never post on the team boards anymore because I have a hard time with that level of homerism.

[WoVeU]

And lest I forget....The Haters Bowl.

Two of the teams that people love to hate (and who are usually most overrated) will go at each other in the Champs Bowl. Is Notre Dame hated more than FSU?

I see Notre Dame's decent offense (beat Sparty convincingly and played Michigan within four) against FSU's good defense but weak offense. I call a Nole win.

Florida State has earned and buoyed hatred with winning, and in doing so with the most charismatic coach out there, the winning out proportioned the hate! ND has managed to retain hatred while not really winning, and the hatred out proportioned the winning! If Notre Dame would go on a Nolish 90's tear....the University would have to build 4 Police Departments and a National Guard Base to defend it!

[Eric]

I like the GoDaddy.com Bowl (Northern Illinois/Arkansas State). Two conference champs going up against each other from the MAC and Sun Belt. It will be about as even a matchup as you can get with Northern Illinois at 10-3 and Arkansas State at 10-2 on a 10-game winning streak.

The Sun Bowl will be really intriguing as well (Utah / Georgia Tech). I have no idea who will win that game. I haven't been able to get a good read on Utah all season long and Georgia Tech has been on-and-off. One factor to worry about is that everyone on Utah who is not a true freshman has seen and/or gone up against Air Force, so they are experienced against the option.

The Military Bowl will be a shootout (Toledo/Air Force). I don't know if it's just because I'm a fan of the MAC or what, but watching Toledo the last few weeks has been like watching a team on fire offensively. Air Force doesn't have a defense that can put up any kind of resistance, but neither does Toledo. If you want a 51-50 kind of game, this is probably it.

Other underrated games are probably the Liberty Bowl (Vandy/Cincy), Holiday (Cal/Texas), Belk (Louisville/NC State), and Hawaii (Southern Miss/Nevada). I think the Hawaii Bowl is a trap game for Southern Miss because they had a choice of any bowl game to go to and chose the expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. They could have faced Penn State or Pittsburgh for a shot at a better team, but declined. Maybe their heads won't be in the right place? You never know with this game.

[Brian Roastbeef]

Other underrated games are probably the Liberty Bowl (Vandy/Cincy), Holiday (Cal/Texas), Belk (Louisville/NC State), and Hawaii (Southern Miss/Nevada). I think the Hawaii Bowl is a trap game for Southern Miss because they had a choice of any bowl game to go to and chose the expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. They could have faced Penn State or Pittsburgh for a shot at a better team, but declined. Maybe their heads won't be in the right place? You never know with this game.

I have to wonder that too. Hawaii has beat point spreads at home for years due to visiting OOC teams underperforming. Nevada is in the WAC though; for that team the trip to Hawaii comes every other year. The coaching staff there knows what's coming and how to keep their guys from being distracted by the sunshine and pretty scenery. Southern Miss doesn't quite have that experience. Also quite disappointed that they'd rather fight down, rather than try against a BCS conference team. After demolishing the non-BCS standard bearer, they should have jumped at the opportunity to prove themselves. In fact, as C-USA champs, that isn't so much a privilege as it is a responsibility. Instead the team they beat gets to go up against Penn St. to provide the gauge for how seriously we should be taking the C-USA.


Other games that particularly stand out to me... Temple/Wyoming, Cal/Texas, as much as I hate to admit it - FSU/ND (I'll grudgingly root for FSU.), BYU/Tulsa - both underrated teams this season and both teams that came on more strongly in the 2nd half.

N'western/A&M - pretty evenly matched. Both 6-6ers that stepped up once vs. bigger competition.
Mich St/Georgia - great school traditions and some great football right there.
Oklahoma St/Stanford - most of me thinks this game shouldn't exist... but the part of me that can get past the rage that Okie St isn't playing in the NC has to admit this is a fun matchup right here. QBs will want to show off. Dunno what the O/U will be... 150 sounds about right. Also as a Colts fan, I may be getting a glimpse of my future.
Arkansas St./NIU - hopefully I'll be able to find this game on TV - because the radar won't help, both teams having successfully flown under it all season.

[billybud]

I doubt that Southern Miss had several bowl options to choose from....The Hawaii Bowl has the CUSA #2 against the WAC #3...

The Liberty Bowl has the choice of CUSA #1 but is not required to take a CUSA team and they did not. The Ticket City Bowl had dibs on the CUSA champ this year and took Houston to play Penn State.

[Eric]

I doubt that Southern Miss had several bowl options to choose from....The Hawaii Bowl has the CUSA #2 against the WAC #3...

The Liberty Bowl has the choice of CUSA #1 but is not required to take a CUSA team and they did not. The Ticket City Bowl had dibs on the CUSA champ this year and took Houston to play Penn State.

The story is that C-USA and its bowl affiliates told Fedora and the administrators, "take your pick (besides the Liberty)" and this pick would have been accepted. The Liberty Bowl was set on Cincinnati, so it was either Hawaii, St. Pete, TicketCity, or Compass. I can't blame Fedora (who the decision was delegated to) and his players for wanting to go to Hawaii, but that tells me that it may not be for the game.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20111204/SPORTS/111204028/Giannini-Here-s-why-we-re-going-Hawaii-Bowl?odyssey=mod|mostview

[RazorHawk]

And lest I forget....The Haters Bowl.

Two of the teams that people love to hate (and who are usually most overrated) will go at each other in the Champs Bowl. Is Notre Dame hated more than FSU?

I see Notre Dame's decent offense (beat Sparty convincingly and played Michigan within four) against FSU's good defense but weak offense. I call a Nole win.

I did not know there were people other than Cane and Gators that hated FSU. There are many more of us that hate ND.

[Spence]

And lest I forget....The Haters Bowl

Two of the teams that people love to hate (and who are usually most overrated) will go at each other in the Champs Bowl. Is Notre Dame hated more than FSU?

I see Notre Dame's decent offense (beat Sparty convincingly and played Michigan within four) against FSU's good defense but weak offense. I call a Nole win.

I did not know there were people other than Cane and Gators that hated FSU. There are many more of us that hate ND.

Yeah, I never hated Florida State even when they beat the crap out of us. I have never like Notre Dame and they haven't beat us since 1936.

[Derek]

While there are some stinkers, as Eric has pointed out, there will be some really good games.


Alabama-LSU....while many wanted a different match, this should be a good game for guys who like to watch defenses work.

Clemson-WVU...Dabo vs Dana...the WVU offense vs the Clemson offense...the 3-5 vs the 4-3..a lot to watch for.

Stanford -Ok State...the match of quarterbacks. Will the best defensive backfield win the game?..will Ok State's running game influence the game?

Ark-KSU....well, I like the Hogs on this one because OKlahoma and OK State scored over 50 and Texas Tech over 40 on KSU. Arkansas should give e'em a game.

Ohio State-Florida....I love this one since I don't care for either team but the Gators gotta go down. I can, for the very first time, cheer for OSU.

Mich. St-Georgia...we all love intersectional games...can the Dawgs hold up to Sparty? I like Mich St in this one...but will cheer for Georgia.

I haven't seen Florida play this year, but they couldn't be as bad as we are this year. I root for anyone over Notre Dame, but I root for Florida State fairly often. I have a cousin from Florida who is a big FSU fan and I have become a minor fan over the years.

Yes, they are. They are hurtin, but if they don't fire Muschamp in the next few games, they will get better. They are simply suffering through exactly why Meyer left in the first place.

[Spence]

That has been my problem with Meyer since his name came up as a possible replacement. He didn't recruit well at Florida. He coached RZ's guys well. He closed on the recruits RZ had on the hook when he left and add a few for the first couple of years, then not very good.

[WoVeU]

I can not separate UM's stress and recruiting problems. I know a thing or 2 about recruiting with my wife being in recruiting since '98 and in dealing with so many professional recruiters in all of my military spouse moving. Recruiting is stressful, so much is out of your control. We are told not to stress about such things, but when that is exactly what your job is, or the task is...and it can determine whether you are hired or fired...then the old adage is not applicable.

I believe everyone is given a thorn and the best way not to sin is to avoid sin's dwelling place. That is straightforward enough, and already easier said than done. But to think you can go camp out in that dwelling place and come out clean...you got another thing coming. Urban is fooling himself and many other people...if you stressed out before, it is possible you can learn to manage yourself in a manner where you won't. But this change means changing how you do things, if how you did things in the past was very successful then any change is very likely to make you less successful!