I could start with the BCS title game or the Beef O'Brady Bowl but let's start with the biggest joke of the four games of the BCS that doesn't include the title game and does include my Michigan State bias.
Sugar Bowl - Michigan vs. Virginia Tech Yup, a team that wasn't involved in its conference championship and a team that was and lost big from a crap conference. A joke game done to fill seats and hotel rooms. I guess they missed Michigan State scoring 39 against Wisconsin and Boise State missing one field goal to lose their only game. But the BCS is fair and run by computers that can't be wrong. Pick: Virginia Tech, can't pick AAJC even though they'll probably win and be insufferable about.
-Orange Bowl - West Virginia vs. Clemson I'll take Dabo Swinney and anything crazy he says over a team from the Big East. I'll take a couple high school teams over a Big East team but hey, fair's fair in the BCS when a conference can barely crack the Top 25. Clemson
There are two ACC teams in BCS games, nothing wrong with college football's postseason. Hey, why not put two Big East teams while you're at it. Or Florida Atlantic, or Michigan - oh wait, they're in. I said this was MSU biased.
-Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Stanford Mike Gundy looked thrilled on ESPN minutes after it was announced his Cowboys would be going to play for nothing, he's a man and he did not like it. Hey Mike, you lost at Iowa State, shut it. Oh yeah, predicted No. 1 NFL draft pick Andrew Luck is in this game. Stanford is coached by a man too, a man who's name I do not know. Oklahoma State, because their quarterback is almost the same age as their coach and he's a man. That "man" thing does not get old.
-Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. Oregon No bias at all in this game. I hope the Badgers punter enjoys the trip, he certainly enjoyed himself faking a hit and laughing it up on the sideline of the Big Ten Championship Game. Oregon, big, like 63-2. Or 111-6. Screw you Wisconsin.
On to the smaller bowls, like the Sugar Bowl, with Michigan and Virginia Tech. Oh wait.
New Mexico Bowl - Temple vs. Wyoming This game has a cool Navajo style pottery trophy. There will also be some ads during the game featuring hot air balloons which evidently is big in New Mexico. Hopefully Wyoming will figure out a way to work more brown into their uniforms. Wyoming
Potato Bowl - no, this is not a funny, made up game like the Toilet Bowl or Salad Bowl. It's a real game and I cannot wait to see the trophy. Ohio vs. Utah State. Utah State gave reigning champ Auburn all they could handle back in September proving that I'll watch just about any game. Utah State
New Orleans Bowl - San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Brady Hoke will be pulling for the Aztecs so I'm rooting for the Fighting Crawfish or Ragin' Malaysians or whatever they're called at LLU. There will be 398 people at this game and 391 will be without shirts. Louisiana-Lafayette.
Beef O'Brady's Bowl - Florida International vs. Marshall This game will test Bowl Quest right out of the gate. It's played in the Tampa Bay Rays stadium. Hopefully someone pulls a fire alarm and they declare it a tie. Marshall, because they wear the loudest green uni's on the planet.
Poinsettia Bowl - TCU vs. Louisiana Tech How many colleges are in Louisiana? The Horned Frogs were in the Rose Bowl last year. This year, they earned the right to pick up trash in Pasadena, or San Diego or Pomona or wherever this game is played. TCU, large.
Las Vegas Bowl - Arizona State vs. Boise State It's a fine line between BCS bowl game and being a cartoon. If Boise State's coach sticks around for another year he must really love Boise. Boise State
Hawaii Bowl - Nevada vs. Southern Miss Yes, there will be people who will avoid their family on Christmas Eve to watch this game. I will be one of those sad, sad people. Southern Miss, because after beating Houston in the C-USA championship their coach insisted they should be in a BCS game despite losing to UAB weeks earlier.
Independence Bowl - Missouri vs. North Carolina This bowl game will feature a lot of ads featuring Drew Brees, as it's sponsored by Advocare and he's their spokesman. You've never heard of Advocare, neither have I but they pay Drew lots of money to tell us how great they are. Missouri, soon to be an SEC team and we all know the top heavy SEC is awesome!
Little Caesar Bowl - Western Michigan vs. Purdue This used to be the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl but they took the pizza out of the title I don't like that even though their pizza is terrible. At least Western Michigan gets to play their bowl game in the United States this year. Western Michigan is in a bowl game every year too. There may be too many bowl games. Purdue.
Belk Bowl - Louisville vs. North Carolina State This is the back half of the doubleheader following the former Pizza Bowl. Belk is a department store in the south, or at least it used to be when I lived there. It could be a chain of oil change places now as far as I know. Louisville was a U.C. Bearcats loss away from being in a BCS game and that's all you need to know about the integrity of the BCS. NC State
Here's the logo of the Belk Bowl, inspiring.
Military Bowl - Toledo vs. Air Force I think Toledo was involved in a game that ended 63-60 and they are the Rockets. Air Force has great uniforms and they are the Falcons. Nuclear War could break out during this game. Or not. Toledo
Holiday Bowl - California vs. Texas Sounds like a good game but it's not. This bowl game used to be kind of a big deal. These two teams are terrible and this game has been rendered meaningless by the BCS. Texas
Champs Sports Bowl - Florida State vs. Notre Dame Ah, the renewal of the old rivalry between the convicts and the Catholics. Last year or the year before FSU won this game and acted like they won the national championship. Notre Dame acted the same way winning the Hawaii Bowl last year. How the mighty have fallen. I miss the Seminoles in the national title picture, a lot better than what we have now with an SEC team guaranteed to win. Florida State
Alamo Bowl - Washington vs. Baylor I have no idea how this game picks the teams that will play in the game. Washington had Jake Locker play for them for the past 17 years and they didn't qualify for a bowl game. The first year after he's gone they're back in the mix. Congrats Tennessee Titans on your vastly overrated draft pick. Baylor has a guy who is somehow up for the Heisman. Baylor
Armed Forces Bowl - BYU vs. Tulsa Shouldn't one of the armed forces be in this game? Navy wasn't good this year but they're usually entertaining and would be a better rep than Tulsa. BYU
Pinstripe Bowl - Rutgers vs. Iowa State Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy has declared Rutgers will win this game. Iowa State
Music City Bowl - Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest By this time in the bowl quest, I'm gassed. Hell, I'm gassed just writing out these predictions. I watched Auburn slip by Miss. State and had no idea Wake Forest was bowl eligible. I've read that Mississippi State's head coach is up for some vacant jobs in other conferences. I don't think he's ever won a game of any consequence, until this outstanding bowl game. Mississippi State
Insight Bowl - Iowa vs. Oklahoma If there's any team that just doesn't care about the bowl season, it's the Sooners. They were picked by many "experts" to win the national championship. Instead, they're playing the Hawkeyes who are glad to be anywhere that doesn't have snow in late December. Oklahoma, huge
Meineke Car Care of Texas - Texas A&M vs. Northwestern This used to be the Texas Bowl (I think) but Meineke got the boot out of Charlotte for Houston by Belk. That's bowl politics, kind of like the Republicans, a bunch of guys you really don't care about. I expect A&M to get out to a 42-7 lead and then blow it. A&M is the Herman Cain of bowl teams. (This is my only political infused game of this write up.) This a noon game on New Year's Eve day, start slow junior. Texas A&M
Sun Bowl - Georgia Tech. vs. Utah I''m sure the Utes fans feel as jilted about Urban Meyer taking the Ohio State job as Florida fans do, considering he probably lied to them too. There should be a lot of hilarious Urban Meyer t-shirts coming out of Columbus in the next nine months. I don't think the Yellow Jackets pass the ball. I have no idea what Utah does besides beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Georgia Tech
Liberty Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Vanderbilt Hey look, the third Big East team that could have wound up in a BCS game via convoluted conference logic. And Vandy. The Commodores are really cute, they hang around for the first quarter and a half and then lay down. But not as cute as the Bearcats who now have a quarterback named Munchie. Doesn't matter, U.C. has a running back who'll probably play on Sundays. Cincinnati.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl - Illinois vs. UCLA It's a battle of two teams with no head coach. This is why I love bowl quest. Neither team should be in a bowl game yet both will battle in San Francisco, a destination a whole lot nicer and more fun than the location for many games. I'm predicting the teams will play but no fans will show up, opting for a nice restaurant and some picture taking. Illinois
Chick-Fil-A Bowl Virginia vs. Auburn The defending national champs get a team that hasn't been in a bowl game since Billy Carter was peeing on tarmacs. This game will be up against some NFL games I think. Good luck with that outside the southeast. Enjoy New Year's Eve in Atlanta. Auburn
January 1 - Happy New Year! The NFL plays today so college football says "thanks, but no thanks."
Ticket City Bowl - Houston vs. Penn State The Cougars were one win away from a huge payday for their conference. Instead, they crapped the bed on their own field in the C-USA championship game, erasing a $13 million payout. They've lost the will to live, just like most Penn State fans. Penn State
Outback Bowl - Michigan State vs. Georgia Yeah, Florida bound for the third straight year. Consolation prize for the best regular season record in the Big 10 but I'm not bitter. Georgia beat Vanderbilt, I think. In all actuality, the Spartans need to win this game and show they are a program on the rise. Or maybe Georgia's punter could make sure he's hit late in the game after the Spartans waste 14 opportunities to win. Michigan State
Capital One Bowl - Nebraska vs. South Carolina This is the second of three games featuring Big 10 teams that's on at the exact same time. Thanks goodness ESPN has the rights to almost all the bowl games. I have to say that after one year of Nebraska in the conference, no one really likes them or the trip to Lincoln, especially Michigan State. I'd imagine Bo Pellini will be extremely irritable and will dress down some Disney employees on a team trip to the theme park. Meanwhile, Steve Spurrier will be playing golf and drinking Grey Goose right up to game time. South Carolina
Gator Bowl Florida vs. Ohio State Oh, see what they did here, put Urban Meyer's former employer against his new employer even though he has nothing to do with either team right now. I'm sure Urb will be spending the day with his family as he quit on the Gators to do so. I also thought Florida lost all its games so I'm shocked they're in a bowl game. Luke Fickell will be spending his last day as head coach of the Buckeyes at this game and then step back to work for Urb. That won't back awkward. And this game is sponsored by Taxslayer.com. Ohio State
Cotton Bowl - Kansas State vs. Arkansas K-State beat every team in Texas this year which would be impressive if any of the teams in Texas were all that good. Arkansas would probably win any other conference in the country but instead they play in the SEC West. They're like the Toronto Blue Jays. Arkansas
BBVA Compass Bowl - SMU vs. Pittsburgh Instead of watching this horrible game, try to catch the ESPN 30 by 30 on SMU in the 80's when they were outwardly corrupt and didn't care what anyone thought. ESPN's Craig James played for SMU in that time and he's a complete jerk if you need a rooting interest. Pittsburgh should have won the Big East and up until the final week of the season was in contention for a BCS bowl game. And you thought the Big East couldn't be more lame. Pittsburgh
Go Daddy.com Bowl - Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois This game is a real tester for the bowl quest, one day before the national championship. You want the big boys, well you need to sit through this stinker. Sun Belt vs. MAC champ, who you got?! And both teams fans get to spend January 8th in Mobile. Happy one week after New Year! Northern Illinois
BCS National Championship Game - Alabama vs. LSU A rematch of a 9-6 overtime game. I can't stand Nick Saban and the state of Alabama is getting too big for its britches. Quite honestly, I'd rather have seen LSU take on Oklahoma State or Stanford instead of a rematch of a game we've already seen this season and I'm not even Mike Gundy. LSU wins this one big, 12-9.
Happy Bowl Season!!
