« November 2007 | RCS Blog Home Page | January 2008 »
12:30pm ET - ESPN - Armed Forces Bowl: California vs. Air Force
2pm - CBS - Sun Bowl: #21 South Florida vs. Oregon
2pm - ESPN2 - Humanitarian Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Fresno St.
4pm - ESPN - Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs. Florida St.
5:30pm - NFL Network - Insight Bowl: Indiana vs. Oklahoma St.
7:30pm - ESPN - Chick-Fil-A Bowl: #15 Clemson vs. #23 Auburn
Non-sports pick - 8pm - AMC - Planet Of The Apes - Not quite as good as The Simpsons musical version.
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
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Teams: #15 Clemson Tigers (9-3) vs. #22 Auburn Tigers (8-4)
Betting Line: Clemson favored by 2.5 points
Brief History: This bowl started as the Peach Bowl in 1968. In 1998 Chick-Fil-A became the sponsor of the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, and in 2005 the 'Peach' title was dropped. Since 1993 the bowl has featured an ACC team vs. an SEC team. The game has sold out for 11 straight years.
Fun Fact: Chick-Fil-A is delicious. Chick-Fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy is credited with creating and inventing the chicken sandwich.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Apple iPod Video Nano, Fossil watch, Jostens ring, Russell Athletic duffel bag and two Russell Athletic caps. Ooh, two caps!
Preview: Tiger Battle! This is a battle of two of the better defenses in college football, with Auburn ranking 6th in ppg allowed and Clemson ranking 10th, despite not having any players named to the First or Second All-ACC Defensive Teams. If the Tigers...sorry, Clemson, can win this game, it will be their first time notching 10 wins in 17 years.
Clemson's offense is led by 992 rusher James Davis and 1,045 yard receiver Aaron Kelly. After a slow 1-3 start Auburn made it through a tough SEC season, only losing to LSU and Georgia in its last 9 games.
Insight Bowl
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Teams: Indiana Hoosiers (7-5) vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-6)
Betting Line: Oklahoma State is favored by 4.5 points.
Brief History: The NFL Network bought the rights last season and got an amazing game. Texas Tech posted the biggest comeback in NCAA Division I-A postseason history. The Red Raiders trailed Minnesota 38-7 in the third quarter and beat the Gophers in OT 44-41.
Fun Fact: Boone Pickens, who is ranked by Forbes as the 117th-richest person in America with a net worth of about $3 billion, has given the largest donation to a university's athletic program in collegiate history: his total contributions to OSU total over $290 million dollars, 92% of which went toward athletics.
Preview: Indiana will be playing for their former head coach Terry Hoeppner ,who passed away just over six months ago. The Hoosiers have played for Hoeppner all season and are playing in their first bowl game in 14 years.
Indiana will rely on the passing game behind QB Kellen Lewis and standout WR James Hardy. Lewis threw for 26 touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 653 yards. Hardy had 75 receptions for 1,075 yards and 16 touchdowns. He had 5 games this season with multiple touchdowns.
Oklahoma State will need to get the running game going behind RB Dantrell Savage. Savage has had nine straight 100-yard games and finished second in the Big 12 with 1,172 rushing yards. Through the air, the Cowboys big threat is Adarius Bowman. Bowman had 932 receiving yards despite missing the final two games of the season with a knee injury.
Both teams average over 30 points per game and give up over 25 points a game, so should be a good old-fashioned shoot-out -- Cowboy pun definitely intended.
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
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Teams: Kentucky Wildcats (7-5) vs. Florida St. Seminoles (7-5)
Betting Line: Kentucky is favored by 9 points.
Brief History: Underdogs have won six of the eight Music City Bowls. The biggest underdog was Kentucky who was 10 point underdogs beating Clemson 28-20 in 2006.
Fun Fact: Bobby Bowden began his coaching career at Howard College (now Samford University) 48 years ago, in 1959. It was the same year that Barbie was introduced to America.
Notable Schwag for the Players: XM Satellite Radio with 1-year of free service, Fossil watch, Armor Gear duffel equipment bag and an Adidas fleece pullover.
Preview: Does Florida State have any chance in this game? They have 36 players suspended for today's contest, and have lost four of their last seven games with those guys still on the roster.
But, it's not just Florida State who fell off the map. Kentucky was ranked as high as eighth before losing five of their last seven games. The Wildcats are led by Senior QB Andre Woodson. Woodson threw for 3,351 yards and 36 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. Woodson will be one of the first QB's taken in the 2008 NFL Draft.
Sun Bowl
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Teams: #23 South Florida Bulls (9-3) vs. Oregon Ducks (8-4)
Betting Line: South Florida is favored by 6 points.
Brief History: The Sun Bowl began in 1935 and is the second oldest continuously played bowl game.
Fun Fact: The first three Sun Bowl's were actually played at a high school stadium. Who's making out under the bleachers??
Notable Schwag for the Players: Sony Bravia surround sound system
Preview: Both teams were ranked second in the nation this season, and both proceeded to to fall apart. Oregon was 8-1 and facing Arizona when QB Dennis Dixon re-injured his ACL that he had actually torn the previous game. Without Dixon, the Ducks lost their last three games and fell out of the top 25. South Florida started the season 6-0 but lost to Rutgers on a Thursday night. The Bulls lost three straight, but finished strong winning their last three games.
On offense, South Florida is led by Sophomore QB Matt Grothe. Grothe is a dual threat having led the team in rushing (832 yards) and passing (2,473 yards). On defense the Bulls are led by sophomore defensive lineman George Selvie. Selvie led the nation in tackles for a loss and was second in sacks.
Oregon will have to rely on RB Jonathan Stewart to carry the load. Stewart ranks 10th in the nation with 122.4 rushing yards per game. The Ducks averaged 243.3 rushing yards per game, but their average decreased once Dixon was out of the picture.
Roady's Humanitarian Bowl
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Teams: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-5) vs Fresno State Bulldogs (8-4)
Betting Line: Georgia Tech is favored by 6 points.
Brief History: The inaugural game for this bowl was played in 1997 between Cincinatti and Utah State. The Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl is in its first year with the current sponsorship. For the previous 3 years it has been called the MPC Computers Bowl. This is the longest running cold weather bowl game operating today.
Fun Fact: Bronco Stadium is home to the only blue Astro Turf in the World. Installed in 2002, the current “Astro Play” turf is the stadium’s third blue field and is the only stadium to have the entire field produced in a special color.
Notable Schwag for the Players: XM Satellite Radio with 1-year of free service, gloves.
Preview: The Yellow Jackets bring to Boise a defense that ranked No. 2 in the country with 110.5 tackles and led the nation in quarterback sacks (47.5). Eight different defenders have at least 3 sacks this year. Tackle Vance Walker was named all-ACC and helps solidify the middle of this blitzing defense. On offense, Tashard Choice led the ACC in rushing for the second straight year and is one of the lone offensive bright spots for the Jackets.
The Fresno State Bulldogs had the Conference’s best return game giving the team four touchdowns and good field position throughout the season. On offense they like to control the clock and run the ball. However, they also have tight end Bear Pascoe as a reliable passing threat.
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
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Teams: Air Force Falcons (9-3) vs California Golden Bears (6-6)
Betting Line: California is favored by 4 points.
Brief History: The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl began as the Fort Worth Bowl. The name was changed to the Armed Forces Bowl to make the game more national and to honor the branches of the United States Military.
Fun Fact: The Armed Forces Bowl will include an Armed Forces Adventure area showcasing military hardware, flyovers, and a demonstration by one of the top military skydiving teams
Notable Schwag for the Players: Slingbox Solo, Timely Watch Co. watch, ArmorGear rolling duffel bag
Preview: In what promises to be a good matchup, the Bowl game designed to honor the United States Military will feature both a military Academy and a university with perhaps the most liberal student body in the nation.
Cal began the year very strong moving to 5-0 with wins over both Tennessee and Oregon, but finished the year with a 1-6 mark while suffering several painful losses along the way. Despite the hard luck, the Bears have a ton of talent and average nearly 400 yards of offense per game.
On the other side of the ball, leading the way for the Falcons is the MWC Offensive Player of the Year, Chad Hall. Hall led Air Force in both rushing and receiving yards playing a big role in the team’s #2 ranked offense.
PetroSun Independence Bowl
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Teams: Alabama Crimson Tide (6-6) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (6-6)
Betting Line: Alabama is favored by 3.5 points.
Fun Fact: It was one of the first bowl games to use a title sponsor. Who can forget the Poulan Weed-Eater Independence Bowl? It was later dubbed the Weedwacker Bowl and that term is still used to descibe bowls with less than the best competition...like say...Alabama vs. Colorado.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Sony Bravia surround sound system; New Era cap
Preview: The past two seasons have ended with dissappointment for the Crimson Tide. Last year they lost their last four regular season games to end up in this same bowl. This season they lost their last three to repeat its fate. The Tide leads all teams with 55 Bowl appearances, but if they lose this game they will have back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 45 years.
Alabama has had inconsistent play from their QB John Parker-Wilson. He's completing just 55% of his passes and has just 15 touchdowns to his 11 interceptions. But, he has one of the best targets in the nation in Senior WR DJ Hall. Hall accounted for over 37% of Alabama's receiving yards.
Colorado will need to be able to run the ball behind RB Hugh Charles who had 989 rushing yards this season. Colorado also has inconsistent QB behind Cody Hawkins. Hawkins threw 19 picks this season and completed just 56% of his passes.
8pm - ESPN - PetroSun Independence Bowl: Alabama vs. Colorado
8:15pm - NBC - Titans @ Colts - Titans are playing for their playoff lives. With a win, they will secure the sixth seed in the AFC. The Colts have nothing to play for and will probably be resting many of their starters.
10pm - NBATV - Celtics @ Lakers - Phil Jackson can surpass Red Auerbach's win total with a victory over the team Auerbach led to nine championships. Kobe Bryant has posted three straight 30-plus point games and the Lakers have won four in a row. The Celtics come in having won five in a row after a second half come from behind victory over the Jazz last night.
Non-sports pick - E! - The E! True Hollywood Story: Britney Spears: Fall From Grace - Even if the Patriots lost in the first round of the playoffs, traded Tom Brady and signed Ryan Leaf, fired Belichick and hired Petrino to coach, and moved the team to Tijuana, it still wouldn't be as big of a fall as Britney has had.
 "This is gonna look awesome!" |
4:30 PM EST - ESPN - Liberty Bowl: Central Florida vs. Mississippi St.
8 PM - ESPN - Alamo Bowl: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
8 PM - NFL Network, CBS, NBC - Saturday Night Football: New England Patriots @ New York Giants - Roger Goodell decided to let NBC and CBS broadcast this game because apparently it's important. Hopefully there is a live feed of Mercury Morris crying into a giant pile of cocaine as his 1972 Dolphins record falls, and rapping about it.
Non-sports pick: 8 PM - Animal Planet - Grizzly Man - A documentary about Timothy Treadwell, who lived with Grizzly Bears in Alaska, and got slowly crazier, cussing out a fox cub for stealing his hat and then eventually getting eaten alive by one of the bears he so loved.
Valero Alamo Bowl
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Teams: Penn State Nittany Lions (8-4) vs. Texas A&M Aggies (7-5)
Betting Line: Penn State is favored by 5 points.
Brief History: Since its inception in 1993, the Alamo Bowl has quickly become one of the most popular bowls in the country, producing seven of the top 20 most-watched bowl games in ESPN history. In 2006, the Alamo Bowl featured Texas and Iowa in a game that earned a 6.0 rating making it the most-watched college football game in ESPN history.
Fun Fact: In a recent poll by Proctor & Gamble, San Antonio was named the 5th Sweatiest City in America.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Nintendo Wii, Fossil watch and a Swiss Army sling bag.
Preview: Neither team comes in to this bowl playing their best football. Penn St. enters having lost their last game and two of their past four, while A&M has lost four of their past six contests, including a three-game losing streak. This is a rematch of the 1999 Alamo Bowl, in which Penn St. blanked A&M, 24-0. This year's game should feature plenty of running from the Aggies, who finished with an average of 215 yards per game, good for second in the Big XII.
This features a match-up of coaches in slightly different points in their career. The Aggies' Gary Darnell will be coaching his first ever game (and probably his last, as he's just the interim), while Joe Paterno will be leading his team in a game for the 500th time.
Texas A&M will be short at least one yell leader (a "manly" cheerleader) for this game, after one of them screamed, "Joe Paterno's on his death bed! And someone needs to find him a casket!" at Thursday night's dual-school pep rally on the Riverwalk. Since 1995, when this bowl became a match-up of Big XII and Big Ten schools, the latter owns a 7-5 record.
AutoZone Liberty Bowl
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Teams: University of Central Florida Golden Knights (10-3) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (7-5)
Betting Line: UCF is favored by 3 points.
Brief History:This is one of the more "legit" bowl games -- today will mark the 49th time its been played. Since 1965, the game has made its home in Memphis and has established itself as one of the oldest non-BCS bowls. The bowl game was first played in Philadelphia, at John F. Kennedy Stadium (originally Municipal Stadium) until 1963.
Fun Fact: In 1964, the Liberty Bowl became the first ever bowl to be played indoors, when it was held at Convention Hall (Atlantic City, NJ). Utah defeated West Virginia, 32-6, in front of 6,059 fans
Notable Schwag for the Players: Apple iPod nano, Nike + iPod sport kit, Fossil watch, Nike Vision sunglasses, Nike backpack, Nike running shoes and Nike sandals. Not surprisingly, Nike is listed as a "Contributing Sponsor" on the bowl's official website.
Preview: It used to be that the coaches of the SEC would label the times they played Sylvester Croom and Mississippi St. as a "bye week." Mississippi St. was not looked at as a "tough" opponent you could say. However, the Bulldogs, who went 9-25 in Croom's first three seasons, seem to be turning things around -- after six straight last-place SEC finishes, the Bulldogs are making their first bowl appearance in seven years.
On the other side of the ball, George "I earned a master's from NYU" O'Leary has engineered a turnaround of his own, after enduring an 0-11 season his first year on the job. This is just their second bowl appearance in school history, but they've only been a part of Division I (FBS) since 1997. The Golden Knights are paced by Kevin Smith, who leads all of college football with 188.3 yards/game this year.
Meineke Car Care Bowl
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Teams: Connecticut Huskies (9-3) vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4)
Betting Line: Wake Forest is favored by 2 points.
Brief History: If you build it, they will come. Hosting a major college football bowl game in Charlotte was not possible before 1996, as a large, first-class facility was not available. That all changed with the opening of Bank of America Stadium, home to the Carolina Panthers. After much effort, Raycom Sports finally landed NCAA approval to host a bowl game, beginning in 2002 (when it was then known as The Continental Tire Bowl).
Fun Fact: In 2003, while the QB at Virginia, Matt Schaub led the Cavaliers over Pittsburgh, 23-16, to earn the Jerry Richardson Most Valuable Player Award
Notable Schwag for the Players: Garmin portable GPS, Fossil watch, Armor-Gear laptop bag and Cap. I think I'd be most excited about "Cap."
Preview: This is a battle of two up-and-coming programs. One is over 100-years old, and the other has been part of the FBS Championship for just six years, but both are just now finding some success. UConn earned its first-ever victory against a ranked team, 22-15 over then-No. 11 South Florida, to enter the Top 25 for the first time. The Huskies peaked at No. 16 before falling out of the ranking after a 66-21 loss at then-No. 4 West Virginia, the team it tied for the conference title.
Wake Forest, the smallest school in the FBS, finished 2007 with an 8-4 record, a year after they went 11-3 and won the ACC title. This season marked only the fifth time in the program's 106-year history that it has won at least eight games. After winning eight of their first nine game, UConn enters today's bowl having lost two of their past three.
Hands off that fumble! (Awful Announcing)
Jim Leyritz might be in a bit of trouble. (My Pinstripes)
These are always fun: Ed Hochuli's MySpace page. (JoeSportsFan)
Everyone's going to want to go to Miami now. First up, Chad Johnson? (SPOORTSbyBROOKS)
“ The only monster here is the gambling monster that has enslaved your mother! I call him Gamblor, and it's time to snatch your mother from his neon claws!” --Homer SimpsonLast week: 8-8. Season: 60-61-2. Lock of the week: 6-2. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. To have my quest for .500 be dependent upon the last week of the season. With well over half the teams having absolutely no reason, other than pride, to try to win, the Vegas lines are all over the place. Knowing who is gonna come out fired up and who is gonna fold like a lawn chair in week 17 is as hard as picking which Spears is a bigger disappointment. Anything could happen in almost all of these games and I would not be surprised. Onto my attempt at picks, I need to go 9-7 or better to reach my sad goal. Home team in CAPS.
Patriots (-13.5) over GIANTS
If only the Giants had a reason to play this week they might beat the Patriots. Okay, probably not, but they still might be able to keep the game close. Is it okay for me to cheer for injuries all around?
EAGLES (-7.5) over Bills
The Eagles will win this game big, if only to make the whole city unsure if they like Donavan McNabb or not for the entire off season.
Panthers (-2.5) over BUCS
Tampa will probably not play its starters much, seeing as they pulled them in last weeks game. Without Jeff Garcia the Bucs are looking to one of the Brothers McCown to lead them to victory. He’s so bad he might not even start for the Panthers.
Bengals (-2.5) over DOLPHINS
Both teams waved bye-bye to the playoffs long before this week. Both of these coaches could be gone next year, and probably should be.
Cowboys (+9) over REDSKINS
I know the Cowboys have nothing to play for and the Redskins have everything to play for, but 9 points is still too much for this rivalry.
PACKERS (-4) over Lions
The Packers would probably rather not end the season with two straight losses, lucky for them the Lions probably couldn’t beat the Packers’ 3rd string unit at Lambeau.
TEXANS (-6.5) over Jaguars
This is the kind of line you only see in week 17. Jacksonville may be the team most built for cold weather playoff football, and they hold a 9-2 record with Garrard getting all the snaps. Of course, Garrard will probably not get all the snaps and the Texans will be excited to have their first 8-8 season.
Saints (-2) over BEARS
The Saints have something to play for (and need a tremendous amount of help) but are also playing in the cold for the first time all year. When in doubt, assume Kyle Orton is still hungover from a Christmas party.
Steelers (-3) over RAVENS
The Steelers do have some incentive to win this game, also the Ravens have lost 9 straight and are in no way good at football.
Seahawks (+1.5) over FALCONS
I can’t see a reason the Falcons should be favored here. Yes, the Seahawks are bad on the road and could rest players, but the Falcons are bad everywhere, and they are “resting” their starting QB in jail and starting coach in Arkansas.
49ers (+10) over BROWNS
Despite being alive for a playoff spot, this game is basically meaningless for the Browns. Their fate is entirely tied up in the Titans game. The 49ers have won two straight, and look to fool everyone into thinking they might be decent next year.
Vikings (-3) over BRONCOS
Purple Jesus hasn’t had over 100 yards in 3 weeks. Expect that trend to end against the porous Broncos run D.
Chargers (-8.5) over RAIDERS
JaMarcus Russell will be getting his first start in this game. The Chargers will be putting pressure on him all game long. With the 3-seed in the balance, the Chargers should put this one out of reach early.
CARDINALS (-6) over Rams
Yet another meaningless game. The Rams are in disarray and the Cardinals appear to be somewhat encouraged at the prospect of not losing more than they win in a season. With no better option, I’ll make this my lock of the week. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.
JETS (-6) over Chiefs
At one point the Cheifs were 4-3. Now they are 4-11. The most exciting thing about this game is the hope for a Herm Edwards sound bite after the game.
COLTS (+6) over Titans
Another week 17 exclusive, the Colts are underdogs at home to the Titans. This is a playoff game for the Titans, which is why I expect them to lose. At this moment I have no faith in Vince Young in a must win game on the road, despite the circumstances.
5pm ET - ESPN - Champs Sports Bowl: #14 Boston College vs. Michigan State
8pm - NFL Network - Texas Bowl: Houston vs. Texas Christian
8:30pm - ESPN - Emerald Bowl: Maryland vs. Oregon State
Non-sports pick - 6pm - Bravo - AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies: 10th Anniversary Edition - Somehow The Graduate is not in the top 10.
Emerald Bowl
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Teams: Maryland Terrapins (6-6) vs. Oregon State Beavers (8-4)
Betting Line: Oregon State is favored by 5 points.
Brief History:The bowl is named after Emerald Nuts, one of the biggest products of Diamond Foods Inc. The Emerald Bowl is the only bowl game held at a stadium used specifically for baseball.
Fun Fact: In 2004, the Emerald Bowl was the stage for the longest drive in college football history. Navy led a 26-play 94 yard drive that lasted 14 minutes and 26 seconds.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Altec Lansing sound system, digital player for iPod, EA Sports NCAA 08; Fossil watch.
Preview: Maryland has outscored it's last three bowl opponents 96-17. But, Maryland will be on unfamiliar ground; this is just the second time in school history the team has played in the state of California.
On offense, Oregon State is led by senior RB Yvenson Bernard who had over 1,000 rushing yards this season. But the strength of the Beavers is in their rush defense. They give up under 75 rushing yards per game, which is second best in the nation.
Maryland runs the ball with two RB's: Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball. Each RB had over 750 rushing yards this season. They run the ball to set up the pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Texas Bowl
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Teams: Texas Christian Horned Frogs (7-5) vs. Houston Cougars (8-4)
Betting Line: TCU is favored by 4.5 points.
Brief History: The NFL Network acquired the rights to this game last season. If they hadn't acquired the rights, this bowl might be nonexistent because it still doesn't have a sponsor attached.
Fun Fact: Last season Marshall Faulk was supposed to be the sideline reporter and he didn't show up.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Watch; Duffel bag; Hoodie, T-shirt, cap, Nocona cowboy boots. It's the Texas Bowl - of course you need cowboy boots.
Preview: These two teams will be meeting for the 25th time. Houston won 13 of the first 17 games, but TCU has won seven in a row.
Houston has a potent offense led by RB Anthony Aldridge and redshirt QB Case Keenum. Aldridge is just 190 yards short of the Cougars single-season rushing record. The Cougars rank fourth in the nation in total yards per game. Houston will be without coach Art Briles who resigned to coach Baylor next season.
TCU had high expectations after finishing last season 11-2, but this season they needed to win their final two games just to make it into the Texas Bowl. But, the Horned Frogs offense started to click down the stretch as they averaged 32.6 points over their last six games.
Champs Sports Bowl
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Teams: #14 Boston College Eagles (10-3) vs. Michigan State Spartans (7-5)
Betting Line: Boston College is favored by 4.
Brief History: Basically, this bowl has no history. It's been named the Sunshine Classic, Blockbuster Bowl, Carquest Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, and the Tangerine Bowl before finally stopping on Champs Sports Bowl since 2004.
Fun Fact: They apparently have an auction related to the bowl that can be found on their website. Currently, the only item listed is a signed General Hospital script.
Notable Schwag for the Players: $400 Best Buy gift card for each player; Timely
Watch Co. watch; Panama Jack sunglasses; Panama Jack T-shirt
Preview: Boston College was on track for playing in the National Championship game...then they were on track for a BCS bowl...now they have to settle for the Champs Sports Bowl. The Eagles look to extend the nation's longest winning streak in bowl games to eight in a row.
Michigan State will have an especially difficult time since five players were suspended for violating team rules. The Spartans will be without standout defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic, Senior linebacker SirDarean Adams, WR and primary punt-return man Terry Love, cornerback TJ Williams, and backup guard Abre Leggins. It's unclear whether these players still receive their Panama Jack t-shirt.
Prior to the playoffs, all NFL fans should read this quiz. Wow, and he actually answers them at the bottom.
Quick, get on Ebay for this item!
Tony Romo hangs out with Ashlee too. But what is Timm Matthews thinking saying Ashlee is hotter than Jessica? Although, Ashlee is looking much better.
 "I've never had worked done..." |
Charles Barkley has interesting names for his pets.
Maybe Cardinals fans should wear LC masks against Marc Bulger and the Rams.
Manute Bol is back in the news - not for boxing and not for joining a hockey team, but for something actually worthwhile.
Apparently, it goes yellow card, then red card, then gun.
McNabb wants Kevin Kolb to play Sunday. Maybe then Philly fans will finally realize that it's not McNabb's fault the Eagles are bad.
Saban dancing - and this time it's not the Soulja Boy. I can only assume he's dancing because he's no longer coaching the Dolphins.
Perhaps this Ravens fan was simply living on the roof of his bar to avoid child support and not in protest until the Ravens win a game.
If you're still wondering if Michael Vick will return to a career in the NFL after his prison sentence, all one needs to do is look at this headline:
'49ers down to fourth QB'
After already going through Alex Smith (placed on IR), Trent Dilfer (concussion), it appears as though Shaun Hill will now miss this weekend's game because of back spasms. Who will step-in and carry on the proud 49er tradition?
Chris Weinke, of course.
Weinke last played with the Carolina Panthers in 2006, taking over when Jake Delhomme was injured. He completed 56 of 96 passes for 625 yards and two touchdowns, with four interceptions.
It should be noted that Weinke is eight years older than Vick.
(Thanks to AOL Fanhouse for the tip.)
7pm ET - ESPN2 - Nevada @ #1 UNC - North Carolina's average margin of victory is over 21 points a game. The Tar Heels should cruise to 12-0.
8pm - ESPN - Holiday Bowl - #11 Arizona State vs. #19 Texas - Finally, the bowls begin to get good. Holiday Bowl Preview.
8pm - TNT - Cavs @ Mavs - The Cavs are looking to win consecutive games for the first time in over a month. But, it will be a difficult task against the Mavs, who are 13-2 at home this season.
10:30pm - TNT - Celtics @ Sonics - Ray Allen returns to Seattle for the first time since joining the Celtics this past off-season. If Allen was returning to a place like Philadelphia, he'd be booed endlessly. I'm interested to see how Seattle will treat him. He deserves nothing but their respect.
Non-sports pick - 10pm - Discovery Channel - Some Assembly Required - Not exactly sure what this is, but it's a series premiere on the Discovery Channel so it's worth a look.
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
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Teams: #12 Arizona State Sun Devils (10-2) vs. #17 Texas Longhorns (9-3)
Betting Line: Texas is favored by 2.5 points.
Brief History: Just call this the let-down bowl. In recent years, teams that just missed making it into a BCS bowl have come in as heavy favorites and have fallen flat. In 2006 Oregon lost to Oklahoma 17-14, in '04 it was California who was blown out by Texas Tech 45-31, and in '03 Texas knocked off Washington State. Looks like Vegas is wise to this - ASU missed out on the BCS but Texas is favored.
Fun Fact: The Weiner Nationals takes place at the Holiday Bowl. The Weiner Nationals is the national championship race for the U.S. dachsund racing circuit. There aren't too many things funnier than watching a weiner dog run.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Nintendo Wii, Madden NFL 08; Fossil watch; Sweatshirt or polo (TBD). I really hope they don't get the schwag before-hand or they could get a serious case of accute wiitis.
Preview: Dennis Erickson's first year as coach of the Sun Devils was a huge success. They finished with a 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the PAC-10, good for a second place finish in the conference. The Sun Devils are solid on both sides of the ball. They rank 23rd in scoring defense and 34th in scoring offense.
Texas finished their season with a disappointing 38-30 loss to Texas A&M that left them with a 5-3 record in Big 12 play. The Longhorns have won five of their last six bowl games. Texas was led by their offense behind QB Colt McCoy and RB Jamaal Charles. The Longhorns ranked 18th in scoring offense and averaged 426 yards of total offense per game. But, their weak point was their pass defense where they gave up an average of 275 yards through the air. In their last game of the regular season, the Longhorns gave up 362 passing yards to Texas A&M.
-Adrian Peterson is completely nuts. I don't even know if Jackass would play 'Sideline Kill'.
-If I were a Giants fan, I'd also sell my tickets to Patriots fans.
-Kobe Bryant has NOTHING on Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain was also quicker to 10,000...
-I doubt Jason Williams will hit 10,000 but he does feel like a prostitute. What prostitute makes $8.9 million? I miss when he was White Chocolate, still shot 30% but did it with flair.
-Sick of the Patriots yet? If not, you will be.
7:30pm ET - ESPN - Motor City Bowl - Central Michigan vs. Purdue - All you need to know.
Non-sports pick - 8:30pm - Comedy Central - Jim Gaffigan: Beyond The Pale - His take on Christmas:
Motor City Bowl
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Teams: Purdue Boilermakers (7-5) vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (8-5)
Betting Line: Purdue is favored by 7.5 points.
Brief History: The Motor City Bowl usually pits the winner of the MAC against a Big Ten team. The game is sponsored by the big three automakers: Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. Last season Central Michigan beat Middle Tennessee 31-14.
Fun Fact: Detroit is the potato chip capitol of the world, based on consumption.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Timely Watch Co. watch; Mercury Luggage leather duffel bag. Man, I think that's the lamest schwag of any bowl.
Preview: The player to watch is Central Michigan's QB Dan LeFevour. He has 3,360 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns, and 1,008 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Only Vince Young has thrown for over 3,000 yards and rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single college football season. Not even Tim Tebow put up those type of numbers. But, these two teams already met earlier this year with Purdue winning 45-22 in a game in which Purdue led 38-0. Though, Purdue lost three in a row at the end of the regular season and Central Michigan has won four of their past five games.
Patrick Willis (49ers) - Willis is already one of the best linebackers in the league. He's a shoe-in for defensive player of the year and proved it once again on Sunday. Willis had 20 tackles and 2 sacks. He leads the league with 162 total tackles.
Marshawn Lynch (Bills) - Lynch accounted for 112 of the Bills 244 total yards in their loss to the Giants. Lynch eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. Lynch is just 90 rushing yards away from the Bills rookie rushing record (Greg Bell - 1,100).
Leon Hall (Bengals) - Hall helped spoil the Browns' chances of the playoffs by intercepting his fifth pass of the season. The interception led to a late first half touchdown and a 19-0 lead. Hall is tied with Reggie Nelson for the rookie lead.
Dwayne Bowe (Chiefs) - Another great game for Bowe, but the Chiefs were handed their eighth straight loss. Bowe had 8 receptions for 97 yards and yet another amazing catch in the endzone. Bowe is now just 18 yards short of 1,000 receiving yards.
Darius Walker (Texans) - Walker had 110 total yards and accounted for all 66 of the Texans rushing yards. Unfortunately, the Texans were playing Peyton Manning who improves to 11-1 against the Texans.
2:30pm - ABC - Heats @ Cavs - Watch the two most underachieving teams waste the talent of two of the best players in the NBA. No matter what their record, it's still exciting to watch Wade & LeBron.
5pm - ABC - Suns @ Lakers - This will be the Lakers ninth straight year playing on Christmas, but not many have more importance than this game. The Lakers trail the Suns by two games in the Pacific division and a win against the Suns would do wonders for the Lakers confidence. A win might finally cause Kobe to realize the Lakers have more talent than any of the teams he would be traded to once the Lakers pillage the other team's talent. Both teams look to run out in transition and get easy buckets. The post-play matchup between Bynum and Stoudemire should be an exciting battle.
8pm - ESPN - Sonics @ Trail Blazers - Yeah, it was supposed to be Durant vs. Oden, but even without Oden, these Blazers are putting on a show. They will look to win their 11th game in a row and are currently just one game behind the Nuggets in the Northwest division.
9pm - ABC - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - Watch this one and ignore that they ever made TWO sequels.
8pm - ESPN - Broncos @ Chargers - The Chargers have wrapped up the AFC West, but are now playing for playoff position. If they get the 3 seed they have the possibility of avoiding the Patriots for an extra week.
Non-sports pick - TBS - A Christmas Story - No reason to list a time - it's on for 24 hours straight starting at 8pm. I dare you to not laugh at this:
| Email Author | Permalink |8pm ET - ESPN - Hawaii Bowl - Boise St. vs. East Carolina - All you need to know.
8:15pm - NBC - Redskins @ Vikings - Huge game with playoff implications. Skins will need to shut down the run and force Tavaris Jackson to beat them with his arm. If Jackson does beat them with his arm, the Skins don't deserve to make the playoffs anyways.
Non-sports pick - 9pm - Comedy Central - Trading Places - Before Eddie Murphy did Dr. Doolittle...and Pluto Nash...and Daddy Day Care...and Haunted Mansion...and Norbit.
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
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Teams: #24 Boise State Broncos (10-2) vs. East Carolina Pirates (7-5)
Betting Line: BSU favored by 10.5
Brief History: Hawaii is guaranteed a bid to the bowl, unless they qualify for the BCS - which they did. In 2006, the PAC-10 replaced C-USA as the WAC's opposition. The game is usually played on Christmas Eve, but was moved to avoid a conflict with Monday Night Football.
Fun Fact: Hawaii is the only US state that grows coffee.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Oakley watch; Oakley sunglasses; Oakley backpack, luggage tags; Aloha shirt (It means both hello AND goodbye - crazy right?).
Preview: Here is what BSU's head coach Chris Petersen said of playing in Hawaii: "I tell you what, if you're not going to be in a BCS game, I don't know if there's a better place in the country to be. I think half our team is on surfboards right now and hopefully staying safe." Sounds like the Broncos are ready to play!
Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl
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Teams: UCLA Bruins (6-6) vs. BYU Cougars (10-2)
Betting Line: BYU favored by 6
Brief History: The Las Vegas Bowl has been around since 1992. Since 2001 it has featured a matchup of a team from the Pac-10 vs. a team from the Mountain West. This is both UCLA and BYU's third appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl. BYU has won this bowl the last two years.
Fun Fact: In the 1995 Bowl, Toledo defeated Nevada, 40-37, in the first ever overtime game in Division I-A college football. The following season the policy of overtime was adopted for regular season games to break ties. In the 2002 Bowl, against UCLA, New Mexico sent Katie Hnida out to kick an extra point, Katie became the first woman to play in a Division I-A college football game. The kick was blocked.
Notable Schwag for the Players: Apple iPod touch and an Under Armour Aero sackpack
Preview: At first glance, BYU seems to be the much better team. But, UCLA beat BYU earlier this season, 27-17 in LA. After that game UCLA rose to 11th in the rankings, however since that game on September 8th, UCLA is 4-6 and BYU is 9-1. BYU has won 9 straight games as it rolled through the Mountain West undefeated. Although typically known for its high powered passing offense (13th in the nation), BYU's defense is actually ranked 8th in yards allowed this year.
