New Year’s Hangover 2011 Edition

Happy 2011 Everyone!

I’m not exactly sure when New Year’s Day morphed into the ultimate sporting day. Yes, there have always been bowl games–but in recent years the better bowl games have slid through until the middle of the month and other sports have staked their claim in the day. Whenever this transfiguration happened, I know that there was nothing I enjoyed more yesterday than having some sauerkraut and pork, Bloody Marys and watching 12 solid hours of sports.

Outback Bowl–Penn State vs. Florida

Oy vey Penn State. Oy Vey. What looked like a promising game–leading 17-14 at half time– turned into a train wreck right in front of our eyes. McGloin’s five interceptions marked the second lowest point of the PSU football season this year (only the loss to Illinois at homecoming ranks worse). What kills me about my favorite walk-on from Scranton is that he just is not a smart ball player. I counted no less than three times that the lane was clear and he could have rushed two or three yards for a first down–instead, he scrambles and tries a short pass to a receiver who isn’t looking–and gets picked off…FIVE times. Defenses can read him like a book. That being said, I do firmly believe he’s the best option Penn State has and I support JoePa’s decision to keep him in. There’s something a quarterback (should) learn when they get drummed like that and hopefully he can take this loss and use it to become a better QB for what is sure to be an ugly Penn State football season next year.

TCU vs. Wisconsin-Rose Bowl

Easily the best game of the day–TCU cemented their spot as an elite program in college football. Having knocked off Boise State last year, and a super-strong Wisconsin team this year. In my opinion, the final score of 21-19 does not accurately represent the complete and solid 60 minutes of football that TCU put together yesterday and I’m excited to see them dominate the Big East in 2012.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals

Is there anything better than the winter classic? The NHL has done an awesome job of thinking outside the box and branding a marquee game to excite fans and make the sport relevant half-way through the season. Heinz field looked awesome and even though the weather didn’t cooperate, and the Pens ended up losing, the game delivered on the hype and was really enjoyable to watch. I could complain about the refs, or the fact that Ovechkin is the biggest douche bag I’ve seen in a long time–but where is the fun in that? The winter classic isn’t so much about the game as it is the experience and I’m not worried for one second about the state of the Pens this years.

Syracuse vs. Notre Dame

The Syracuse Orange rolled to a 15-0 start this season–which sets up nicely for the January 17th showdown at Pitt. Kris Joseph and Rick Jackson are playing phenomenally and the team is deserving of their #5 ranking with quality wins against two top 20 teams (Michigan State and Notre Dame) and I’m excited to see where the season takes them. Hopefully Fab Melo will live nurse his achilles and live up to all the hype– I’m not quiiite ready to jump on the National Championship train–but man are they looking good 🙂

What was your favorite sporting event yesterday–any surprises on how the games went? Learn anything new? We’ll make sure to keep our BCS Bowl Fever tally up to date–but are running considerably far ahead of last year’s record.

Once again, Happy New Year!

–Sam

BCS Bowl Fever!!

Happy Holidays Everyone!! 🙂 I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a happy new year. For me, there really isn’t a better time of year for sports–the NFL playoff puzzle is in full swing, college basketball has begun, bowl games are right around the corner, Sidney Crosby is dominating the NHL and I manage to catch a few Bulls games or two.

In the excitement of this time of year, we’ve included our second annual BCS Bowl Fever post–in which we lock in our choices for all the BCS (and one PSU) games.  Laur and I are in different time zones right now and prepping for the holiday season, so let’s hope Santa delivers her bowl picks before January 1st!

Outback Bowl-Florida vs. Penn State-January 1st- (1pm-ABC)

Shocker! I’m going to take the Nittany Lions on this one–well, because I have to. Factor in that it’s going to be Urban Meyer’s last game (or so he says) and the speculation of it possibly being JoePa’s last game (Gruden as a replacement? I LOVE this rumor!) and I give the edge to the Lions. McGloin has turned into a pretty decent quarterback (as long as those “moxie” sayings are NOT in the mix), Royster had a great second half of the season and the defense is fairly reliable. I think if the team knows this is JoePa’s last game then, for sure they can rally and put together 60 minutes of solid football to knock off the gators.

Joe Pa ❤

Cotton Bowl – Alabama vs. Michigan State-January 1st (1pm ESPN)

Gotta go with ‘Bama on this one. As much as I have formed a disdain for this team–(the “McElroy hasn’t lost since middle school stat was by far the most irritating of the year) ‘Bama is no push over. Couple that with the fact that Michigan State just isn’t that good of a team. They really aren’t–they stood out in a depleted Big Ten this year, but chalked up a loss to Iowa and didn’t have to play perrenial powerhouse Ohio State. I expect them to easily be overtaken by the former National Champ ‘Bama on this one.

Rose Bowl —TCU vs. Wisconsin–January 1st (5pm, ESPN)

I love that the BCS put TCU in this game–unlike the schlubbing from last year in which the BCS put two Cinderella darlings against each other–this is TCU’s chance to prove their worth on the second biggest stage of the bowl season. Wisconsin won’t go down without a fight–an impressive win at Ohio State and an eeked out victory over Iowa works in their favor leading their steady march to a Big Ten Championship. This should prove to be an exciting game and I think that TCU will excel on the big stage and notch a W which will prep them nicely for a transfer to The Big East in 2012.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl — UConn vs. Oklahoma— January 1st (8:30pm-ESPN)

I’m taking Oklahoma in what is the most lopsided BCS match-up of the year. Enough said.

Discover Orange Bowl –Stanford vs. Virginia Tech — January 3rd (8pm ESPN)

This should be a good match-up, but I’m going to have to take Stanford. Virginia Tech put together a nice little season after a really rough start to the year (JMU anyone?) but I think the PAC-10 offensive style of play will lead the charge here. Add in that Stanford is more than likely ridiculously salty about not being invited to the Rose Bowl and you have all the necessary ingredients for a Hokie beatdown.

Allstate Sugar Bowl –Ohio State vs. Arkansas–January 4 (8:30pm ESPN)

This is going to be a GOOD game–but I’m giving the edge to Arkansas. Ryan Mallet has been a great leader for the team and has matured into a solid quarterback since leaving an ineffective for his talents offense in Ann Arbor. Ohio State is no stranger to nationally televised bowl games–but has a history of choking. Both offenses can be explosive–so it’s all going to come down to defense but I think the Razorbacks are going to scratch out a win–the perfect way to end an almost storybook like season for the Arkansas program.

Tostitos BCS Championship Game–Oregon vs. Auburn–January 10th (8:30pm ESPN)

Before the analysis, I just want to say how thrilled I am that the usual suspect (Florida, Bama, OSU) are NOT a part of this game. I’m a huge fan of  BCS shake-ups..and while both of these teams have undoubtedly earned the right to play for the national championship I don’t think anyone would have placed these two in the title game back in September.

That being said..I’m REALLY looking forward to this game 🙂  This is going to be a shoot out folks, the game features 2 of the top 7 offenses in college football. Auburn has undoubtedly, had the more impressive road to its national championship appearance and Hesiman winner Cam Newton has had a ridiculously impressive season.. but I think the Duck’s 15th ranked scoring defense will be the deciding factor in this one. Look for an exciting game with the Ducks quacking their way to a BCS title.

Offensive Powerhouses

What are your predictions for the above games? You know we love a healthy debate here on Chicks Dig Sports…Let’s hear it! 🙂

Happy Holidays!

–Sam

Football is Upon Us! 2010 College Football Preview

As Laura alluded to yesterday, we here at Chicks Dig Sports are completely tickled that it’s fall. There are multiple reasons for this: we hate humidity, we love fall scents and we’re absolutely and totally crazy about football. It’s not that we don’t have exciting and fun summer flings with baseball, casually date basketball or have a committed relationship with hockey. But football? Well it’s our one true love. The one we’re absolutely crazy about and, if we had to choose, would hands down be the single sport we could watch the rest of our lives.

While we still have to wait a little over a week for the NFL to start, it is college football eve. We’re so excited (and you should be too!) Hell, I say we’d consider smacking a big smooch on Lee Corso. Below you’ll find our top pre-season college coaching stories and our predictions for the 2010 NCAA season. Don’t hold your breath folks, this is a long one! 🙂  

Coaching Carousel

Every off-season, the coaching carousel spins round and round and this year is no exception. These coaches are the ones to watch as they have the most to gain (and lose!) this season.

Lane Kiffin-as most of you know, I’m not a fan of the man, to put it lightly. I find him to be classless, arrogant and have no respect for the game. His inaugural rookie NCAA head coach season was lukewarm at best, how is he going to fair with a storied program like USC?  Well, it really doesn’t matter, to tell you the truth, because USC is ineligible for bowl games until 2013. So Kiffin can go undefeated, but if he doesn’t, and he fails like he’s pretty much done with every program he’s touched, it doesn’t matter, cause they aren’t eligible anyway. Consider me pissed he has an automatic two-year cushion.

Rich Rodriguez-Michigan is in the running for my least favorite team in the entire sporting world. I enjoy their losing almost as much as I enjoy watching Penn State win. That being said, Rich Rod is on thin ice, this season will be make or break for him. After two dismal seasons and a pathetic “I wasn’t aware of what was going on” excuse and the man is already on borrowed time.

Urban Meyer-He goes on an indefinite leave of absence, he’s back, he’s sick, he’s not, he’s coaching. I suppose if I was Urban Meyer, I’d go through a crisis with Tebow graduating, but his back and forth was completely unnecessary and absolutely absurd. Most coaches, when they lose their marquee player (which in a best case scenario happens every four years), regroups and devises a new plan of attack. Meyer throws a public hissy fit in front of the nation and, after assessing that his squad will be competitive enough to compete this season, comes back. Pressure’s on Urban, but only because YOU brought it by your silly antics.

Brian Kelly-First year Notre Dame Coach…do we need to say anything else?

Conference Predictions:

Big Ten

• Sam’s Pick: Iowa. Fresh off an Orange Bowl win and with Stanzi back in charge, these corn-fed Iowa boys have been chomping at the bit to continue their success of recent seasons. Add in the fact that Pryor just can’t seem to get it together in the big game and the Hawkeyes should have a clear path to the Rose Bowl if they play smart.
• Laura’s Pick: Terrell Pryor will come into his own this year. He’s athletic and a born leader, with all the practice he’s put in over the off-season his throw should be better now too. He may never be the total package, but he’ll come pretty close this season and lead Ohio State to win the conference.

Big 12 North

• Sam’s Pick: Nebraska. Is there anyone else worth mentioning in this division? Plus they have one more chance to make their mark before jumping ship for the Big Ten next year.
• Laura’s Pick: Nebraska. For reasons above.

Big 12 South

• Sam’s Pick: Texas Tech. In a good position with dual QB’s Potts and Sheffield, Texas Tech is way better off than conference rivals Texas and Oklahoma who have extremely green QBs. (Obviously, Laura has more faith in Jones that I do.)
• Laura’s Pick: Oklahoma. Landry Jones was forced into a leadership role before he was ready and onto the national stage when Sam Bradford went down. He’s gotten experience under his belt and coaches don’t come better than Bob Stoops, with him at the head of the program the Sooners are always, calm, cool, collected and all football, all the time. I do hope Oklahoma State give them a run for their money – I love that team, they play with so much heart and their coach, well, “He’s a man, he’s forty!”

PAC 10

• Sam’s Pick: Oregon. Always a solid program, the Ducks have USC out of contention this year. Look for them to shine through a victory in the Civil War and secure a spot in the Rose Bowl.
• Laura’s Pick: Stanford–Andrew Luck is a stud, this potential Heisman candidate and badass (former Bear) Jim Harbagh have this division locked up.

Big East:

• Sam’s Pick: Syracuse. Why the hell not? Cincinnati surely isn’t repeating.
• Laura’s Pick: Pitt. Wandstadt is valuable sometimes right?…Right?

WAC

• Sam’s Pick:  Boise State. Love everything about Boise State down to their blue field. Shame the BCS will never allow them to play for the national championship, even with consecutive undefeated seasons.
• Laura’s Pick: Boise State. I just love this program, always the unsung hero of college football. These guys have great talent, coaching but often miss out on the national stage.

*Note the same reasoning for TCU to take it all in the Mountain West.

ACC

• Sam’s Pick: Miami. This is Miami’s comeback year. They’ve been middling since the departure of Shockey, McGahee and *gasp* Dorsey in the early 00’s. This year, they’re poised to return to their glory days and be right where they belong at the top of the division.
• Laura’s Pick: Virginia Tech. Always a solid program. With a weak division like the ACC, they should be able to easily play their way into a New Year’s Day bowl game.

SEC

• Sam’s Pick: Alabama. Ingram’s knee trouble may be a factor, but Alabama led by veteran coach Nick Saban, has all the tools to make another title run. Factor in a Tebow-less Florida (Urban Meyer’s built-in excuse) and the hardest division in college football should be prime for the taking.
• Laura’s Pick: Alabama. Nick Saban is the most no-nonsense coach in college ball and you’ve got to love his halftime interviews. With Ingram returning and a corral of running back studs and McElroy turning out not half bad performances most of the time, I would say they’re a lock. Sometimes it can be hard to repeat, as long as they don’t crumble underneath self-imposed pressure, they should lock things up.

BCS Championship Game

• Sam’s Pick: Alabama vs. Ohio State. Not because they’re pre-season #1 and #2, but because they will have time to stumble early on (by both losing to PSU ;-)) and will have plenty of time to steady out to regain the #1 and #2 spots.
• Laura’s Pick: Oklahoma vs. Ohio State.

That’s a wrap, folks! What are your thoughts?? We KNOW you have some, and we’re always up for discussion! What do you agree with? What are we totally off on? Which of the four coaches is on the thinnest of ice? Who are the sleepers?

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you can find the full pre-season AP list here.

As always, talk to us people…have we mentioned how much we love fall?  🙂

–The Chicks

Sports Digest

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today has been an awesome day for sports, so while my bowl breakdowns will come in tomorrow’s ‘New Years Day Hangover’ post, there are still plenty of great stories to keep up on…and one annoying habit that I found necessary to blog about.

1. Lamar Woodley might be in the running as my favorite Steeler. See, Pittsburgh needs some help to get into the post season (and while I love them more than life itself, they do not deserve to go in the playoffs this year after losing to the browns, chiefs and raiders…even if Dave Coulier–I mean Ben Roethlisberger–threw for over 4,000 yards).  To get into the playoffs we need to win vs. the Miami Dolphins tomorrow (Sorry Big Brother, but you’re going down!) and then we need two of the following teams to lose: the Ravens, Jets and Texans. New York and Houston are playing two teams that are already in the playoffs: Cincinnati and New England respectively. Common sense says that both teams will pull their starters after a short amount of time tomorrow, as they aren’t playing for anything other than the #3 seed. (Er go, they will both have wild card match-ups next weekend regardless). Enter Lamar Woodley, who does the one thing that any man can do to ensure a solid competitive effort-question their manhood. Lamar says that both teams will not play their starters because both of them are scared of Pittsburgh in the playoffs. While I do not necessarily think that’s true, I think that it definitely lit a fire under some of these guys butts. Who wants to be called out for laying down? NO ONE. It goes against the basic rules of sportsmanship. So Lamar throws it out there and Cincinnati, offended as any athlete would be, replies–well OchoCinco does. Apparently they are planning on playing their starters… Great Job Lamar, your backwards psychology might just be our ticket to the playoffs….but you have to beat Miami first and nothing this season is a guaranteed win. Read more here: http://bit.ly/519p0w
2. Mike Leach-This Mike Leach scenario is very sad for the reason that I do not think we will ever know what really happened. It seems that misconduct definitely occurred, but at what level, the stipulations and circumstances remain fuzzy at best. Add in that this player is the son of an ESPN analyst and you can’t help but wonder if Texas Tech pulled the trigger a little too quickly firing Leach before investigating all of the facts. Sally Jenkins, sports columnist for the Washington Post delves into this issue a little deeper in an awesome piece http://tinyurl.com/yacbc4o Side note: Didn’t Bobby Knight punch a student athlete at Texas Tech and NOT get fired? I’m just saying.
3. Purdue Boilermakers- At a New Years day party today, I saw the  No.4 Purdue Boilermakers men’s college basketball team manhandle the No.6 West Virginia Mountaineers. Purdue is freaking good folks. They comfortably played 30 minutes of solid college basketball. They were never threatened, pressure was never applied and they swiftly added another notch to their belt of wins this season. (Sidenote: I’m never really sold that WVU is a GREAT collegiate basketball team…their #6 is solid, but I say that, as far as the BIG EAST goes, WVU is middle of the pack…not their fault the conference is stacked). I will say if Purdue keeps this up, I might get a little worried for my boys in orange.
4. Syracuse Orange-speaking of my lovely No. 5 Syracuse Orange, they have a HUGE game coming up tomorrow at 12pm eastern against Pitt. This Orange team is ridiculously impressive. Many people are calling it better than Carmelo’s 2003 National Championship team. I have watched the Orange every chance I get and they are looking good. LIKE REALLY GOOD. With Devo, Flynn and Harris off the team, the team can operate and focus more like…a TEAM. No ball hogs, no off court shenanigans, just a team that wants to play basketball. Add in a dose of the lovely Andy ‘3 point machine’ Rautins and this team is doing great. Pitt is always a threat though and a perennial powerhouse even though they have two losses this year to Texas and  Indiana. BIG EAST play always brings out the best in teams so I think Syracuse has to play well, because Pitt will take advantage if they don’t (aka they can’t afford to start slow like they did against Seton Hall) The game is at home, as an alum, a 32 thousand plus crowd can make the difference. And Syracuse is awesome. The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST network. Go Orange!
5. The Australian Open-Keep your eyes open for the Australian Open beginning January 18th. Tennis’ first grand slam of the year is always fun to watch with the hard-court. It’s also easy to catch live if you’re a working bee like myself, since Australia is half-a-day ahead of us, matches show at night. I’m always partial to Andy Roddick but I will do a further breakdown when it gets closer to the date.
6. Penn State Nittany Lions-Love ya lions! Sorry I ever doubted you…but that was a pretty ugly game. (side note, I love watching football players get down and play in the mud …it makes it so manly) Royster had a great game, you survived the monsoon, Clark cried tears of joy and JoePa notched his 24th bowl win…the most all time (Suck it Bowden) And YES, I owe Raffi $20 and a round of beer…but had we gone on the spread I still would have won. I should have had more faith in you lions and a Capital One Bowl win is a nice cap to a 12-2 season. Start prepping for Alabama tomorrow though. Seriously.

This brings me to my PET PEEVE:

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why people decide to root for their conference in bowl games January 1st. I’m sorry, but I hate Ohio State and I hate Michigan. I will never root for them to win. Ever. I don’t understand how people can root AGAINST a team and say they dislike them for months and then say ‘well it’s the Big Ten, you got to want them to win’ Um. No I Don’t. At least not teams that I hate the rest of the year. I was rooting for Northwestern (rough loss!) and I will root for Iowa, because I don’t despise them. but I will never root for OSU or Michigan. They’re awful. Tressel’s sweater vest is ridiculous (I picture him having 3,000 of them lined up in his closet) I’m tired of hearing it will make the Big Ten look good. You know what will make the Big Ten look good? How about scheduling tough non-conference opponents?! PSU rose to #5 in the country this year after beating Akron and Syracuse and, just for good measure, they beat up on Northern Illinois. or was it Eastern Illinois? Doesn’t matter…easy picking. You know what ELSE would make the Big Ten look good? How about having one team that dominates? Purdue beat Rose Bowl Champion Ohio State. Purdue. Let me clarify, Purdue’s football team, not basketball team. You know who beat Purdue? Northwestern. You know who beat Northwestern? Penn State. You know who beat Penn State? Iowa. and Ohio State. How can you even begin to make sense out of this cluster-f?! Seriously. I’m sick of split championships. I’m sick of crappy play. I want the Big Ten to return as a football powerhouse, but that starts with team play IN the big ten. So I WILL NOT root for OSU OR Michigan (then again Michigan was in the Toilet Bowl this year which I enjoyed) because guess what? OSU winning the Rose Bowl, albeit handily, over the PAC-10 conference is NOT A BIG DEAL. It will not make people take the Big Ten more seriously because the Big Ten doesn’t take itself seriously.

*Side note: for those of you keeping track, I’m 0-2 on two very close bowls…hopefully the sugar bowl turns me around tonight*

What upcoming sports events are you looking forward to? Have I left any majors off the list? What’s your take on the bowl games?  Let me know people and Happy New Year 🙂

BCS BOWL FEVER!!

Happy last day of 2009! Naturally, the new year always starts with a slew of BCS bowl games to waste away your first day of the year and (hopefully) watch some really solid competitions. Below are my predictions for the BCS bowl games and, of course, my outlook on my beloved Nittany Lions 🙂

ROSE BOWL (8pm ABC)

Ohio State vs. Oregon

Ah the Rose Bowl, in my opinion the BEST bowl…save for the BCS Championship game. I remember last year’s Rose Bowl when my Lions decided not to show up until the 4th quarter and lost handily to Mark Sanchez and the USC Trojans. (Karma stings you though, as Sanchez is having a shaky-at-best rookie season in the NFL). This year it’s the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. the Oregon Ducks. Oregon has put together a solid season. Heck, I honestly can’t remember what has happened to Oregon since Joey Harrington left (another NFL failure) But I do hope this is a good game.

And by good game, I mean I hope that Oregon beats the snot out of Ohio State. Aside from just hope, I think it will happen for two reasons.

1. Ohio State has had an extremely lackluster season. This is the same team that LOST TO PURDUE (granted they beat the Lions, but still!) I think everyone agrees that if Ricky Stanzi had stayed healthy, Iowa would have this position in the Rose Bowl. Add in the fact that the Big Ten has really turned into a joke of a conference over the past decade and i don’t think Ohio State has a fighting chance.
2. Ohio State is INCAPABLE of winning the big game. Ohio State has lost EVERY prime-time game they have been in over the past couple years, including but not limited to, two BCS championships, a loss to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl last year and a loss to USC on television this year. For whatever reason, the Buckeyes get nervous when the nation is watching. Add in the fact that I saw Terrell Pryor crying on television last year when he lost to Penn State and the lingering doubt about his capabilities as a quarterback and it brews trouble.

Ohio State does have an excellent defense though and they are due for a win,  but I hope Oregon creams them..but it should be closer than I hope for.

SUGAR BOWL  (8:30pm FOX)

Florida vs. Cincinnati

I attended a BIG EAST school for one year. My high school football team plays a more competitive schedule than those boys in the BIG EAST but the truly remarkable think about the BIG EAST is Cincinnatti. Honorable mention to Pitt, who made a good run, and I think we all agree that the Pitt/Cincy game was the best game of the weekend…far outshining the SEC Championship game. Cincinatti has surely, but quietly, dismembered the BIG EAST–with their star quarterback sidelined with a wrist injury for a handful of key games this season. Let’s put this in perspective…no one in the Big Ten went undefeated, when Stanzi was hurt for Iowa the team struggled greatly. By contrast, Cincinatti overcomes the same obstacles, and though they struggled at times remained a solid team.  Cincinatti deserves it ranking and it’s spot in the sugar bowl.

Unfortunately, I think their Cinderella season stops at the All-State Sugar Bowl. Florida is a BEAST. Even though they were manhandled by Alabama, let’s not kid ourselves folks, Florida is the second best team in the nation (as much as I hate to admit it since Tebow gets on my nerves) Although Florida has been playing subpar football all season, they always find a way to win and, unfortunately, I think that they will make short work of Cincy.

The one equalizer though are the coaching debacles going on on both teams. Does anyone really know what Urban Meyer’s problem is?! Cause something fishy is going on there….and it has nothing to do with committment to coaching the team.

Then you have Brian Kelly who abandons Cincy for the magnifying glass that is the Notre Dame job. I feel for Cincy and I hope they win to shove it in Kelly’s face. I just don’t think they will. (I also think karma will get Kelly….the Notre Dame job is high pressure and far less prestigious than it use to be and this is their FOURTH Coaching change in a decade…i’m just saying) I’m rooting for you Cincy but I don’t think it will happen…even with your explosive offense.

COTTON BOWL -Jan 2- (2pm FOX)

Mississippi vs. Oklahoma State

Who cares? Um. I pick Oklahoma State because I really haven’t heard anything from Ole Miss since Eli Manning graduated.

FIESTA BOWL -Jan. 4

TCU vs. Boise State

I want to first start by saying I’m sorry to both TCU and Boise State. The BCS screwed you, and screwed you royally. Putting both of you, a tale of unbeatens, cinderella stories against each other is complete and total bull shit. You should have the opportunity to take down a ‘legitimate’ BCS team. They screwed you guys by not getting a chance to prove yourselves, but take comfort because everyone knows that. Hell, Boise State, consider it an honor. When you guys beat Oklahoma with that liberty play in 2007, you scared the BCS, and people started to take notice. So much notice that they’re scared to give both you and TCU a shot.

That being said, I’m REALLY FREAKING EXCITED for this game. I don’t get to see both teams play much, but from what I know they’re awesome. TCU has a top five offense and defense and has been a dominant team all season. Ranked 3 in the AP and coaches poll, some would argue they should have a shot at the national championship. maybe in a perfect world, but you hang on tight and play a good game and you could end the year at #2 TCU…which isn’t the BCS championship, but it’s a Mountain West conference football team’s wet dream and the best they can do with the BCS in place 🙂

Boise State has been great as well. (Although their blue field pisses me off)  Boise State has been a legitimate sports threat for the past few years and have an explosive offense and an INCREDIBLE will to win (Note: the Oklahoma game from 2007) This season marks their second consecutive unbeaten season and fourth in the past five years. (WOW!)

I really cannot pick a winner on this one, as I think this is the most evenly matched bowl game–including the BCS Championship game. but I’m rooting for TCU. I’d love a ‘non-BCS’ school to end the year #2.

ORANGE BOWL -Jan 5.- 8pm

Iowa vs. Georgia Tech

I go again with ‘Who Cares?’ I’m sorry Iowa, you’ve put together a great season and you are a great story. You deserve better than to face Georgia Tech. I’m not very familiar with the ACC but I can honestly say that this is the bowl that I’m the LEAST excited for. If Stanzi had stayed healthy you’d definitely be in the Rose Bowl and a contender for that National Championship (but that would have never happened…let’s get real) I think that Iowa is going to handily take care of business. I’m not that familiar with Georgia Tech, but living in Chicago, I’m VERY familiar with Iowa and, when Stanzi is healthy, they are almost unstoppable. Solid offense, solid defense and a yes we can attitude. They also look like the Pittsburgh Steelers so it’s hard for me to hate them 🙂 But a win at the orange bowl would cap off a pretty awesome season for the Hawkeyes and I’m excited for them…even though I hate them when they dominate PSU…which they always do.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME -January 7th-8pm

Alabama vs. Texas

Alabama. Alabama. Alabama. Alabama.

This should be a good game, and a close game, but Alabama is going to win. And deservedly so. I cannot fathom in my head how an Alabama team, who embarrassed Florida in the SEC championship game, could lose to Texas. Don’t get me wrong, Texas is good. Colt McCoy (best southern name ever) is going to be a lovely little NFL QB, and Texas is going to make a good run, but Alabama is just too dominate.

‘Bama played close with Auburn, but that’s a rivalry game where the underdog plays better (As someone who lived in Mobile, Alabama for six years of her life, I can tell you the ‘Bama/Auburn rivalry is one of the nastiest in the sport) This Alabama team has beaten FIVE ranked teams, has its first ever Heisman trophy winner in Mark Ingram and Nick Saban as head coach. Don’t get me wrong, Saban cannot coach professional football (see: Miami Dolphins Disaster) but he CAN coach collegiate football, he’s one of the greats. Alabama is RIDICULOUSLY overdue for a Championship and this will be the year.

Unless Texas has something to say about it. Texas is an awesome team in itself. The Big 12 has, over the past couple years, morphed into the second best football conference in the nation (only behind the SEC) and texas has led the charge to redefining the Big 12’s role in the sport. This 2009 team has Colt McCoy, who propels a killer offense. Their weakness is defense tho, and they have played very close games that were unnecessarily close. I mean, Nebraska was a few inches away from ending the Longhorns season. I think they’ll play ‘Bama close but I think that Alabama is one of the most solid teams I’ve seen in a long time.

And finally…

CAPITAL ONE BOWL -Jan 1st 1pm

PSU vs. LSU

oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh WE ARE PENN STATE! 🙂 Now that I have that out of the way, I love ya lions, i do, but I think LSU has your number. I love Penn State and I would love them to win, but Penn State is grossly overrated every year 😦 Darryl Clark over throws which turns into interceptions.  When he’s bad…he’s BAD and when he’s good, he’s GOOD. like REALLY GOOD. It just depends on who decides to show up tomorrow. Our defense is good but gets tired out since we’re on the field all the damn time.

LSU has put together a fairly solid season. All three losses have been to ranked teams, including ‘Bama, Florida and Ole Miss, (huh how about that, maybe I should have heard of them!) I just keep going back to the conferences. The SEC is the best conference in college football. It’s not LSU’s fault that they have to play such perrennial powerhouses.

I went and saw PSU play against Northwestern in Chicago in October. We were down by two touchdowns at half time. Enough said. (we did rally to win but that isn’t the point)

So I love you lions, I will be rooting for you as hard as I can. I still want JoePa to be my grandpa and I look forward to next year when you play BCS Champion Alabama in game two of next year…but I think your number is up. (And I’ll take my good friend Raffi’s $20 and dignity when LSU wins 🙂 )

*honorable mention to Miami for a resurge to its football program. I miss the days of ‘The U’ dominance (with McGahee and Shockey) and since I was enrolled in The U for about six weeks, you always hold a special place in my heart.

What are your thoughts? Predicitions? What games are you most looking forward too? Happy New Years!

–Sam