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You are here: Home / Open Threads / College Bowl Games Open Thread

College Bowl Games Open Thread

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Currently (wo)manning the smoker, watching Arizona kick the crap outta BC and waiting for the mister to get home to watch the games with me. As a job creator (I created MINE, anyway), I generously gave myself the day off, with copious reminders to myself to relax and have fun on the last day of 2013.

Here are my bowl game picks from the other day, updated to indicate where I got it wrong:

2013-2014 bowl games - 1230 update

There are professional prognosticators who are doing much worse! Looking forward to Dawgs vs. Huskers tomorrow (Go Dawgs!) and Cocks vs. Badgers (Go Cocks!). We will also be watching Iowa vs. LSU with interest (Geaux Tigers!) tomorrow.

Which games will you be watching? Who are you rooting for and why?

Feel free to discuss topics other than football if you’d like — such as New Year’s traditions, cocktail recipes, food preparations, etc. My hubby’s family has a tradition that you should hold money (silver coins) in your hand at midnight for a prosperous New Year.

I’d never heard of that until I fell in with them. Maybe it’s an Eastern European thing? Anyway, I’m thinking it’ll kick in any time now…

Reader Interactions

68Comments

  1. 1.

    raven

    Wow, I had to do a double take! Hokies D looked awful on the first drive but the O came right back. My problem is the Illini-Hooiser game starts in 20 minutes.

    Browning duck bones for gumbo.

  2. 2.

    ET

    There is only one I really care about — ROLL TIDE!

    But can I say I really don’t want to root for either of the teams in the BCS championship but I guess I have to go with Auburn even if that so-so choice is agonizing.

  4. 4.

    Corner Stone

    You’ve been visited by the Ghosts of Bowls Past?
    Or maybe next wave Ghostface Killah?

    Looking forward to TAMU beating the smug off the Duke squaddies this evening.

  5. 5.

    RSR

    I usually like to watch a bit of the Sun Bowl. I love the El Paso setting. But, I don’t know, can’t be bothered this year. Between the concussion issues and general NCAA BS, I really don’t care anymore.

    Not trying to rain on your (Tournament of Roses) parade, though. Those of you rooting and watching–have fun!

  7. 7.

    raven

    “Auburn, against Georgia, pulled off what, for a week, was the wildest finish of the season, scoring a 73-yard touchdown on a desperation heave that bounced off a Georgia defender and into the hands of a receiver, Ricardo Louis. The “Prayer at Jordan-Hare,” it was called, in reference to the Tigers’ stadium.

    All this drives Alabama fans crazy. Football is about discipline and power. You want miracles? Go to church.

    So went the season for Alabama, a machine being tuned up as it churned forward, stern and monotonous and seemingly unstoppable on its way to a third consecutive championship.

    Auburn, the Crimson Tide’s bitter rival and final foe of the season, appeared to be surprisingly good, but it was also lucky. Luck has no part in the Tide philosophy — it is a sign that you are not in control.”

    Is there anything more Joyless than Nick Saban?

    http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/28/sports/ncaafootball/in-season-of-miracles-auburn-breaks-a-machine.html?_r=0

  10. 10.

    Butch

    What’s this “midnight” thing you speak of? If this year is anything like New Years Past, I will be in bed by 9:30 p.m…..

  11. 11.

    The Dangerman

    As a Bruin, when I watch Hundley, I see RGIII. This is not a compliment. His act could get him crushed in the NFL (see III, RG).

  13. 13.

    raven

    OK, here’s my solution. If I watch the Illini game ESPN 2 will run that goddamn scroll and I’ll see the hokie score. I cut down a yardstick to fit on the bottom of the screen so I can’t see it!

  14. 14.

    jeffreyw

    Awesome Birthday Cake [hereafter : ABC] Mrs J makes her own birthday cakes, saving me the trouble of contracting them out a real baking professional. ABC is a carrot cake with nuts, raisins, pineapple, and real fucking carrots [rfc]. This one is frosted with brown butter cream cheese icing.

    And a puppy [who’sagppdbpyyou’reagoodboyyesyouare]! Mrs J came in talking about a litter of jackiepoos and my heart went all aflutter when I took her to mean a bunch of little clones of our own Brittany boy, Jack. These are Jack Russell/Poodle crosses so I am calm, now.

  15. 15.

    Poopyman

    I’m thinking I might go out to the shop and try some spoon carving with my new hooked knives. Either that or make a couple more small boxes that were supposed to be Christmas presents.

  19. 19.

    Yatsuno

    I’m kinda meh on the bowl season this year. But hey Wazzu finally ended their drought amirite?

    So who graduated from walking in parallel bars to walking in a walker? This guy.

  22. 22.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    The only game in which I’ve got an emotional investment is the Rose Bowl. The Michigan State Spartans have overcome early season bad QB play and a ham-handed receiving corps with stellar defensive play. Here’s to hoping that they can now overcome the loss of their middle linebacker/signal caller and beat Stanford!

  23. 23.

    The Dangerman

    @Corner Stone:

    …why he thinks he weighs 240 pounds and runs a 4.4.

    I think RGIII was a world class hurdler (too lazy to look it up), so he had the speed…

    …but, damn, it was predictable he was going to have durability issues. Hundley may be bigger, but same thing; the NFL defenses are just far too good to have a QB run like they do.

    ETA: Looked it up; Hundley and RGIII weigh the same (combine weight on RGIII, at least)

  24. 24.

    Dolly Llama

    Dawg Nation’s collective give-a-damn appears to be broken with regard to tomorrow’s game, but I plan to be at my favorite tavern across the street to cheer them on. The line is Dawgs by 11, but damn if I can understand that unless Vegas just can’t stir up any action on the game at all. I’d say Dawgs minus 6.5 would be generous as hell. And if we come out flat, we’ve got an ass kicking coming to us.

  25. 25.

    Poopyman

    Well Betty, Cole just bigfooted this with more piling on of the Red State charity case. And I was just settling in here, dammit!

  29. 29.

    Roger Moore

    I’m rooting for all of the stupid bowl games involving teams that didn’t win their conferences to hemorrhage money for all involved so they get cancelled and we can go back to a manageable number. Of course as a Pasadena resident, I’m somewhat biased against all these Johnny-come-lately bowls trying to steal the glory from The Granddaddy of Them All.

  30. 30.

    Corner Stone

    @The Dangerman: These days you have to be built like Cam!…Whoa, Cam!! to even think about leaving the pocket consistently. And even he has reduced his run attack during most of the regular season.
    Tebow could sustain a few hits at his size but he is just above average speed downhill, not any quick to him.

  31. 31.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @raven:

    No. I’ll hunt it down. I like the program Stanford has going. I’ll consider it a very strong win- maybe even stronger than the win over the Suckeyes- if State can pull it off.

    @Yatsuno:

    Are you still laid up 24/7 or have you started PT yet?

  32. 32.

    Corner Stone

    @The Dangerman: I’ve got news for him. He hasn’t seen a day where he weighed 217 pounds covered in motor oil. I’d put a hundo on him being closer to 195 than 215.

  33. 33.

    Steve in the ATL

    Lots of Dawgs on here. Any interest in an Atlanta meet up? And by “Atlanta” I mean “Johns Creek.”

  34. 34.

    Scout211

    I only care about the one game. Iowa for the win in the Outback Bowl.

    Grew up in Iowa and graduated from University of Iowa, as did both my parents and my two siblings.

    Go Iowa!

  36. 36.

    Gator90

    Good luck to all SEC brethren and sistren, even the damn dirty Dawgs. (I keep looking for the Gators’ bowl game in the TV listings, but they must have left it out…)

  38. 38.

    Dolly Llama

    @Gator90: Thanks, bro. Do you think Coach Boom will make it to the end of next season for y’all? I’d definitely take the “under.” Can’t believe he’s still there.

  44. 44.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    @japa21:

    Bennie Fowler’s really come along. I think he’s got a good chance at turning some heads in his fifth year (he redshirted as a freshman).

  45. 45.

    Hilfy

    U.S. coins are a sandwich of copper and silver, aren’t they? Can I hold sterling silver spoons in my hand at midnight instead?

  47. 47.

    watergirl

    @Yatsuno: Go Yutsano! Nice to pass a big mile marker as you make your way to full recovery!

    Can you hear us all cheering you on when you are in PT?

  48. 48.

    watergirl

    @raven: I worked with his daughter, Robin. She was a force to be reckoned with! (in a good way) Sadly, she got some awful disease and I figured if anyone could beat it, Robin could, but even she couldn’t win that one. Tragic.

  51. 51.

    Kay

    Happy New Year, Betty!

    A federal judge in Orlando struck down a Florida law on Tuesday that required welfare recipients to undergo mandatory drug testing.
    Judge Mary S. Scriven of United States District Court wrote in her decision that the state’s testing requirement was unconstitutional. “The court finds there is no set of circumstances under which the warrantless, suspicionless drug testing at issue in this case could be constitutionally applied,” she wrote. The ruling made permanent an earlier, temporary ban by the judge.
    The requirement had been a signature legislation of Gov. Rick Scott, who argued that the drug testing was necessary to help protect taxpayers and families. Mr. Scott said Tuesday that the state would appeal the ruling.

    Howard Simon, executive director of the A.C.L.U. of Florida, said that “the courts are now signaling to politicians that they are not going to treat poor people as if they were exempt from constitutional rights.”

    How embarrassing that this piece of crap is his “signature legislation”

    Can you imagine? “I’m the drug-test-poor-people governor”

  52. 52.

    PaulW

    My new year’s resolution for 2014 is to finish at least two of the writing projects I’ve got and get epublished.

    So I need a marketing expert who works on the cheap to help shill my stuff. :)

    See ya in 2014!

  53. 53.

    PaulW

    @Kay:

    There were a ton of problems with Scott and the GOP’s arguments about drug-testing the poor who apply for benefits:
    1) preliminary runs of these testing programs proved a vast majority of the poor aren’t drug users. Roughly 2 percent of the sample population tested positive. It COST taxpayers a ton of money to reimburse the testers for the expense of the test-taking.
    2) Scott’s privately-owned medical clinics were in line to profit from the drug testing. They may not be in his name right now… they’re under his wife’s name instead. Not exactly putting up a chinese wall there, are ya Rick?
    3) the testing itself is degrading and insulting: already assuming the worst of the person(s) applying for benefits.

  54. 54.

    Corner Stone

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Is it possible to beat the smug out of a Dookie? It runs straight through to the bone

    All the more reason to locate a good stout club and continue the effort at every opportunity, my man!

  55. 55.

    gwangung

    Is it possible to beat the smug out of a Dookie?

    Hell, no. It’s bred into ’em, just like it is for us Stanford alums.

    GO TREES!!! ROBBER BARONS!!!

    It’s what I voted for, so it’s always been for me.

  58. 58.

    Kay

    @PaulW:

    There were a ton of problems with Scott and the GOP’s arguments about drug-testing the poor who apply for benefits:

    As far as I’m concerned the whole thing was pure pandering to the mean-spirited parts of the base. It’s repulsive. He was basically roping these people into his campaign scheme.

    BTW, when does he get indicted for Medicare fraud? I want compensation for his theft of public funds.

  59. 59.

    burnspbesq

    @Gator90:

    I keep looking for the Gators’ bowl game in the TV listings

    They’ll get there soon enough, now that they’ve hired a new offensive coordinator from a real football school.

  60. 60.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: Happy New Year to you, Kay! With any luck, 2014 will be the year we Floridians bounce that greedy crook out of Tally!

    @PaulW: I’m right there with you, bro. S-E-C!!!

  61. 61.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Kay:

    Well, Mrs. Luthor is going to have a sad, because her taxpayer-funded revenue stream has been eviscerated.

    Which makes me happy. This whole thing was a scam from the getgo.

  66. 66.

    Betty Cracker

    @dp: The only time I was ever **humbled** by the quality of an away game spread was in Baton Rouge! Godspeed Tigres!

  68. 68.

    Bonnie

    Most of the bowl games start soooo early on the west coast. Just not fair for someone who hates to get up before noon. Johnny Football certainly proved himself tonight. He wouldn’t have to work so hard if A&M had a defense. My tradition is to watch “When Harry Met Sally” on New Year’s Eve because regular TV sucks after football.

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