College bowl games worth watching:
In an effort to build my portfolio so I have something to show ESPN someday
12/21 - Tangerine (I will never call it Champs Sports) Bowl - Syracuse vs GT - features an inconsistent Georgia Tech team vs an even more inconsistent Syracuse team, both teams feature formerly highly-respected coaches who seem to have lost their edge. Adam's pick: GT
12/29 - Houston Bowl - UTEP vs. Colorado - Possibly the hottest turn-a-program-around coach in Div I-A, Mike Price pits the Miners against an ailing and scandal-ridden Colorado team that had national title hopes 3 years ago. Adam's pick: UTEP
12/30 - Continental Tire Bowl - Boston College vs UNC - What John Bunting did at UNC this year is amazing. UNC ended Miami's National title hopes and all but ended their conference title shot. BC eliminated any shot West Virginia had of doing the same. Two over-achieving teams duel it out in Charlotte. Adam's pick: Boston College
12/30 - Holiday Bowl - California vs Texas Tech - Think Cal is pissed about beign left out of the BCS? I know I am. In what world is Texas better than Cal? Cal lost by 6 to the number one team in the country, at USC, and would have one if that pass had been complete. Texas never stood a chance on a NEUTRAL field against the number 2 team and got shut out. Yeah, Cal is pissed. Wait and see what they do to Texas Tech in retalliation. Adam's pick: California
12/31 - Liberty Bowl - Louisville vs Boise State - Possibly the best bowl matchup of all time. Stefan LeFoors leads one of the best offenses in the country to a near upset of Miami (Louisville's only loss), foiled by a last second bad coaching decision. Boise State is undefeated and has annihilated all their opposition (except Tulsa somehow). Both teams finished in the top 10 of the BCS despite not being in a BCS conference. This is the best bowl game of the season hands down. Adam's pick: too close to call, so we'll go with geography - Louisville
12/31 - Peach Bowl - Miami vs Florida - A classic matchup. Both teams dissapointing this year after regularly contending for national title. Will UF, high on a win over arch-rival F$U, win one last game for the Zooker? Or will 3-loss Miami, reeling from a home defeat at the hands of the Hokies, get their act together again? Adam's pick: Miami
1/1 - Gator Bowl - F$U vs West Virginia - Both teams were heavily favored to win their conferences and flubbed it up big time. This will be a statement game for both teams to proove they're not as bad as everyone thinks. Adam's pick: dirty dirty F$U
1/1 - Capitol One Bowl - Iowa vs LSU - Can Kirk Ferentz's come-from-behind antics that won Iowa a share of the Big Te(leve)n title propel the Hawkeyes to victory over the defending co-national champs? Or will LSU's strangling defense be too much for the perpetual underdogs? LSU may not be the force they were last year, but the Tigers haven't completely lost their bite. Adam's pick: I can't possibily pick against the Hawkeyes even though LSU is clearly the better team.
1/1 - Fiesta Bowl - Utah vs Pittsburgh - Congrats to Utah, Alex Smith, and Urban Meyer. Condolences to Pittsburgh on their impending destruction and subsequent dismantling of the Big East. If Louisville weren't joining next year, the Big East woudl become defunct as a football conference. Expect Utah to make the most of being the first non-BCS school to ever appear in a bowl game. It's just too bad the Utes aren't matched up against any real competition, like maybe Auburn. Michigan would have made a good opponent to thrash as well. Adam's pick: no contest - UTAH!!!
1/4 - Orange Bowl - USC vs Oklahoma - *shrug* Auburn got screwed. Cal got screwed. Boise State got screwed. Louisville got screwed. Utah even got screwed by being stacked up against the worst BCS oppoent possible. The BCS is a piece of crap. Force the Pac 10 and Big 10 to exapnd to 12 teams and have a championship game. This will be the beginning of a true playoff system. Big East loses BCS status and then offer 3 at-large spots to the top ranked teams from the non-BCS conferences in an 8-team playoff. Problem solved. As for the current system and this game, both teams have outstanding defenses and Heisman candidate QBs and running backs, but OU has prevailed against much tougher oppoents all year. Adam's pick: Oklahoma
In an effort to build my portfolio so I have something to show ESPN someday
12/21 - Tangerine (I will never call it Champs Sports) Bowl - Syracuse vs GT - features an inconsistent Georgia Tech team vs an even more inconsistent Syracuse team, both teams feature formerly highly-respected coaches who seem to have lost their edge. Adam's pick: GT
12/29 - Houston Bowl - UTEP vs. Colorado - Possibly the hottest turn-a-program-around coach in Div I-A, Mike Price pits the Miners against an ailing and scandal-ridden Colorado team that had national title hopes 3 years ago. Adam's pick: UTEP
12/30 - Continental Tire Bowl - Boston College vs UNC - What John Bunting did at UNC this year is amazing. UNC ended Miami's National title hopes and all but ended their conference title shot. BC eliminated any shot West Virginia had of doing the same. Two over-achieving teams duel it out in Charlotte. Adam's pick: Boston College
12/30 - Holiday Bowl - California vs Texas Tech - Think Cal is pissed about beign left out of the BCS? I know I am. In what world is Texas better than Cal? Cal lost by 6 to the number one team in the country, at USC, and would have one if that pass had been complete. Texas never stood a chance on a NEUTRAL field against the number 2 team and got shut out. Yeah, Cal is pissed. Wait and see what they do to Texas Tech in retalliation. Adam's pick: California
12/31 - Liberty Bowl - Louisville vs Boise State - Possibly the best bowl matchup of all time. Stefan LeFoors leads one of the best offenses in the country to a near upset of Miami (Louisville's only loss), foiled by a last second bad coaching decision. Boise State is undefeated and has annihilated all their opposition (except Tulsa somehow). Both teams finished in the top 10 of the BCS despite not being in a BCS conference. This is the best bowl game of the season hands down. Adam's pick: too close to call, so we'll go with geography - Louisville
12/31 - Peach Bowl - Miami vs Florida - A classic matchup. Both teams dissapointing this year after regularly contending for national title. Will UF, high on a win over arch-rival F$U, win one last game for the Zooker? Or will 3-loss Miami, reeling from a home defeat at the hands of the Hokies, get their act together again? Adam's pick: Miami
1/1 - Gator Bowl - F$U vs West Virginia - Both teams were heavily favored to win their conferences and flubbed it up big time. This will be a statement game for both teams to proove they're not as bad as everyone thinks. Adam's pick: dirty dirty F$U
1/1 - Capitol One Bowl - Iowa vs LSU - Can Kirk Ferentz's come-from-behind antics that won Iowa a share of the Big Te(leve)n title propel the Hawkeyes to victory over the defending co-national champs? Or will LSU's strangling defense be too much for the perpetual underdogs? LSU may not be the force they were last year, but the Tigers haven't completely lost their bite. Adam's pick: I can't possibily pick against the Hawkeyes even though LSU is clearly the better team.
1/1 - Fiesta Bowl - Utah vs Pittsburgh - Congrats to Utah, Alex Smith, and Urban Meyer. Condolences to Pittsburgh on their impending destruction and subsequent dismantling of the Big East. If Louisville weren't joining next year, the Big East woudl become defunct as a football conference. Expect Utah to make the most of being the first non-BCS school to ever appear in a bowl game. It's just too bad the Utes aren't matched up against any real competition, like maybe Auburn. Michigan would have made a good opponent to thrash as well. Adam's pick: no contest - UTAH!!!
1/4 - Orange Bowl - USC vs Oklahoma - *shrug* Auburn got screwed. Cal got screwed. Boise State got screwed. Louisville got screwed. Utah even got screwed by being stacked up against the worst BCS oppoent possible. The BCS is a piece of crap. Force the Pac 10 and Big 10 to exapnd to 12 teams and have a championship game. This will be the beginning of a true playoff system. Big East loses BCS status and then offer 3 at-large spots to the top ranked teams from the non-BCS conferences in an 8-team playoff. Problem solved. As for the current system and this game, both teams have outstanding defenses and Heisman candidate QBs and running backs, but OU has prevailed against much tougher oppoents all year. Adam's pick: Oklahoma
