Alright fellow Dopers and college football fans - it’s that time of year again! Christmas parties! Shopping! Fancy dinners! Togetherness! Pictures with Santa! Lighting the Manora! Kwanzaa celebrations!
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And if your family doesn’t hurry up and go do all that stuff and stop touching your TV you’re going to implode! Because it’s BOWL GAME TIME! Regular season over! Nothing but these scant few bowls between you and the bleak winter. (Note: thank Og for March Madness - it’s the only thing that keeps you from hibernating!) Must make the best of this!
So without further ado - the bowl matchups for 2005-early 2006:
My initial reactions? First of all, HOLY SMOKES! The BCS is actually going to work this year! It’s actually going to put the two undefeated teams head-to-head and not leave anybody out! Somebody take a picture!
ahem
I’m psyched about this. Texas’ defense looks killer, so it should be a good matchup. SC hasn’t faced a defense like this all year. Of course - on the other side, Texas has faced nothing like SC’s offense. It’s staggering the amount of weapons that team has between Bush, Jarrett, Leinart, White, etc. I can’t wait for this one.
Other games? FSU v. PSU - the geezer bowl! A case of Viagra to the winning coach! Alabama v. Tx Tech - insane pass-happy offense v. awesome D. Notre Dame v. Ohio State - looks to be a blowout (by whom I ain’t picking). Also hell of a Peach Bowl this year!
Plus, there’s my team, UGA, slapping LSU around in the Championship game, and now going to handle the Mountaineers. Although they’ve only lost 1 game and they have a pretty talented young QB. (that’s why they invented blitzing … shhhhh).
Oh man, I could talk and discuss all day. So let’s do that. Alright NCAA CF Dopers! Have your say! Predictions! Rantings! Etc. Get everything in quick before this baby gets closed!
Ah… I wrote that in haste, lets not forget about Oregon who’s getting the shaft. I mean honestly, I’m the first one to rattle off the “PAC-10 sucks” meme, but this sucks for these players. They only lost one game to a helluva team and they get to play Oklahoma. Oklahoma. I wasn’t even aware that they were bowl eligible this year until now (I kid).
I know you have to pick the fans who travel, and ND v. OSU is a good matchup, but it sucks for the Ducks.
I like my alma mater’s chances against the non-existent UCLA run defense.
From the BCS standpoint, this year was pretty much un-blowable. It’s too bad that Florida State gets a spot that Oregon deserves, but that’s the conference championship system for you. I suppose I don’t like the automatic bid concept.
True. It also should be quite fun. I’ve heard from unreliable sources that both teams are not even going to field a defense. The defenders are going to huddle in the corner at the 5 yard line while the other team runs their bestest play and scores a touchdown.
Ok, that’s not true, but both of these offenses have some serious firepower. Anybody with the college football encyclopedia know what the highest total point score was in a bowl game? Or the highest point total for both teams combined?
Also, how about Boston College? They seemed like a contender early on in the year. Now they have to go and play on the smurf turf against the Broncos! Everyone knows it’s impossible to beat Boise State on their home field! They’re camoflagued!
Also - terrible mismatch - as up and down as Michigan has been this year, who else thinks that they are going to annihilate Nebraska? Oh man, that’s gonna be ugly.
I’m well-acquainted with what passes for defense at NU. The way I see it, Basanez is going to get his, so if Tyrell Sutton is going to be able to roam free, I like the team’s chances. It’s not like they’re new to shootouts… I’ll give them 50-50 odds in a shootout with almost anyone.
This thing is going to look like an old Holiday Bowl.
There were two OTs. The teams combined to score 43 points in the second half and 13 in the 2 OTs.
The most points ever given up by a team in a bowl game is 66 by Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl to Nebraska.
Perhaps the defenses can get together to form a support group.
Or maybe they will both play well just to spite everyone. In 1991 UCLA came in with a pretty good offense and faced Illinois in the Sun Bowl and won 6-3.
One of the stats for the 2001 GMAC Bowl is wrong. Marshall scored 43 points on its own in the second half of that game and 13 in overtime. At halftime it was 38-8 East Carolina.
UCLA has won games by scores of 47-40, 44-41, 51-28, and 45-35, so I don’t think they will be too worried.
In UCLA’s two losses, the offensive line got battered by big guys who put pressure on Drew Olson. This kept UCLA from being able to keep up after the defense did its usual fold.
Oregon did get screwed. I’m not sure what to blame here, the fact that Notre Dame gets in on this as an independant or that FSU is soiling the field with their presence. I know most of the bowls are predetermined but I’d have liked to see Oregon get into that Outback Bowl against Florida instead of Iowa. Or against Va Tech in the Gator.
Anyone else hate the concept of the Rose Bowl not being played on the afternoon of the 1st? The BCS sucks for alot of reasons, but above all else the fact that it ruined the tradition of the Rose Bowl (Big Ten vs. Pac-10) being on New Years Day right after the parade is the biggest of it’s sins.
I’m not for a Playoff, and given the choice I’d prefer the old system, but I wish they’d at least find a way to establish the old Rose Bowl.
Personally I’m looking forward to the UCLA-NU game outside of the biggies. All in all, Dec 30th is going to be an awesome day of football.
What do you guys think about this FSU-PSU match-up? PSU is a really good team. I mean, really good. But FSU just put it all together and smashed VA Tech in the mouth. If they were to play up, it might get interesting. Of course, ultimately my guts are telling me Penn State walks the dog.
BCS plus. BCS plus. BCS plus. Repeat ad infinitum.
I mean - play the bowl games - the REAL bowl games with their traditional tie-ins. At the end of the bowl games, the top two teams in the BCS standings play one more game for all the marbles. Will it work every time? No, somebody will invariably be left out in the cold. BUT it will reinforce the tradition of the bowls without adding problems that aren’t already there in the BCS.
I think the Peach Bowl is going to be pretty tough. Both LSU and Miami are tough teams that have had some good breaks and some bad breaks. If they both bring their A-game. Fugghedaboutit. Of course, that’s assuming that JaMarcus Russell’s shoulder is ready for the game.
How about Wisconsin v. Auburn? Couple of real good runningbacks between Calhoun and Irons. After seeing Auburn play though, I think that they will romp?
About the Oregon screwing - how awful is it going to be if they get BEAT by Oklahoma? I don’t think it will happen - but you PAC-10ers will never be allowed to live that down (not by me of course - I’m totally classy :D) You’ll be hearing “the PAC-10 is weak and sucks” until the cows come home. Even if USC wins the National Championship by 222 points.
There is a full slate of NFL games on Sunday the 1st. They are avoiding the conflict.
Personally I think the NFL should have bumped the schedule ahead a week to avoid this, having week 17 occuring on the 25th, but nothing you can do about it now.
Still, the 30th, 31st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th is going to be an unparalleled orgy of football. Then the NFL playoffs get underway on the 6th…good times.
