Remember that all the college football bowl games are de facto exhibition games – that should not dampen your enthusiasm, in fact it is not every year that you get a matchup like the 2012 Fiesta Bowl.

Elite WR Justin Blackmon leads the high-scoring Oklahoma State attack (Icon SMI)

Glendale AZ hosts the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday January 2 at 8pm ET, and in any other year this would be a fantastic BCSMNC (BCS Mythical National Championship).

Heck, one could well argue that the Cowboys deserved to be in the title game but that nasty loss at Iowa State “left it to the judges”.

Nonetheless, a great consolation prize and a true 3-4 matchup for bragging rights. Two respected coaches leading their alma mater to heights previously not known for the programs. Two of the best quarterbacks in the sport. And fans can enjoy the football for football sake.

Breakdown and predictions after the yump.

Read the full story →

Gator Bowl Preview:  Ohio State vs Florida

Forget the game, everyone wants to talk about the coach.  Urban Meyer, the former Florida Gator coach and future Ohio State coach, will be the most talked about aspect of this game.  What a twist of irony that his former team and his future team are both appearing in this bowl game with 6-6 records after disappointing seasons for both teams.  Forget the early season suspensions.  The Big Ten has been buzzing about Meyer getting an exemption to be at the game for recruiting.  And we haven’t even begun to talk about the lovely things Florida fans are saying about their former coach.  Let’s just say Congress and Communism have a higher approval rating right now than Urban Meyer does in Gainesville.  
Read the full story →

Capital One Bowl Preview:  #21 Nebraska vs #10 South Carolina

This is one of the most even matched games of the bowl season.  Nebraska finished the season 9-3 with a 5-3 conference record and was third in the Big Ten Legends division.  South Carolina went 10-2 this year with a 6-2 conference record and was second in the SEC East.  South Carolina has one of the toughest defenses in the nation.  Nebraska has one more thing on their side.  South Carolina has never beaten them.  Neither has Steve Spurrier.  And that is the kind of omen that gets in a fella’s head. The kind of thing that will make a guy throw his visor down in disgust and bite his bottom lip as he struggles to find the right play call.  I can picture Spurrier now pacing the sideline as he tries to beat Nebraska in this one.  But this time, he has a team that matches up well against the Cornhuskers.  
Read the full story →

TicketCity Bowl Preview:  Penn State vs Houston

The TicketCity Bowl organizers did what no one else was willing to do.  Invite Penn State to play in their bowl game.  Kudos to the organizers for having the courage to take the gamble.  The off the field stuff does not involve these players and they should not be penalized for it.  As for their opponent, well the organizers stumbled into that one.  Houston appeared to be on the verge of a BCS game until their conference championship collapse.  Now they are thrust into a lesser bowl but against a historic program that is sure to test their passing game.  
Read the full story →

AKA: We need a new Coach Bowl

Both Illinois and UCLA come in to this came with records near the 500 mark.  That explains why both teams will have new coaches come next season and the men that coached them through 2011 won’t be on the sidelines for this game.  Illinois finished the year at 6-6 but suffered through a brutal 2-6 Big Ten Conference record.  UCLA brings a 6-7 record into this Bowl game and finished the year with a 5-4 record in the Pac-12.  Neither team particularly stands out for this one so this may just be one of those bowl games that turns into a nice surprise with a great game.  Then again it could be just what it looks like.  Two middle of the pack teams getting a bowl invite so their alums could spend money on a trip and the universities could do a little recruiting.  I suspect the latter and have already reserved my tee time.  
Read the full story →