Even though this year’s bowl schedule is anything but
appealing, I did manage to find a couple of games that could be worth
watching. Of course this is in addition
to Michigan’s matchup and another SEC National Championship. As you will read below, the B1G pulled in the
worst bowl lineup in conference history and will be underdogs in every game it
plays. After its most embarrassing
non-conference slate ever, the conference is desperately looking for any
glimmer of off season momentum to build upon going into 2013. At this point I think it would be best to
just turn your focus to B1G basketball. The one saving grace for Jim Delaney is,
in all his brilliance, most of the B1G games will be played at the same time on
January 1st. At least we will
only torture the country for a few hours, and give people a chance to sleep in
after New Year’s Eve. But for those football lovers out there, the pigskin is
still being tossed around for another 19 days so hopefully my bowl watching
guide will help you eliminate wasting time over the holidays.
I was really excited about the Arizona vs Nevada matchup
because of the offensive matchups. Of
course this game already happened, and turned out to be pretty interesting. Kudos to those who caught the last quarter of
this game.
5. Texas A&M vs Oklahoma Cotton Bowl January 4th,
8pm on Fox
There are a lot of storylines going on for this game. I personally think the Sooners are overrated,
per usual, but this makes the top 5 from what I had to choose from. Johnny Football, the Heisman trophy winner
against preseason finalist Landry Jones.
The Aggies vs the Sooners in a Big 12 rematch. It took me a while to get on the Texas
A&M train, but now I am firmly there.
They entered the SEC with a splash in their first season, and I think
the fans are glad they grabbed Coach Kevin Sumlin from Houston instead of Pat
Narduzzi. Both offenses are high powered,
but the Aggies are the only one that remember defense is also needed in a football
game. The three potential top 10 draft
picks on the Aggies will be showcased in Jerry Jones’ spaceship. Hopefully Oklahoma will keep this game close
for a half, but the SEC will likely continue its dominance over everyone.
4. Baylor vs UCLA Holiday Bowl December 27th 9:45
on ESPN
You might sense the direction of college football with these
bowl choices. Offense is king while
defenses try to bend and not break. A
year after Heisman winner RGIII put up ridiculous stats in the Baylor offense,
they bounce back with the nation’s most prolific unit. The problem is the defense is somewhere in
the bottom 10%. UCLA can also score with
most teams in the country and will be looking to rebound after blowing the
Pac12 championship game. This game might
be the first to 60, and even then the outcome might not be guaranteed. Look for Nick Florence and James Franklin to
have huge games.
3. Texas vs Oregon State Alamo Bowl December 29th
6:45pm on ESPN
The Longhorns continue to under-achieve with top-tier talent
while Oregon State came out of nowhere to be a top 15 team. Texas had a chance to go to the Cotton Bowl
for a matchup with arch-rival, A&M, but instead will settle for the Alamo
Bowl. It will be interesting to see how Mack
Brown can rally his troops. The Beavers
will be looking to cap off an impressive season. I think Oregon State has more to play for,
but this game should still be worth watching in the 4th quarter,
which is more than I can say about most of these games.
2. Oregon vs Kansas State Fiesta Bowl January 3rd,
8:30pm on ESPN
In the only BCS game worth-watching, outside of the National
Championship Game, the Fiesta Bowl puts together the number 3 and 4 teams in
the country that blew their chances at playing for the meaningful trophy. I still believe Oregon is one of the most
talented teams in the country, and they should have most of their injured
defense back for this one. Kansas State
over-achieved this season in a bad Big 12 conference. Chip Kelly will likely want to put a stamp on
his coaching career and will ride off into the NFL sunset after curb stomping
the Big12 champion, and leave the fans waiting for the playoff.
1. LSU vs Clemson, Chick-fil-A Bowl December 31st,
7:30 on ESPN
Bring in the New Year with what I feel is the best bowl
matchup of the season. Yes, Clemson
could choke miserably like last year’s BCS embarrassment, but I am excited to
see the high powered offense vs one of the best defenses in the country. The ACC needs a big post season after a down
non-conference and terrible bowl season last year. I personally think LSU is just on a different
level than Clemson, but it will be their chance to prove me wrong.
Remember, if the B1G is playing it could be best to just
turn it off and work on the To-Do List, or watch it if you need a good
laugh. Now it is your turn, which games
are you most excited about seeing this year?
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