The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Capitol One Bowl Week began on Thursday night with a couple of lackluster programs as Utah battled Navy. And while that is not a game that anyone wants to hear me or anyone else be incredible pretentious and give you the stats of an academy program quarterback or any of Utes' standouts that led to them arriving in Poinsettia Bowl, the silver lining is that the post season is upon us now. Here now for the adoring readership (I truly love anyone who reads our posts) is my thoughts on what is in store for the bowl season ahead.

1. Number one was a spot that was originally thought to be about the University of Kentucky and the culmination of all the struggles that Rich Brooks endured en route to making Wildcats football matter again with consecutive bowl appearances. Instead it is now an afterthought of how dumbfounded I am that one team could have over a third of their team wiped out due to an academic scandal. I am also well aware that Florida State is not the proud and prominent program that embodied college football for most of my childhood, however a win over the 'Noles, no matter how mediocre, would have meant something to Kentucky fans. Now that the suspensions have been handed down, UK plays them under such tumultuous circumstances that that it morphs this one into nothing more than an expensive ticket and a accompanying trip to Nashville to watch the Cats beat North Texas.

2. Boise State defeated Hawaii this year. While everyone out there will immediately double-take and then call me an idiot because they watched that game about a month ago, hear me out. Let us suppose for a second that Georgia wasn't the hottest team in the nation over the past two months and they were just another big school taking their place in a BCS bowl. The victory the Broncos mounted against Oklahoma in a historic game less than 100 hours into 2007 secured the big schools M.O. on how to play a mid-major in the spotlight. Have no mercy! While many people (Coach June Jones included) will have you believe that these defenders of the rainbow should be playing for a title, I expect the Dawgs to beat them handily in what is essentially a home game. Before the discussion is started about the fairness of this, let us remember that these same Rainbow Warriors are a staple in the Hawaii Bowl every postseason until now.

3. You'll find little debate from anyone that Missouri got hosed and Kansas is playing in the Orange Bowl for them. Much like a Cal team of a couple of seasons ago could not dodge the bullet, Missouri has to avoid the 'let down' factor of being left out of the BCS. Any other opponent and it would be a difficult task to convince me that Missouri is capable of doing this. McFadden playing his last game will be a sexy component to some people but Nutt's resignation will give the rest little reason to strap it up another time. Arkansas is an SEC-tested squad, but Mizzou sends a message in my opinion with a solid win.

4. I mentioned the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl earlier (foreshadowing) and there lies yet another storyline behind the bowl season. Boise State, a WAC competitor who have already made the trip once this year will take on East Carolina. Could the committee not find a team further away to come out to Hawaii for their bowl game? Seriously. Competition that you could only find this time of the year is the allure of the post season, but East Carolina traveling to Hawaii to play a game is ludicrous. Maybe the Pirate faithful travel stronger than I give them credit for, but people from Greenville migrating to Hawaii should be viewed as a much needed vacation rather than an opportunity to watch the Fightin' David Garrards in action.

5. LSU will beat Ohio State in what some people are brave enough to say a blowout. Whatever your feeling may be, the overwhelming blowout of the bowl season belongs to a team who've been no stranger to being on the receiving end of one this season. The University of Florida will travel all the way to Orlando to face Michigan in the Capitol One Bowl in what I am calling a fitting send off the Lloyd Carr era. Imagine the Oregon game only worse. Tebow is hated by many, myself included, but I am smart enough to know that if he played on any other team his dominance would be a simple annoyance at most. That being said, he is the best player in football and Michigan will game plan so much for his threat to run that all the other Gator options will get a chance to shine as Michigan gets destroyed.

6. Why do we have bowls in between BCS games and the BCS Championship game? Congratulations to the teams that made the International Bowl (Rutgers, Ball State) and GMAC Bowl (Bowling Green, Tulsa), but these games should be played this year. Sports junkies like myself want as many games as you can plate up, but this is the equivalent of the NFL having a consolation bracket and playing a few games during the idle week before the Super Bowl. Furthermore, why are BYU and UCLA playing in a rematch of a game held this September? I guess if nothing else BYU will get redemption for their earlier loss as UCLA is enamored with the prospect of finding a new coach.

Although my winners to the games are listed below and are welcome to further comment or debate, these are a few of the reasons that I love this time of the year. Playoffs would be great, but I nor my unborn children will live to see the day where a system is incorporated. So we do the next best thing and crown a champion which we can all debate upon while foundering ourselves on as much college football as we can handle. Enjoy with moderation.

Quick Hitter Winners: Utah, Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, New Mexico, BYU, Boise State, Purdue, Arizona State, Boston College, Houston, Oregon State, Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Penn State, Colorado, Air Force, Georgia Tech, South Florida, UK, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Texas Tech, USC, Georgia, Oklahoma, Va Tech, Rutgers, Bowling Green, LSU.