**The 2008-09 College Football Bowl Games Thread**

[GOP_Raider]

The regular season in college football has come to an end, wild and woolly as it was. Some would like to use it as a legitimate excuse for a playoff system, some modification for the BCS system, or just something to discuss on 3rd dates. Other people, like Norm Chow, have said (and I paraphrase) "I'm against a playoff system. I wouldn't have wanted to see our '84 (byU national championship) team have to prove it on the field."

(In case you were wondering, yes, I have waited almost two weeks to post that). :)

(One more parenthetical note: the BCS Championship Game thread will be performed on a separate thread, since I'm pretty sure somebody is going to post that thread before I get the chance to do so.)

Anyway, as many of you know the bowl games thread works a little different than the regular season threads. Each day I'll ping the list to that particular day's slate of bowl games and you can say something like "wow, West Tennessee A&M Tech is playing in the Dyer's Hamburger Grease Bowl, I think I'll watch". Or maybe you won't, I don't know. But let's start off with...

[GOP_Raider]

Right now the best of them by far, Rocky 4 is on. The best kick ass soundtrack ever made, BAR NONE!!!!

I don't think there's really a middle ground with Rocky IV. People either love it or they hate it. I didn't like Sly's "If I can change, and you can change..." line at the end, but it involves beating the Soviet Union on some level, so for that, it's worth it.

[cleveland gop]

Good point, especially with the change speech.

UC stopped at the 1.

[DollyCali]

Hi There!

I am around kicking! —but nursing broken wrist/cast for 10 weeks now. Not healing well. Slipped on moss or leaces in Brandywine on dog outing

This year I simply did not get into college ball - did watch a few games here & there

You know how it is... time just consumed with the wonder of the awesome Browns -—— / sarc

[GOP_Raider]

The Cotton Bowl: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (2:00 pm, FOX) Maybe this isn’t what the folks from Lubbock and our FR TTU Contingent had in mind a few months ago when they knocked off the Longhorns. Maybe Ole Miss had no hopes of even going to a bowl game entirely at the outset of the year. But they’re both here, and I think this is a rather underrated match up. You know the exploits of the Red Raiders offensive attack quite well, but you may not have known that the Rebels lead by QB Jevan Snead have averaged a pretty respectable 31 points per game, and also have been the only loss so far for the top ranked Florida Gators. This will also be the final Cotton Bowl at the current Cotton Bowl stadium before it moves to the new Texas Stadium, sports bar, hair care, and tire center next year.

The Liberty Bowl: Kentucky vs. East Carolina (5:00 pm, ESPN) Kentucky has two of my favorite names in all of college football: offensive coordinator Joker Phillips and WR Dicky Lyons, Jr. That having been said, this has been a banner year for the Pirates, who won their first conference title since some of you elected Jimmy Carter to run our country (and you know who you are, what the hell were you thinking?!?!? Seriously…oh you think this is funny, don’t you?) The true key to this one might be the QB position, as the Wildcats are currently starting their backup QB Mike Hartline. Meanwhile the Pirates have Patrick Pinkney who has thrown for about 2,400 yards in the 13 contests ECU has played this season. Still, the Pirates had an inside track to being a BCS busting team and that honor goes to...

The Sugar Bowl: UTAH vs. Alabama (8:00 pm, FOX) Wow. Yeah, the second time in four seasons, the Utes are playing in a BCS game and I’m still sort of amazed that we did it twice. The last time the Utes played an SEC school was back in 1984, when Tennessee upended the Utes 27-21. Hopefully the Bama fans on the thread will forgive me for being rather giddy about playing the Tide. I mean, this is the kind of game you play on your Xbox when you’re bored at 2 in the morning and can’t go to sleep. I know, this was a team that went into Athens and ambushed Georgia. This was also a team that might have a future NFL All-Pro in Terrence Cody. But still, this is Alabama…rammer jammer yellowhammer, THAT Alabama. I used a boxing comparison in last year’s Sugar Bowl, so I think I’ll use one here. Back in the day, Joe Louis had all he could handle from a fledgling fighter named Jersey Joe Walcott. Walcott didn’t win the fight, but I don’t think we’ll see a Roberto Duran/Sugar Ray Leonard kind of bout like last year with Hawaii.

[Kid Shelleen]

Time for a Real Time Power Ratings update. If the Utes win things are going to be interesting the next couple of days.

Real Time College Football RPI



1. Florida
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Utah
5. USC
6. Alabama
7. Texas Tech
8. Penn State
9. Ohio State
10. TCU

[bamahead]

Hopefully the Bama fans on the thread will forgive me for being rather giddy about playing the Tide.

Hey Raider - I can assure you that Bama knows better than to take a 12-0 team lightly! We're lookin forward to it! Should be a good throwdown!

ROLL TIDE!

[Perdogg]

My top six:

1. Oklahoma 86.58

2. Florida 85.93

3. Texas 85.75

4. Southern California 82.29

5. Texas Tech 82.15

6. Alabama 81.06

Playoff

Alabama (6) at Texas (3)

Texas Tech (5) at USC (4)

Lower remaining seed at Oklahoma (1)

Higher remaining seed at Florida (2)

[WhyisaTexasgirlinPA]

...the new Texas Stadium, sports bar, hair care, and tire center next year.

ROFL.... Go Red Raiders!!!!

[Kid Shelleen]

I like your plan. Did you hear the idea for a football bowl plus one playoff? It seems like a good comprimise between the playoffs and keeping the bowl system in tack. Basically after the Holiday Bowls 2 or 4 teams would be picked to play for the national championship. I like it because I love the bowls but also would like to see winner of Bama/Utah and USC ,Tech and Texas get a chance to play for the national championship

[sweet_diane]

"Hopefully the Bama fans on the thread will forgive me for being rather giddy about playing the Tide. I mean, this is the kind of game you play on your Xbox when you’re bored at 2 in the morning and can’t go to sleep. I know, this was a team that went into Athens and ambushed Georgia. This was also a team that might have a future NFL All-Pro in Terrence Cody. But still, this is Alabama…rammer jammer yellowhammer, THAT Alabama."

I take your giddiness as a huge compliment as to what Alabama Football is all about.

I think it is going to be a good game!!

[Perdogg]

I am in favor of a limited six team playoff (top two teams get rewarded for the regular season), which all teams MUST belong to a conference, yes that means Notre Dame too.

[MplsSteve]

I like your idea - except for I would eliminate all seedings.

I would also consider expanding the play-off format to 16 teams.

[GOP_Raider]

I would be more in favor of doing so incrementally—i.e.: starting off with 4 teams for a few seasons, then go to 6 for a few years, then to 8, and so on. Although I had the idea of creating a 32 team playoff similar to that of the NCAA Basketball tournament, complete with seedings, regions, the “pod” system, etc.

[GOP_Raider]

Hey Raider - I can assure you that Bama knows better than to take a 12-0 team lightly!

I would hope so. Nick Saban of all people can get a team prepared for bowl games, hell, he has a national championship to his credit. This should be a great game.

[cleveland gop]

I liker your idea too but I think a 16 team seeded playoff is the best and fairest way to deal with this.

There needs to be a tangible reward for going undefeated, playing in tough conferences and strength of schedules.

But there needs to be a limit as to the number of cupcakes a team can play every year too. Plus I think 2 games should be scheduled each season among the 6 BCS Conferences based on your teams conference placing in the previous season. For example Penn State could play Florida and Cincinnati next year since all three teams finished first in their conferences.

So far the best first half of football in this bowl season. And to be listening to Pat Summerall doesn’t suck either!!!

[GOP_Raider]

I think so, too. This game is probably the closest football equivalent to our Final Four (and national title game appearance) we had against Kentucky in 1998.

A bunch of my friends are down in N’Awlins for the game right now and I haven’t heard anything from them. Hopefully they’re sleeping it off. :)

[cleveland gop]

Getting jazzed for tonight, mon frere???

Two quick NFL notes to pass on......
First, games in Glendale and Minneapolis have not sold out yet. That is shocking to me.
Second, Atlanta is now only a 2 point favorite against les Cardinals, and Indy is now a 1 point favorite against San Diego.

I won’t clue you as to who I’m laying my cash down, but let’s just say this brought a HUGE smile to my face.

[GOP_Raider]

Oh yeah, this is only the biggest game in U of U football history. :)

I’m not as surprised at the Cardinals playoff game not being sold out as I am at the Vikings game. That’s rather flabbergasting.

[cleveland gop]

I’ll be here with ya!!

In between all the beer sales being rung up, anyway.

[MplsSteve]

Wow, there’s a possible upset brewing at the Cotton Bowl.

With 4:00 minutes left in the 3rd qtr, Mississippi leads Texas Tech 38-21.

Comments or opinions - anyone?