[GOP_Raider]

First off, Happy New Year. (And if you didn't get some kind of el neato personalized New Year's wish, I apologize. I ran out of witty, cute things to say about an hour and a half ago). So let's just get to the gigantic, monster slate of games today. Wisconsin will play Tennessee in the Outback Bowl (11am, ESPN) Jeez, 11am? How can anybody expect to have any kind of game face and make fun of opposing players and their old high school girlfriends that early in the morning? Missouri, still steaming about getting left out of the BCS, gets Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl (11:30 am, FOX). Maybe it's me, but didn't it seem like the Cotton Bowl was a bigger game than this once upon a time? This game used to decide bigger things than a simple consolation prize for teams that weren't good enough for BCS consideration, right? Maybe it's just me though. Our FR Red Raider contingent gets a New Year's Day game in the Gator Bowl against Virginia (1pm, See-BS). Now, I've seen little bits and pieces of both teams here and there this season, and this could be one of the more underrated games of the entire bowl schedule. Michigan and Florida will face off in the Capital One Bowl (1pm, ABC). Maybe it's unusual to see a Heisman Trophy winner playing in of all things the Capital One Bowl. As seems to be the case with many of the bowl games this season, offense should carry the day in this one. USC takes on Illinois in the Rose Bowl (4:30 pm, ABC). If there's one team right now that might really benefit from a playoff format in college football, it's USC. Let's see a show of hands, how many of us wrote off the Trojans after they lost to Stanford and Oregon? But yet, here they are, with yet another Pac-10 Championship of the World taking on an Illinois team that...might be overmatched. In the main event, the undefeated Hawaii Warriors take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl (8:30 pm, FOX). The Superdome has hosted some amazing sporting spectacles (including one of the finest achievements in NFL history, Super Bowl XV). Many of you probably remember the second fight between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. Well, not only was it fought in the Superdome, but one could draw a pretty good analogy from these two events. June Jones has made a lot of comments that have shown up in the papers in my neck of the woods, saying things like "if we go undefeated, Colt Brennan is a guarantee to win the Heisman". Well, Duran and Leonard didn't really care much for one another and I can only imagine a team like Georgia looks at a team like this and says "psssshhh, yeah, whatever." Anyway, as we all know by now, Sugar Ray Leonard had a lead on the scorecards when Duran quit and supposedly said "no mas!" With the way that Georgia has been playing after getting beaten pretty soundly by Tennessee, how long will it take before June Jones' Warriors go with the football equivalent of "no mas!"? Enjoy the games and Happy New Year!

[mainepatsfan]

The game I most intrigued to watch is FLA-MICH. Could give us an idea of what to expect in the BCS title game.

[Biggirl]

The Sugar is going to be a test of how well Hawaii really is vs. another SEC team.

[Biggirl]

I hope you or someone who is a big NCAA college men’s/women’s basketball knowledge person can have threads like the ones for the college football. Take care. :)

[Positive]

" Maybe it's me, but didn't it seem like the Cotton Bowl was a bigger game than this once upon a time?"

It was until the South West Conference broke up in 1996 and Cotton didn't have a ticket into the BCS. The winner of the SWC always had the bid to the bowl until then.

It's glory days were during the 60's when the mythical National Champion played in the bowl 3 times. Notre Dame won the National Championship in the Cottom Bowl in 1977.

[commish]

FEarless prediction time :

Tennessee 31 Wisconsin 27 - SEC moves to 5-0, but only by a whisker. Wisconsin could win this game.

Arkansas 38 Missouri 34 - Not sold totally on Mizzou, Darren mcFadden and Felix jones run wild as they put on a show for the NFL scouts.

Virginia Tech 45 Texas Tech 41 - A wild shoot out as two great offenses battle.

Florida 27 Michigan 24 - The wolverines will go all out to give Lloyd Carr a great send off, but The Gators just have too much speed and too many weapons. Plus, even though this is a different Michigan team, all I think of is "they lost to Freakin Appy State.

UPSET SPECIAL - Illinois 31 USC 28 - Call me crazy, but this is just a gut feeling. Everyone has been calling this the blow out bowl, but I think Juice Williams and company may have some tricks up thier sleeves. Probably not, but I have to go with my gut.

GAME OF THE DAY - Georgia 55 Hawaii 42 -- Hawaii will come out quick, put up a bunch of first half points and surprise the Bulldogs, but in the end depth and talent will wear the Warriors down and Georgia will pull away in the 4th Quarter of a shoot out.

[Dysart]

And the Cotton Bowl will be big again when a certain stadium here in Arlington is completed in 09. Book it.

[Biggirl]

I know of the names of 3 of the SEC conference teams to win, Kentucky, Alabama, and Auburn. What is the 4th one? Thanks. :)

[fkabuckeyesrule]

****Jeez, 11am? How can anybody expect to have any kind of game face and make fun of opposing players and their old high school girlfriends that early in the morning?****

I love thee 11AM games. I used to have a roomate who was in the Ohio State Marching Band (TBDBITL) and when OSU was in the Rose Bowl they had to wake up at something like 5AM to march in the Rose Bowl parade.

OMG this hockey game is quite a site.

[fkabuckeyesrule]

I was just thinking in this Bowl Season we had Purdue playing Central Michigan in their backward (Detroit). Michigan is playing Forida is their backward (Orlando). Ohio State is playing LSU in their backward (New Orleans). Illinois is playing USC in their backward (LA). So much for neutral fields. LOL!

[neodad]

Red Raiders in the house. 3 and out. Not good for the first posession.

[neodad]

TD Raiders!

[PAR35]

Maybe it's me, but didn't it seem like the Cotton Bowl was a bigger game than this once upon a time?

The Cotton Bowl used to be one of the Big Four (Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange) Rose matched Pac 10 and Big 10, Sugar had SEC, Cotton had SWC, and the Orange had Big 8. That was the top 5 conferences against the other best 3 in the country. Much better than the current setup.

Two things killed the Cotton Bowl when the BCS was set up - the SMU death penalty which resulted in the breakup of the SWC, and the twin economic crises in Dallas - the collapse of the oil patch and the collapse of the banks.The Cotton bowl lost its base conference and the money needed to compete. It's only been very recently that they have reinstituted the Cotton Bowl parade.

Former mayor Kirk blocked a planned renovation of the Cotton Bowl stadium, ensuring that the game itself will flee Dallas for Jerry Jones Stadium in Tarrant County.