College Football 2006 Postseason - Before, During, and After

This thread will be the basis for all college football action. I had a failed attempt at doing two seperate threads on postseason play. So what I've done is integrate all postseason play into one thread. I'll try to cover ALL postseason play here. I may even come up with a few other postseason results if possible. This is your thread to talk postseason action.

--- INTRODUCTION TO COVERAGE---

This was the older format (the Bowl Game I've chosen is non-existant. It's just a sample):

-----
The 2006 gtplanet.net Bowl
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium - Louisville, Kentucky


#xx (Team A) {Nickname, Conference}
- vs. -
#xx (Team B) {Nickname, Conference)

(story) (Team A and Nickname) (Team B and Nickname)

FINAL SCORE

(Winning Team) - xx (Losing Team - xx)
(Losing Team - xx) (Winning Team) - xx

MY THOUGHTS:
(my own personal views of the game)
---

I used this for ALL my games. Now, I'll only apply this style of reports for the BCS Bowl Games and for playoff games (1-AA through 3 only). I'll apply a modified regular format of scores. As for the Bowl Season, all regular Bowls will be in this format:

-----
The 2006 gtplanet.net Bowl
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium - Louisville, KY

Team A -(Nickname)- vs. Team B. -(Nickname)-

(report)

FINAL SCORE

(Winning Team) - xx (Losing Team - xx)
(Losing Team - xx) (Winning Team) - xx

MY THOUGHTS:
(my own personal view of the game)
-----


Playoff seedings will be done more like my college basketball scores. Top seeds will have an exclamation mark (!) for them. If a top seed is upset, you'll see something like: *** #1 Seed Upset! ***. Please remember that playoffs only count towards Divsions 1-AA to 3.


I will provide my winners and losers when the postseason is done. I'll try to offer winners for all divisions. BIGGEST WIN(S) OF THE POSTSEASON are for teams that picked up sensational wins or came back to eventually win. MOST DISAPPOINTING LOSS(ES) OF THE POSTSEASON relates to the team that probably would-have/could-have/should-have won, but didn't. This also relates to powerful teams defeating themselves in preventing an otherwise easy win. UPSET(S) OF THE POSTSEASON (if any) relates to whatever game seen a tougher opponent fall to an underdog. And my favorite is OWNAGE(S) OF THE POSTSEASON relates to whose team beat down the other team so badly. For example, let's say that one team beats another with a score of 77-3. The largest margin of victory usually gets the nod for the OWNAGE. I will update this thread with playoff seeding as well as Bowl Game selections.




1-A BOWL PREVIEW
Read this: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=bowlsked&prov=st&type=lgns

Take a look at all the different bowl game action. This year's matches will begin with the San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on December 19th and end with the Fiesta Bowl on January 8th. Networks carrying these Bowls include the ESPN and ABC family of networks, CBS, FOX (BCS Title Game hosters, also the Cotton Bowl), and even one game on the NFL Network. Take a look on January 6th. There will be a Bowl Game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada pitting a MAC team against a Big East team. My best guess is likely the baseball field where the Toronto Blue Jays play. Either that, or a damn good Canadian football field in Toronto. Should be interesting to give the Canadians a taste of American football.



Come and get your "bracketology" love, players!

DIVISION 2 PLAYOFF BRACKETS
Read this: http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/brackets/straight32_dyn/2006/DII

LEGEND:
CAPITAL teams get a First Round Bye.

SCHEDULE:
Round 1 - November 18, 2006
Round 2 - November 25, 2006
Quarterfinals - December 2, 2006
Semi-Finals - December 10, 2006
Finals - December 16, 2006



---DIVISION 2 NORTHWEST BRACKET---

* #5 South Dakota at #4 Northwood
(Winner of this game will play at and against #1 GRAND VALLEY STATE in Second Round on November 25th)

* #6 Winona State at #3 North Dakota
(Winner of this game will play at and against #2 NEBRASKA-OMAHA in Second Round on November 25th)



--- DIVISON 2 SOUTHEAST BRACKET ---

* #5 Delta State at #4 Elizabeth City State
(Winner of this game will play at and against #1 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL in Second Round on November 25th)

* #6 Albany State (Georgia) at #3 Newberry
(Winner of this game will play at and against #2 NORTH ALABAMA in Second Round on November 25th)


--- DIVISION 2 NORTHEAST BRACKET ---

* #5 Southern Connecticut at #4 Merrimack
(Winner of this game will play at and against #1 SHEPHERD in Second Round on November 25th)

* #6 West Chester at #3 Newberry
(Winner of this game will play at and against #2 BLOOMSBURG in Second Round on November 25th)


--- DIVISION 2 SOUTHWEST BRACKET ---
* #5 Missouri Western State at #4 Midwestern State
(Winner of this game will play at and against #1 NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE in Second Round on November 25th)

* #6 Abeline Christian at #3 West Texas A&M
(Winner of this game will play at and against #2 CHADRON STATE in Second Round on November 25th)


Television coverage of the Semifinal Rounds can be seen on ESPNU or ESPN2 at 5:30 or 7 PM. The National Championship will be decided in Florence, Alabama on December 16th. Good luck to all 20 teams. And congratulations from me to you for your hard work in getting this far.





DIVISION 3 PLAYOFF BRACKETS: ROAD TO THE STAGG BOWL (Salem, Virginia)
Read this: http://www.ncaasports.com/football/mens/brackets/straight32_dyn/2006/DIII

SCHEDULE:
1st Round - November 18, 2006
2nd Round - November 25, 2006
Quarterfinals - December 2, 2006
Semi-Finals - December 9, 2006
Finals - December 16, 2006

It's tough trying to get the seeding done properly. So I'll label each bracket based on the Semi-Finals.


--- LEG A ---

* Hope at Mount Union
* Mt. St. Joseph at Wheaton (Illinois)
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -

* North Central vs. Concordia (Wisconsin) (played at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, WI)
* Wittenberg at Capital
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -
-- Winners of the respective 2nd Round Matches will play in the Quarterfinals. --



--- LEG B ---

* Washington and Lee at Wilkes
* Hobart at Rowan
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -

* Union at St. John Fisher
* Curry at Springfield
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -
-- Winners of the respective 2nd Round Matches will play in the Quarterfinals. --



--- LEG C ---

* Dickinson at Wesley
* Millsaps at Carnegie Mellon
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -

* Washington and Jefferson at Christopher Newport
* Mary Hardin-Baylor at Hardin-Simmons
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -
-- Winners of the respective 2nd Round Matches will play in the Quarterfinals. --



--- LEG D ---

* St. Norbert at Wisconsin-Whitewater
* Bethel at Wisconsin-La Crosse
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -

* Occidental at Whitworth
* St. John's College (Minnesota) at Central (Iowa)
- Winners of the respective games will advance and play each other in the Second Round. -
-- Winners of the respective 2nd Round Matches will play in the Quarterfinals. --





It seems like Division 3 is more hectic with a lot more teams than in Division 2. There are actually more conferences in Division 3 than in Division 2. Congratulations to all 32 teams who advanced to the playoffs. Good luck to all of you.

I haven't updated my scores for Divisions 2 and 3. Now is the time I do that.


DIVISION 2 UPDATES
(! = #1 Seeded team)

- FIRST ROUND -
-A-
* #5 South Dakota at #4 Northwood (winner gets #1 Grand Valley State)
(31-28, OT; South Dakota) *seed upset!*

* #3 #6 Winona State at #3 North Dakota (winner gets #2 Nebraska-Omaha)
(42-0; NORTH DAKOTA)


-B-
* #5 Delta State at #4 Elizabeth City State (winner gets #1 North Carolina Central)
(17-10; Delta State)

* #6 Albany State (Georgia) at #3 Newberry (winner gets #2 North Alabama)
(34-28; #3 NEWBERRY)


-C-
* #5 Southern Connecticut State at #4 Merrimack (winner gets #1 Shepherd)
(28-26; #4 MERRIMACK)

* #6 West Chester at #3 Bryant (winner gets #2 Bloomsburg)
(31-29; #6 West Chester) *seed upset!*


-D-
* #5 Missouri Western State at #4 Midwestern State (winner gets #1 Northwest Missouri State)
(28-25; MIDWESTERN STATE)

* #6 Abeliene Christian at #3 West Texas A&M (winner gets #2 Chadron State)
(30-27, OT; #3 WEST TEXAS A&M)





-SECOND ROUND-

-A-
* South Dakota at #1 Grand Valley State!
(35-17; GRAND VALLEY STATE)

* North Dakota at #2 Nebraska-Omaha
(38-35; North Dakota) *seed upset!*


-B-
* Delta State at #1 North Carolina Central!
(24-17; Delta State) *#1 Seed Upset!*

* Newberry at #2 North Alabama
(38-20; #2 NORTH ALABAMA)


-C-
* Merrimack at #1 Shepherd!
(31-7; #1 SHEPHERD)

* West Chester at #2 Bloomsburg
(21-20; BLOOMSBURG)


-D-
* Midwestern State at #1 Northwest Missouri State!
(27-0; #1 NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE)

* West Texas A&M at #2 Chadron State
(43-17; #2 CHADRON STATE)





No Texas teams... ;_;



I'll cover Division 3 in a later post. In addition, make ready for a Bowl Season preview soon.

Come and get your Bowl Matches! Look here:

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/scoreboard?w=15&c=all

Here is a general look at all the Bowl Game matches. I may even preview some.

BOWL GAME PREVIEW
December 19 - San Diego, CA
* Northern Illinois vs. #25 TCU (Poinsettia Bowl)
TCU was once ranked before they stumbled. Now the Horned Frogs are trying to take down the Northern Illinois Huskies. Can they do it?


December 21 - Las Vegas, NV
* Oregon vs. #19 Brigham Young (Las Vegas Bowl)
Cougar Comeback! Can the BYU Cougars work magic over the Oregon Ducks? Oregon is a surprising team out of the Pac-10.


December 22 - New Orleans, LA
* Rice vs. Troy (New Orleans Bowl)
Troy is looking to take down someone from a much better conference. Keep in mind that a few years ago, Troy upset a Top-20 Missouri team. Can the Trojans win over Rice? That's right- Rice. The Rice Owls have made an incredible turnaround from mediocrity. Can the Owls win one for Houston, Texas?



December 23
* South Florida vs. East Carolina (papajohns.com Bowl)
South Florida did something their men's basketball team couldn't do in Big East play- win a game. South Florida made their first football Bowl Game last year in a 14-0 shutout to North Carolina State. Can the Bulls have better luck over East Carolina? From what I've heard, East Carolina has a surprising team. Be careful. They may be able to Pirate their way to victory!

* San Jose State vs. New Mexico! (New Mexico Bowl)
The inaugural New Mexico Bowl will see one of its two only Division 1 teams get some postseason love. The New Mexico Lobos have a great football team and a great men's basketball team. But the footballers need to slam dunk San Jose State all the way back to northern California. San Jose State really surprised me that they made it to a Bowl Game. The Spartans hope to surprise New Mexico as well.

* Utah vs. Tulsa (Armed Forces Bowl)
Urban Meyer turned Utah into an unbeaten school that didn't play for a National Championship. This non-BCS school has stumbled since Meyer's departure to Florida. They don't have the magician (Urban Meyer), but the Utes will have some work to do in preparing for a natural disaster. The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa is looking to blow away Utah in this game.



December 24 - Honolulu, HI
* Arizona State vs. Hawaii! (Hawaii Bowl)
Okay. So (then) #24 Hawaii didn't take down Oregon State in their final game of the regular season. What makes you think they aren't ready for another Pac-10 team? The Arizona State Sun Devils will look to heat up Hawaii. But the Warriors aren't afraid of a little more sunlight. Hawaii is simply ready to take somebody apart and win their home Bowl Game.



December 26 - Detroit, MI
* Central Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee State (Motor City Bowl)
Detroit Lions faithful have fled to Ford Field to see their Lions play. Too bad Detroit's football team has stumbled in recent times. Two teams that haven't stumbled are Central Michigan and Middle Tennessee State. Central Michigan won their first-ever postseason competition of any kind last week. Now, can the Chippewas take down Middle Tennessee State? All I know about Middle Tennessee State is that they played against Louisville and almost upset them on National TV. The Blue Raiders of the Sun Belt Conference will look to tame the giants from Mount Pleasant, MI.



December 27 - San Francisco, CA(?)
* UCLA vs. Florida State (Emerald Bowl)
Who would have thought that the 2006 Florida State unit would be the 2005 Michigan team of 2006? The Seminoles are going to build for 2007, but want to beat UCLA while they are at it. UCLA stunned (then) #2 USCal at the Rose Bowl for pride of Los Angeles. They can acheive even more pride if the Bruins can pick up a HUGE win over a struggling Florida State.



December 28
* Oklahoma State vs. Alabama (Independence Bowl)
Declare your independence as Oklahoma State and Alabama will go at it. The Oklahoma State Cowboys are rugged and tough. But how tough are they when they play against Alabama? Alabama has mercilessly struggled for such a storied football program. The Crimson Tide has work to do if they want to take down Oklahoma State. The SEC is a stronger conference, but never count out the Big XII.

* #16 Rutgers vs. Kansas State (Texas Bowl)
The city of Houston is ready for college football! No, I'm talking about the City of Houston and not the University of Houston (at least not yet). My hometown will see #16 Rutgers and Kansas State. Poor Rutgers. Their BCS dreams were bursted as West Virginia beat them. But Rutgers is sort of a Big East Rennisance. They made their first bowl since 1978 last year. Now the Scarlet Knights return to Bowl action. They need to traverse Kansas State to end their season on a happy note. The KSU Wildcats have excelled under the wing of one of the few black coaches in college football- Ron Prince. Can Kansas State upset #16 Rutgers in Houston? Find out on Thursday, December 28th!

* #21 Texas A&M at #20 California (Holiday Bowl)
Remember when California was #9 in the nation and got spanked by (then) #23 Tennessee? The Golden Bears have clawed their way back even when their National Championship hopes when up in smoke. Is California better than Texas? Okay... better question... is California better than Texas A&M? Texas A&M got 9 wins on the season. The Aggies can make it 10 if they upset California in San Diego.



December 29th
* Clemson vs. Kentucky (Music City Bowl)
Cat fight! Clemson and Kentucky will square off. Clemson has something Kentucky doesn't- a football National Championship. The 1981 National Champions will meet a proven SEC basketball power. The Tigers will represent the ACC with class in trying to out-class Kentucky. Kentucky was the team I've kept a close eye on all season long simply because a bigtime high school player committed to Kentucky. The Wildcats are making their first Bowl Game since 1999. Their last Bowl was... coincidentally... the Music City Bowl. That year, they lost to Syracuse by a score of 20-13. FoolKiller is a big fan of my reports. So find out if Kentucky has made that all-important leap to regaining their stranglehold on football in the state of Kentucky.

* #24 Oregon State vs. Missouri (Sun Bowl)
Oregon State beat Hawaii in a game not a lot of people saw (and that I didn't report). They are now #24 and looking to be #1 over Missouri. The Beavers were usually the better of the two Oregon 1-A schools. Now they want to give Missouri a beating they'll never forget in El Paso, TX. Maybe not the Valley of the Sun, but the Valley of Football. The Missouri Tigers are reluctant to beat the boys from Corvalis, OR.

* Houston vs. South Carolina (Liberty Bowl)
Memphis is ready for football. Too bad their hometown 1-A power couldn't cut the mustard this season. So one if its own Conference USA rivals will come into town and meet South Carolina. The South Carolina Gamecocks are going to put on a show for the ol' ball coach. Looking to do the same is Houston. [University of] Houston football is back and better than ever. But it will have to come with the departure of their senior class. They had a quality loss to Miami and a disappointing loss to Louisiana-Lafayette. Now the Houston Cougars want to give 21st Century types a taste of the 1970s and 1980s Coog Football. Kevin Kolb has obliterated a number of Houston records, and is looking to beat their first SEC team since Mississippi State last year.

* Texas Tech vs. Minnesota (Insight Bowl)
Slow start? Doggoned lucky? Minnesota came back somehow to make a Bowl Game after a horrible start. The Golden Gophers are looking to bite Texas Tech on the bottom. This is something the resurgent Red Raiders aren't going to allow to happen. A win here would be impressive for this once-powerful and surprising Big Ten school. It's Big Ten vs. Big XII in Phoenix, Arizona!

* Purdue vs. Maryland (Champs Sports Bowl)
Purdue was great under Kyle Orton before he graduated to the NFL. They been horrible the year after. Now the Boilermakers are ready to cook Maryland to a crisp. Fear the Turtle! Fear Maryland! Find out if the Terrapins can do Terra-ble damage to Purdue when these two hit it off in Orlando.



December 30
* Navy vs. #23 Boston College (Meineke Bowl)
I think this Bowl is in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte is normally home to the Panthers, Bobcats, Hurricanes(?), and the Knights (Minor League AAA baseball). But on December 30th, it will be home to two great East Coast teams. Navy is by far the best of the service academies even if they have no National Titles like the now-pathetic Army team. Boston College is usually a great team year after year. The Eagles hope to fly right over Navy in a big way. See if the Midshipmen can upset the Eagles.

* Iowa vs. #18 Texas (Alamo Bowl)
Texas needed to beat Texas A&M to keep their BCS hopes alive. Unfortunately, TAMU was too much. Now the Longhorns have to settle for this game. Last year's Alamo Bowl saw Michigan shockingly lose to Nebraska in one of the worst Michigan seasons in recent memory. This year, another good Big Ten team has struggled- Iowa. It would mean a whole lot if the Hawkeyes pull the dupe over Texas in Texas. The city? Where else- San Antonio.
*** As an off-topic note, the Alamodome would be the place where the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners would play football if and when UTSA sponsors a football team. ***

* #14 Virginia Tech vs. Georgia
I love Chick-fil-A. It's my favorite fast food chicken other than Popeye's. While they didn't invent the chicken, they did invent the chicken sandwich. The Georgia Dome didn't invent football, just the Peach Bowl. Georgia was looking impressive until they lost to a number of different teams. They lose to Kentucky AT Kentucky eariler this year. The Bulldogs were also disappointing in last season's Sugar Bowl. Virginia Tech's mascot is named after a bird. But will they taste like Chick-fil-A chicken if the Hokies can't knock off Georgia? It's all about Atlanta here.



December 31
* Miami vs. Nevada (MPC Computers Bowl)
Do you have an MPC Computer? Do you have blue grass? Boise State has both. They also have this match between a once-proud ACC football team and a little-known tour de force in WAC football. This used to be the classic Humanitarian Bowl. Nothing humanitarian about Hurricanes football. They hope to bring the pain to Nevada unlike any other. But the Wolfpack won't stand idly while Miami pounds them like George Foreman or Mike Tyson's punches. Miami's misery will be complete if Nevada wins this one.



That's all for now. In my next post, I'll cover the Bowl Games in 2007.

GTPlanet, I'm working on my FCS report. Only thing is that I don't have a complete report to show off to you all right now. This post may be updated with updated info.

Here is your short list:


* APPALACHIAN STATE defends their FCS championship crown successfully in denying Massachusetts the final National Championship in football for the Atlantic 10. The Colonial Athletic Association will sponsor football in place of the Atlantic 10.

* GRAND VALLEY STATE should probably be playing on the FCS level becuase they are just too good. The Lakers won the Division 2 crown.

* MOUNT UNION remains the toughest team in Division 3. The Purple Raiders splashed all over the Warhawks of Wisconsin-Whitewater.



The San Diego Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl kicks off Bowl season 2006. It's going to be Northern Illinois vs. Texas Christian University (TCU). Stay tuned to this thread for more updates including Bowl Game updates.

BOWL SEASON IS HERE!!! GTPlanet, I'll forego the synopses for most games. So get ready for a great Bowl season.




--- Amphibian Assault ---
The 2006 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA

Northern Illinois <Huskies> vs. #25 Texas Christian <Horned Frogs>

The Bowl season begins with a matchup between Northern Illinois University and Texas Christian University. We kick things off in San Diego. While not the southernmost city of California, it's surely the southernmost major city on the West Coast. It is home to a great college football team and one pathetic college football team. You can find the University of San Diego (the great school team) and San Diego State University (the pathetic school team). San Diego State was too sorry to make a Bowl game, so they are handing over their stadium to two teams that can actually play and WIN football games. One of these two teams had a Heisman threat. But who could get this deal done? Northern Illinois... or the 1930s national football champs at Texas Christian University? And wouldn't it be sweet justice if TCU won at the stadium where you can see the awesome LaDanian Tomlinson play his home games at? Let's meet the teams. DeKalb, IL is home to Northern Illinois University. DeKalb is not too far from the greater Chicago area. You have to have a whirlwind of a season to make a Bowl Game. That's what NIU has done. The Huskies will face a bunch of amphibians in trying to win in San Diego. Those amphibians would be TCU. Nothing is more Texan than football. We didn't invent football, but we have such great football tradition. We are rich in football recruiting. You can find these TCU boys in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs haven't had as successful of a season as last season, but

The Huskies got the ball first in San Diego (or as "Street Fury" host Big C called it, day-go) and had a lethargic drive. They defined "terrible drive" by TCU's brilliant special teams and defensive packages. TCU got GREAT field position and cashed in a touchdown beyond the 5 yard line. People think Extra Points are automatic and missing them is disappointing. Well, they aren't. So their lead is 6-0 with only a few minutes into the game. It would be the only score of the First Quarter. First of the second was a rushing TD for the TCU boys as they kept it on the ground to take her to the house. They got the 6+1 to make it 13-0 in favor of the Horned Frogs. Only less than 30 seconds were on the clock on this TCU scamper into the end zone. At one point, an NIU player tried to get a Time Out called. He even went to the point of intentionally falling on the ground and oh... not to mention taking your helmet off. For what I know, taking off your helmet is a 15-yard penalty waiting to happen. No call. Only other score for the Horned Frogs was a 25-yard field goal to end the Half. So TCU led 16-0 after one half of play. The next half saw the Third Quarter see two touchdowns take place- both by TCU. So the final quarter comes down to a 30-0 lead by the Horned Frogs. We've seen a Cougar Comeback in college football's past. However, will there be a Husky comeback? Hell no. All they got was a "thanks for coming to San Diego" and a consolation touchdown. It was a consolation since this is the season of giving.

FINAL SCORE:
Northern Illinois = 7
Texas Christian = 37

JOHN'S COMMENTS
I'll admit that I didn't see all of this game. I seen a Texas-based team dominate a fairly powerful midwestern team. The thing to remember about postseason play is not so much about how you start, but how you finish. NIU likely wished they could have had a better going that what they experienced in San Diego against TCU. TCU has some pretty good football lineage even if they aren't Ohio State or a high-powered SEC team. They (Northern Illinois) slipped from the start. Next season, I'd love to see them take on some bigtime BCS conference teams. They have about four in their state- Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and Baylor (who cares about BU?). They knocked off Oklahoma last season. So imagine these: TCU vs. Florida, TCU vs. Southern California, TCU vs. Michigan. Make that challenge. Prove yourself. They can go very far.





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- CINCINATTI MAN ATTACKS FROSTY THE SNOWMAN ---

A jackass (actually, some guy) was caught on tape beating down an inflatable Frosty the Snowman. Cops captured the dope as the Frosty in Cincinatti will do just fine.



--- WHY DO PEOPLE TRY TO RUIN CHRISTMAS? ---

There's something that seems to really angers me. People just want to mess up Christmas decorations and



--- ANOTHER ANGRY RANT ON PEOPLE RUINING CHRISTMAS ---

When I've tried to offer my links on my personal website on getting people to donate to Christmas charities, I often feel like most people simply don't care. Like when I'm doing bulletins on (a certain friend-making website), I usually see my message not in the five most recent messages. So instead of my message there for people to see bright as day, it's swamped with spam bulletins. I'm here giving people a chance to try to help others out this holiday season and got very little in the way of thanks. Some of my friends on (this specific service) commended me, but I really feel disgusted that no one really had a chance to donate to the certain causes. I donated a dollar to the United States Marines' Toys for Tots Foundation as well as donating some of my own blood to a local blood bank. I'm not saying I'm Man of the Year, but at least I've tried to offer some sort of way for people to learn about certain causes as well as donating to them. Just really pains me. I've usually grown this concern around Christmas time in which there are people unable to enjoy Christmas in good health and with family. Some people (especially children) may never celebrate another Christmas again because of malignant, life-threatening diseases. What if these disadvantaged children were your own? Wouldn't you want to make the holidays bright for a child who may never see another Christmas holiday alive? It is a very sad thing for me to offer this much and to not see people so willing to take up on the sites I've offered. It's almost like you save a person's life and get nothing in return, not even a heart-felt "thank you" comment of some kind. It is also kind of like me doing these college sports reports with no support or commendation from the general online public-at-large. Like I'm doing all this for my own self-gain. I don't know... I just feel lifeless for what I've done or tried to do. I'll surely try to increase an emphasis on making Christmas better for others come next Christmas season (granted I'll see it).





The next Bowl Game will be Thursday on December 21st as Oregon takes on Brigham Young University in Las Vegas.

Let's make ready for Thursday action. We seen TCU blast Northern Illinois. Now let's see what happens when Brigham Young University and Oregon clash. It's time to bet the farm. We're going to Vegas!


The 2006 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas, Nevada


--- What Happens in Vegas... ---

* #1? Brigham Young ***Cougars*** vs. Oregon ***Ducks***

I've never been outside the state of Texas in my 23 (soon to be 24) years of existance. Most of the family I live with and know have been to Vegas several times. Most of you XBOX360 gamers probably know Vegas very well since you could race on the city streets of Vegas in "Project Gotham Racing 3," or tear Vegas the bloody hell up in "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas." Two teams are ready to tear it up in Sin City. You don't have to travel too far to be at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas since it's just up Paradise Road from McCarran International Airport. Most people don't care for UNLV football since they have a terrible team year after year. Any UNLV team that's gained such respect is when UNLV's men's basketball team defeated Duke in 1990 or 1991. But enough of UNLV... we got two winning teams ready to square off. BYU is for Brigham Young University. BYU has certainly had its share of bowl success with their great "Cougar Comeback" of the 1980s. Today's Cougars are still the cream of the crop. They've been the key Utah team to beat. Now for the opponents. The University of Oregon was usually a team that would get their butts handed to and in losing to Oregon State. Today's Oregon squad are built to perfection or very close to perfection. The Ducks still make fresh poultry for most nay-sayers, but this is a team with style... literally. They know how to pick out a number of different color combinations like girls know about pairing whatever shoes with what's worn above the ankles. No fashion advice needed here, folks. You either win the game or die trying.

Only thing dead after one half of play was Oregon's offense. They watched as BYU laid down the law against Oregon 17-0. Another touchdown was cashed in by BYU in the Third Quarter. The 6+1 made it 24-0, which would be the end score of the Third Quarter. The shutout was denied as Oregon got themselves a touchdown with about 10:27 left in the Fourth Quarter. About :censored:ing time, Oregon! But in the end, BYU's coach gets to end the season with a 10-game winning streak.

FINAL SCORE
#19 Brigham Young = 38
Oregon = 8


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Oregon rose from the ashes when they have danced among the giants and won. But this team has to be disappointed to a Mountain West unit like BYU. No Cougar Comeback was eminent because there wasn't one at all. It was all about BYU motoring ahead and running down any chance of Oregon coming back to win or at least trim the blowout. BYU played lights out and deserve to end the season on such a happy note. Good job by both teams even though BYU was much better.





No extras this time. I do hope that people in Denver and such are okay from these horrible winter storms there. No snow to be had for our next game because we're talking about the New Orleanse Bowl. There will be Bowl Game action each day between Friday and Sunday. Friday's action includes the New Orleans Bowl between Alabama's Troy and Houston's Rice. Rice and Troy this Friday in The Big Easy. See you then!

Let's make ready for Thursday action. We seen TCU blast Northern Illinois. Now let's see what happens when Brigham Young University and Oregon clash. It's time to bet the farm. We're going to Vegas!


The 2006 Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium - Las Vegas, Nevada


--- What Happens in Vegas... ---

* #1? Brigham Young ***Cougars*** vs. Oregon ***Ducks***

I've never been outside the state of Texas in my 23 (soon to be 24) years of existance. Most of the family I live with and know have been to Vegas several times. Most of you XBOX360 gamers probably know Vegas very well since you could race on the city streets of Vegas in "Project Gotham Racing 3," or tear Vegas the bloody hell up in "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas." Two teams are ready to tear it up in Sin City. You don't have to travel too far to be at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas since it's just up Paradise Road from McCarran International Airport. Most people don't care for UNLV football since they have a terrible team year after year. Any UNLV team that's gained such respect is when UNLV's men's basketball team defeated Duke in 1990 or 1991. But enough of UNLV... we got two winning teams ready to square off. BYU is for Brigham Young University. BYU has certainly had its share of bowl success with their great "Cougar Comeback" of the 1980s. Today's Cougars are still the cream of the crop. They've been the key Utah team to beat. Now for the opponents. The University of Oregon was usually a team that would get their butts handed to and in losing to Oregon State. Today's Oregon squad are built to perfection or very close to perfection. The Ducks still make fresh poultry for most nay-sayers, but this is a team with style... literally. They know how to pick out a number of different color combinations like girls know about pairing whatever shoes with what's worn above the ankles. No fashion advice needed here, folks. You either win the game or die trying.

Only thing dead after one half of play was Oregon's offense. They watched as BYU laid down the law against Oregon 17-0. Another touchdown was cashed in by BYU in the Third Quarter. The 6+1 made it 24-0, which would be the end score of the Third Quarter. The shutout was denied as Oregon got themselves a touchdown with about 10:27 left in the Fourth Quarter. About :censored:ing time, Oregon! But in the end, BYU's coach gets to end the season with a 10-game winning streak.

FINAL SCORE
#19 Brigham Young = 38
Oregon = 8


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Oregon rose from the ashes when they have danced among the giants and won. But this team has to be disappointed to a Mountain West unit like BYU. No Cougar Comeback was eminent because there wasn't one at all. It was all about BYU motoring ahead and running down any chance of Oregon coming back to win or at least trim the blowout. BYU played lights out and deserve to end the season on such a happy note. Good job by both teams even though BYU was much better.





No extras this time. I do hope that people in Denver and such are okay from these horrible winter storms there. No snow to be had for our next game because we're talking about the New Orleanse Bowl. There will be Bowl Game action each day between Friday and Sunday. Friday's action includes the New Orleans Bowl between Alabama's Troy and Houston's Rice. Rice and Troy this Friday in The Big Easy. Hopefully this game won't be a blowout like the past two Bowl Games. See you then!

The 2006 R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans


--- Rice Burners ---

* Rice ***Owls*** vs. Troy ***Trojans***

One year ago, New Orleans was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Who can remember the game earlier this year in which the New Orleans Saints BEAT DOWN the Atlanta Falcons? Could more memories be made in New Orleans? We go from "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" to a wonderful return of college football to the Louisiana Superdome. The Big Easy is booming again with quality New Orleans jazz, down south food, and football. Two teams are ready to clash in New Orleans. We got Rice from my hometown of Houston, TX... and we have the Troy boys from Alabama. Who'll win this one? Rice hasn't made a Bowl Game start in over 45 years. A brand-new resurgent Rice team had a whale of a season. You gave up on Rice, and look what happens- they make a Bowl game. Shame on all of you (myself included - self ownage). The Owls are ready to fly to give Troy some problems. They'll have to give them to Troy University. This is a team capable of mad damage. They aren't USCal, but they are the Trojans of the "Dirty South." In fact, we got two down south teams playing... down south. You think us southerners are happy about this one? Damn right we are!

After one Half of play, it was Troy leading the Rice Owls 28-10. Rice must have a LOT of rust considering that Rice has never been to a Bowl in over 45 years. Look at Rutgers last year. They haven't been to a Bowl and made a hell of an effort against Arizona State even in a losing effort. Rice needs comeback magic. Rice's defense held strong in denying Troy any further scoring in the Third Quarter. Rice made it a 6+1 to make the score 34-17 in favor of Troy. They are still down considerably with around 4:52 left in the game. In the end, Troy gets their first-ever Bowl victory after losing to Northern Illinois(?) a few years ago.

FINAL SCORE:
Rice = 17
Troy = 41


JOHN'S COMMENTS
As much as I dislike Rice, they've shown tremendous progress all year long. Think about it. They took on their rivals (Houston) at home and played a whale of a game despite losing to them 31-30. This shows that Houston 1-A football is back and almost never looked better. The sad part about this is that both 1-A Houston-based schools have lost to two different Sun Belt teams. Houston got upset by Louisiana-Lafayette after losing at Miami (by the way, Houston will play next Friday). Now Troy beats Rice. People do wish for a playoff format so that this Bowl system wouldn't be put into place. But one of the more underrated aspects of this system is that teams leave one final impression after a great year. Only good records get you into Bowl consideration. Rice will likely be back in 2007, hopefully energized and rejuventated (but they still can't beat the Houston Cougars!). My congratulations to Troy. Troy is a tough team even if they are in an inferior conference compared to C-USA or other conferences. I remember on a Thursday night when they upset a ranked Missouri squad. They can really do some damage. Beware of Troy next season. They MAY surprise you.





If you love college football, we got THREE bowl games this Saturday! So if you can't decide on any last minute gifts, why not stay home (or at least bring along a portable TV) and catch some college football? We got South Florida vs. East Carolina (papajohns.com Bowl - Birmingham, AL), New Mexico vs. San Jose State ((inaugural) New Mexico Bowl - ???, NM), and Tulsa vs. Utah (Armed Forces Bowl - ???, ??). Reports on all three games forthcoming!

How about an early Christmas present? How about three Bowl games in three different locations? Well GTPlanet, I think you players are going to dig these three games. Don't be a jive turkey because it's time to get down like it's your birthday! Holla! ^_^



The 2006 papajohns.com Bowl
??? - Birmingham, Alabama

--- Pizza Pie Players ---
* South Florida ***Bulls*** vs. East Carolina ***Pirates***
I knew Birmingham was familiar to me. In fact, I think this used to be known as the Independence Bowl. Now it's the papajohns.com Bowl. What is Papa John's anyway? You football fans know that Louisville's stadium is known as Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. But what is Papa John's, minus the "Cardinal Stadium?" Well, Papa John's makes some delicious pizza. So maybe you and your friends wanted to see the game on TV and want some pizza. Call up Papa John's and order whatever kind of pizza available. I actually like Papa John's pizza (besides Pizza Hut). No pizza here because we have a Bowl Game in Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham is home to schools like the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Samford University, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, and some other schools here. It is also home (or nearby) to the beautiful Barber Motorsports Park. It is a beautiful race track deep in Americana. It's a wonderful European-like race course in which the designers did an impressive job. Impressive also describes East Carolina and South Florida. South Florida is returning to the Bowl Game scene after having been shut out against North Carolina State in last year's (then) Meineke Car Care Bowl 14-0. Now the Bulls look to do a much better job than what they've shown in their Bowl Game last postseason. Travelling a somewhat longer distance was East Carolina. East Carolina University has a very popular alum if you're a WWE fan. It is in fact, the alma mater of WWE Chairman of the Board, Vince McMahon. The Pirates are looking to take down one of their ex-Conference USA teams, South Florida. Why don't you say we get this bad boy started?

I can say that South Florida scored their first postseason points in football history as they easily won this game. I was asleep during the day and missed the game in detail.

FINAL SCORE:
South Florida - 24
East Carolina - 7

JOHN'S COMMENTS
South Florida's program has been around for over 10 years. This is a big win for them. Even though USF is part of the Big East, East Carolina is a somewhat better program. The Bulls of South Florida shown me that they can really hang against any other teams. They even beat West Virginia for God's sake! East Carolina has been great under Skip Holtz's coaching. They'll be back and probably better for next season.






The 2006 New Mexico Bowl
??? - Alququerque, New Mexico
* San Jose State vs. New Mexico! (! = host school)
San Diego State is terrible. San Jose State is much less terrible. At least they found the way to win games. Not as many West Coast (not talking about the basketball conference) teams usually get a lot of love in the media unless you're from the Pac-10. Northern California's San jose State University is ready to make a LONG trip from San Jose to Alabama. It's a long trip, and when you go long (most championship-winning teams know this), you had better make the most of everything. Otherwise, the Spartans will have to settle for taking a back seat while South Florida will do all the driving. So who won this one?

This is the New Mexico Bowl. It was San Jose State who won the game. Not good for the home state.

FINAL SCORE:
New Mexico - 12
San Jose State - 20

JOHN'S COMMENTS
It's the first year of the New Mexico Bowl. New Mexico has great programs in football and basketball even if they are not in the Top 25 year after year in both sports. This was just a saddening loss for a good team against a usually inferior team. Of course, I could speak the same when Kansas blew out Houston in last year's Fort Worth bowl 40-something to 10-something. Good year for SJSU. As for the Lobos, they'll have until next August to prepare for another season and make their own stellar run in the Mountain West and abroad.





The 2006 Bell Helicopters Armed Forces Bowl
??? - Fort Worth, Texas[/I]

--- Fully Loaded ---
* Tulsa ***Golden Hurricane*** vs. Utah ***Utes***
We've been in the southern half of America all day. While I'm a southeastern Texan, let's go to northeastern Texas to check out the Bowl formerly known as the Fort Worth Bowl. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is usually the most populated part of Texas. Even in the SNES game, "Aerobiz Supersonic," I couldn't choose Houston as a base since it was "too small for an airline business as big as I was going to make in that game. Can you believe it? I've never been to northern Texas. I have been around Southeast Texas, east Texas, even the beautiful Texas hill country... but never northern Texas. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is where you can find all sorts of things including (but not limited to) Dallas Mavericks basketball, Dallas Cowboys NFL football, Texas Rangers baseball in Arlington, Dallas Stars NHL hockey, TCU football, Texas-Arlington basketball, Texas-Dallas Comets' basketball, and even the Texas Motor Speedway. Oh, and not to forget one special thing for college football fans- the Cotton Bowl, which also serves home for the Oklahoma/Texas rivalry game (I'd hate to see this game no longer be a neutral site game). Maybe you love cars. No place better up there than Ferrari of Dallas, part of Risi Competizione. Us southern Texans have love for northern Texas. I also have love for the two teams that excelled on the football field to make it into Fort Worth to play a Bowl game. It is all about the University of Tulsa and the University of Utah. Tulsa is home to two Division 1 universities. You have the University of Tulsa in football and basketball, and you have non-football school (and great team despite their current record) Oral Roberts University. Most of the foul weather you'll get in Tulsa would be tornados. But only Tulsa is capable of forming a Golden Hurricane to threaten all in its wake. Utah was unbeaten in the 2004-2005 season and didn't play for a National Championship. There's no playoff, but imagine if it was USCal vs. Utah or even USCal vs. Auburn decided the 2004-2005 title. The man who coached this team to this awesome record now coaches at Florida (Urban Meyer). Utah still remains a solid school in which Utes play until the final whistle. Let's see if this is a game Bell Helicopters will get their money's worth for this game.

FINALLY a competitive Bowl game! Utah got it done.

FINAL SCORE:
Tulsa - 13
Utah - 25

JOHN'S COMMENTS
No Urban Meyer? No problem. Utah can still be a powerful team even if they aren't in the same class as Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, and the like. The Utes knocked off a fairly good C-USA team. I know about Tulsa because the Golden Hurricane played at Houston. Despite the fact my hometown team won in a blowout, Tulsa is no slouch. I think both teams may likely make Bowl Games next year in addition to their Bowl successes this year.





Coming up tomorrow... celebrate Christmas in paradise. It's Arizona State taking on Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl! I may post the results of this game a bit later judging on when we'll open presents at my house. But I will have the results for you when I get a hold of them. Do remember... this is YOUR thread. I'm here to report the results. You're free to come in and offer your support, talk about the games, and that sort of thing. What's the point of me doing this if we can't be able to talk about the games? So come on in!

There won't be any Bowl action on Christmas. So consider this an early birthday present to all of you. From me to you... I give you college football- in paradise!




The 2006 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (or Hawai'i Bowl)
Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, Hawaii/Hawai'i

--- Christmas in Paradise ---
* Arizona State vs. Hawaii! (! = ! = denotes home school)
Two western teams clash in Hawaii. But considering who's playing this game, this is more like a glorified home game. The state of Hawaii has only one NCAA football team- the University of Hawaii. One of the most magical memories in all of college sports in Hawaii was in the 1980s when the Division 2 non-football school, Chaminade University, stunned the (then) #1 ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The Silverswords were terrible and didn't match up well. But they still get it done in proving that even the worst teams can win some of the biggest games. Honolulu is a lovely city from what I've seen in pictures. The recent fashion summer fashion trend towards surfing and beach life had ladies all dressed up like it's fun in the sun. And while it's incredibly cold in some parts of the Lower 48, there's bright sunshine in Hawaii. As I mentioned earlier, the University of Hawaii is the only NCAA school in Hawaii that sponsors football. It is also the only Division 1 school in both football and basketball. Other schools in Hawaii are part of the non-football Division 2 conference called the Pacific West Conference. Those schools are Chaminade University, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, the University of Hawaii-Hilo, and Hawaii Pacific University. The stadium that has opened its doors for college football action is Aloha Stadium. Most of you know that Aloha Stadium is the place where the Pro Bowl is played a week after the Super Bowl. But nevermind the NFL- we got COLLEGE! We also got Arizona State playing at Hawaii. This is essentially a glorified home game, much like the New Mexico Bowl on Saturday. Let's meet the "Away" team first. About ten years ago, Arizona State had a chance to shock Ohio State for a National Championship. Arizona State is usually a wonderful football team year after year. This year hasn't been very friendly to them despite the fact they made the postseason. The Sun Devils are the best football team in the state of Arizona. While I still can't comprehend how the University of California can lose to Arizona in Pac-10 play, Arizona State still remains the football power in the state of Arizona. That is, unless Northern Arizona has a powerhouse football team no one's aware of in Division 1-AA/FCS. Now let's meet the "Home" team. New Mexico lost their Bowl game in their home state. So let's see if Hawaii can win in their home state. Colt Brennan is the one taking snaps under center for Hawaii. He has 53 touchdown passes heading into this game. He needs to make one more to tie David K. of Houston and two to break the NCAA record for most touchdown passes in a season. Hawaii was once a Top 25 team this year until they lost some time late in the season. Get your grass skirts and leis because the Warriors are ready to give people in the Lower 48 a college football Christmas present to dozens of people in America whether they have been naughty or nice. Merry Christmas! We got college football on the way!

Arizona State wasn't giving Hawaii any Christmas presents as Arizona State cashed in a field goal that hooked left until it split the uprights. The First Quarter ended with a 3-0 lead for Arizona State. With 12:35 left in the Second Quarter, Hawaii matched Arizona State's offer with a field goal of their own. So we have an early basketball score of 3-3. Arizona State picked up a touchdown on a beautiful long bomb. Hawaii's the most prolific offense in America. Too bad their Louisville-like scoring hasn't been up to par at this point. It was about 5:18 left in the Second Quarter when Arizona State made the QB to WR connect for the 6+1. Hawaii's inability to reach the end zone after one half made the score 10-3 in favor of Arizona State. Beautiful Aloha Stadium with beautiful views are seeing an ugly effort by the Hawaii boys. In the Third Quarter, Brennan has 53 TD passes and needs one to tie David Klingler's all-time record from Houston. He needs two to possess the all-time record for most TD passes in a season. Remember this stat, because with 12:29 left in the Third, Brennan hit an easy touchdown throw. The 6+1 made it 10-all and game on. The combination of Brennan's great passing coupled with a Personal Foul (late hit out of bounds) made it a Touchdown drive which gave Colt Brennan the all-time TD record... or would it count? An official review was called after the would-be touchdown. They got the call, the touchdown, the extra point, and eventually the lead. It was 8:46 left in the Third when Brennan broke Klingler's record. Hawaii gets more as another 6+1 gave Hawaii a 24-10 lead after three quarters of play. The 13:04 mark in the Fourth Quarter saw Hawaii kick for a field goal. The 43-yard kick was money. So the field goal made things 27-10 as Hawaii was blowing out Arizona State. With ArSU's coach heading out the door as head coach, this is NOT the way to go out. The blowout was briefly stopped as Arizona State got a touchdown and the complimentary Extra Point. It's 27-17 as Hawaii still leads. It was 10:25 left in the game as Arizona State got a touchdown after a Hawaii Personal Foul (Roughing the Passer). They got the six, then an Extra Point. Hawaii's lead is only 27-24 over Arizona State. It's still anyone's game as the Sun Devils tried to turn up the heat on Hawaii. Hawaii answered RIGHT back with a touchdown with 5:16 left in the game. Yeah. Santa Claus delivers toys on Christmas Eve in Hawaii with most of America watching it when most of them (even me) should be in bed by now looking to see if Santa Claus thinks we've been good boys and girls. So it's 34-24 in favor of Hawaii. A dumb (in terms of the referree making the call) Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty was called as one Hawaii player simply sharing handshakes with the crowd. Damn! And I thought the NFL was the "No Fun League." Arizona State punted the football with about 3:20 left rather than play to try to get down the field. Rmemember this as well because later in the game, a Hawaii blowout ensued with 2:01 left in the game as Hawaii punched in about a 79-yard touchdown. The touchdown and extra point made things 41-24 as over 50K were on their feet as Hawaii secured the blowout. With 1:54 left in the game, one Sun Devil lost his cool and ended up spiking the ball in the End Zone. So Arizona State had to start from their own 10. And as time dwiddled down... so were Arizona State's chances of winning. If Colt Brennan returns to Hawaii and not enter the NFL Draft, then he is going to be a Heisman threat. Brennan picked up 559 yards with 5 touchdown passes to win the game in a rout.


FINAL SCORE:
Hawaii! - 41
Arizona State - 28

JOHN'S COMMENTS
People say that Hawaii's Colt Brennan is a serious pro prospect. Some say he's undersized and doesn't have an NFL body. He can still prove his worth on the football field. As for Arizona State, they should have gone for it to give themselves a chance in this game. Thanks to their stupidity, they helped lose the game against a proven Hawaii squad. The home crowd was loving this for a reason- Hawaii came to play. Arizona State is still a great football team, but they haven't shown too much greatness to win against Hawaii. Hawaii is no cup cake. I remember when Timmy Chang played as Hawaii's quarterback. He was lights-out with all kinds of passing yards. Hawaii (figuratively speaking) is on an island all its own. Great year for this Hawaii team. Now the question is, will Colt Brennan stay or go to the pros?



FACT: Did you know that the last time a Bowl game was played outside of American soil was the Rhumba Bowl in Havana, Cuba in 1937? Villanova and Auburn played that year. The only Bowl action that will take place outside of America will be the International Bowl in beautiful Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It will be Cincinatti vs Western Michigan.

***SIDE NOTE***



While there was college action, let's share a little NFL focus for those looking to go to the pros.

NFL FOCUS

What "Automatic?"
* There was a game on Sunday as the Cincinatti Bengals played in moderate snow at Denver Broncos. There's a reason why field goals and extra points are still important even if kickers have only one goal- kick the ball. Cincy could have played for Overtime had it not been for the botched snap. Instead, they lose 24-23. Like I've said, people make mistakes. Just because these are pro-level players doesn't mean they are absolutely automatic. If that was true, then Shaq would make his free throws. Vinaterri always wins the game on game-winning field goals. Katie Hnida would knock down her field goals when she was a field goal kicker for Colorado and New Mexico. Moral of the story: NOTHING is automatic.


Texan Pride
* The Houston Texans are my hometown NFL team. I know they aren't the best team since the Oilers was Houston's franchise, but I've gotten sick of all the negative attention to my Texans. Only because they draft a defensive player that hasn't produced too much. I hated that Houston gets the bad rep while teams like Oakland, Arizona, and Detroit are presumably heading to the Super Bowl. Besides. The Texans need either offensive line support or defensive help. Houston scored the first touchdown and picked up another later in in the First Quarter. I didn't see the First Half because I was asleep. But when I noticed that a 48-yard field goal would be the best chance of beating a top-flight NFL team like Indianapolis, I was actually surprised. Surprised that the Indianapolis Colts didn't call timeouts to try to ice Kris Brown (Texans FG kicker). They had about two timeouts to use. Then with about four seconds left in the game, the Texans FINALLY knocked off the Indianapolis Colts for the first time in team history. This will help build confidence for the Texans for years to come. Maybe they can make a run next season to go for at least a Wild Card.


So Out of Luck
Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Jacksonville can kiss their postseason hopes good bye.

-end "NFL Focus"





I'm sorry I couldn't get this post in any earlier. Couldn't really get some stuff done at my house during Christmas. I had to go to a party on Monday, so I couldn't get this in during the afternoon. But I finally got it out. Up next, the Motor City Bowl.


Dedicated to James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul." Merry Christmas. We lose another great musical name.

After our spell in Hawaii, I'm taking all of you to Detroit. Detroit is America's Motor City. So it's little wonder why this game is the Motor City Bowl. No college football teams call Detroit home. Only city close is probably the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. So let's see how this Sun Belt vs. MAC match ends up.

This post is dedicated to former United States President, Gerald Ford (1913-2006). The thoughts and prayers from myself and the rest of GTPlanet will be with you and your family.





The 2006 Motor City Bowl
Ford Field - Detroit, MI, USA



--- Bold Moves ---
* Middle Tennessee State ***Blue Raiders*** vs. Central Michigan ***Chippewas***
Detroit. The Motor City. MoTown. Call it what you will. This has been America's capital of automobiles since Akron, OH was the king of autos. Who would have known what Henry Ford's contribution to the automobile culture would lead to the single most important aspect of automobile greatness that exists today? Mass producing cars. More cars would be made available for more people. It cut down costs considerably as more people got their own cars. But if you live in Detroit and you bring up something other than an American automobile, you may get looked at funny (to put it mildly). I respect Chevy, okay with Ford, but I've grown to be a fan of DaimlerChrysler. Detroit is also a cultural city for its wide array of talent who can sing very well and pack houses for shows. Enter MoTown. As an African-American, I'm pretty aware of what MoTown did for music here in America. Detroit is also a HUGE sports city. You can see everything from a Pistons' basketball game in Auburn Hills all the way to seeing how the Detroit Red Wings rule the ice. You can also see some great boxing action as well. Future fighters can train at the Kronk Gym. In terms of college sports, there isn't as much activity. The only real school I know in Detroit is the former football school, the University of Detroit-Mercy (known simply as "Detroit" for sporting purposes). The Titans aren't having a great year in the non-football conference known as the Horizon League. Michigan has produced talent such as Kid Rock, Eminem, and Madonna among others. I even once heard of a little-known name- Debelah Morgan (somewhat of a one-hit wonder back in the early 2000's). It is also told to be the birthplace of electronica. I hear there are still some quality electronica bumping in Detroit. Belle Isle used to be a good Champ Car site for racing (rumor has it that racing may return to Belle Isle for the Champ Car World Series). I even seen a few of those races on TV. And across the river from Detroit is Windsor, Ontario, Canada. We're not going to Canada until next year for the International Bowl. So we stay in America and see if Middle Tennessee State (2006 Sun Belt Champions) can upstage Central Michigan (2006 MAC Champions) in the same field they won thier MAC Championship at. Let's get to work. Middle Tennnessee State is part of the Sun Belt Conference. The conference extends to teams (in football) as far east as Florida and as far west as Texas. In basketball, the conference extends to teams as far east as Florida and as far west as Colorado. Western Kentucky's football team will need to watch how MTSU does so that they can play them when WKU comes to Sun Belt football in 2009. The Blue Raiders are not the best football team in the state of Tennessee, but they aren't pushovers. After all, they got gold that no other 1-A team in the state of Tennessee has- a conference championship. Middle Tennessee State crossed about two or three states north to go to Detroit. Central Michigan won once in Detroit this year and hope to win again. Central Michigan can be a pretty talented team. They are perhaps the best of Michigan's three MAC schools. The worst of them is Eastern Michigan. Cetnral Michigan hopes to pull off another Chippewa victory for the Mount Pleasant(?) boys. Find yourself a quality American car, and let's motor around Detroit for this matchup!

Central Michigan may as well play their football at Ford Field. They won the MAC title in Detroit, and they lead this game 21-7. They are designed for action and can produce bold moves because they are an American revolution. Rather than take life as it comes, they grabbed life by the horns to lead. Maybe they have a bunch of Pontiac Game Changers on tap. Okay... now I'm done sucking up to The Big Three. Quarter #3 coming up. Middle Tennessee State got picked off by CMU and returned it for a touchdown. They added an extra point to simply motor along while Middle Tennessee State was having transmission problems. It's 28-7 as the Sun Belt was watching one of their own get whipped to death on both sides of the ball. Sometime in the Fourth Quarter, it was MTSU whipping CMU into the end zone. So it's 28-14 as we pick things up after 7:00 left in the game. A terrible (maybe blocked) field goal by CMU kept things at 28-14. MTSU needs two scores to tie or maybe lead.


FINAL SCORE:
Middle Tennessee State - 14
Central Michigan - 31

JOHN'S COMMENTS
Wow. This was a blowout. MTSU only got two touchdowns in both halves. Central Michigan really excelled where they had to in completing this rout. The thing we usually tend to forget is that ANY team that makes a Bowl Game (regardless of what Bowl it is) are winners regardless of where they go. It's like getting invited to Le Mans. You're a winner regardless of where you end up. It's all about who can get the job done in the field of battle. And this was Central Michigan's year as they finish unbeaten at Ford Field this year. As for the Blue Raiders, they are still a great team even with a loss like this.





I'm going to take you to a beautiful place via the Internet- San Francisco, California. Beautiful as San Francisco is, Florida State and UCLA are ready to get ugly and dirty on the football field. Who'll win this game in northern California? Find out tomorrow in the Emerald Bowl!

Florida State and UCLA are ready to throw down in the Bay Area. So who'll win this one? Read on and find out!




The 2006 Emerald Bowl
Candlestick Park - San Francisco, California, USA

--- Battle by the Bay ---
* Florida State ***Seminoles*** vs. UCLA ***Bruins***
Let's look into San Francisco for more college football action. Tonight, we have UCLA going up against an underacheiving Florida State squad. The battleground will be Candlestick Park. We're using a baseball field to play football. Kind of an old school thing, isn't it? I think I can recall when (using another example) Boston College was using Fenway Park for a football game in the VERY early days of college football. Vermont used to be a football school as they used their baseball field. But other than Wrigley Field, no place better to have a football game than beautiful Candlestick Park. It's a National League ballpark whereas the San Francisco Giants normally do their damage against the other MLB teams. GTPlanet, most of you may know that I love San Francisco, California. It's a city I'd love to visit if I was travelling a lot. I believe it's the 12th largest city in America. You have a lot to love here. The Transamerica Pyramid is the distinctive building that dots San Francisco's skyline. You can ride your way into Marin County using the stunning Golden Gate Bridge. You have Coit Tower, a building that honors the San Francisco Fire Brigade. Like sports? Enjoy your 49ers NFL football at Monster Park (before they move to Santa Clara, CA in around 2012. I already mentioned the Giants. Surely these boys know how to work the baseball field. There's also nothing like being on your kayak or whatever by fishing for Home Run balls. I think you can go to Oakland, CA and catch Golden State Warriors NBA basketball. Or you can watch the rivals, the Oakland Raiders, continually lose games (some say it's a pretty bad stadium). College basketball fans should remember this place pretty well. This is where the University of San Francisco won one or two men's basketball championships. [The University of] San Francisco also had an extremely powerful football team in its past. Can you imagine someone saying that they are so good that no one wants to play them? Sad thing is that there isn't any more University of San Francisco football. Division 2 has the Gators of San Francisco State University. They also sponsored football in their past all to drop it later. There's no real pride of San Francisco in college football. Only place closest is Stanford University. And we all know how Stanford ended up this season. The TRUE pride of northern California is the University of California. California will play tomorrow night in San Diego. The University of California system school playing tonight will be UCLA. These boys are looking to give Bobby Bowden his first losing season since 1976 (his first year). Let's meet the two. Florida State has had a funny tradition of bad field goal kickers. But this year's team grew a tradition almost completely foreign to them- losing. Sitting at .500, a win over UCLA will make the team feel VERY good for next season. The Seminoles need something encouraging after their tumult all season long. They are this year's Michigan in terms of a usually-powerful team having to settle for a December Bowl Game. Now on to UCLA. The University of California-Los Angeles is normally home of one of the proudest men's college basketball teams. They have over 11 National Championships. I think they had a share of the football championship in the 1950s. UCLA was usually regarded as second-best to USCal. But it was UCLA that shocked USCal. The Bruins can do some bruising to almost any team out there. Can they bring the pain to end 2006? The field turf could be tough to get a grasp on. So let's see if the SoCal footballers can knock off an East Coast team.

I was playing "Okami" on my PS2, so I missed about one half of play and about 1/4 of the Second Half. At around that time, UCLA retook the lead. All the way to about 5:04 left, UCLA got picked off by Florida State as FSU ran the ball from Candlestick Park all the way to Hawaii! Now it's 44-27 in favor of those relentless Seminoles. Bruins get the ball back at 1:56 left. Then late in the game, UCLA threw an interception which basically saved Bobby Bowden's backside. The blowout was secure as Florida State upstaged UCLA.


FINAL SCORE:
Florida State - 44
California-Los Angeles - 27


JOHN'S COMMENTS
I heard that UCLA actually trailed Florida State by a big margin until taking the lead. Florida State came back on their own and completely hushed the UCLA Bruins. I don't know who I'd give a "Most Disappointing Loss" deal to. Disappointing for Florida State since it seemed like they've stumbled a lot, or disappointing for UCLA that they couldn't take down an ACC team? Both teams seemed hopeless. So in beautiful San Francisco, it didn't seem like a beautiful win for Florida State. At least FSU has something to play for when next season starts. California-Los Angeles loses in their home state. Sad no matter how you look at it.





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- READ MY "OKAMI" REVIEW YET? ---
There was an old thread in the PS2 forum titled "Okami." I noted the game just seemed beautiful. You are this wolf who ventures across the Japanese landscape and provides hope for this shattered nation (it's noted as Nippon). The thing that stuns me about this game is just the power of prosperity Amaretsu (the protagonist) provides. Unique to this game is the Celestial Brush. You need this for restoring things to their former glory, battling beasts, solving puzzles, and a lot more. I thought it was a shame this game wasn't released sooner. This has to be the best game I've ever played this year. Only things I didn't like were that the introduction was extremely long and that some things can be real frustrating at times. Other than that, this game is a "Game of the Year" nominee for a reason. It is a beautiful game that is just amazing to look at and play. Almost like being in Heaven playing this game. Get this game and enjoy what this game has to offer.



--- SOMETHING I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT GERALD FORD ---
We've lost former President, Gerald Ford. What I didn't know about G. Ford was that he played football for the University of Michigan when they were undefeated in the 1930s. So we lost two people in one- a talented college football player and one of our leaders of this nation. G. Ford will be missed in both respects, but in greater respect for his presidency.





More Bowl Game action is coming up. We have the Independence Bowl and the Holiday Bowl on Thursday. I'll cover both games as best as I can. See you around and take care. As a small note, I'll try to catch the University of Houston try to better South Carolina. Likewise, I'll see if the Kentucky Wildcats can upset Clemson's Tigers. These two games are on Friday.

Today, we will go from northwestern Louisiana to southernmost California. I also want you to come to my hometown for a Big XII vs. Big East match. Ready for a big day of college football that winds into nighttime? You come to the right place.





The 2006 PetroSun Independence Bowl
??? - Shreveport, LA, USA

--- Petrol-Driven ---
* Oklahoma State vs. Alabama
The first of three Bowl games takes place in Louisiana. The name of the city is Shrevport. I want to say that there is a certain team that plays in Shrevport, but I'm usually not certain about it. I haven't updated my little registry on college football and basketball teams. So the only university or college I know in Shreveport, LA is Centenary College, which doesn't have a football team. It is great to see life get back to normal even a year after the devastating hurricanes from last year. Louisiana will open their doors to this game as well as the Sugar Bowl during the BCS Bowl season. There's going to be some sort of security playground deal whereas children can learn to be safe and learn safety tips. This will all happen next year in this northwest Louisiana city. Two teams are ready to meet in what should be a good game between two good schools. Alabama first. The University of Alabama has taken a spill since their 2005 season saw them play in a non-BCS January bowl. They played in the SBC Cotton Bowl that had Mike Shula have a funny moment during a press conference after winning that game. What have you done for me lately? Alabama has had a mediocre season which led them into playing in the postseason. At least they made the postseason. There is no Paul "Bear" Bryant saving Alabama from doom. Instead, it is a new-look, so-so Crimson Tide. They have been mostly a low tide team rather than a high tide. They do have those wonderful crimson-colored outfits. Now on to Oklahoma State. What is it with the color orange and the southwest? Oklahoma State had pretty good teams in their day. They actually have recovered. The boys from Stillwater, OK did everything in their power to win and win often. The Cowboys may be from Oklahoma, but they can put on a Texas-size fight against any opposition. They have a great basketball team (I forgot to mention that Alabama's looking good in men's hoops themselves). Which recovering team will prevail? Let the action begin in Shreveport!

The two teams finished the First Quarter 7-7. It was Oklahoma State bringing the pain to the Crimson Tide in a penalty-stricken game. It was 17-7 deep into the 2nd Quarter. But 2:30 left, Alabama hit paydirt to cash in a touchdown... or would it count? It did count! So listen to Alabama's band play that wonderful song, "Hey, Alabama!" Six plus one for Alabama makes it 17-14 as Oklahoma State leads. Ray W. was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame as he gave a 22-minute long Hall of Fame induction speech. He says that he waited 22 years to be in the Hall of Fame, and so each minute was well-spent. Oklahoma State added a touchdown and extra point with about 41 seconds left. This 6+1 made the tally a 24-14 score. This would be the score heading into Halftime. Later in the game (10:27 left in the 4th Quarter), Oklahoma State led 31-24 over Alabama. By the time I tuned into the game late, Alabama recently scored a touchdown. They picked up a field goal prior to this score. At 8:41 left in the game, Alabama tied things up with a touchdown and the extra point. So it's 31 all and game on. That game would come to an end as Oklahoma State hit a close field goal.


FINAL SCORE:
Oklahoma State - 34
Alabama - 31

JOHN'S COMMENTS
This is the most competitive Bowl Game this postseason. The score wasn't a blowout like most other Bowls up to this point. Alabama hasn't been that fearful team as they have been under Bear Bryant. This team just needs to rebuild themselves. Hell. Look at the Houston Cougars (who will play South Carolina on Friday). They have been a mediocre team until this year's team caught fire in Conference USA. They have a chance at 11 wins to close out 2006. Sure, no one in the big school sense cares about Houston. Well, nobody cared about Utah even when they UNDEAFEATED in 2004. Difference is that Alabama is playing in a conference that has character and power for all of their teams. If such a team doesn't keep up, they fall into mediocrity and insignificance. Alabama will need to find a way to compete with the LSU's and Floridas of the SEC. All of this including beating their Iron Bowl counterparts at Auburn. As for Oklahoma State, this win will hopefully give this team plenty of hope in acheiving much greater feats. But face facts, Alabama. This is NOT the Bear Bryant era. You'll need to keep bringing the pain in all of your games to hopefully return to your BCS Bowl-like performances.





The 2006 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, California

--- Go, San Diego, Go! ---
* #21 California vs. #2? Texas A&M/#2? Texas A&M vs. #20 California
Let's return to San Diego for another great football match. We have California coming from the northern half of the state going all the way down to San Diego. But rather than hang out with San Diego girls, they have to take down some mangy outlaws from my home state of Texas. They will meet Texas A&M. There won't be a 12th Man Advantage for TAMU since they are basically playing in enemy territory. The home crowd will normally favor a team from the home state. But as we've seen in most games this year (except the Motor City Bowl), the team from the home state usually lost a Bowl so far. The city of San Diego features a few different vincinities and small towns. These include La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, Coronado, and Chula Vista. Facing the Pacific Ocean are Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and La Jolla. I have only heard of La Jolla because it was a city featured on the MTV show "My Super Sweet Sixteen." The episode featured these two high-maintenance and rich girls aged 16 and 18 around that time. It is a big money city. Also, San Diego has a lot of military involvement. There are about two air stations for the United States Navy and the United States Marines. There is even a USMC recruiting depot in San Diego. So there's a lot of military involvement in this city. When you just want to see some college sports, you have mostly three schools to choose from. Yoo have the pathetic excuse of a football team known as the Aztecs of San Diego State University, the wonderful University of San Diego Toreros, and the non-football University of California-San Diego Tritons. There is one other university called Point Loma Nazarene University, but I don't know if they have any sports. Qualcomm Stadium will be the home ground for this game. Let's meet the boys from Texas. What boys from Texas? Texas A&M of course. The 1939 National Champions (share of the title with USCal) are looking to upstage some California boys. Maybe they've been sick of people wearing Aeropostale and Hollister stuff in Texas having a love of California. They were probably like "if you like California so much, go there and let us Texans be!" They can be aggressive on the football. They are also Aggie-gressive against all opposition. Opposition including California. A year or two ago, California was the 4th-ranked team in the nation. What a tangled web they've weaved for 2006. They were #9 and lost in a blowout to (then) #23 Tennessee. FoolKiller of GTPlanet talked about California like they were ranked too high or completely overrated. I think California really ashamed me when they lost to Arizona. You lose to Arizona, and you're likely the sorriest sack of horse s:censored: this side of the Pacific Ocean. California still remains a powerful team. There is finally a team that can bring the pain in California that DOESN'T come from Los Angeles. The badasses from Berkley are known as the Golden Bears. These boys wear a beautiful shade of blue and some nice golden accents. They've been my inspiration to color my college basketball team in "College Hoops 2K7." Now let's see who'll win this game- the boys in blue and gold, or the boys in maroon?

The California boys decided to show up in golden jerseys rather than their blue colors. I'm not very fond of yellow for a primary color. The two teams traded touchdowns in the First Quarter. The second quarter began with California getting the ball on a 1st and Goal deal. Two plays later, the Golden Bears hit paydirt by running it into the end zone. They were money on the TD and kicked the extra point to add two more cents. So California leads 14-7 as the home state is bringing a college basketball atmosphere to this college football game. They led 14-10 at the Half. It was about 2:00 left in the Third Quarter as California had more guts than brains in completing a 4th and short play inside Texas A&M's 10 (wasn't --- and Goal). Cal's 6+1 makes it 28-10. Maybe California IS for real. They were even more for real as California bumped up their score to 38-10 over a fledgling Texas A&M squad. Texas A&M has not scored a single point with over 3:00 left in the game. Texas A&M would later get picked off by California as Cal gets 1st and Goal inside of two minutes. And with 28 seconds left, the dagger- 6+1 to make it 45-10. Texas A&M BLANKED in the Second Half. They lose to California in a BLOWOUT.

FINAL SCORE:
#21 Texas A&M - 10
#20 California - 45

JOHN'S COMMENTS
Wow. Completely uncompetitive. The sorriest Big XII Texas team is Baylor. Texas A&M is a potent team that never really shown its potential at times. One may argue "they can beat Texas IN TEXAS, but not California?" California clearly shown they were the better team. Perhaps California hasn't as much pedigree as most other ranked teams, but they at least can show that they mean business on the gridiron. Cal lost against Texas Tech two years ago in their Holiday Bowl. They handled another Big XII team and won. Respect this Pac-10 school. Beating any Big XII Texas team (except Baylor) is a feel-good story waiting to happen. They could have taken a knee on their final possession and call it a day. However, they wanted to send a message to all teams trying to say California is overrated and delivered with fierce vengance. There's just no other way to say it. California came to play. Texas A&M broke down like a 1980s Lincoln Town Car. Rumor has it that most of this year's starters will return to Cal to play more more Golden Bears' football. This team can EASILY challenge for the Pac-10 title next year (or at least a share) if this all keeps up. Texas A&M still remains a potent team regardless of this defeat. They'll rebound and do their best in future games.





The (Inaugural) 2006 Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium - Houston, TX, USA

--- Lone Stars ---
* #16 Rutgers ***Scarlet Knights*** vs. Kansas State ***Wildcats***
Finally, I want to bring all of you to my hometown yet again. I am a young man born and raised in this great city of Houston, Texas, USA. I've been born and raised mostly on the southeastern side of Houston. For a guy who doesn't get out the house much, Reliant Stadium has been the only stadium I've actually been to. Reliant Stadium is a wonderful stadium. I never been to the Astrodome for football, sadly. But this is the stadium where you can see the Houston Texans try to make their name known. It has been told to be a state-of-the-art stadium for its retractable roof. It hosted the Super Bowl match between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers back in 2004. But what about the rest of the city? I usually say that this ia America's most underrated big city. It is a cultural paradise with all sorts of people and cultures here. My favorite mall in this city is the awesome Houston Galleria. This is a mega-mall with all kinds of stores including three hotels, a ballroom, a skating rink, and oh... did I mention thousands of stores? Girls that love shopping would say this is Heaven. I've been to the mall maybe five or so times in my life, each one memorable. Houston has plenty of different vincinities and such including Pearland, Pasadena, Humble, Stafford, Baytown, Clear Lake, beautiful Kemah (like I described to someone, it's more like a Texan version of Miami. Great town around Galveston Bay), and more. Sporting here consists of the defending MLS Champion Houston Dynamo, the tough Houston Rockets (get well VERY soon, Yao Ming!), the Houston Texans, the Houston Astros, the Houston Aeros of the IHL, the Houston Wranglers of tennis, and stuff like that. We even have the world's largest medical district in the world consisting of dozens of hospitals. The main street is connected to the Houston Metro's Lightrail system (which greatly destroyed my idea of a Gran Turismo track in Houston) in the Texas Medical Center based on a Metro bus route). Now let's meet the two teaams. Rutgers have shown that the Big East really is a greater conference than what people say it is. Of all the BCS conferences, the Big East is the only one that has non-football schools in the basketball ranks. The Scarlet Knights' most significant win was an upset win at home against (then) #3 Louisville. Louisville will get Wake Forest in their Bowl. Rutgers will get Kansas State. Kansas State is still rebuilding itself under Ron Prince. It used to be that the great Bill Snyder led this team to success. Their highest gratification was a few years ago when they played Ohio State in a BCS Bowl that went down to the wire. Since then, the Wildcats haven't had that BCS-style power to make them for real. Rutgers is DEFINITELY for real since they are #16 in the nation. Find out if Kansas State can shut them up... and down.

Rutgers came to play early in the game. With 14 minutes left in the Second Quarter, Rutgers was up 14-0 against the Big XII's Kansas State. Snodgrass (FG kicker) of Kansas State slipped on the slick surface and still knocked in a field goal. By the defense being offsides, they made the score 14-3. Unfortunately, they had to do it again, this time, from 44 yards. They still hit the field goal to make it 14-3. K-State is on the board and not a moment too soon. Rutgers led Kansas State by a score of 17-10 in Houston. Since the start of the Third Quarter, Rutgers was on an offensive tear going from 17 points all the way to 31 points! At the 9:01 mark, Kansas State didn't score a single point as this blowout ensued. Like blowouts? You'll love this one.


FINAL SCORE:
#16 Rutgers - 37
Kansas State - 10


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Is this the latest fashion trend among Big XII teams? Put up 10 points in the First Half all to be shut out in the Second Half? Texas A&M lost by scoring only 10 points. Now K-State puts up 10 to do almost nothing the Second Half. Rutgers is for real no matter what any Big East hater says. At least respect Rutgers for their great work. They beat (then) #3 Louisville for God's sakes! How has the ACC done this year? The Big XII has been quiet since Texas wasn't at their level when Vince Young was under center. This win basically makes Rutgers contenders for next season and perhaps seasons to come. They've caught fire and are torching all of their opposition and would-be opposition. Can they make that move to being a consistent competitor 5, 10, and even 25 years from now? That remains to be seen. Rutgers University was the birthplace of college football. Rutgers has never had a more solid team since the 1970s. Now they've been to two straight Bowl Games and have never looked better. Scarlet Knights in the house!





This has been a bad day for the Big XII. Both Kansas State and Texas A&M lose and lose badly. Better hope all of this shapes up prior to the start of a new season. I need to warn all of you GTPlanet- I may have trouble giving you scores on Friday. The reason why is because really bad weather has been forecasted for Friday afternoon and into Friday night. If I don't give you scores by then, expect two posts of updated scores. Some of tomorrow's action includes Houston looking for 11 wins on the year by trying to take down the South Carolina Gamecocks. Also, the Clemson Tigers are the baddest cats in this game, but can the Kentucky Wildcats show why they are for real in this crazy season of college football? All this and more in my next report (pending the weather status and my ability to actually type up these reports)! Stay tuned and good night!

We have a full compliment of matches coming up. Two of the games are one-member specials. The FoolKiller special is Clemson meeting Kentucky. My hometown special is Houston meeting South Carolina. Let's get to some bigtime Bowl action on the final weekday of 2006!





The 2006 Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
??? - Nashville, TN, USA

--- Music City Meltdown ---
Let's get this game going from Nashville, Tennessee. The Clemson Tigers of the ACC were once ranked as they had a great season. But guess what? So did Kentucky. Who? Yeah. You read right- Kentucky. You know, that men's basketball who won over seven National Championships? The team that's long been the door mat of SEC football other than Mississippi State? Door mat no more! Kentucky wants to show that they may be next year's Arkansas. The Wildcats have been the team I've kept a close eye on this season. Just want to know how well this team does through the year. I said that Kentucky would win six games and just make a Bowl Game. I was wrong. They would win seven games and make a Bowl game. I was a bit skeptical of this matchup, but let's see who wins this one.

Kentucky drew first blood until Clemson came back later. Kentucky's touchdown tally goes to 2 with 2:?? left in the First Half. I tuned into the game when it was inside of four minutes left in the game. To my surprise, Kentucky... that's right- KENTUCKY, was blowing out Clemson 28-12! With 44 seconds left (thanks to a big Facemask penalty on Kentucky), Clemson got a passing touchdown. They went for two and connected. So it's 28-20 now with Kentucky leading. Kentucky got themselves an Onside Kick and ran the clock out. Kentucky wins! Kentucky killed some fools! This is their first Bowl win since 1984. I was born in 1983. So I was a baby when they won their first game. Wouldn't you know it? Kentucky finishes 8-5! Make some noise, Lexington! Of course later this Bowl Season, the other "L" school in Kentucky will meet Wake Forest.


FINAL SCORE:
Clemson - 20
Kentucky - 28


JOHN'S COMMENTS
This is a great win for Kentucky. I'm not talking about just the University of Kentucky, but Kentucky's two 1-A football teams. The Kentucky Wildcats havs been the team I've followed this year because of a star







The 2006 Autozone Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl Stadium - Memphis, TN, USA

--- Rise to Honor ---
* South Carolina vs. Houston
Let's stay in the state of Tennessee and go from one SEC team to another. South Carolina will meet Houston. Memphis recently seen one of their coaches get fired yesterday. The Memphis Grizzlies fired their man after a 6-24 record in the NBA. The Memphis Tigers had a terrible football season. It's been their surprising men's basketball team picking up the scraps. Forgive my ignorance of Elvis knowledge. Memphis, Tennessee is the home of Graceland. Elvis Pressley was rocking and rolling back in his day. The rest of Memphis remains a festive and lively city for sporting and just for living. A beautiful evening of football is on tap for the 2006 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. South Carolina is looking for Steve Spurrier's first win as head coach of South Carolina. Houston is looking to return to their former glory with their graduating players moving on. South Carolina is an extremely

Houston had a SENSATIONAL first drive as they took her to the house with 12:59 left in the First Quarter. The 6+1 made it 7-0 with not even five minutes into the game. With about 2:09 left, South Carolina tied it up 7-7. It was said that this game could be basketball on grass. It was 10:47 left in the Second Quarter now. South Carolina hit paydirt and got the 6+... wait a minute... They DID NOT get the point after! Remember how I said that NOTHING is automatic? Houston led the game with a 14-13 tally with 6:12 left in the first half. Houston fumbled the ball as South Carolina got themselves a touchdown to make it 20-14. They kicked the Extra point and lead by a touchdown. Houston got a touchdown back with 2:09 left in the First Half. So they retook the lead 21-20. With 11 seconds left in the half (after alternating between the game and the latest weather reports here in Houston), the two teams traded touchdowns. So it's now 28-27 as the half comes to the game. This truly is basketball on grass as this has been the highest-scoring First Half of football for the Liberty Bowl in history. There were 55 points scored in this classic shootout. The first score of the Second Half was a beautiful 45-yard field goal kick by Ryan Succop (pronounced like "suck up") of South Carolina. USCar takes the lead as it's 30-28. Neither team is letting up. South Carolina's live Gamecock mascot had a necklace or charm that said "Beat Houston." And they did just that so far. Houston had 1st and Goal at the 7, but had complete disaster as they went all the way to midfield. It was a horrible drive as Houston had to punt the ball from about midfield. Fifteen minutes remain as South Carolina led 30-28. This looks like a college basketball score. South Carolina began to pull away with a touchdown just past 12:10 left in the game. It's 37-28 in favor of South Carolina. At the 7:39 left mark, 44-28 was the margin as Houston needed three scores to take the lead down by 16. There was 5:42 as Houston picked up one of their three scores by landing a rushing touchdown. They are down by 10 and tried to go for two. They converted the 6+2 and only a touchdown and two-point will tie the game! It's 44-36 now. Houston stopped South Carolina from converting a 4th and 1. Houston had a 4th and 23 to try to convert, and didn't convert. Talk about demoralizing. Houston had no timeouts remaining while South Carolina had two. Houston had a chance to try to go for one last play, but thanks to the STUPID clock rules in play, Houston had a procedure penalty as time ran out. This loss of time made this a defeat for Houston. Had these dumb ass motherf:censored: clock rules not been in play, Houston would have had one last chance to heave-ho down the field. Oh well... Houston still had a hell of a season and prevented this score from getting much worse. SEC's string of wins continues as Kentucky and South Carolina get themselves some wins.


FINAL SCORE:
South Carolina - 44
Houston - 36


JOHN'S COMMENTS
I'm still proud of the University of Houston this season. I really wished Houston would have come up with one last desperation play to give themselves a chance. I hate the new clock rules about as much as how most NBA players hate the new basketball. I usually tend to believe that Houston teams just can't win on ESPN and ABC televised games. The thing I've usually hated about most ESPN and ABC broadcasts is that more focus is usually on teams from larger conferences as if non-BCS schools were worth very little to the public eye. It is absolutely sad to me. At least the coverage has shown how Houston is looking to rise from the college football dead. The same reason why people are going to care more for a BCS conference instead of a potential upset from a (dare I say) mid-major that has little or no chance of winning. It's the same reason why Boise State isn't as favored as Oklahoma. That's okay. But what if Boise State beats Oklahoma by 14 or more in their BCS match? It's just one of the things I severely dislike about ABC and ESPN coverage at times. Houston really came to play despite the blunders in the second half. South Carolina is a tough-as-nails team. My only concern for Houston is if they can find some quality talent to take over positions held by this season's big gamebreakers. And as I've stated in the past, I hate the new clock rules and no more apparent than this game. They should do like basketball and only try to speed up the clock heading into the end of the FIRST Half. NOT the Second. It is a damned shame that Houston didn't get that chance to actually play to win. But all that aside, Steve Spurrier is a fearsome coach for a reason. Good job to him and his boys. The Houston Cougars will need to recruit more solid talent so that they can keep bringing the pain. Around these parts of town, Cougar Football is back and better than ever. It shown all year with the saddest loss being to Louisiana-Lafayette at home. Much like Kentucky is going to be better in the coming years, I hope Houston can continue to stay on top. This is still sad that Art Briles has taken the Coogs to three Bowl games in four years... and no wins for Art Briles in postseason play. I hope the next time Houston makes a Bowl Game, they WIN the damn thing. Here's to the future. You did great enough. Now prepare for next August. Houston football is back.





The 2006 Brut Sun Bowl
??? - El Paso, TX, USA

--- ---
* #25 Oregon State vs. Missouri
Intro

I didn't see this game. But as the game ended, it was Oregon State leading the game. Oregon State went for two late and won 39-38 with one minute left!


FINAL SCORE:
#24 Oregon State - 39
Missouri - 38


JOHN'S COMMENTS
This game went down to the wire as Misosuri was looking to upset Oregon State. Had it not been for a gutsy call by Oregon State, they would have played for Overtime. The thing people usually tend to forget is that Bowl Games are like their own National Championship games. If you don't play to win, you're not playing Bowl Season. Much respect to Oregon State and what they've accomplished in this match. They won the game





The 2006 Champs Sports Bowl
Citrus Bowl - Orlando, FL, USA

--- Ran Out of Steam ---
* Purdue ***Boilermakers*** vs. Maryland ***Terrapins***
The wonderful voice of Brad Nessler was teamed up with Bob Griese and Paul McGuire. We are in Orlando and ready to throw down like it's nothing. I wished I had a longer intro to work with, so I'll cut to the chase and meet the teams. Both teams sit at 8-3(?) heading into this game. The Purdue Boilermakers want to show Maryland how overrated they are. But the Terrapins are looking to shut down Purdue... like it's nothing. Let's get this one started!

Maryland drew first blood with a touchdown and the complimentary extra point. You think Maryland is still a sorry team? Maryland put in another touchdown with about 13:33 in the First Quarter alone! Another 6+1 meant Maryland led 14-0 now. So Maryland may not longer be a basketball school in most peoples' eyes. I missed most of the game up until Halftime. But at the half, Maryland led 21-7. Coaching adjustments needed in this one. With about 3:21 left in the game, Maryland continued the blowout 24-7. This could be a black eye for the Big Ten. Douse the Terps' coach with Gatorade! You won yourself a game... and a BIG one.


FINAL SCORE:
Purdue - 7
Maryland - 24


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Holy crap... Purdue is much better than this. Credit Maryland for the win, but you have to be really ashamed that this is the best Purdue can put up against Maryland? It is the damndest shame for Purdue to go down like this. Maybe I've underrated Maryland, but this was absolutely pathetic Purdue played pathetic pigskin. Maryland mauled the boys in black and gold. This is the pinnacle of demoralizing for a team that hasn't had complete playmakers since Kyle Orton was under center. Hell... Maryland's men's basketball team can beat Purdue. Maryland's women's basketball team could beat the Purdue women's team (but in a close match). I think this was a terrible display by Purdue and a bad display by the Big Ten. Unbelievable.





The 2006 Insight Bowl
Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, AZ

--- Survival of the Fittest ---
* Texas Tech vs. Minnesota
It's Phoenix, it's GTPlanet, and it's the Insight Bowl. Northern Texas meets a far northern state. They will meet in the American Southwest by playing in Phoenix. The hottest thing in Phoenix is the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team. Suns recently knocked off the New York Knicks as I give you this report. Phoenix can be thought of as America's other jewel in the desert besides Las Vegas. If you love your college football, there isn't too much in Phoenix to be excited about other than maybe Arizona State. We seen Arizona State already. But this is about Texas Tech and Minnesota. Minnesota will be first. I was ready to call Minnesota one of the biggest shams in college football until they quietly caught fire the rest of the way. All you need to do is have a winning season to make Bowl eligibility. The Golden Gophers hope to be platinum against their opposition from the Lone Star State. That would be Texas Tech. Texas Tech has had some fire in the Big XII as they made plenty of noise. The Red Raiders will need to make more noise and hope Minnesota can hear them. Let's get her done in Phoenix!

Unfortunately, I had no idea this Bowl was on. But from what I understand, Texas Tech had to rally from way back to win. Yahoo! Sports reported that Minnesota put up five touchdowns on Texas Tech's offense. Texas Tech only had one to show. In the Second Half, TTU picked up another touchdown as Minnesota included a field goal. But all hell broke loose in the Fourth Quarter for Texas Tech. Texas Tech would put up three touchdowns and an extra field goal. These scores would make this an Overtime match. Remember that collegiate Overtime periods are not Sudden Death like in the NFL. This was actually a one Overtime game though Yahoo! Sports called it Double Overtime. Texas Tech has the largest point comeback in ANY bowl since 2001's GMAC Bowl when Marshall came back to beat East Carolina 64-61 in Double Overtime.


FINAL SCORE, (Overtime):
Texas Tech - 44
Minnesota - 41


JOHN'S COMMENTS
I only wished I could see this game. Texas Tech has the biggest comeback in the Bowl Games so far, but I'm still amazed by Michigan State coming from WAY back to beat Northwestern. Unlike Michigan State, Texas Tech are true winners in this one. It's been a sloppy season for Minnesota, yet they manage to return to a Bowl Game. Minnesota joins Purdue in Big Ten schools that lost in Bowl games. Texas Tech will ride back to Lubbock and celebrate away. Celebration well deserved.





JOHN'S COMMENTS

--- SADDAM HUSSEIN HUNG ---
That's right. The guy who was (and as one person described it) an "equal opportunity brutalist" was finally executed according to Arab media. I looked to local network KHCW 39 (Houston's CW affiliate) and the FOX News Channel to confirm this. And in so, he's no more. Nationally, I have heard that the U.S. is stepping up homeland security in case someone plans to attack the United States because of Hussein's execution. Here is an article I found from a German-based news group: < http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,2294768,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf >. People in the Iraqi city of Sadr were dancing in the streets. President George W. Bush called it an important milestone in building an Iraqi democracy. However, he stated that the event wouldn't end in violent conflict. This deal may far be over. But for all the American troops overseas, thank you for all you've done. Continue to keep all of us safe from danger overseas and at home.



--- I HATE THE CLOCK RULES! ---
Houston had a False Start or Illegal Formation penalty with about two seconds left. After the ball was put into play, that was basically the end. I was completely frustrated. I haven't liked the new rules all year. I normally say that if you're going to run out the clock so quickly, I think it should be more like basketball. Speed up the clock in the First Half... NOT both of them. Games can still be won in the Second Half, so all the time is needed to make something happen. Houston would have had one last chance to heave the ball into the End Zone. But thanks to the dumb clock rules, South Carolina won the game on Houston's tomfoolery.



--- THOSE LOB PASSES LATE IN THE GAME TO OTHER TEAMS... THEY DON'T WORK!!! ---
Remember those games when a team tried throwing the ball around a lot just to keep the ball in play? News flash... THEY NEVER WORK!!! It may have worked that one time in sports history, but it NEVER works. I don't see why people still try to pull off a play scheme like that. Show me some teams that pulled this trick off and won. Show me any recent examples. Then I'll be convinced.





Saturday's action will come your way with two games in the American Southeast including a match in Texas. Meineke Car Care Bowl action from Charlotte, NC, Alamo Bowl action from San Antonio, TX, and Chick-Fil-A Bowl action comes your way from Atlanta. See you then!

I didn't have a chance to update these scores earlier. So allow me to make the needed modifications and come off with maybe the shortest reports I can.





The 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl
Ericksson(?) Field - Charlotte, NC, USA

--- ---
* Navy vs. #23 Boston College
The North Carolina city of Charlotte is going to be the first of three battle grounds for Satutday's Bowl action. Navy is America's finest football team among Service Academies. But these bunch of boys will have a tough one against Boston College. The Navy Midshipmen aren't going to sit idly as the other team just simply deliver the pain. Likewise, the Eagles of Boston College aren't going to lay back and watch Navy dominate them. Two teams don't want to lose. Trouble is, one must fall.

Navy had the upset in hand, but Boston College was too much down the stretch. This was a close win as Boston College denies a Navy upset.


FINAL SCORE:
Navy - 24
Boston College - 25


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Boston College and Navy feature two great programs. The Eagles were just that smidgeon better. Boston College really clawed back to eventually win and win a close game. You cannot ask for much more considering how this deal has been after the final whistle. This is a great win for Boston College, but don't count out Navy's effort and hustle. Both teams should be great teams when the 2007 season takes place.





The 2006 MasterCard Alamo Bowl
The Alamodome - San Antonio, TX

--- Riverwalk in the Park ---
* #18 Texas vs. Iowa
San Antonio is a very nice city from what I've seen including being in San Antonio before. I haven't been all around the city, but I have seen just enough to actually talk about San Antonio. The state of Texas was done with a batch of very bad weather on Friday which led to dozens of tornadoes and really bad windy and stormy conditions. Regardless of it all, the Alamodome is ready for play. Are you? The University of Texas will meet Iowa in this football match. Iowa has been a surprise team in the Big Ten the past few years. But recently, they haven't had that poise to take down conference powers like Ohio State and Michigan. The Hawkeyes can still take down the defending National Champions. Those defending National Champs are Texas. San Antonio is further away from Austin, yet there is still a great fanbase for this team. The high-powered offense Vince Young and company have provided are not present in this year's team. The Longhorns still remain the baddest team in the state of Texas. Are they bad enough to put Iowa on the shelf? Let's find out.

The Texas Longhorns were certainly game enough in winning a game like this. Iowa had no response late in the game as Texas pulled away to win.


FINAL SCORE:
#18Texas - 26
Iowa - 24


JOHN'S COMMENTS
No BCS Bowl for Texas. They did get a chance to take on a competitive Big Ten team like Iowa. Iowa may likely remain that dark horse in the Big Ten. They still need to try to take down the big names in conference to really emerge and return to the form in which they upset LSU in the Capital One Bowl a few years ago. Congratulations to both teams.





The 2006 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl
Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA, USA

--- Smackdown in Atlanta ---
* Georgia vs. #14 Virginia Tech
Atlanta is normally enemy territory for Georgia since Georgia Tech plays in Atlanta. There is a lot of home state support since Georgia will meet Virginia Tech and their #14th Ranked team. The Georgia Bulldogs haven't had as great of a season as they normally do, but they still made a Bowl regardless of some late breakdowns. Virginia Tech have stumbled themselves, but still remain the #14 team in America. Whether or not they will carry momentum into 2007 depends on how the Hokies fair against Georgia and their mean offense. Let's throw down in the A.T.L.!

This was an upset win that will hopefully revive Georgia football after a less-than-stellar season. Georgia will GLADLY take this win.


FINAL SCORE:
Georgia - 31
#14 Virginia Tech - 24


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Great job by Georgia to pick up a win against a Top 15 team. It is amazing how unpredictable college football can be. All the analysis in the world still leaves a game that can still be decided either way. A little goes a long way. Georgia surely went long to make sure Virgnia Tech couldn't breathe and operate on offense and defense for Georgia to win. This ia a win Georgia will take after a rough season. *upset!*





(no extras. Happy new year!)





For Sunday's scores, it's going to be Miami vs. Nevada playing in Boise, Idaho. It's the MPC Computers Bowl on the blue field! See you then!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I obviously didn't get anything typed up before 2007 came. So let me give you the final Bowl of 2006.





The 2006 MPC Computers Bowl
Bronco Stadium - Boise, ID, USA

--- Boise N' 'da Hood ---
* Miami vs. Nevada
Hope you got yourselves some potato chips or potato wedges because we're heading to Potato Country. It's Boise, Idaho and the wackiest 90 yards you'll find anywhere in America. One team is singing the blues while another team is colored blue. Can you guess them? Let's see if you're right. Miami has no blue of any kind with their uniforms. They boast green, orange, and white. The Hurricanes have found their way all the way to Boise. They will meet Nevada in this one. Nevada is told to be the "Littlest Big Town in the World (or in America)." Nevada is actually in enemy territory because Nevada and Boise State are in the same conference- the WAC. What rhymes with WAC? Wolfpack. That's Nevada's nickname. They are a pack of wolves ready to bite into any team in the nation no matter how big or how small. Can they do the damage to Miami? Find out below.

This was a relatively low-mid scoring game. Nevada got themselves a Safety. Their lead wasn't safe because Miami won themselves a close one.


FINAL SCORE:
Miami - 21
Nevada - 20


JOHN'S COMMENTS:
Larry Coker won't be the Miami coach next year. He wins himself maybe his last game under the helm of Miami. I don't think Nevada led the game. I THINK. Miami will hopefully be better next season. They just have to keep everything under control on the field and off the field. And they'd better do it fast because they (reportedly) will play against their newest rival- Florida International next season. Good luck, boys! Congratultaions to both teams for making it into Bowl contention.





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- BUT THE NEWS PEOPLE SAID... ---
Here in Houston, some people were advised not to possess fireworks within Houston city limits. Still, some people in my neighborhood shot off fireworks. I bet the HPD will likely hand out fines and maybe arrests come sunrise.



--- A DUMB WAY TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR'S IN HOUSTON ---
Houston is a great city. But here's something that might rattle your brains. There were apparently no plans to have some kind of special party in downtown Houston. The reason is because... get this... nobody planned anything. So a night on the town on New Year's Eve likely means that you're going to downtown to spend your money like girls at the mall.





Happy new year to all of you. I wish you a happy and safe 2007. Monday starts the BCS games. Six bowl games are coming up on Monday. Check back when I have my reports ready after Monday's games are done!

You all are going to work me to death here! It may be 200-seven, but we got SIX bowls, the most for one day in the Bowl Season. And why not start the year with college football? We are going all around the nation. Now keep in mind that all BCS Bowl Games will come first if other non-BCS games are played on the same day. BCS Bowl Games will be italicized. So let's do 2007, players!





The 2007 Rose Bowl Game Presented by Citi
Rose Bowl - Pasadena, CA, USA

--- Pushing up Roses ---
* Southern California ***Trojans*** vs. Michigan ***Wolverines***
Get ready for the first of five bigtime games as the Rose Bowl opens its doors for college football fans. The Rose Bowl is the hallowed grounds of college football. This is the 93rd(?) Rose Bowl game. Last year's game may have well been the greatest game of the modern era. Last year's Rose Bowl was the sensational matchup of Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart at the QB position. The dynamic Vince Young lit up Southern California late in the game to win a National Championship for the Lone Star State. Believe me when I tell you this- the Rose Bowl is a beautiful place. Trees, mountains, and how much the stands seem like all of Los Angeles or Pasadena (California) are in the house. People who wear trendy wares like Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Aeropostale, and such all like to talk about SoCal surfing life and beach life. The Rose Bowl is nowhere near the coastline of California. It is instead nestled in the mountains of far northern Los Angeles. This place has seen everything from college championship matches to even (I believe) NFL matches. The Rose Bowl may not have that coastline bit of love most casual fashionable people know about Southern California (or think they do), but this place remains a wonderful place to have college football at. Away from the Rose Bowl, there's a whole lot to do in Los Angeles. Shopping. Movies. Stars. Even school in some of the many colleges and universities there. Including USCal. The University of Southern California is home to countless and famous alums, but one of them was involved in the coin toss deal. That was George Lucas, the Grandmaster of Lucasarts and of Star Wars fame. May the force be with the Trojans in trying to take down Michigan.

Simply put... Michigan didn't come to play. Michigan must have been hungry because USCal handed them lunch in Pasadena. Trojans win.


FINAL SCORE:
#8 Southern California - 32
#3 Michigan - 18

JOHN'S COMMENTS
Maybe there is a lesson teams have to learn before opening their yaps. People will say that they deserve to belong in National Championship games and such. Auburn wanted to be in a playoff to take home the National Title. What happened next? Asses OWNED. Maybe it's dejection for certain teams in which teams wanted to play in a bigtime Bowl game *most disappointing loss nominee*



The 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
University of Phoenix/Cardinal Stadium - Glendale, AZ, USA

--- Silence of the Critics ---
* Oklahoma vs. Boise State
I will be willing to name this game the "Upset of the Bowl Season" if Boise State wins this one and no other big upset takes place afterwards. This will be the debut(?) of FOX covering the BCS. You may have seen FOX call the Cotton Bowl (featured later). Now you will see them call down the Fiesta Bowl. This game will take place in the beautiful new stadium erected for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. Despite the beautiful stadium, the Cardinals are still the ugliest sacks of s:censored: this side of the Rocky Mountains. So much so that Dennis Green got fired after three seasons with the pathetic Arizona Cardinals. Maybe the Arizona Cardinals and [University of] Arizona Wildcats were meant for each other- the sorriest two football teams in Arizona. Two winning teams will clash in this one as the Big XII meets the WAC. You may be thinking Baylor vs. SMU. But we actually have two teams with great seasons here. Some say Oklahoma is overrated. Some say Boise State has no chance of winning. Which one of your friends' (granted you have any) was right? Glendale is in the general vincinity of Phoenix. The Valley of the Sun is home to where Summer can be hellishly (no pun intended) hot and nighttime to be deceptively cold. I don't know a whole lot about Phoenix to be honest. I know you can see the Arizona Diamondbacks and Phoenix Suns do their damage in their respective sports. It was where I heard of the Cardinals beating down the Chicago Bears until the Bears came back to win. But most other things about Phoenix... I don't really know to be honest. This is the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Even this late at night, I'm sure Tostitos appreciates you getting some salsa or chile con queso along with some delicious Tostitos chips (I got Restaurant Style Tostitos chips), and enjoy a game of collegiate pigskin. Enjoy collegiate pigskin as two teams from two totally different conferences square off. These are some good chips... I mean... let's meet the two teams. ^_^ Oklahoma have gone from ^_^ to >_< since they've basically fallen off the Big XII map. The Sooners are still a tough team in any respect. They are usually highly-ranked in most of their sports. Oklahoma is a hot bed of talent... but so is Boise State. The blue field at Boise State seen an MPC Computers Bowl matchup between Miami and Nevada. Boise State's faithful were done partying for 2007 and allowed to see the Fiesta Bowl on FOX. The Boise State Broncos look ready to stampede into Phoenix to look for a win. Not to give Max Powers bad memories, but remember a BCS Bowl in which Utah beat Pittsburgh extremely bad a few years ago? Could Boise State lower the boom on Oklahoma like Utah did to Pittsuburgh a few years back? Let's see who'll win this bad boy.

Halftime had Boise State leading Oklahoma 21-10. At 8:05 left in the Third Quarter, Boise State picked off the crimson and cream to make it 28-10. Blowout is on. Someone on some network (either ESPN or CSTV (or both)) said this would be the least competitive BCS game. The guy must be wearing a dunce cap at least for now. Boise State has never relinquished the lead as of this BSU interception for a touchdown. With 4:29 left in the Third Quarter, Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma scored his first touchdown since breaking his collarbone against Iowa State earlier in the 2006 portion of the season. This TD came as Boise State made a crucial Special Teams error- the ball tipped off the lower leg of a Boise State player in the Red Zone. This touchdown made it a 6+1 to give Oklahoma a trailing margin of 28-17. Another OU score will make it a one-possession game. That chance to make it a one-possession game will have to wait until the Fourth Quarter. Oklahoma was looking at a 28-yard field goal on the right hash. No worries. Boise State still leads 28-20 in the final regulation quarter with 14:57 left in the game. At 8:34 left in the game, Oklahoma stripped Boise State clean and has a chance to perhaps tie the game. There was PLENTY of time on the clock, but Oklahoma called their Final Timeout with 4:24 left in the game and down by eight. If you're thinking "what the hell?", you're not the only one. The Sooners had 2:40 left to make something happen with no timeouts left. They need a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie. They got the touchdown with 1:26 left to make it 28-26. Now they need two to tie. If they don't get it, they better hope the Onside Kick is in their favor. Two penalties on both sides led to Oklahoma going up and getting the ball. Now it's a game. Hold the phone... we have a Booth Review going. It stands. Boise State gets the ball back. With 1:02 left, Boise State got picked off as OU got a touchdown. A TERRIBLE throw this late in the game. He basically threw it to Oklahoma so they can get their first lead... and they did. But this is also under review. OU touchdown. Add an extra point to that. Oklahoma now lead 35-28. First Sooner lead. I wasn't expecting this thing to happen Sooner or later. Boise State may have defeated themselves if Boise State loses this one. On 4th and 18 with about 20 seconds left, the QB completes a pass to one of his receivers and performs a hook and lateral after the reception. Is this college football or what? They got the touchdown and extra point. It's 35 all, and game on! Seven seconds left in regulation. And folks... WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME! Remember that there is no play clock in college Overtime and that it isn't Sudden Death. Boise State's defense was terrible as Oklahoma led off and seen Adrian P. take it into the End Zone. Oklahoma led 42-35. No field goal kicking was in the regulation. Boise State needs seven to extend the game. Is there anything left in the tank? Boise State has been mostly cute with their plays by doing mostly trick plays. Now they need essentials to work for them. Boise State hit the touchdown. They need one to tie and two for the win. Boise State wanted to win, so they went for two. And (I said this in an AOL IM to someone): "DAMN IT TO HELL!!! GAME OVER!!!!!"


FINAL SCORE (Overtime):
#9 Boise State - 43
#7 Oklahoma - 42

JOHN'S COMMENTS
I'm still proud of Boise State. They still looked at themselves more like they were the David trying to down Goliath. What they did was hellishly insane. Boise State wanted to show that they are no mid-major. They did just that with a win like this. This is like Boise State beating Kentucky in a Final Four game. It was absolutely insane. They got her done in Glendale to get themselves a win. I still think Boise State defeated themselves when they could have put the game away. But remember that it isn't how you start, but how you finish. This win is as big of a story as Bob Knight winning #880 in surpassing Dean Smith in all-time wins. Still... the guy who said that this game wasn't going to be close is obviously eating plenty of crow. So if you're the guy who put down Boise State and saw this game and look at GTPlanet, not only have you been OWNED, but you are eating crow ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat_crow ). The FOX people were talking about that it's been games like this to scream for a 1-A Playoff. Great job by Boise State. As a side note, Ian Johnson proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend, and she said yes. This is a beautiful story! *upset!*

*** SIDE NOTE *** The game coverage on FOX featured the 1991 Fiesta Bowl between Louisville and Alabama. While another SEC team was making PLENTY of noise in another BCS bowl (Tennessee at the Sugar Bowl; also known as the "Sugar Vols" that time), Louisville was handing a beatdown to Alabama as the Crimson Tide lost 34-7 to Louisville that year's game. Man. And I thought Louisville has caught fire as of late as opposed to catching fire in recent memory. Oklahoma didn't have a great day because before the football team lost to Boise State, the men's basketball team lost at Alabama. Not a good Sooner day, I presume.





Now let's look at the other Bowl action from the day. We begin in Florida.



The 2007 Capital One Bowl
Citrus Bowl - Orlando, FL, USA

* #12 Arkansas vs. #6 Wisconsin
We are in Orlando. I'll try to go through the scores quickly since I didn't have a lot of time to type up reports on the other Bowl matches. Orlando, Florida is where you can see Walt Disney World. Let it be known that I'm not a Disney lover. I'm not wearing any Mickey Mouse ears if I went. What I would do is see how some of Disney's princesses do at Disneyworld. Now on to the teams who will play real football and nothing phonied up. Arkansas carries the banner for the SEC in this match. The Razorbacks was a team no one thought would catch fire until they blazed a trail of football greatness to most of their opposition. They'll have to go to work against Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Badgers are looking for their first-ever(?) 12-win season. Did the furry rodents get it?

They got it done in a close one. Wisconsin gets the victory. All the miles they traveled from Wisconsin to Florida... worth it in the end.


FINAL SCORE:
#12 Arkansas - 14
#6 Wisconsin - 17

JOHN'S COMMENTS
Arkansas had a great season. Wisconsin is usually tough to beat almost all the time. Almost as if both of these teams found every way to win games. This was actually a good matchup. Perhaps Wisconsin was just a better-built team in this one. Arkansas will need to stay on their current pace so that they can shake up the SEC a bit more. But with teams like themselves and Kentucky sort of rising up, the 2007 SEC race in both divisions will be fun to watch. In fact, I'd even like to see how an Arkansas vs. Kentucky match would end up. Doesn't matter if it is played in Fayetteville or Lexington. Should be a team to watch for next season. As for Wisconsin, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Great job by this team all year long and in this Bowl.



The 2007 Toyota Gator Bowl
Alltel Stadium - Jacksonville, FL, USA

--- Come and Get Your Beating ---
* Georgia Tech vs. #13 West Virginia
We're in Gainesville, Florida. We are in Gainesville as two teams are ready to do give each other new sets of teeth. This is the JTSnooks special. Georgia Tech is unranked in trying to shock West Virginia. The Yellow Jackets may be colored yellow, but they aren't yellow in any sport they play. They'll give West Virginia plenty to be sorry about. Looking to deny their offer is West Virginia. The Mountaineers are going to light up Jacksonville even with the dreadful and cloudy skies. Mountaineers know that when you climb a mountain with clouds preventing you from seeing the top, the view at the top is beautiful as there is nothing but clear sky above. There are no mountains that I know of in Florida. But will Georgia Tech win this uphill battle?

Georgia Tech won the battle momentarily... until West Virginia were just too strong late in the game. Sorry, JTSnooks.


FINAL SCORE:
Georgia Tech - 35
#13 West Virginia - 38

JOHN'S COMMENTS
Credit Georgia Tech even though they didn't win. GT had played a great game over West Virginia. But West Virginia was just too much. I predict both teams to return to Bowl games next season. I will make another bold prediction- both will win no less than 8 games. Great job by both teams.



The 2007 Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium(?) - Tampa, FL, USA

--- No Rules. Just Right. ---
* #17 Tennessee vs. Pennsylvania State
We are in Tampa. I usually confuse Tampa with Tampa Bay. Surely we'll be in the city where you can see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the South Florida Bulls play their Home games. So let's see what Tennessee can do against Penn State. Get ready for a Knoxville Knockout as Tennessee comes to town. They are coming to town strapped with talent. Everyone Volunteers to win the game when it matters most. They'll have to REALLY volunteer because the Nittany Lions of Penn State won't give Tennessee any chance to breathe. Did they?

They simply bettered Tennessee by double. Penn State wins as a recovering Joe Paterno has reason to feel better.


FINAL SCORE:
#17 Tennessee - 10
Pennsylvania State - 20


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Wow. Was this a case of Tennessee not coming to play, or Penn State doing what they had to do to win? This is NOT the way to carry the flag for SEC football in this game. The boys in orange got crushed and sliced. Tennessee offered 10 while Penn State doubled their offer. I do hope Joe Paterno can return to the sidelines in full health. He is a true iron man as he watched his own iron men rule the gridiron against a competitive Tennessee squad. *upset!*



The 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl
Cotton Bowl - Dallas, TX, USA

--- Easy Pickin's ---
* #10 Auburn vs. #22 Nebraska
Dallas is here. Big "D" hosts a big game. While the state of Texas doesn't have a BCS Bowl Game of any kind, the Cotton Bowl is a pretty big deal. This is the place where you normally see Texas and Oklahoma beat each others' brains out. But we're talking about an SEC team and a Big XII team. I'm going to rush through this score quickly because I have a lot of Bowls to get to and not enough time to cover them. The Auburn Tigers are usually a tough team to beat year after year. This version of Auburn isn't highly ranked. Nebraska isn't liked very much by most college football types. The Cornhuskers still remain a fairly good team themselves. Tigers and Cornhuskers. Who takes it?

The win light goes to Auburn in a game I never had a chance to see on TV.


FINAL SCORE:
#10 Auburn - 17
#22 Nebraska - 14

JOHN'S COMMENTS
I can only imagine what it's going to be like next season when Auburn has to take on whoever will be the new coach of Alabama when the 2007 rendition of the Iron Bowl takes place. Auburn is tough to beat as they still remain the team you don't want to play against. That fear of playing them extends into Home games at Jordan-Hare Stadium. As for Nebraska, they probably weren't as favored to begin with. They just don't seem like the team you'd expect to win crucial games. They will still knock things down when it matters most. Just that they didn't get it done with this game.





JOHN'S EXTRAS

Happy new year!





Tomorrow's match includes #5 Louisville meeting #15 Wake Forest. Louisville's offense has been well-documented. But can these bruisers take down the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who are becoming the Rutgers of the ACC? We hit it off in Miami this Tuesday for the FedEx Orange Bowl!

I'm still geeking out about the Fiesta bowl. That had to be one of the most amazing finishes to a game I've ever seen. The size of those massive brass balls on the Boise State coaching staff must be cumbersome when they try to fit through small spaces... like double doors or the cargo opening of a Boeing C-17A.

How many times was the game on the line on one play? When OK HAAAD to get that 2 point conversion... but it kept getting called back for penalties? What about at 4th and 18 when Boise State CALLED the lateral? What about at 4th down when Boise state needed a TD to go to double overtime? What about when Boise state opted for 2 points to win or lose the game and CALLED the statue of liberty?

Phenomenal finish, bold play calling. A great ending to a game that looked at the start like it was going to be extremely boring.

Finally! Finally someone discusses the games! Danoff, I actually wanted to see Boise State win the game without needing Overtime. My hook on this game was so much on how Boise State threw away that game when the QB basically threw the ball right at an Oklahoma defender as it was an easy money touchdown the rest of the way. But Boise State taught us all something- if ever you go down (and you will), try to climb back up as best as you can. It was a GREAT victory for Boise State. If they can keep it up and somehow be a National Championship contender, they will likely be the best story out of the northwest since Washington was going to Bowl Games (last appearance was three or four years ago) and even won a share of the National Championship (early-mid 1990s).

Don't forget that tonight's match involves Wake Forest and Louisville. I'm sure Mr. FoolKiller would love nothing more than to see Louisville lose to Wake Forest. I'll cover this game when I complete my report and actually submit it. It will be on FOX sometime tonight. Enjoy the game.

I wonder if the Boise State win will get anyone motivated to put a playoff system in place.

For all the world it looked like Boise would put away that game easily. They clearly outmatched OK for the first 3 quarters. The 4th quarter comeback from OK seemed very lucky. I think there was a muffed punt and a fumble here or there, plus the interception at an inconvenient location on the field. All-in-all, it seemed like the odds all seemed to be going in Oklahoma's favor. But Boise showed why they led the game the whole way and came back in the end. It was nice to see the better team win it.

I still can't believe they went for two...

I love orange juice. I made sure to drink some orange juice and take a Vitamin C tablet today. Now it's time for one team to get a WHOLE lot of Vitamin C because FedEx proudly presents the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl. Who will deliver the goods? Read on. And I'm sure my buddy FoolKiller will be wondering how his rivals fare in Miami. So after a thrilling Fiesta Bowl last night, time to see what happens in the Orange Bowl.





The 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl
Dolphin Stadium - Miami, FL, USA

--- South Beach Discombobulation ---
Nothing like Miami. It's Vice City in the GTA series, but it's South Beach no matter how you look at it. They say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, what happens in Miami... can be pretty crazy. No one expected Wake Forest to have the kind of season they have had. Wake Forest has absolutely exploded all year and has never looked better in school history. Louisville had the feeling like they actually belong among giants. But as many people know, very few mortals live among the gods and goddesses. Likewise, no one mortal is above God. So Louisville has something to prove. The city of Miami can be a great place to be, or a quite dangerous place. As much as I hate the '80s, Miami was never more popular when the "Miami Vice" series was on the air. The movie "Bad Boys" (maybe "Bad Boys 2") was in Miami. Sports are pretty popular down in Miami. Especially since the Miami Heat are the defending NBA Champs. You can see the National League's Florida Marlins bat the ball out the park in Miami. You can hope the Miami Dolphins ever return to the kind of greatness that they had in 1972 when they were the only unbeaten NFL team in existance. You can also see Miami Hurricanes football with their five National Championships. Or you can see Florida International's Golden Panthers try to win games for a change. / Now let's see who'll be playing. Wake Forest is first. If last night was any indication, Wake Forest may have a great chance to win this game. For something of a century and change, Wake Forest University (or is it the University of Wake Forest) is nestled in the hometown of the FCS' (formerly 1-AA) newest teams- Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The boys in black and gold smell blood. The Demon Deacons hope to have some black magic ready to take down Louisville. Now let's go to Louisville. The University of Louisville felt like they were too good for Conference USA and wanted a chance to play in a big time Bowl instead of some lesser game. So what they did was leave Conference USA for the Big East. Louisville was likely hoping for a National Championship shot, but they did something they couldn't do- beat Rutgers on the road. The ultimate games are in the BCS for football. The basketball ranks just mean that Louisville is in a mega-conference with about 16 teams beating each other down in basketball. Louisville would have had a chance at their first football title after two men's basketball championships. Don't confuse coach Rick Pitino with Bobby Petrino. Petrino is the football coach who cannot wait to see his Cardinals send Wake Forest back to North Carolina with nothing. Someone's getting a glass bowl with oranges. Who'll get that honor this year? Get ready for the Orange Bowl.

The first quarter went scoreless in Miami. But with 14:17 left in the First Half, Wake Forest jumps on the board with a 48-yard field goal. Wake Forest's offer to Louisville was matched with 8:38 left in the First Half with a Louisville field goal. So we're 3-3 after Louisville's counterattack to Wake Forest. The first cashed check went to Louisville as they cashed in their good football play for a touchdown. They got six, add one. So it's 10-3 later in the First Half. Wake Forest missed the field goal to make it 10-6. So we end one half with Louisville leading 10-3. The Third Quarter saw Wake Forest match Louisville's breaking ball as they bat the home run ball- a Wake Forest touchdown. Put in another point and it's 10-10. And they thought Wake Forest couldn't contain the 'Ville. It was all within two minutes. Wake Forest connected several 3rd and Longs. Credit Louisville's defense, but credit Wake Forest's offensive tenacity. Louisville missed a field goal with almost two minutes left in the third. Wake Forest fights back with a 35-yard run. They needed only 10 yards after the missed field goal. What WF got was 35. What we got is a 10-10 tie with one quarter left. To paraphrase Dick Vitale, these two teams need some "P2P'ers" to step up If they want to win in Miami. With 14:46 left, Wake Forest retook the lead with a long field goal from around the left hash. It's 12:31 left, Louisville got themselves a touchdown. No one got a chance to review it because Louisville got off the extra point. And the 'Ville gets themselves a 17-13 lead. It was a highly controversial touchdown since it didn't really look like Louisville took it to the house on 1st and Goal. At 4:57 left in the game, Wake Forest's problems got worse- Louisville rushes the rock into the end zone. The 6+1 gives Louisville a position they are completely used to- leading and leading big. It's 24-13. And to make things worse, Wake Forest committed a frustration Personal Foul (Roughing the Passer) either before or after the Extra Point. Past three minutes, Wake Forest gets picked off by Louisville as this game may just be over. Maybe Wake Forest should have studied last night's Fiesta Bowl. With 31 seconds left, Bobby Petrino reeked of Gatorade being dumped on him as Louisville were only half a minte and change from their first BCS Bowl game win in their first try. This win gives Petrino an 0.816(?) winning percentage among active coaches. Tops on the list is Pete Caroll (0.846). In fact, Petrino is 4th in win percentage among active coaches. I forget #2 and #3. But this is one Louisville will party all night over- they beat Wake Forest. It wasn't a blowout, but it was Louisville's heavyweight-style knockout of Wake Forest. This is Louisville's first-ever 12-win season in the long history of this school.


FINAL SCORE:

#5 Louisville - 23
#15 Wake Forest - 14


JOHN'S COMMENTS
Louisville really shown that they are a power team. Whether you like Louisville or not, they do know how to get the job done against almost any team. Louisville would likely be going for a National Title if they were better favored by the national media. Most people will still think of Louisville as a basketball school for their National Championship runs in the 1980s. Louisville football has proven to be cold-blooded. As I noted in a past "John's Extras," I challenged Louisville to schedule teams like Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Georgia, Florida, Southern California, and teams like that. Or maybe do Boise State a favor and challenge them. If they REALLY want to be among giants, they should play AT those stadiums much like when Texas went to Ohio State in that classic showdown with Vince Young under center. Louisville should be a fearsome team as long as they keep up the good work and take it to the big teams as well as those in their conference. I'm sure West Virginia and Pittsburgh would love to slaughter Louisville first chance they get in Big East play. As for Wake Forest, they had an amazing season. No one should ever second guess their effort as they've been lights-out all season. Best season in years... literally.





Join this discussion on Wednesday as New Orleans is ready to see LSU try to take down Notre Dame. Is Notre Dame overrated? Is LSU a pretender? Find out tomorrow night!

I have to admit that I was really rooting for Wake. I thought they could pull it off, but they didn't seem to have it in them.

On a side note, I've noticed that we have a lot of schools that people are not used to seeing in the upper rankings this season. I think that may be in small part due to the fact that the usual suspects are not very good this year. Even ohio is very beatable, Michigan certainly didn't show up against USC - who lost to two unranked teams. Contrast that with last year's "best ever college football team" USC trojans, and the "new best ever college football team" the Texas Longhorns who managed to topple the giants and prove that they were the real champions.

It's gone from an unusually good crop of college football teams, to a fairly weak crop of college football teams. Meanwhile, the NFL is enjoying one of it's strongest rookie classes ever as many of the players who made the college teams so strong last year are doing the same for NFL teams this year.

I think that may be part of the reason that we see teams like Boise State, Wake Forest, Louisville, and Maryland doing much better this year than previous years.

Wow, I've missed out on this one for a while. Honestly, I should have seen this yesterday, but didn't.

Well, the cats and the cards both won their bowl games. I watched Kentucky play and went to bed halfway through the Louisville game. Us eastern time zone guys can't stay up to catch all the games.

So, I am guessing, John, that you didn't see the six (maybe five) turnovers in a row in the Music City Bowl. To quote a friend, "That is a sign there are too many bowl games." Combine that with the flub that was the officials losing contact with the booth (cell phone, anyone?) and you have one of the saddest displays I have ever seen on a football field.

Kentucky did good this year and won more than I expected them to. If Rich Brooks can bring this team to greatness for the first time in my memory (Who remembers football details when they were 4?) I will support him all the way. However, I fear it will lead to Brooks eventually retiring or staying on past his prime (if it hasn't happened already) and the man who should be coach, offensive coordinator Joker Phillips, will be long gone and facing us on the field from the opposite sideline.

So now is hoping that Brooks can build Kentucky into a competitive SEC team so that if Phillips moves on before Brooks decides he's too old another great coach will want to come in.

From what reports I have read Louisville came back to win in the fourth quarter. That is a sign of a good team that doesn't give up until it is over. Coach Petrino deserves a ton of respect for that. I can't say much more as I didn't see most of it.



Now, I would like to say something about the bowls. I promise this isn't my, "we need a playoff system" rant from last year. But looking over this thread in hopes of catching up something occured to me. We have WAY too many bowl games. We have teams people never hear about winning a bowl somewhere and you have to wonder if it is necessary. We put these kids out there and risk their injury for a victory that only means something to the immediate fans. For instance, Kentucky won the Music City Bowl. I can cheer and put anything I want in my sig about that, but who else cares? Even if our rivals, Louisville, had lost their bowl game it still wouldn't matter because they lost a game that means something while we won a game that means nothing.

I understand that the bowls bring in a lot of money for the schools and help the local economies, but if there isn't a true title with it is it worth it?

If you want to have that many games have a playoff so that even the small teams have a larger goal in the end. And that is all I will say about playoffs, I promise.

That Boise/OU game is close to surpassing last years Rose Bowl for the greatest game of foot ball I've ever seen. Rose Bowl Wins by a nudge since it was UT that won it.

I think last year's rose bowl was a better game because it was a hard fought game all the way through by two really good teams who kept taking the lead from each other. The Boise state game was exciting at the end because the trick plays kept working, but the first 3.5 quarters were pretty boring.

They say that girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. While we don't have girls playing this upcoming Bowl game (Lingerie Bowl, anyone? ^_^), someone is going to have a sugar-sweet victory. The Sugar Bowl is back in New Orleans after the terrible hurricanes damaged the Sugar Bowl as the game had to be moved to Atlanta. Last year's Sugar Bowl saw a disappointing effort by Georgia to beat West Virginia even though the final score was close. Many people (even myself) think that Notre Dame doesn't stand a chance against Louisiana State University. Why don't we get started with this Louisiana matchup?




The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, LA, USA

--- Soul Food ---
* #?? Notre Dame vs. #?? LSU
We're done in Miami. So let's go to New Orleans to see what Notre Dame and LSU can do in the Louisiana Superdome. I think themes usually kill things and takes away from what you're trying to accomplish. But for this game, I'll try to show my lack of money skills. Notre Dame and LSU are two fine choices to make. Which of these two teams provides the best investment opportunity in selling you on how incredible their football teams? The college football stock market will close at the end of this game with one team's stock rising for next season while the other will be in the red. Let's look at Notre Dame. The University of Notre Dame has invested their interest in their big money QB. Brady Quinn provides great opportunities on the football field to win. They've had some rough losses in their run to New Orleans. None worse than when Michigan blew out Notre Dame in Ann Arbor(?). Still, the Fighting Irish have a fighting chance to crush their opposition so that Notre Dame doesn't lose this battle. Now, we move ahead in talking about the pride of Louisiana college football- Louisiana State University. LSU is great at a multitude of sports and safe to invest your interest on. They are very interesting because their players are walking bags of money. All their players are rich in talent. And you HAVE to be rich with talent to survive in the SEC. The Tigers earned their stripes the hard way all season. Speaking of LSU, Nick Saban will leave his seat from the Miami Dolphins to Alabama. So Saban will return to the SEC. This time, playing for Alabama.

LSU led 21-14 after a half of play. With 18 seconds left in the Third Quarter after a Notre Dame injury, LSU continued the blowout with a 58-yard long bomb to take her to the house. I thought he was going to overthrow his wide-out, but he caught that thing like it was a shovel pass or a quick dump off! Make it 6+1 for LSU. Now it's 31-14 after three quarters. Not even 30 seconds pass, and LSU picks off Notre Dame. Even with some of the LSU players missing curfews and sit out the First Quarter. JaMarcus Russell is just getting it done under center for the Tigers. But not after 12:42 when Russell threw the ball to a guy in navy blue and gold. That's right. Picked off in the end zone as the Fighting Irish still have a fighting chance. That fighting chance was burned up in smoke later in the game as LSU got in a field goal at one point, then a touchdown later. With about 1:30 left in the game, you're looking at a 41-14 blowout. That blowout would be sustained as LSU gets it done. Let's hear it, Louisiana folk!


FINAL SCORE:
#11 Notre Dame - 14
#4 Louisiana State - 41


JOHN'S COMMENTS
I told you. People thought Oklahoma vs. Boise State wasn't going to be close. Well, I thought THIS game wouldn't be close. And I was right. Notre Dame is like Hooter's girls- overrated. They have improved the years, but still are overrated. I'd laugh at Notre Dame if they were the #1 team in the nation. LSU basically introduced Notre Dame to SEC football. Taking nothing away from the Big Ten, Big XII, or the ACC; the SEC IS football. It's the reason why people don't give Florida much of a chance when they take on Ohio State on Monday of next week. LSU was just too much for Notre Dame, and it showed. This was almost a complete mismatch. This is Duke taking on Michigan. No way in Heaven or Hell Notre Dame could beat LSU.





Here is an NFL focus.

NFL FOCUS
--- NFL "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" HONORS HANDED OUT ---
Vince Young won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors by showing his strength late in the season. The Houston native really shown his strength on the field. It used to be that Michael Vick was the sort of superstar that could uproot the NFL. Now (with all respect to Michael Vick), Vince Young hopes to make a run with his team for next season. My cousin doesn't want Tennessee to win. He normally hates seeing Tennessee win a Super Bowl since they couldn't get it done under the wing of Warren Moon when Tennsessee was the Houston Oilers. Speaking of Houston, the Houston Texans got themselves a solid defensive investment. No, not Mario Williams, but DeMeco Ryans. He picked up Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The Texans need either defense, an offensive line, or both. At least the Texans have a star to fall back on. They'll need some more offensive line talent, or just more offensive support.



--- NICK SABAN RETURNS TO COLLEGE ---
Nick Saban won a share of the National Championship when he coached LSU. After his spell with the deflated Miami Dolphins, Saban returns to the collegiate game. He's staying in the SEC... but going to Alabama. So LSU's win over Notre Dame is now means that LSU will be ready to show Saban how well-coached they were before Saban hit the NFL. I don't know if Saban ever coached outside of the American Southeast, but he has a lot of SEC blood in him.

-end "NFL Focus"





JOHN'S EXTRAS

--- BEST GAME EVER? I DON'T THINK SO! ---
The Fiesta Bowl match between Boise State has been usually dubbed as "the greatest game of all-time." While it was a good game, that pales SEVERELY in comparison to the 2006 Rose Bowl between USCal and Texas. THAT was an exciting game. Both teams refused to give up, Vince Young's wicked touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the game, wins it for the Longhorns... best game of the modern era. Maybe even best of all-time. So... I'd ease up saying that the 2007 Fiesta Bowl is the most exciting game of all-time or of this era.

-end "John's Extras"






Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar... only bigtime game left is Ohio State vs. Florida in Arizona. The next bowl isn't until Saturday afternoon. So we have a chance to really preview Ohio State vs. Florida. The next Bowl game is Saturday between Western Michigan and Cincinatti in Toronto. After that, it's Ohio and Southern Miss on Sunday Night in the GMAC Bowl. Then the big game on Monday for the 2006 National Championship.

So what do you say we preview Ohio State/Florida?

JohnBM01

FINAL SCORE:
#11 Notre Dame - 41
#4 Louisiana State - 14

Click to expand...

Other way around wasn't it?


On to Florida and Ohio State. Well, to start every SEC fan can tell you that LSU was the better team in the SEC and their places should be switched with Florida. I know a way this could have been avoided, but I promised not to mention it again.

As for the upcoming game I will be cheering for Florida, of course, but I believe it will be Ohio State. From what little I have seen them play they just look to be too good. I think Florida will keep it close but Ohio State will just outplay them. Now if it were LSU....

Right, right... I sometimes confuse scores. Almost like I confuse scores with my college basketball reports. FoolKiller, with this win by LSU over Notre Dame, what do you think this proves about SEC football against teams like Notre Dame?

I revised my score changes. So thanks for pointing that out. I'm usually hasty in putting score reports in because I don't want to hold on to something for a long time. I want to get the scores out so that I don't have to wait any longer. I do make mistakes. And I thank you for pointing that out. But on to my earlier question, what do you think this LSU blowout of Notre Dame does for SEC football in terms of national respect and recognition among college football fans? What does this loss say about Notre Dame and Brady Quinn? I may provide my own preview of Ohio State vs. Florida in a future post.

Reply away!

I think Brady Quinn is still pretty solid. It was the ND O-line that held things up for them. That and their defense just didn't show up. They just looked like they were getting pushed around out there.

BTW, I think Florida wins the championship game.