BCS Game

And scene.  The crazies in Tuscaloosa now start making plans to tear down the current Saban statue and build one ten times bigger, made of pure gold and hounds tooth, and ROLL DAMN TIDE!

#1 Notre Dame vs. #2 Alabama

When rankings aren't worth squat.  Notre Dame was 12-0 so what choice was there without the playoff that will finally be here in a couple years.  The Irish were close to losing to Purdue, they squeaked by Michigan, they needed all the help they could get from the officials to win against Stanford, Pitt had them beat, and even a depleted Southern Cal team stayed close.  But the luck of the Irish played out all season and the Golden Domers were trying to wake the echoes. 

And then they played Alabama.  Touchdown Jesus turned this game off at halftime. 

If you're reading this you probably saw the game, so I'm not going to recap or give details.  The Irish had no answer for the Tide.  This might as well have been Purdue or any other 6-6- or 7-5 team playing, they would have stood the exact same chance.  If there was a playoff, we would have probably had Oregon or Georgia playing the Tide in a week or two for at least some semblance of a title game.

I don't think Notre Dame would be any better than the seventh best team in the SEC if they played in that conference.

After 35 games, what an utter disappointment of a game and it's pretty much what I expected.  You know what kind of game you're watching when Brent Musberger is more interested in the Alabama quarterback's girlfriend and skeezes out a nation with his comments.

It's often said Brent gambles on the games he calls and it was apparent that if he laid down a few dollars, he was definitely in for the Irish with the points.  A bit lighter in the wallet then.   

I'm actually typing this while the game finishes, glad another BowlQuest has ended.  It's too bad that my favorite sport has come to an end like this for a second straight year.  They'll get it right eventually.  Or not. 

Alabama 42  South Bend High School 14   And Kool and the Gang is playing. 

For a moment today I almost switched my final bowl pool pick to Notre Dame because I had no chance to win outright.  Glad I didn't.  If my calculations and Yahoo are correct, I'll pocket the second place cash.  Could be worse, I could have to watch this game again.

GoDaddy.com Bowl

Yeah, there was a game on Sunday night. Why, who knows?

Arkansas St. vs. Kent State

Off to Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile we go for this nightcap to all the NFL wildcard playoff action.  The MAC champ taking on the Sun Belt champ.  A game with both head coaches leaving for bigger jobs.  Gus Malzahn from Arkansas State, gone to Auburn while Darrell Hazzel of Kent State is taking the Purdue job.

A bowl rarity, Hazzell stuck around to coach the Golden Flash in this game.

The only thing really interesting about this game were the helmets worn by Kent State.

I have no idea what's going on with the front of the helmet.  I guess a "Flash" has demonic eyes.  I kind of like the "K" on the back.

Kicking off at 9pm (good grief), I caught most of this game as no one at home seemed to care.  No one really cares what happened so I'll spare you any details.  Two supposedly high octane offenses were shut down by defense and the Red Wolves won 17-13.  I turned the game off early in the fourth quarter and went to bed.

Game notes:

-Go Daddy used their ads during the game to focus on the product they sell instead of trying to dupe 17-year olds into thinking Danica Patrick was naked in an extension of the ad on the company website. 

 Ms. Patrick did show up on the sideline, fully clothed, talking about the upcoming NASCAR season driving for Tony Stewart Racing.  I then had to hear Mrs. Keith's thoughts on Danica. (She doesn't like her and doesn't think she's "all that.")

 Yeah, she even tosses her hair at news conferences.  Larry The Cable guy was also in Mobile for the game although I doubt he had a presser or tossed his hair. 

-Bowl swag:  Did players get a Fossil watch? You know it.  Not a bad swag bag - Sol Republic headphones, Fossil watch, leather garment bag, Wilson football.


I picked Kent State, hoping they would win their first bowl game since I was getting G.I. Joe's from Santa Claus.  Bowl record now 20-14 and I fall to third place in the picks pool.  That pretty much ends my chance at winning.  I probably have to take Notre Dame for any chance at the top spot.


BCS Championship game tonight between, well you know the teams, and the bowl game marathon comes to an end.

Compass Bowl

Game 33 of BowlQuest, zero interest, just like Pittsburgh fans.

Pitt vs. Ole Miss

The Panthers have played in this game three straight years.  At some point you'd figure they either have to win another game or two and play in a better bowl game or drop below .500 and stay home.  Either is a better alternative than an annual January trip to Birmingham and crumbling Legion Field.

Boy #2 and I made a trip to Dave and Buster's to catch the first quarter because we had a $40 gift certificate to use before it expired Sunday.  The local Dave and Buster's has been remodeled and while still a humungous space, it was much nicer than the previous incarnation.

We sat in this area and fortunately Stephen A. Smith wasn't on.  In addition to the Compass Bowl, we had access to the Michigan State/Purdue basketball game on another big screen. The Spartans are the usually sloppy, foul happy team they are this time of year and it was a foul fest against the Boilers.

Anyhow...

Ole Miss scored two touchdowns in the first half, one coming thanks to a Tino Sunseri interception.  Sunseri's only playing of note was that he had not thrown an interception since September.  The ESPN guys calling the game made certain to mention that fact several times so everyone watching knew what was coming.

We stayed at Dave and Busters through the first quarter and left after we ate and the boy played $20 worth of games.  A stop at Costco was next, to pick up a couple things to munch on during the NFL playoff games.  I don't know what they were selling, but it was the most crowded I've ever seen Costco.  Not a single cart at the front of the store.  Must be an outstanding coupon book this month.

It took forever to check out.  We were standing next to a man who was only buying two boxes of cereal.  Seemed like a bad time for cereal only shopping.  Mr. Cereal looked perplexed at the whole situation and for some reason, jumped out of his line one spot from checking out and went to stand in another line.  He still managed to check out before us because the self serve check-outs at Costco are the worst.  They stop working for every single customer and require an employee to come over and restart it.  There should also be an item limit on those self serve lines.  We were behind a family that appeared to be restocking a restaurant and furnishing a bedroom. 

We finally checked out and then there was a huge line to wait for the receipt check.  A lot of people hate the receipt check but during Christmas we saw these folks pick off some shoplifters, so there is a reason for it.  And it's always the same people who do the checking, which I like.  Charlie always seems like the cantankerous but kind elderly neighbor.

Oh yeah, the game.  I came home, watched the ho-hum third quarter and then Mrs. Keith said she had enough and started watching episodes of True Blood.  Wow, that show is terrible.

Ole Miss 38  Pittsburgh 17

Game notes:  

-Nice season for the Rebels, improving to 7-6 from 2-10 last season. SEC!  SEC!

-As noted Pittsburgh needs to do something one way or another with their program.  If not, at least commit to not playing in this game for a fourth straight year.

-The announced attendance was better than at the Sugar Bowl.  How does that happen?  I guess Rebels fans were excited about being in the postseason and they could drive to the game.  Thankfully Legion Field didn't crumble under the weight of a full capacity of fans. 

-Pre-game competions?  How about some bowling (get it?) with bowling pin trophies.

-Bowl swag:  Fossil watch, Oakley Dispatch II sunglasses, wireless portable speaker, backpack, football.  Not a bad haul for a bottom tier game.

I had Ole Miss in this game, upping my record to 20-13, just a few points back of the pool leader.  It's all going to come down to Monday night.

There is another game tomorrow, the GoDaddy.com bowl.  And it's on late.  But MACtion. 

Cotton Bowl

And then there's Johnny Football...

This game has been played on Friday nights the last couple years and while I'm kind of annoyed with games like the Fiesta and Sugar bowls getting played away from New Year's Day, I like this game being at the end of a work week.  Friday Night Football!

Everyone at home has finally begun to deal with the games (that only took 32 games) and just ask, "When is your game coming on?" when I walk through the door.

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma

The hype that's going to surround Johnny Manziel next season is going to be immense.  I don't know if I've seen a player like him.  It's not just the ability to run and throw well, it's like he sees the field differently than other players.  Like he can see where the holes are going to open up, not where they are open at the moment.

Texas A&M kind of plays like Oregon when it comes to tempo, but unlike the Ducks, everything revolves around Manziel.  On the Aggies first quick touchdown drive, Manziel darted to his left and looked like he was going out of bounds but he danced along the sideline and then skipped into the end zone.  I think the Sooners were watching him instead of trying to tackle him.

Oklahoma's game plan was good in the first half, keep Manziel off the field.  The Sooners were trading field goals for touchdowns, usually a recipe for losing but they took a sure Aggie touchdown away with a pick and finally got in the end zone to make it 14-13 Aggies at the half.

Then the A&M train came out of the tunnel at full speed to start the second half. Enjoy.

The Aggies had almost 300 yards of offense in the third quarter alone (!) while scoring three touchdowns and putting this game away.

Final totals for Manziel, 287 passing yards, 229 rushing yards, four touchdowns, and one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen.  Johnny Football footballed all over Oklahoma.  The Sooners looked punch drunk with about eight minutes left in the game.  No mas Johnny.

Texas A&M 41  Oklahoma 13

Game notes:

-Remember when all those people were crowing about Northern Illinois not belonging in the Orange Bowl, the Huskies taking Oklahoma's rightful spot. Actually, the Sooners would have been a good match up for the Seminoles.  I'm sure they would rather have been in Miami instead of in front of Manziel and A&M.

-Looks like the Cotton Bowl folks went back to 1986 for their champions hats.

-Huge crowd for this game - not surprising, being in Texas and the two teams playing.  Didn't look like an empty seat in the house.  For as much as Jerry Jones has screwed up the Cowboys, he's done an amazing job marketing his stadium and making this a top tier game again..

-Texas A&M fans really enjoy football.  They never stopped making noise, even when the game was decided.

-Players got their beef on at the pre-game Beef Bowl.  It is Texas.

 
-Bowl swag:   The game does not disclose the gifts bestowed but last year the players received an iPad2 and...a Fossil watch!  Also, the Sooners all received Johnny Manziel's cleat prints on their back.

I had the Aggies to win this one, bumping my bowl record to 19-13.  I'm in second place in my picks confidence pool.  I probably need to win out to take the top prize.

Today, the BBVA Compass Bowl from dilapidated Legion Field in Birmingham.  Pittsburgh fans must feel like Russians exiled to Siberia every January.  Birmingham, again? 

Fiesta Bowl

A veritable football party in the desert, and sometimes when you go to a party you see things you never thought you would see.  That happened in tonight's game, a football rarity.

#5 Oregon vs. #7 Kansas State

On paper, or at least in the rankings, a great match-up but having seen both these teams play a number of teams this season I had a feeling that it wasn't nearly as close as the rankings would lead you to believe.

The Ducks blasted out of the gate thanks to the human blur, DeAnthony Thomas who took the opening kick in Glendale, Arizona and streaked to the end zone, with Oregon never looking back.

The entire game was Oregon doing what it does best, play fast paced football, and see if their opponent could keep up.  Kansas State could not.  This was a game the Wildcats needed to slow down and they did  for a while after Oregon scored their second touchdown.  Then the Ducks lightning attack struck right before halftime and you had a feeling this game was over.

No one complained about me watching this game, and Mrs. Keith even put in her two cents about Oregon because she stayed up late to watch Stanford beat them and ruin their shot at a national title.

Growing weary of football, I found a new show (or at least new to me) on PBS called "Market Warriors" about professional pickers that was actually well done, informative and hooked me.  It was like they took all those pawn shop/storage unit shows from cable channels and threw out all the awful acting and staged competition to make this show.  Meet Miller Gaffney, a picker on the show.

 The other cast members were interesting as well. I got hooked on the episode and forgot about the Fiesta Bowl for a while.  Fortunately I turned back in time to see the rarest of the rare.

The One Point Safety.  I had only heard whispers of such a play.  And it was if the football gods whispered to me to turn off PBS and get back to ESPN to see it.  I swear to you, I turned the game back on just as the play happened.  Confusion at the game, confusion on the couch on Blackhawk Drive.

Then referee Ron Cherry stepped to the field and said, "On the previous play, we have an unusual ruling,"and then went on to explain the ONE POINT SAFETY!  Indeed, the great white buffalo of football plays.

(I tried to include the video but Youtube is refusing to cooperate, here's the link to watch it yourself.)

What makes this play even stranger, ESPN play by play announcer Brad Nessler was also calling the only other game where a one point safety occurred, a game in 2004 between Texas and Texas A&M. 

After this rarity, the game was all but over.  How do you come back from that?  Kansas State did not.

Oregon 35  Kansas State 17

Game Notes:

-This may have been Chip Kelly's last game coaching the Ducks.  There are three NFL teams that are interested in installing Mr. Kelly's offense to their team.  Maybe ESPN can stage a Lebron-like event where Kelly comes out, with three team hats on a table, and takes 30 minutes to make his decision. 

-I would really like to see Alabama and Oregon play. 

-Bowl swag:  Fossil, you win.  Gift suite presented by PAC Sports Division, Fossil watch, Ogio Mercur backpack. 

As noted above, I had Oregon winning this one, seeing no chance for Kansas State's defense to contain the Ducks.  I moved up to 3rd place in my bowl picks game still with the most potential points to win.

Cotton Bowl tonight, Texas A&M and Oklahoma, should be a good one.

Sugar Bowl

Only three of my four family members had to ask whether or not there was another bowl game Wednesday night.  Yes, wife/daughter/boy #2, the Sugar Bowl is being played in New Orleans.  And there's another game Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Sunday night and Monday night.  Then it's done.

#3 Florida vs. #23 Louisville

Here come the Gators, one win away from likely playing for a national championship against the Cardinals from the hobbling and bumbling Big East.  The outcome was supposed to be a formality, with the Gators ferocious defense humbling the Cardinals air attack.  Someone forgot to tell Louisville.

Hey, even the Louisville fans looked hammered after a day on Bourbon Street, getting ready for the inevitable.

First play from scrimmage and an errant Gators pass is returned by the Cardinals to the end zone and it's a game.  Following a Gators stalled drive, Louisville takes the ball down the field, aided by some stupid Florida penalties and it's 14-0.  What?!

I thought this was going to be a first half only game to watch, and it kind of was, but for Louisville curb stomping Florida.  Instead of playing great defense like they did all season, the Florida players decided it was more important to try and bully Louisville, standing over players after tackles, strutting and preening after hits and adding penalty after penalty.  Florida head coach Will Muschamp had little control of his players.

24-10 Louisville at half and we're looking at the possibility of the biggest upset in the bowl games.

Things didn't get much better for Florida in the second half and I had dozed off for a while.  Boy #2 yelled at me to wake up and I saw the score jumped to 30-10.  With the way the inept Florida offense was going, this game was all but over.

Cardinals quarterback Teddy Bridgewater continue to lead his team down the field, putting up one more field goal while the Gators threw up some desperation scores but couldn't finish.  The Gators were desperate most of the game, trying onside kicks (that didn't work) and trying to make big plays on defense that back fired.

Yeah, Florida fans, you may want to go incognito. And I hope that woman was able to dislodge whatever was caught in her teeth.

Louisville 33  Florida 23

Game notes:

-In their 11 wins, Florida had a total of six turnovers.  They had three in this game alone.

-For all the Gators' false bravado, attempts at intimidation and thug-like behavior, Louisville never flinched.  That's great coaching.  How other schools missed on Charlie Strong is a mystery.

-ESPN had Sean McDonough and Chris Spielman calling this game.  Spielman is the anti-Matt Millen, thankfully.  Good game insight, understated delivery, the guy gets it.

-Tim Tebow was on the Florida sideline.  He was really familiar with the way the Gators played, he'd seen the same all season with the Jets.

-This game bore an almost exact resemblance to the 2008 Sugar Bowl when Utah came in and stunned a fairly disinterested Alabama team.  The Gators came in expecting win, a huge flaw. Once again, lousy job by the coaching staff.  I will say Florida coach Will Muschamp did a great job yelling at the officials.

-I have no idea what teams do after games, but I'd guess a few Gators players may have had a few Hand Grenades down on Bourbon Street.

 Mmm, grain alcohol and Midori.   Tropical Isle, the bar that serves them up, claims it's the most powerful drink in New Orleans.  They're horrible if you're ever down there and thinking of giving one a try.  Go for a nice Sazerac or a Vieux Carre at the Hotel Monteleone carousel bar. 

-Swag for players, decent:  Gift suite, Fossil watch, New Era cap, Boxer & Stone hoodie. 

I had the Gators (like 97% of bowl picks pool players did) with my second highest confidence points guess. Watch out for the guy at work who had Louisville in his pool, he may be crowing about it.

Fiesta Bowl tonight, Kansas State vs. Oregon.  Might be a few touchdowns. 

Orange Bowl

We're officially at the point of the BowlQuest when the family keeps asking if I've had enough football.  Yes, yes, yes.  That's the point, bowl season is bloated, the challenge to watch all the games isn't all that fun.  Tuesday night's game was the sixth of the day so football has been on TV in the house since noon. 

Despite watching all but the last couple minutes of this game I'm just realizing FedEx no longer sponsors this game.  When did that happen?  Where's Obie?  Despite it's several colors, this logo is pretty bland.

Florida State vs. Northern Illinois

MACtion in the BCS, how will we survive.  A lot of jibba-jab about how a team from the MAC shouldn't be in a BCS game.  If that's the case, then why is the MAC in the BCS at all?  Apparently people felt Oklahoma should have been in Miami.

Who cares, this game means just as much as the Gildan New Mexico Bowl in the grand scheme of things. Give the Huskies a shot.  And the bigger issue is really why ESPN continues to force analyst Matt Millen on the football loving public?

After five games I was really dreading a night filled with one idiotic comment after another from Millen, especially after hearing him on the Russell Athletic Bowl.  Sure enough, he came out with the annoying habit of referring to play by play partner Joe Tessitore as "Tess" over and over again. And then a tsunami of stupidity hit in the second half.  A few examples:

-With the half time score 14-3, Millen explained the Huskies were behind by 11 points!
-He insisted on saying NIU quarterback Jordan Lynch was from the "south side of Chicago" and even broke off a few lines from "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown."  Lynch is from Mt. Greenwood, from Chicago's south side but a nice neighborhood.  Millen made it sound like he was some sort of gangster.
-When Lynch forced a throw for an interception inside Florida State territory, Millen said it would have been better for NIU to attempt a field goal than turn the ball over.
-And then Millen started saying things to amuse himself including calling one player a "good looking rascal" and saying "That's a big, powerful man. Follow that rear end," and then giggling about it.

Brutal. Let's shake off Millen and "Tess" with the famous "fumblerooski" play from the 1984 Orange Bowl.

Nebraska against Miami, now that's an Orange Bowl. 

The game, Florida State did get NIU's best shot for three quarters but bigger, faster athletes finally took over as did Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher waking up and calling for plays to bust through the Huskies smaller defensive line.  The Seminoles finally started pushing in the fourth quarter and put the game away.  This was kind of a no-win game for the them.  Win, and it was expected.  Lose, and it's an embarrassment. 

Florida State 31  NIU 10

Game notes:

-This game has been a blow out for the last couple years.  I don't think there's really been a good Orange Bowl since 2006.  Of course, Miami will be back in the spotlight with Notre Dame and Alabama Monday night for the championship.

-Where was Obie, a.k.a. King Orange?  Last year, Obie was near the field and got tangled with a player as he ran out of bounds during West Virginia's blow out of Clemson.  He did finally show up but bowl organizers were keeping him well away from the action.  So no Obie in the logo, or seen much during the game. Boo! 

 Here's Obie and former Kansas coach Mark Mangino.  Fill in your own wise ass remark.

-Hats off to this guy, an NIU fan who was tailgating at the Huskies stadium in DeKalb, Illinois.

 Why?  Who knows, but he was there to support his much maligned team. 

Bowl swag for players:  Pretty boringy, a gift suite trip, Tourneau watch.  Not too creative.

I had Florida State, as did most everyone else, and went 6-for-6 in correct picks on New Year's day.  I'm up to 4th place in my bowl pool with the most potential points still on the board.  Need to keep getting them right.

Sugar Bowl tonight, Florida and Louisville.