Before the games, some conversation...football fore(star)play, as it were.
Michigan State has kicked off Bowl Season by kicking off ten of its players due to their inability to behave like civilized human beings, behaving more like gang bangers than “student/athletes”. Big stage, Big life, Big 10...Big dummies.
Cincinatti sets sail for its bowl game against Urban and Tim attempting to complete an undefeated season without its regular season leader, who dumped his kids like a bad habit when the Domers beckoned. The school with the self-proclaimed highest of standards was perfectly content to kick the kids from Cincinatti right in the sweet spot by insisting that the USB counldn't possibly wait a couple weeks, and USB's new leader and molder of young men (gag!) couldn't get out of the Queen City fast enough as he self righteously turned his back on the kids from whom he had demanded so much. Working title for this show --Brian Kelly: just another reason to hate Notre Dame.
Septuagenarian (or is he an octogenarian?)Bobby Bowden has been informed that his Florida State team’s bowl appearance will be the climax of his career. Better late than never.
There's a lot more news to discuss, but let's move on for now. Before making our selections for the three opening games (the names of the games appear to have been the creative genius of of a group of bored accountants), here's an archival tribute to the departed "student/athletes" of the Michigan State football program.
Wyoming v. Fresno State OVER 54 1/2
The New Mexico Bowl
Saturday 3:30 p.m.
If their regular season is the template for this game, the Wyoming Cowboys will put up between zero and thirty points. Their offense has been somewhat schizophrenic, as evidenced by the numbers. Their defense can be stubborn, but has frequently revealed its shortcomings and given up a bushel of points. The Fresno State Bulldogs, 12 point favorites, hung a season high 53 points on Illinois in their final game of the season in Champaign on the 5th of December. They’ve scored more than 30 points in ten of their twelve games. I had a twinge that the two teams might decide to dig in and go toe-to-toe in a defensive tussle ‘cause it‘s going to be a bit chilly (sunny and 46) in Albuquerque. Then I thought, and this is a quote directly and succinctly from my brain, “Nahhhh”. BTW, the city of Albuquerque was founded in 1746 and named in honor of the Spanish town of the almost identical name that everyone in Spain also had trouble remembering how to spell.
Central Florida +2 ½ v. Rutgers
The St. Petersburg Bowl
Saturday 7:00 p.m.
You heard it here first: this is Saturday Knight Fever. I crack me up sometimes...CFU’s Golden Knights against Rutgers’ Scarlet Knights. CFU’s coach is George O'Leary, who formerly coached Notre Dame (an ever expanding club membership, ex-Domer coaches) for about 20 minutes (‘till they actually fact checked his resume). Two Gun said the wrong team is the favorite, and I agree with him. CFU’s defense will give Rutgers a rough ride in St. Petersburg, another bowl host city that was given its name in deference to a city that had the name first, that of course being the one in Russia, which does not currently host a bowl game, but there's always room for one more if the price is right and some TV network will lug a couple cameras over there to show the game. Since the Russian St. Petersburg was Leningrad until 1991 (and Leningrad was previously Petrograd,but only for ten years, until Petro apparently lost the naming rights in 1924 in one of those kooky Russi p.man "misunderstandings"), the Florida St. Petersburg gets top billing and the right to host a handful of pasty-faced tourists from New Jersey.
Middle Tennessee v. Southern Mississippi Over 58
The New Orleans Bowl
7:30 p.m. Sunday
First things first: this is the 3rd consecutive bowl host city of the opening weekend that got its name from a European city of a like name, in this instance, Orleans, France. That is, for me, the most compelling fact about this game. The game itself is a bit of a quandry. We are supposed to stick to what we know, and I know very little about these two, and I confess that I have virtually no interest in learning about them, as I am not an inveterate investor in the exploits of either institution. I have discerned that both teams like to score and both teams appear to treat the practice of defense as just something to do while the offense rests up on the sideline and gives each other pats on the ass and various hand signs and yells "yeah, baby, that's what I'm talkin' about" and "my house" and gives the We're Number One finger to the TV cameras and says "Hi Mom" to the camera, even though there is clearly no microphone and we can't hear what they're saying but it probably makes their Moms happy so we endure it. Anyhoo, as a result of the paucity of knowledge, I have chosen to go with "they like to score" and take Over 58. If you have a better idea, please share, as I am spiritually unable to invest any more time in this game. It's an NFL Sunday, so I don't think anyone but us is going to pay attention to this game...and we aintagonna be all that interested, other than the final total.
I have some really cool news to share...EDIT COMPLETElater.
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