Showdown in Naw'leans

So the day has finally come. Tonight, after a ridiculously long pregame show (or at least it will seem that way) from crappy-ass Fox ends, Ohio State and LSU will meet to decide who is this year's crystal ball winner. I cannot remember a time when a title game has been less talked about than this one but this is the game we have whether we like it or not. Only in the BCS era can we have a game in which the best 2 teams aren't even playing for the title. Ohio State let it slip that they were planning on playing their dual threat (read: black) QB in tonight's game. You know, the one who was suspended (only half of the season, mind you) for soliciting a prostitute. Why a QB from Ohio State would need to solicit sex from a hooker is beyond me. You would think the Vest would have that kind of thing taken care of for the glamour boys but to each his own. LSU will field their own degenerate back up QB when Ryan "4 Heisman" Perriloux will act as the Tim Tebow of the Bengal Tigers.

I know all of the Ohio State blowhards will tell you that the Vest has learned his lesson and will not be embarrassed like last year but unless his team got remarkably faster over the course of the last year (which it hasn't) or he is playing a team that got remarkably slower since last year (he isn't) I don't think Ohio State has the guns to win it (although if you listen to the national media, or ESPN as I like to call it, Ohio State is the prohibited favorite). Here is why.

LSU has the DB's to be able to play man-to-man coverage with the average Ohio State WR's. While I think Robiskie is a solid player he is nothing special and is not half the WR that Anthony Gonzalez was for the Buckeye's last year and he did very little in that game against Florida. This will enable LSU to bring 8 guys into the box to try and curb Beanie Wells as best they can which will force Todd Boeckman (or however the hell you spell it) to beat them. I am not sure that they can do this which should help LSU keep this Buckeye offense in check for the better part of the game.

On offense LSU does not match up well with Ohio State only in the fact that Matt Flynn simply is not that good. If Flynn plays well this game will be another sleeper but I think he will put his defense in some tight spots with a few key turnovers which should keep this game close throughout . Look for LSU to use Hester as their primary back and give 3 other guys some carries including the tiny, yet incredibly explosive, Trindon Holliday. There are rumblings that LSU has some plays designed to get him on the edge in some funky situations. Ohio State has some nasty players on D which should be enough to keep them in this game but there is simply too much speed on LSU's team for the Buckeye's to handle for 4 quarters.

LSU 24 - Ohio State 21

Muschamp to Tayhah...Look out Big 12.

The University of Texas has struck black gold, or Texas Tea if you prefer. What is arguably one of the best hires this off season is not a head coach but a defensive coordinator. Will Muschamp, formerly of the Auburn Tigers, has been hired to co-lead the defensive charge for the Longhorns. Anybody that is an SEC fan knows that Muschamp is arguably the best defensive coordinator in all of football. Where as Auburn's offense has sucked ass since the departure of Cadillac Williams, Ronnie Brown and Jayson Campbell, its defense has been a veritable force to be reckoned with. Muschamp brings a passion and fury to the defensive side of the ball that is rarely seen and his players respond with weekly lights out performances. Needless, to say, those of us in the SEC are thrilled about the departure of Muschamp, however, being that we here at Gods of The Gridiron are also Big 12 fans (specifically Nebraska), we are not so thrilled. Muschamp's decision to leave Auburn, I will admit, came as a shock to most. Although if you ask any Auburn fan, they would say good riddance. Why...? Idiocy. It is the typical defense mechanism that kicks in when a member of your beloved team moves on to somewhere else. What can they say? They are human. The circumstances, under which he left, are also a little odd. Some sources say that is was in part to him getting turned down for extra tickets to the Chick-Fil-A bowl. I will wait a second to continue until you have read the previous sentence again. Yes, that is what you thought you read. I can only hope that somebody that was making roughly $425k a year, didn't leave his job because he couldn't get more "free" tickets to a football game. Good lord, you make $425k a year, go buy them. The more plausible reason would be due to a certain clause in his contract that would allow the University to back out when and if they saw fit. I have to admit, if somebody wanted that in my contract, I would leave as well. Let's be honest here for a second. Auburn is a good football school, which recruits fairly well, however, they are no Texas. The amount of talent that Muschamp will be able to pull from just greatly increased and in a conference where defense is optional at best, the addition of Muschamp should return Texas to the top of the Big 12 heap.

Can we start the games earlier???

So, I was laying on the couch, recovering from the incredible hangover that I had, while watching The Sugar Bowl. I looked down at my clock and seeing that the fourth quarter was about to start I figured it was 10:30...11 at the latest. But what time stares back at me...? 12:08. Needless to say, I was a little irritated. I wanted to watch the entire game to see the trophy presentation and to watch Georgia completely dismantle a team that truly shouldn't have been playing in a BCS game. Instead, since the alarm would be going off in a little over 7 hours, I headed for the bed. Why does Fox find it necessary to start the games at 8:30 east coast time? In the case of The Sugar Bowl, kickoff wasn't until around 8:52. Add to it that Fox went to commercial every time somebody took a deep breath and that Colt Brennan and Hawaii throw the ball about 80 times a game and you have over 5 hours of actual game play. The game finally wrapped up, or so I was told, around 2 a.m. Look I understand that these games are big money games for the networks but when a game starts, on the east coast, at 8:30 and doesn't end until 2 a.m., then you need to fix some problems. Needless to say, the BCS Championship Game on Monday will probably be a barn burner ala the Texas vs. USC game of 2005 and I will have to stay up until 2 a.m. to see the culmination of this years BCS screw up. Oh well, I might as well get used to it since the system isn't changing anytime soon.

Bowl Bonanza #3: New Year's Eve Bash

In the busiest day to date we get a great night cap with the Peach Bowl (or Chick-Fil-A) and have some interesting games throughout the day. Florida State will field the JV squad in the Music City Bowl while Oregon limps into the Sun Bowl against South Florida. The feel good story of the bowl season plays out on the NFL network when Indiana takes on Oklahoma State in a surefire shootout. We are almost into the BCS games and Monday's slate will only further our appetite for them.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas, 12:30 ESPN)

California 31 - Air Force 21

California phoned it in more than any other team in the country this year while Air Force took many by storm (including lowly Notre Dame). A lot of people are pegging this game for the upset of the bowl season but I like Cal and their speed to be too much for Air Force. Desean Jackson will be the fastest player the Falcons have seen all year and should create some serious mismatches. Air Force will give it a go for a while but Cal simply has too much depth and speed.

Roady's Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, ID 2:00 ESPN 2)

Fresno State 28 - Georgia Tech 20

Georgia Tech is sans coach and playing out West where their pitiful fan base will not travel. Fresno State always plays big teams tough and Tech is not that good. All are signs why I have GT going down. Tech DC Tenuta won't be there as he has decided to leave the program so the one strong point of the GT team will be without its coach. I know little to nothing about Fresno State but I know all I need to about how average Georgia Tech is.

Brut Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas 2:00 CBS)

South Florida 30 - Oregon 17

Without Dennis Dixon Oregon is lost at sea and that is the case heading into this game. South Florida has a stout D, especially against the run, and should be able to stymie the Duck QB's all day long. The Bulls' offense is not much to write home about but the Oregon D is not the best either. I like the Bulls to put up a TD via the defense and get some solid production out of QB Matt Grothe.

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tenn. 4:00 ESPN)

Kentucky 30 - Florida State 20

Florida State will be without 25% of their roster due to the massive suspensions which leaves them very vulnerable. Andre Woodson is a top notch QB who should be able to get FSU in some tricky spots. The Free Show offense is horrendous but it should be able to move the ball on Kentucky at times. This game would have gone to FSU had it not been for that minor cheating scandal. Woodson will win the MVP as he should have a huge day against FSU.

Insight Bowl (Tempe, Ariz 6:00 NFLN)

Oklahoma State 38 - Indiana 30

This should be one of the highest scoring games of the bowl season with both offenses having great skill players. I think OSU has better skill players as a whole and should match up very well with Indiana. The Hoosiers have a great combo of offensive talent in a shifty QB and a dominant WR in 6-foot-6 James Hardy. I like Adarius Bowman of OSU a little better and the spark plug running back for the Pokes is solid. This should be an entertaining game with OSU coming out on top.

Chick-Fil-A Bowl (Atlanta 7:30 ESPN)

Auburn 17 - Clemson 13

This should be the opposite of the Insight Bowl where defense will rule the day. Auburn has one of the best defenses in the nation led by oft-suspended LB Tray Blackmon. Clemson will be without a few defensive starters due to suspension which should help the always average Auburn offense. There should be some hard hitting defense throughout and some stud RB play as well. Clemson has one of the best RB duo's in the country with James Davis and CJ Spiller while Auburn RB Brad Lester is solid (when not suspended). Look for Auburn to stuff the run and force Clemson to throw the ball where Auburn's D is fierce.

Independence Bowl: A Satan-Versus-Hippy Epic

Alabama fans went nuts when Saint Saban took all of that chedda' and left the NFL to be the next Bear Bryant. Too bad Saban couldn't have gotten any new players. The Tide went an abysmal 6-6 with the low point coming when they lost to LA-Monroe at home. Saban was given a free pass this season but next year a 7-5 type season will not get it done. Colorado is living off of their freakish upset win over Oklahoma. They have a decent offense and a decent defense but Bama should have the edge in overall talent. I like Bama to win a close game where neither team looks especially good.

Bama 24 - Colorado 20

Bowl Bonanza #2

For the second day in a row we get a triple header worthy of...well...not that much. Beginning with the Meineke Car Care Bowl (what a douchey name) and ends with the Alamo Bowl. In between the two is the epic contest known as the Liberty Bowl. The only reason to watch this game is the UCF RB, but more on that later. One way to look at it is that after Saturday night we will have cleared the majority of the horrible games and we will be that much closer to the real bowl games. And now, on to the picks.

Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, NC 1:00 p.m. ESPN)

Wake Forest 24 - Uconn 21

* actual score: Wake 24 - Uconn 10

This game is all about Defense (read: horribly boring) and should be close throughout. Both teams rely on a solid defense and great coaching to win games which means this could turn into quite the chess match. When Wake QB Riley Skinner gets into a rhythm he can be deadly (ask Florida State). Uconn relies on TO's and solid D (as well a BS fair catches) so they should be able to make plays during crunch time as many of their games were close. I think Wake Coach Jim Grobe is one of the best game day coaches in the business and he should be enough to get Wake Forest its first bowl win in a very long time.

Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tenn 4:30 p.m. ESPN)

Memphis State 20 - UCF 17

* actual score: MSU 10 - UCF 3

This game is really too close to call but I am going with MSU for little more than admiration. Admiration of not only what Mississippi State has done on the field but also how head coach Sylvester Croon has done it: the right way. Croon focuses on defense and motivation and does so with a sense of class and dignity unrivaled in today's game. All of the talk going into this game will center on UCF RB Kevin Smith. Smith is 181 yards shy of Barry Sanders' all time record (note: Sanders played in 3 LESS games than Smith). MSU has been hit-or-miss on defense this year but I like them to step it up and make UCF beat them via the passing game and hold Smith under 180 yards thus keeping the record in Barry's hands.

Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, Texas 8:00 p.m. ESPN)

Penn State 27 - Texas A&M 17

* actual score: PSU 24 - TAMU 17

Texas A&M runs the ball very well. Penn State stops the run better. This is a case of strength versus strength when these two teams square off which should make for some good drama. Penn State as one of the best defenses in the nation led by star LB Dan Conner. Texas A&M will feature a 3 pronged attack with QB Stephen McGee and RB's Michael Goodson and Javorskie Lane. Penn State will force the Aggies to throw the ball and the only good option the Aggies have is in TE Martellus Bennett. I think Penn State can handle all of this and will win going away and give JoePa his 23rd bowl victory.

Bowl Breakdowns: A Triumvirat of Mediocrity

We get the pleasure of watching 3 meaningless, boring football games today as we are slowly widdling away the horrible bowls. Today we have the Champs Sports Bowl, the Texas Bowl and the always enjoyable Emerald "Nut" Bowl. Rather than having me waxing poetic about the greatness, or total lack thereof, of these games we will cut to the chase and get on with the gettin' on...just like those lovely Song Girls.

Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL 5:00, ESPN)

Boston College 31 - Michigan State 28

* actual score: BC 24 - MSU 21

Matty Ice and Co. should have little worries when it comes to putting up points on MSU as every team that plays the Spartans does that with ease. The problem for BC will be stopping the high powered Spartan offense. Mark D'antonio inherited a great offense when he took over for John L. Smith but has yet to fix the defense. This should be an entertaining game in terms of points scored as both offenses are highly productive. I like the BC defense to make at least one more stop than the Spartans thus taking the game in a shoot out of sorts.

Texas Bowl (Houston, TX 8:00 NFL Network)

TCU 23 - Houston 20

* actual score: TCU 20 - Houston 13

Houston comes into this game without their coach as he has bolted to Baylor (WTF was he thinking?). Houston is known, or at least was known, for their spread passing attack which should make for a decent match up with defensive minded TCU. TCU comes into this game highly disappointed with themselves as they were a pre-season top 25 team that finished at 7-5. Houston is right where they should be in some podunk bowl game that no one cares about. I like the TCU defense to hold Houston in check just enough to get the win. Thankfully this game is on the NFLN so no one will have to watch it.

Emerald Bowl (San Francisco, CA 8:30 ESPN)

Oregon State 30 - Maryland 28

* actual score: OSU 21 - Maryland 14

These are 2 teams that I know very little about. Oregon State gets their star RB Yvenson Bernard back from injury which should bode well for the Beavers. Under Ralph Freidgen the Terps are about as hit or miss as Lindsey Lohan. One game they look like knockouts and the next they are face down in a puddle of their own vomit while attempting to take a line of blow off of a hookers ass (ok, maybe that was a stretch...but not for Lohan). The Beavers will have more fans at the game (assuming people actually show up) but this game really is too close to call. I like Bernard and Co. from the West to redeem Arizona State for their phone-it-in performance from last night.