American College Football Bowl Games - Triumph or Tragedy?

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JB

Now that the American College Football bowl game pairings are official, are you happy with the lineups?

The spoiler lists the games, locations, dates, times, and teams. This list comes from Yahoo: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--2013-14-college-football-bowl-schedule-015528935.html

Spoiler:

Some folks are mad that Ohio State University is out of the running. Others favor Michigan State or Oklahoma State or Baylor as better candidates than the two teams (Florida State and Auburn University) in the final championship.

What's your viewpoint?

**Alfndrate**

I would have loved to see Ohio State in the Rose bowl, but they're not the Big 10 Champions, so it's understandable that they get shuffled off to the Orange Bowl (whoo...)

I don't think FSU has had a difficult schedule, but I do think that Auburn has done what it needed to do to get to that bowl game.

As much as I dislike the state of Michigan, I'll probably watch the Rose Bowl over the Orange Bowl simply because my parents love the Rose Parade and it's a bit of a new years tradition.

Also, pretty cool to see Bowling Green State University in there (a 'small' college here in Ohio)

**Hlaine Larkin mk2**

I'll definitely watch the Michigan game, probably have to skip out on the BCS game as it's 2 days before an exam and staying up till 5 am isn't a good plan

**cincydooley**

Buckeyes going to a BCS game was a no brainer, even though I was pretty crushed they lost. I think Michigan State-Stanford will be a good old fashioned slobber knocker of a game, and I hope Sparty wins.

I think the OSU-Clemson game is going to see upwards of 100 total points. Neither teams play much defense.

I think the Championship Game will be exciting, and I really hope Floriday State wins because I'm tired of the SEC.

Baylor is going to destroy Central Florida. They're going to put up a LOT of points.

Alabama should easily handle Oklahoma. I'd have much rather seen Ohio State v Alabama.

Texas v Oregon should be a fun game to watch. I think Oregon wins easily if they care about the game at all.

South Carolina v Wisconsin Should be a REALLY fun game to watch. I think Wisconsin edges them in a close one.

Georgia v Nebraska sounds interesting...but both teams are so devastated by injuries that it's going to be ugly. I think Georgia wins that one.

**Frazzled**

I'm just saddened that my old alma mater didn't break its standing record in stabbings of opposing teammates/fans. For shame!

**dogma**

I'm glad that OSU isn't playing in the BCS title game, as I would like to watch a football game rather than a study in embarrassment.

**d-usa**

I think Oklahoma is going to get creamed against Alabama. Oklahoma State should have a good match up in the Cotton Bowl.

**whembly**

d-usa wrote:
I think Oklahoma is going to get creamed against Alabama.

Agreed.

Oklahoma State should have a good match up in the Cotton Bowl.

It should be a great matchup with a good story too...

Old Big12 rivalry.

Go Mizzou!

**cincydooley**

dogma wrote:
I'm glad that OSU isn't playing in the BCS title game, as I would like to watch a football game rather than a study in embarrassment.

No reason to think they'd get embarrassed. They weren't in their only loss against a team with a far better defense than Florida states. Further, Florida state played a weaker schedule than Ohio state. So any "they'd get embarrassed" argument predicated on their SOS that ignores FSUs SOS is ignorant.

**Ensis Ferrae**

I think that it's a damn shame the Longhorns are going to be further embarrassed this year playing the Ducks in the Alamo Bowl.

I also am against all the hundreds of bowls that there are. It's pathetic really. Anymore your school only has to have a .500 record and you get a bowl game? WTF is that about!?

**Dreadclaw69**

Looking forward to the Pinstripe Bowl, I can't say that ND had a great year so we're about where we deserve to be.

**kronk**

d-usa wrote:
I think Oklahoma is going to get creamed against Alabama.

But they'll be in New Orleans and can drown their tears in their beers!

WOOO!

Also, Louisiana Tech didn't make a bowl game this year. Sad Panda.

JB

I am interested in all of the bowls with an SEC team involved.

For the BCS bowls, my predictions are:

Rose Bowl
Michigan State over Stanford in a very physical game.

Fiesta Bowl
Central Florida over Baylor (yes, I think it will be so, because UCF actually has a defense)

Sugar Bowl
Alabama over Oklahoma in a game that makes Bob Stoops cry about the SEC again

Orange Bowl
Clemson over Ohio State because the Tigers are made as hell going into this game and Woody Hayes is not coaching OSU in this one.

BCS title game
Auburn over Florida State because the Tigers have been tempered against more quality opponents than FSU.

I am also interested in the Oregon vs. Texas game (Ducks win this one).

I would also like to see Duke win their bowl game.

**whembly**

What about Mizzou (SEC) vs OSU (B12)?

JB

whembly wrote:
What about Mizzou (SEC) vs OSU (B12)?

It's a game with an SEC team so I am very interested in it. I give the edge to Mizzou in that one because the Tigers have a better defense. I like the Cowboys though against most of their opponents. I lived in Oklahoma for two years and became a fan of OSU rather than OU.

**hotsauceman1**

Ok So yesterday I worked the food bar at a Local High School. game, I figured this is the best place to ask. In the end it ended up like 50-3(Im not sure I worked to much and wasn't able to pay attention. I heard from some parents this is the best game they saw, but with a unbalanced score it doesnt seem like it would be interesting. Maybe this is from a 40k background where I like hard faught game. But is this common? Where Slaughters are considered good games

**Ensis Ferrae**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Ok So yesterday I worked the food bar at a Local High School. game, I figured this is the best place to ask. In the end it ended up like 50-3(Im not sure I worked to much and wasn't able to pay attention. I heard from some parents this is the best game they saw, but with a unbalanced score it doesnt seem like it would be interesting. Maybe this is from a 40k background where I like hard faught game. But is this common? Where Slaughters are considered good games

That greatly depends on one's perspective really. For instance, yesterday Northampton Saints beat Leinster Rugby 18-9. And having watched from opening kickoff to final whistle, I can tell you it was a phenominal game. Both sides fans can say it was a hard fought, hard won game, and came down to literally the last minute. If one is a fan of Goliath curb stomping on David then sure, a 50-3 type victory in just about any sport is a "good game"

Call me strange, but I'd rather have a close game, where its easy to tell both sides are fighting for dear life, trying to scratch and claw victory away. The guys who leave everything on the field, and feel as though THIS game/match is the most important one of the year.

**whembly**

JB wrote:
whembly wrote:
What about Mizzou (SEC) vs OSU (B12)?

It's a game with an SEC team so I am very interested in it. I give the edge to Mizzou in that one because the Tigers have a better defense. I like the Cowboys though against most of their opponents. I lived in Oklahoma for two years and became a fan of OSU rather than OU.

Really?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Mizzou fan. But, I think their defense is overrated (see the Auburn game).

Remember, Mizzou is a high scoring offense, so most of their opponents are airing it up too in order to catch up.

This game is a "coin flip" to me. Unless Mizzou dominates on the running game...

**cincydooley**

Yeah. I'm not convinced any of the defenses in the SEC are that good this year. They get the ESPN media BJ though, which overinflates them.

JB

cincydooley wrote:
Yeah. I'm not convinced any of the defenses in the SEC are that good this year. They get the ESPN media BJ though, which overinflates them.

That is why I love the bowls. We finally get to see a lot of good BCS teams from different conferences pitted against each other. By January 7th, we ought to know whether ESPN's hype machine was in overdrive this year.

By my fast count:

6 Big 10 teams
6 Big 12 teams
9 PAC 12 teams
10 SEC teams
...and practically the entire ACC (11 teams made it to a bowl).

As for other conferences playing games against the five major conferences:
- Marshall from C-USA (should crush Maryland)
- Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, and UCF from the American Athletic (will win half their games)
- Bowling Green of the MAC gets to face Pittsburgh (NIU gets to face a Mountain West team, which is odd for the MAC champion)
- The best team in the Mountain West, Fresno State, gets to play the University of Southern California (I'm rooting for Fresno)
- A third Mountain West team, Boise State, plays Oregon State of the PAC 12 (I'm not favoring Boise in this one)
...and Independent BYU gets to face Washington...a toss up I guess.

Help me out if you see that I have my numbers off. I went through it all in a hurry.

**cincydooley**

Making a bowl game anymore means pretty much nothing. Half the teams playing will have either a .500 record or a sub .500 record voter their bowl.

Those teams shouldn't make bowls.

JB

cincydooley wrote:
Making a bowl game anymore means pretty much nothing. Half the teams playing will have either a .500 record or a sub .500 record voter their bowl.

Those teams shouldn't make bowls.

Yeah, you could cut out 15 of the bowls without seriously changing the overall quality of the bowl season.

**Hlaine Larkin mk2**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
hotsauceman1 wrote:
Ok So yesterday I worked the food bar at a Local High School. game, I figured this is the best place to ask. In the end it ended up like 50-3(Im not sure I worked to much and wasn't able to pay attention. I heard from some parents this is the best game they saw, but with a unbalanced score it doesnt seem like it would be interesting. Maybe this is from a 40k background where I like hard faught game. But is this common? Where Slaughters are considered good games

That greatly depends on one's perspective really. For instance, yesterday Northampton Saints beat Leinster Rugby 18-9. And having watched from opening kickoff to final whistle, I can tell you it was a phenominal game. Both sides fans can say it was a hard fought, hard won game, and came down to literally the last minute. If one is a fan of Goliath curb stomping on David then sure, a 50-3 type victory in just about any sport is a "good game"

Call me strange, but I'd rather have a close game, where its easy to tell both sides are fighting for dear life, trying to scratch and claw victory away. The guys who leave everything on the field, and feel as though THIS game/match is the most important one of the year.

Close matches usually are much more interesting and nail biting but that in itself isn't always a positive if you root for one team but is always excellent if the game is between 2 teams you don't support

**Ensis Ferrae**

Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:

Close matches usually are much more interesting and nail biting but that in itself isn't always a positive if you root for one team but is always excellent if the game is between 2 teams you don't support

I think it's really only a positive if the game itself is of high quality. As I said in my post, Northampton and Leinster was a very quality match to watch. If the match were a close one between, I dunno... Biarritz and Racing Metro, then I'd think that there's something seriously wrong with one side. In American Football terms, I think that the last Broncos and Patriots game was pretty good for that reason. I particularly hate the Patriots, but dont care that much about the Broncos; I will acknowledge that both are high quality teams that produce good results to their fans, and to have their game go the way it did makes for exciting viewing. It wasn't a sloppy game like the Philadelphia and Detroit game was a week or 2 ago (the one in the blizzard), which was entertaining for many of the wrong reasons.

JB

So far I am only 14-9 in my bowl picks. There have been many surpises but you often never really know what to expect when teams from two different conferences meet.

I have been more disappointed by so many lopsided games (7 of 23 games within 10 points). At least Duke vs. TA&M was close.

Will today's games be more evenly matched?

**cincydooley**

Duke got jobbed on those two non-calls at the end.

I'm shocked that Iowa kept it close vs LSU. I wish wisky would have won, but Connor Shaw had a helluva game.

**Ensis Ferrae**

My bowl season is over... the Ducks fairly well beat Texas in the Alamo bowl. The great thing that I enjoy about it, is how much of a religion Football is in Texas, yet they couldn't handle a team from the west coast.

**dogma**

cincydooley wrote:
Duke got jobbed on those two non-calls at the end.

Yeah, the first one was notably bad, and reinforced many stereotypes regarding the NCAA.

**cincydooley**

Ensis Ferrae wrote:
My bowl season is over... the Ducks fairly well beat Texas in the Alamo bowl. The great thing that I enjoy about it, is how much of a religion Football is in Texas, yet they couldn't handle a team from the west coast.

To be fair no one thoughts Texas was very good this year.....

Automatically Appended Next Post:

dogma wrote:
cincydooley wrote:
Duke got jobbed on those two non-calls at the end.

Yeah, the first one was notably bad, and reinforced many stereotypes regarding the NCAA.

I mean, their two interceptions were BAD, but those non calls were still, IMO, inexcusable.

**Ironwill13791**

Wow, UCF is giving Baylor everything they can handle and then some.
I guess JB was right. UCF is the real deal.