Mmm, interesting. Here's the line-up for this season's NCAA bowl games.
The Pre-Christmas Bowls
21/12, 2am, Poinsettia: #38 Utah -v- #44 Navy (56% faves) 22/12, 1am, New Orleans: #72 Florida Atlantic -v- #87 Memphis (65%) 22/12, 6pm, Alabama: #28 Cincinnati -v- #74 Southern Mississippi (85%) 22/12, 9.30, New Mexico: #54 New Mexico -v- #73 Nevada (69%) 23/12, 1am, Las Vegas: #16 BYU -v- #39 UCLA (73%) 24/12, 1am, Hawaii: #59 E Carolina -v- #18 Boisestate (83%)
Two sides enjoying a fairly clear homefield advantage. Pick of these ties should be MW champs BYU against PX title contenders UCLA. We absolutely refuse to get at all interested in mismatches like Alabama and Hawaii.
The Nothing Else To Watch Bowls
27/12, 12.30 Motor City: #61 Central Michigan -v- #46 Purdue (60%) 28/12, 1am, Holiday: #12 Arizona Province -v- #11 Texas (50%) 28/12, 10pm, Orlando: #14 Boston College -v- #45 Michigan Province (80%) 29/12, 1am, Texas: #40 TCU -v- #57 Houston (66%) 29/12, 1.30a Emerald: #21 Oregon Territory -v- #36 Maryland (66%) 29/12, 6pm, Charlotte: #25 Wake Forest -v- #41 Connecticut (64%) 29/12, 9.30p Liberty: #47 UCF -v- #52 Mississippi Territory (53%) 30/12, 1am, Alamo: #30 Texas A and M -v- #24 Penn Province (55%)
Arizona Province was another side that could easily have made the big ten, and Texas makes for a very interesting opponent. Two Texas sides meet in the Texas match; the game in Orlando is one best missed.
The Getting Somewhere Bowls
31/12, 1am, Royalist: #62 Alabama -v- #56 Colorado (53%) 31/12, 5.30p Armed Rebellion: #32 California -v- #48 Air Force (65%) 31/12, 7pm, Sun: #23 Oregon -v- #27 South Florida (56%) 31/12, 7pm, Warmongers: #60 Fresnostate -v- #34 Georgia Technology (69%) 31/12, 9pm, Music City: #35 Kentucky -v- #37 Florida Territory (51%) 01/01, 1am, Atlanta: #20 Auburn -v- #22 Clemson (52%) 01/01, tbc, Tempe: #50 Oklahoma Territory -v- #65 Indiana (60%)
Long-time PX leaders Oregon won't be too happy at getting nevertheres South Florida. The Atlanta bowl can pick Georgia Technology, but chose a decent game instead.
Success Was So Last Year
01/01, 4pm, Outback: #13 Wisconsin -v- #19 Tennessee (57%) 01/01, 4.30p Cotton: #31 Arkansas -v- #9 Missouri (75%) 01/01, 6pm, Gator: #29 Virginia -v- #26 Texas Technology (52%) 01/01, 6pm, Orlando: #10 Michigan -v- #7 Florida (56%)
Wisconsin was our outside shot for inclusion in the big games, but they're relegated to a top-20 game, alongside the oh-so-lucky SE-E champs Tennessee. Absolutely no idea why Arkansas should be in that game against BT finalists Missouri. AC losers Virginia can count themselves lucky to meet an unimpressive Texas Technology side. Michigan's season has been an improvement since the opening weekend, and they'll be able to finish it off by beating outgoing BCS champions Florida.
Top Ten Fourteen
01/01, 9.30p Rose: #2 Southern California -v- #33 Illinois (88%) 02/01, 1.30a Sugar: #6 Georgia -v- #15 Hawaii (60%) 03/01, 1am, Fiesta: #5 Oklahoma -v- #8 Virginia West (56%) 04/01, 1am, Orange: #4 Virginia Technology -v- #17 Kansas (70%) 05/01, 5pm, International: #43 Rutgers -v- #79 Ballstate (81%) 07/01, 1am, Mobile: #53 Tulsa -v- #81 Bowling Green (75%) 08/01, 1am, BCS: #3 Louisiana Purchase -v- #1 Ohio Province (58%)
We'll quietly ignore the two lower-league bowls that have crept in there, everyone else will. Defending champions SCALF can rightly feel robbed: a messy end to the season doesn't detract from the fact that they were the best (read: least-bad) of the rest, and deserved a place at the top table. Illinois is an odd addition, though provisional calulations indicate they won the games that mattered, and have a Beatpath over all other BT sides.
The Sugar game looks interesting: GRGIA was denied a title chance by a loss in the wrong game, and HAWII has yet to taste defeat. A win here and defeat for OHIST would really set the cat amongst the pigeons. We have a feeling that OKLAH and WVIRG will cancel each other out, leaving a dull mess. VTECH meets the one-loss KANSS, another side that won everything except a key game. Replacing SCALF in the BCS title game is LSU, a decision that is wrong but not absurdly wrong.
Television coverage: most games will be shown live on NASN. The exceptions for December's matches are:
FLATL -v- MEMPH, 22/12, 9am
CMICH -v- PRDUE, 27/12, 12 noon
ARZST -v- TEXAS, 28/12, 12 noon
ALABM -v- COLRD, 31/12, 2.30pm
We know that there will be no live coverage of CALIF -v- AIRFC, FRSST -v- GEOTC, or KNTCY -v- FLAST, but do not have details of when these matches will be shown. Nor do we have details for the various kick-offs on 1 January; we do understand that SCALF -v- ILLNS will be live.
NCAA |
