Saturday Bowlapoolooza

Five bowls today... I'm on the road in Jal, NM (USA)... so I really don't have time to write a preview of today's action.  Enjoy it.  Go Northwestern!

Friday Bowlapoolooza

Now it starts getting hectic.  Tomorrow we have three four bowls.  And the race is wide open.  Remember this pool really doesn't start until we start getting to the multiple bowl days like tomorrow, so my hot start is a mirage.  Pretty much everyone is still in this thing. 

We start with more military themed bowls.  Armed Forces features Tulsa and BYU.  Evangelicals v. Mormons.  Just like the Republican primary! Actually Tulsa is probably a state school, but have you ever been to Tulsa? 

Pinstripe Bowl is played in the new Yankee Stadium.  Rutgers is the state school of New Jersey just off of Exit 134.  Iowa State is located in Ames, Iowa, just past Farmer Robertson's corn field.  Should be fun.

The Music City Bowl features Mississippi State and Wake Forest.  I like Wake's uniforms.  My greatest bowl moment came when Texas played Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl during Ricky Williams' Heisman season.  I caught an extra point!  Should have run out of the stadium with that football.  I threw it back instead.  What a goodie-goodie.  I blame my parents (sorry Mom).

By the way, are you watching the Alamo Bowl?  I should have gone.  It's unreal.  It's like a video game, but it has absolutely the worst color analyst ever.  Man ESPN's coverage has been absolutely awful.  If I have to listen to that theme song they are using for all these games I'm going to have wash out my ears with acid.  Anyway, the game is an incredible offensive show. 

The Insight Bowl has the best logo.  I love it.  The game features oklahoma.  I hate them.  They play another corn school - Iowa.  Bob Stoops should be wanted by the police and arrested for over-the-top arrogance.

Have fun.  Enjoy the bowls.  I'll see you on the blog later.

My Annual Rant Against baylor

In a town called Waco, Texas, there exists a college that is well known for its measles outbreaks, poor quality restaurants, Dr. Pepper, lack of night life and cheaters.  Here's all you need to know about baylor: Ken Starrrrrr and Dave Bliss.  Cheatin' SOBs.  Lyin' SOBs.  Criminal SOBs.  Now they have a Heismann winner (how'd that kid wind up at Baylor), a top 10 basketball team (still cheatin' after Bliss - How'd Baylor beat out Duke for two recruits... Huh?), and the top rated women's basketball team (listen to Brittney Griner speak and then talk to me).  Why isn't Texas in the PAC 16?  Baylor.  Why did it take so long for a&m to get to the SEC? Baylor. 

We all picked baylor to win except for Monique.  Thank you Monique... I wish I had had your guts.

First game the Domers play Florida State.  Kathy went to Florida State I believe for a while.  Most of us picked the Seminoles except for Matt, RC and me. 

Second game the baylor bears play the Washington Huskies.  Go Huskies.  I can afford to lose.

We are actually both rooting for the Longhorns... when it came right down to it, RC really wants Texas to win...

The Holiday Bowl

This is historically a crazy game.  It involves my beloved Longhorns so I might need to double up on my blood pressure meds tonight (or get really drunk).  My Longhorns have fallen from grace because we cannot find a decent quarterback to our shame.  We will feature two QBs tonight: a freshman (David Ash) and a sophomore (Case, I'm no Colt, McCoy).  Between them we have, well, a bad QB.  We are getting our two freshman running backs back from injury, but our best player, Fozzy Whitaker, is gone for the season because the University of Missouri is too cheap to put in a decent field turf at their university.  We play Cal, who unfortunately for us, seems to have a strength at running defense.  On paper this should be a boring, low scoring affair.  But it's the Holiday Bowl and weird things happen in San Diego.  Too bad Tim still doesn't live there because I could be there tonight if he did.  But no, he's in Charlotte.  I guess I could have gone to the Belk Bowl.  Tomorrow, I guess I could go to the Alamo Bowl.  I would but I hate Baylor (for reasons I will write about tomorrow or tonight).  Anyway, I hope my Longhorns win.  I'm ready for the fun.  Most of us picked Texas except for RC (thanks), Chris and Margaret (Californians who live rather close to Berkley - ok I guess) and Moriah (Tim, get a hold of your child!).

Pizza and Shopping

For today's bowls you should order a pizza and then do some online shopping with one of your gift cards.  In the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (I like mine with mushrooms and Italian sausage, how about you?), we have Western Michigan versus Purdue.  Most of us have picked, get this, Western Michigan, including two of the three undefeateds.  Purdue has sent letters to Analicia, therefore she and I picked them.  Western Michigan is in Kalamazoo and according to their website have openings for assistant professors of electrical engineering, special education, and nursing.  So apply at halftime if you're qualified.

Belk is a department store in parts of the country other than Texas.  But, their online store is featuring an after Christmas sale with free shipping on orders over $75.  Here is a lovely pair of black dress shoes that I could really use (17027 Ashbury Lodge, San Antonio, TX 78247 - size 11).  They are sponsoring a bowl between between North Carolina State and Louisville.  Interestingly, we love NCSU.  Only Ana and Chris have picked Louisville.  It's Ana's chance to get back in the race and Chris' chance to pull out further ahead.

Margaret Key is in

We have our last entry.  Margaret had told me her first few picks prior to the bowls starting so I consider her entry official.  She's in the race.  We have 14 total.

UNC (7-5) plays SEC bound Missouri.  It's ACC versus Big 12/SEC.  Kick their butts UNC.  Be glad that you don't have to play on their God forsaken field that is responsible for the Longhorns' best running back being sidelined for the season with an ACL injury.  Hey Missouri, take your bowl money and fix your field.

Hawai'i Bowl

We should go to the Hawai'i Bowl one year.  Work on getting us tickets and a hotel, will you?  I'll pay you back later.  We have the Nevada Wolfpack playing the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.  Southern Miss is the champion of Conference USA, upsetting unbeaten Houston on the road in the Conference USA Championship.  Nevada was 7-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.  That's about all I know folks.
Most of us picked Southern Mississippi. Good luck!

It's time for some bowl fun...

We are a little late getting started and one person I won't mention (Candace/Margaret from SF) has not quite got her picks to me, but she assures me she is not cheating.  I tend to believe her as she asked me if LSU won the first game and whether Arizona won the second.  Neither of those teams played in either the first or second game, so I will allow her entry to stand should it ever arrive. 

Good luck folks.  The Bowl previews will start immediately.

As the winner of last year's contest, I would like to welcome you all to the 2012 Family Bowl Pool.  As you know if you have ever played, it's a wild and wooly affair in which all have opportunities.  I am a late bloomer, as I believe I have only won twice over the 26 or 27 years the Pool has been played. . . the last two years!  I bow to the Commissioner to provide the official welcome, and I extend my thanks to him and my good wishes to all players...

Grandma