Friday, December 31, 2004

Peach Bowl Wrap...

Miami won - who cares! Looks like we're taking Freiley to lunch (barring a major collapse).

This game was another lost opportunity, at least for me since nobody else had Florida beating Miami. After forcing a quick 3 and out on Miami's first possession, Florida missed a golden opportunity to go up 7-0 on their first play from schrimmage by not hitting the deep ball to a wide open WR in the flat. That was essentially the ballgame and the difference maker.

Otherwise, Florida matched Miami on offense and defense. Special teams was the difference here with blocked kicks and punt returns for TD's. I'll be glad when Hester and Parrish move on to the pros. Those guys are playmakers, and you can't coach that! Berlin is now 5-0 against the Gators and Noles, combined. Ouch!

Florida actually had more total yards, more passing yards, more rushing yards, and more time of possession. Go figure.....Ugh!

14-0!


Illinois dominates the Bearcats in Vegas. In Valley high school in front of ~ 1800 fans Illinois toyed with Cincinnati most of the night before putting the clamps on in a runaway victory. Illini fans outnumber Bearcat fans 8-1. Turns out UNLV wouldn't let them play in their gym because they were invited to play in this one, and since this is college they can't play games in casinos. So the number one team in the land played in a high-school gym not much bigger than my unfinished bonus room.

llinois is off to its best start since 1988-89, when it began 17-0 and reached the Final Four. The Illini have only trailed for 21 minutes, 32 seconds of 560 minutes this season. The last time Illinois trailed was in the first half against Georgetown on Dec. 9.

The Illini held Cincinnati (No. 17 ESPN/USA Today; No. 22 AP) to 28 percent shooting (14-of-50), and the Bearcats didn't help themselves, finishing 13-of-26 from the foul line. Cincinnati had just six assists.

Posted by Hello


Give us Liberty or give us Death! Thank you Louisville. Posted by Hello

Liberty Zone Recap...

Give me liberty or give me death, figuratively speaking of course. But many of us needed this one. What a game. If you watched only 1 game so far this was the one. Wow is all I can say. It lived up to the hype and then some. Boise State is a great program and they deserve the respect of the nation. There was no loser in this game. Boise State announced to the nation and the world that they are for real. People east of the Mississippi now know who they are. Wow! What a game.

How about Louisville? What else can you say? This was a great bowl game symbolizing all that is good in college sports. There is a God and he is good and he watches college football on ESPN.

On the Bowl Mania front, I do have a pulse. It's not over yet. I really needed this one. There is still a long way to go. Go Gators - beat the Canes!


ASU Keeps Kyle Orton in check in victory! Posted by Hello

Sun Bowl Summary...

Where do you want to go to lunch Mr. Freiley? This one is just about over. Keller killed me in El Paso. A no - name QB from ASU shows up and throws for almost 400 yards against Purdue. Ugh!

The Boilermakers didn't even show up in the first half of the game and that cost them in the end. They did have a good second half but when it really mattered their defense let them down late in the game. ASU took the victory right out of the hands of Purdue with 1:14 to go in the game. What a finish. This was exciting until the end.

The rest of us are just playing for 2nd place at this point barring a major miracle for somebody. I don't see that happening. Congrats Mr. Freiley? BTW, Louisville is losing in the 3rd quarter to Boise State. Happy Frickin' New Year!



MUSIC CITY WRAP...

What can I say? It was a game of missed opportunities for the Crimson Tide as they were shut down by the mighty Minnesota defense in the 2nd half of this game. Sure, the Tide had their chances even down to the very end. Bottomline, they didn't make the plays necessary to beat a mediocre Gopher team which ran all over the Tide's defense for almost 300 yards. The Tide normally gives up only 120 / game on the ground. What happened? They ran into a freight train today in Barber and Maroney.

This one hurt because it looks like Freiley is really starting to pull away from the rest of us who are on the outside looking in. Nice job Doug - so far. While it's not mathematically over for most of us; it's going to be very difficult to make up the huge point spread. I still haven't broken 100 points yet. Ugh!.

I really need the Purdue, Louisville, and Florida games today in order to crawl back into this thing. Ouch!


Barber and Maroney ran all over the Mighty Tide today! Posted by Hello

Thursday, December 30, 2004


CAL was man-handled in the Holiday Bowl! Posted by Hello

Holiday Bowl Recap...

What happened to CAL? Where did those Golden Bears go? Ugh! Oye! Ah! That was brutal. I hereby formally apologize to the BCS and all of its grandeur. Clearly, they knew what they were doing when they invited TEXAS to the Rose Bowl. The BCS is the most perfect system ever. Actually, right now; I'm studying its brilliance. There has to be a way to make it work for F20 LITHO.

CAL stinks. They were clearly overrated for most of the year. Sonny Cumbie of Texas Tech had almost 600 yards passing against that mighty Bear defense. Are you kidding me? Ugh!

The BIG 12 is slowly proving how good of a football conference it is. With the only exception being OSU to date, the BIG 12 is 3-1 so far in bowl games. Very impressive. They could end up with the National Title to boot.

I won't even predict the future of Bowl Mania at this point. Too hard to call. So many upsets and variation out there. Good luck to those in the the hunt; which is everybody except Trecker at this point.




Aaron Polanco leads Navy to victory over New Mexico.  Posted by Hello

Navy Sails in the Emerald Bowl

The Middies owned the Emerald Bowl in SF this year. At 10 - 2, they tied the Navy School record for most wins in a season after today's victory. The old record dated back to 1905, some 99 years. Some of these guys will be heading off to war in a few months. Games like this one put perspective on the game and life. True heroes.




BC King in the Queen City Posted by Hello

Continental is for Catholics....

BC really cranked up the pressure in the 4th quarter in Charlotte to claim victory from the Tarheels in their own backyard. Even Peterson's broken leg wasn't enough to slow the Eagles' attack. They won that game for their injured QB.

Freiley, Herrington, Paytriacca, and Frey benefited from this one. It's getting very crowded at the top of the Mania. Too close to call at this point. But, Freiley appears to be getting comfortable in first place.



Wednesday, December 29, 2004


Zwick leads the Bucks in Domination at the Alamo.  Posted by Hello

Remember the Alamo!

Or not if your Oklahoma State. Wow, that was a total beat - down. Can you say physically man-handled? I haven't seen a game like this in a while. It's like the Cowboys didn't even show - up. Pistol Pete was silenced. Ohio State looked scary - XBOX scary. Actually, when you go back to the Michigan game, this team has been playing some great ball of late. They are in prime position for a big run next year. Watch out - the Buckeyes have re-loaded for 2005.

Not a good couple of days in Stillwater lately. First, the Zags beat the Pokes on the hardwood and then this catastrophe in the Alamo Dome.

At least Horton lost 21 points. Good job Doug; I was cheering for you at halftime as many of the OSU fans headed for the Alamo or local drinking establishments to drown their sorrows.

Ginn, Zwick, Joe, and Ross were too much for the men in white tonight!
Three more games tomorrow. Looks like the Husker Nation had problems getting his picks in on time. Bummer!

On a different note, the Longhorns have secured Mack Brown for another decade in Austin. Why not, he's a great politician to boot after getting the Horns into the BCS this year. Look what that will bring to the University over the years to come in terms of dollars and talent. Watch out for the Horns in 2005.




Charles and the Buffs owned the 2nd Half in Houston. Posted by Hello

EV1 NET Houston Wrap....

I'm still not sure how the Buffaloes won this game but I'll take it. It was frustrating to watch them try to kick field goals all afternoon. When I left, it was 21-19, UTEP. The next thing I know it's 33 - 28 Colorado. What a game! Big 12 is 2-0 to date. This was a good game. UTEP can play on both sides of the ball, but they haven't won a bowl game since 1967. Colorado is trying to build its program for next year.

Looks like Mr. Horton is starting to make his move. He definitely wants Oklahoma State to win. We'll see if that lasts. Freiley is still in first for now.

Finally, I have to say that I'm rooting for Trecker right now. He's a perfect 0-11. What are the odds? Come on Husker Nation, 17 more to go. Will you score?





10 Down and 18 to Go!

It's still too early to project a winner with high confidence, but a couple trends are worth noting. Freiley is in the best shape right now with the most total points and the most points remaining if he were to win out. That's unlikely (same for all of us). So here are the key match-ups were many points hang in the balance either way:

Colorado / UTEP with a spread of 41 points between players.
OSU / OSU with a spread of 47
BC / UNC spread = 37
Bama / Minn = 34
Purdue / ASU = 44
Louisville / Boise State = 46
Florida / FSU = 40
Tenn / A&M = 44
FSU / WV = 47
LSU / Iowa = 48
USC / Oklahoma = 56

So as you can see, it really starts to get interesting as the New Year's Day games approach. There are some major point swings out there to be had. Obviously the National Title Game looms large, but so do a few others like Florida / FSU, Iowa / LSU, TENN / A&M, and WV / FSU. Plus, don't forget how things unfolded last year when Larson snuck up on all of us over the last 13 games.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004


Beavers power past Notre Dame! Posted by Hello

Insight.COM Wrap - Too Much Beaver!

Too much Derek Anderson and too much OSU for the disillusioned Irish of Notre Dame. This was the first real bowl game I've watched of the season from start to finish. It wasn't much of a game in Phoenix tonight. I should have put more points on the Beavers and the arm of Anderson. OSU was dominant just like a few years ago in the Fiesta Bowl.

Notre Dame has a lot of work to do in the off-season just to hope for a bowl game next year. This program is at an all - time low right now. At times, they didn't even look like they were playing at full speed tonight.

Looks like Freiley will hold the top spot for another night. Although, it's still relatively early with many points on the table.

Unless you're Trecker, check out the TALENT GROUP link from the main page and see how you're doing agains the ESPN professionals. Pretty cool! Ted - good gosh man. What were you thinking? Or were you?

Two more bowls tomorrow - both in Texas (Houston and Alamo). I like the other OSU as in Cowboys and the Colorado Buffaloes. Go BIG 12! Bring it home for daddy.

Freedom for ISU @ Independence Bowl

Looks like Mr. Horton planned well on the Iowa State victory over Miami (Ohio). It was actually a good game most of the way right up until the end. But in the end, Iowa State's defense was the difference. This was a good game. The Cyclones blew and early lead but struggled back late in the game. Looks like I was the big loser in this one. It's getting tight at the top of the rankings.

Monday, December 27, 2004


Bruce Webber leads the way for Illinois! Posted by Hello

Illinois Still #1 ... Make that 4 Weeks.

In the latest AP poll released today ILLINOIS remains at #1 followed by Kansas. For the Illini - this is the longest stretch as the country's #1 team. They have some tough tests coming up as early as New Year's Eve when they play at Cinncinati. That should be a good rematch of a 2nd round NCAA game last year.

If they can get by the Bearcats, they shouldn't really be tested until January 20th when they host Iowa. On the 25th of January they travel to Madison to take on the Badgers.

Go Illini - bring it home!

Motor City Massacre...

UCONN took care of Toledo tonight in the Motor City Bowl. Wasn't that close. I still haven't really watched any of the bowl games just yet. Hard to get motivated for some of them. I'll probably start with the Insight Bowl when OSU plays ND in Phoenix. Glad I only had two points (2) on this game. It's not just what you win but what you lose. Can't wait for the real games to begin.




The Dogs surpise the CAVS in Boise! Posted by Hello

MPC Computer Bowl Summary

Well, sometimes the data isn't that clear. In this case, the numbers are a little misleading. It's not always about the wins but the losses. Now that the picks are locked for Bowl Mania it's clear that some of us lost more than others.

Fresno State stuns Virginia on the Boise's blue turf in OT. This might be one of those difference - maker games when it's all said and done. Mr. Pinegar threw 5 TD passes to lead the Bulldogs past the Cavs in at OT thriller. I actually didn't see this one, but it sounds like it was one of the best games to date. His 5 TD passes is a record for what used to be known as the Humanitarian Bowl.





Friday, December 24, 2004


Timmy Chang - 17000 yards at Hawaii Posted by Hello

Hawaii Bowl Wrap ...

What else would you expect from the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl? Traditionally, this game is high-scoring entertainment with little to no defense. This year was no different as UAB and Hawaii teamed - up to score 99 points. The game really wasn't that close as the Warriors beat down the Dragons.

Here are some of the other interesting stats: over 1100 combined total yards and a game that lasted almost 4.5 hours. No - I only watched the last 30 minutes or so.

Timmy Chang ends his careers with some pretty impressive numbers of his own. He threw for over 17000 yards at Hawaii and leads the NCAA. He also had 120 TD's to 80 INT's. They guy was prolific to say the least. If he played somewhere good on the mainland he might have been in the Heismann Race.

On the Bowl Mania front, yours truly picked up 18 points. Still too early to draw any other conclusions except for the fact that some made better picks than others. What happened to Mr. Trecker and the Husker Nation? Looks like he forgot to submit the picks. Either that or he really struggled with the early picks. Larson looks like he's sticking to his winning strategy of last year. He's barely on the radar screen right now but that seems to be his comfort zone.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.


The Pokes shock the Bruins in Vegas... Posted by Hello

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Las Vegas Bowl Disaster Wrap....

Some games are won and others are lost. This game was lost by UCLA and not won by Wyoming. Sure there were some close calls that could have gone either way, but UCLA let this one slip away in the desert. Are you kidding me? Of course it didn't help that the Bruins lost their starting QB in the 1st half to a sprained knee.

Who else had 28 points on the Bruins? Ugh! This one hurt. In the end, UCLA was more talented but it's been 38 years since the Cowboys won a bowl game. Ugh Ugh!


Ft. Worth Bowl Wrap ...

The Bearcats beat up on the Herd from Marshall in this Holiday Classic for the ages. Actually, I didn't watch this one either. Too busy eating cookies and playing with the kids. This is the best time of the year by far.

The temperature at kickoff was only 28F. Only 13K fans showed up for the contest in Ft. Worth. Every point matters - especially the cold ones.

Husker Nation and Nostradamus are 0 for the first 4. Ouch!

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

GMAC Bowl Summary

I must say that I don't have much to say about this game. It was my 1 - point game for the season. Two teams that are talented but don't play in the big-time. Plus, there was no way I was going to miss the Illinois / Missouri border clash for this contest. The game seems to have been an offensive shoot-out with no defense to be found.

On the Bowl Mania front, some familiar names are rising to the top of the list again. We'll see how things look after a few more games are played. I'm 3-0 and looking forward to the next few games.


It was a battle for Braggin' Rights! Posted by Hello

Bragging Rights for Champaign...

Another year of the border war between Missouri and Illinois has come and gone. It wasn't a pretty game but a win is a win in December. Sometimes you play down to the level of your competition. Truth be told the Illini never did find their offensive rhythm tonight. But, in the end experience and skill prevailed in a game that wasn't really as close as the final score.

AP says Bye Bye to BCS!

AP ends its association with the BCS after 7 years. Wow - who's next? Citing it was bad for its image / reputation, the BCS terminated its relationship as a key poll in the BCS computer rankings. Further proof that the system is broken and we're just putting band-aids on a terminally ill patient. It's like trying to paint a show car that has too much rust without doing the body work first. There isn't enough BONDO for the BCS right now.

Tuesday, December 21, 2004


GT blows past the 'Cuse in "Tangerine Bowl". Posted by Hello

Champs Sports Massacre....Orange Crushed!

Mr. Laufer (Keg-master) - I think you had the right idea in going to Florida for the break. Too bad you chose this particular game to go see. Not very close. GT big over Syracuse after Q1. It got worse for the Orange from there. Should be a spring board for the Yellow Jackets in 2K5. They bring back a lot of talent for next season; including a sophomore QB who'll have to win back his job in the off season.

Meanwhile, Syracuse suffered their worst bowl loss in 50 years. Lots of questions surround this program going forward. How do you figure this team? Thet lose to Temple, beat BC, and then get blown out by GT in Orlando. Inconsistent comes to mind. The Orange just hired a new AD last week and it might be the last year for their head coach.

Finally - it looks like the standings are starting to take shape in Bowl Mania. Mr. Wales appears tobe practicing the countdown from 28 to 1 in his effort to replace Dick Clark in Times Square this year when the ball drops. Others have yet to taste the sweet flavor of victory - most notably the Husker Nation. I knew I should have had more points on the Yellow Jackets. But, it's still early and lots can happen over the next week or so.

BTW - the XBOX is telling me to take USC over Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. I'm getting the hang of the game in 'Varsity Mode' and three different dynasty leagues. Just a free piece of advice. Take it for what it's worth.





Thursday, December 16, 2004


Zook the man at Illinois.  Posted by Hello

Harbinger of things to come ...  Posted by Hello

New Orleans Bowl Recap...

That was an ugly football game. I should have put more points on the Eagles of Southern Miss. Sorry Oliver - don't listen to me when it comes to confidence points. You should have stuck with your gut.

About the game; Southern Miss brough the 'D' early and often. It wasn't much of a competition. They held Jamario Thomas well below his season average. The 2nd bowl game played in the Big Easy should be much more competitive (Va. Tech and Auburn).

Scarvie is off and running. The rest of us will be playing catch-up. Bring on round 2. Can't wait for Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

On a different note, tell me that the PAC - 10 isn't the strongest coaching conference: Willingham, Stoops, Belotti, Tedford, Harris, and Carrol to name a few.

Dee Brown blows by Chris Paul Posted by Hello

Bowl Mania is Upon Us.

It's a time for family, friends, and football. Ronler Bowl 2k5 is now up and running. Thanks to all of the entries this year. Good Luck to the combatants.

http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/frontpage

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