Comments on Bowls, Part II

I am currently 6-7 in bowl picks, but I could make up a lot of ground today, right? 

Bowl season is fascinating.  It's GREAT for college football (one day I will write that lengthy article on bowls/BCS vs playoff that I've been promising) and it never ceases to be surprising, confounding and entertaining.

Motivation plays such a huge part.  Did you see the two teams that absolutely failed to show up yesterday?  Georgia and Clemson both had a chance to avoid a losing season.  And both of them stunk.  You will never convince me that UCF is better than Georgia.  But they sure wanted the Liberty Bowl to be the first bowl win ever for their program. And Georgia sure wanted to be... partying on Beale Street, apparently.

Clemson, meanwhile - bear in mind this is the team that lost at Auburn by just a field goal in overtime - played uninspired defense, and made South Florida's B.J. Daniels look like Fran Tarkenton.

Miami and South Carolina  did too much to help their opponents win.  The Gamecocks had five turnovers against Florida State, including turnovers on their first three possessions in the opening half.  Miami had four turnovers against Notre Dame.  That, combined with boneheaded and untimely penalties doomed the Canes.  New coach Al Golden had his work cut out for him.

The good news is I have burgers and beer ready for my New Year's Day viewing - six games that will take me from noon until midnight in a blaze of blitzes and bootlegs.

I'll drink to that.