Vote for Deadspin's 2008 SHOTY

This is the last weekend to vote for Deadspin's 'SHOTY' (Sportshuman Of The Year) contest. The finals match the #1 seed Buzz Bissinger vs. the #11 seed Baby Mangino and voting is open until this Sunday.

Buzz Bissinger and Deadspin editor Will Leitch sparred on HBO's 'Costas Now' last April. Bissinger is an established sports writer best known for his book, "Friday Night Lights." And by watching this segment of 'Costas Now' that explored the world of sports blogging, it's not very difficult to recognize Bissinger's opinion for Leitch and the rest of the sports blogosphere.

Part of the segment is below but you can watch it in its entirety here. Great television. For Leitch's reaction to the show, read here.



Baby Mangino was a costume fabricated by unknown parents presumably from somewhere in Jayhawk Land. Outstanding.
















Both are excellent choices and both are deserving in their own right. To vote, click here.

Rid the Broken BCS

Glad that's over.

Is it just me or does the end to the college football season seem anticlimactic now? Another end to the season marred by the BCS because yet another team or two has a legitimate argument that they should be champions. The current BCS system is failing and failing bad.

Stewart Mandel at CnnSI.com recently pointed out exactly how bad things have gotten for the BCS since the induction of the fifth game. Some interesting things he pointed out before the Fiesta Bowl and last night's BCS Championship:

• "The Cincinnati-Virginia Tech Orange Bowl played on New Year's night drew a paltry 6.1 overnight rating for FOX, shattering the previous low of 6.98 set by the 2007 Wake Forest-Louisville Orange Bowl. By point of comparison, the Dec. 27 Florida State-Wisconsin Champs Sports Bowl drew nearly the same-sized audience."
• "The Utah-Alabama Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2 garnered a 7.8 rating, an 11 percent increase from last year's Georgia-Hawaii game. Even so, the game ranked seventh-lowest among the 45 BCS games played to date."
• "Only the USC-Penn State Rose Bowl on ABC garnered its typically high rating of 12.6, up from 12.0 for last year's USC-Illinois game. But even that number marked the third-lowest of the 11 Rose Bowls played during the BCS era."
  

The 2009 Fiesta Bowl did draw an increase of 39% from 2008 and 29% from 2007. Then again, you had West Virginia and Boise State playing against Oklahoma in those two years. Last night's 2009 BCS Championship game drew 24 million viewers from 8 pm to 10 pm. Meanwhile, ABC, NBC, and CBS drew a combined 25 million viewers in that same time slot with mostly repeat episodes.

In comparison, Super Bowl XLII (2008) drew 97 million viewers - more than 4 times as many as last night's game. Although the Super Bowl is on a much grander stage, the BCS Championship should bring in more viewers. It would be hard to estimate what a championship game in college football would draw if it was the culmination of a playoff system, but I can almost guarantee it would be higher than 24 million.

Besides the abysmal television ratings, the current BCS Championship game is far from a championship under any sensible interpretation. In no way whatsoever can a true champion be determined from computer systems and polls voted on by biased coaches and ESPN's talking heads. In no other sport besides NCAA Division I football, college or professional, do you see a format this unjust with a result this controversial after every game has been played.

Whether you like him or not, this guy has a pretty good point:

The Ndamukong Suh Draft Dilemma

Husker DT Ndamukong Suh's decision to either return for his senior season or leave for the NFL is not going to be an easy one. His decision will likely not be based much at all - if any - on how much he enjoys the college game but rather on dollars and cents. Recently, Suh was projected as high as 25th overall by NFLDraftDog.com and 31st overall by ESPN's Scouts Inc. and Todd McShay.

The dilemma Suh faces is if he can improve his draft status by returning to school for one more year. Currently, Alabama's Terrence Cody (junior), Boston College's B.J. Raji (senior), Ole Miss' Peria Jerry (senior), and Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy (RS sophomore) are the defensive tackles that are listed around or ahead of Suh in most projections for the 2009 draft. Gerald McCoy has yet to declare but he is currently listed as the top defensive tackle and near the Top 10 overall. Terrence Cody never filed his NFL paperwork.

If McCoy leaves, that would tentatively leave Cody and Suh as the top two returning defensive tackles in college next year. Assuming both would have equal if not more successful seasons than they did in 2008, their draft status will certainly shoot up the board. And if Terrence Cody does decide to leave along with Gerald McCoy, then Suh would have a great opportunity to be the first defensive tackle taken in the 2010 draft.

How much of a difference does it make if you are drafted early first-round or late first-round you ask? Let's do some math.

2008 NFL Draft - Defensive Tackles

Glenn Dorsey (DT) - 5th overall pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed a five-year, $51 million contract with $23 million guaranteed.

Sedrick Ellis (DT) - 7th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints. He signed a five-year, $33.5 million contract with $19.5 million guaranteed. Another $15.5 million is available through incentives.

Kentwan Balmer (DT) - 29th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers. He signed a five-year, $11.5 million contract with $6 million guaranteed.

Jason Jones (DT) - 54th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. He signed a four-year, $3.21 million contract with a $1.505 million signing bonus.

Pat Sims (DT) - 77th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed a four-year, $2.473 million contract which included a $768,200 signing bonus.

Glenn Dorsey and Kentwan Balmer were both first round draft picks. In fact, they were only separated by 24 picks. Big discrepancy.

• 24 picks = a $39.5 million dollar contract difference.
• 24 picks = a $17 million dollar difference in guaranteed money.

If Suh does decide to forgo his senior season, he will more than likely be looking at a contract in the ballpark of $12+ million dollars with around $6+ million of that guaranteed. If Suh does decide to return for his senior season and can produce equal to or better than his 2008 season without getting injured, he will more than likely be looking at a contract in the ballpark of $45+ million dollars with around $20+ million of that guaranteed - at least.

Although that's a very rough estimate and although many things can change, Suh has quite the decision to make. Either way, it's good to be Ndamukong Suh right about now.

To invest or not to invest? THAT is the question.

Bill Callahan For Hire

With former New York Jets coach Eric Mangini on his way to the Cleveland Browns, the NY Daily News is reporting that Bill Callahan might be taking the same bus with him to Cleveland.

Rumor has it that Mangini has already started assembling his staff and Callahan is one of his top targets. However, according to the NY Daily News, 'Callahan is under contract and the Jets aren't required to grant permission for the Browns to speak with him. Unless an assistant wants to interview for a head-coaching job, it's deemed a lateral move and his current team isn't obligated to let him go. Another wrinkle is the fact that Callahan interviewed for the Jets' head-coaching vacancy. He's not considered a frontrunner, but he's a well-respected coach and it's unlikely the Jets would let him out of his contract.'

Jets (offensive coordinator) Brian Schottenheimer and (offensive line/assistant head coach) Bill Callahan were the first to interview for Mangini's former head coaching job in New York last Friday. However, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan are believed to be the top choices but they will not be able to interview until their seasons are over.

It looks like Bill has two very good options for next year in either New York or Cleveland. Either way, he's still far enough away.

Backyard Bowl Games = No Advantage

Rice University (Houston, TX) to Reliant Stadium (2008 Texas Bowl)

Typically, past home advantages in bowl games were almost exclusively held by California, Texas, and Florida schools simply because of the climate around January 1st. No doubt that there have been examples of how outcomes of games have been affected in the past because of this which is why when I kept on hearing how a team was playing a short distance from their campus again and again I began to wonder. Does it really make that much of a difference in this generation of college football for a team to play a bowl game close to home when teams travel all over the country all season?

Although a 'home' advantage has come into play almost on a yearly basis in bowl games, this year seemed to up the ante. 8 teams played their bowl games within a 30 minute drive from campus. To put that into perspective, in 1970 there were only 11 bowl games total, in 1980 there were 15 bowl games, and in 1990 there were 19 bowl games.

Today, there are currently 34 bowl games which indicates that roughly 1 out of every 4 games featured a team playing in front of their hometown fans.

Below is a list of those 8 bowl games, the teams involved, the outcome of the game, and the distance from campus.

#1 - Chick-fil-A Bowl - LSU 38 Georgia Tech 3
2.2 miles from Georgia Tech University to the Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA) map

#2 - Music City Bowl - Vanderbilt 16 Boston College 14
3.2 miles from Vanderbilt University to LP Field (Nashville, TN) map

#3 - Texas Bowl - Rice 38 Western Michigan 14
3.3 miles from Rice University to Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX) map

#4 - Hawaii Bowl - Notre Dame 49 Hawaii 21
11.2 miles from the University of Hawaii to Aloha Stadium (Honolulu, HI) map

#5 - Emerald Bowl - California 24 Miami, FL 17
12.7 miles from University of California-Berkeley to AT&T Park (San Francisco, CA) map

#6 - Rose Bowl - USC 38 Penn State 24
14.4 miles from the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) to the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA) map

#7 - Eagle Bank Bowl - Wake Forest 29 Navy 19.
30 Miles from the US Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) to RFK (Washington, DC) map

#8 - St. Petersburg Bowl - South Florida 41 Memphis 14.
31.8 miles from University of South Florida (Tampa, FL) to Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, FL) map

Of these 8 bowl games that were more or less held in a team's hometown, the 'home' teams went 5-3 overall. Furthermore, of those 5 wins, only one was considered an upset which was Vanderbilt (+4) over Boston College - hardly an upset.

To take things a step further, there were an additional 6 bowl games - PetroSun (Louisiana Tech), Motor City (Central Michigan), Champs Sports (Florida State), Armed Forces (Houston), Meineke Car Care Bowl (North Carolina), and the Cotton Bowl (Texas Tech) - that featured teams playing in their home states. When added together with the previous games, that makes 14 games out of 34 games (or 41% of all bowl games.). And when accounting for these additional 6 games where teams played in their 'home' state, the teams went 8-6 (when combined with the previous 8) with no additional upsets.

In fact, the teams that got to make an actual road trip out of state to their bowl games to face a 'home-state' team actually won 5 games where the spread was either even or they were considered an underdog according to Las Vegas.

The location of a bowl game made almost no difference in the 2008-9 bowl season which can be somewhat surprising given the amount of teams that got to stay so close to home. Many factors play a part in determining the outcomes of bowl games especially when you give teams a month to prepare. However, claiming that it isn't fair to play a school so close to home in a bowl game is an argument that teams or fans should think twice about making.

And remember, I'm talking about bowl games only.

Darnell Dockett Catches a Predator

When Arizona Cardinals DT Darnell Dockett was celebrating a safety in last week's playoff win over the Atlanta Falcons, he probably had no idea how fast one thing could lead to another. Luckily for the Cardinals, the Falcons weren't able to backdoor the Cardinals as easily as the referees. I'm pretty sure this is defined as either 1st or 2nd degree sexual assault depending on exactly how far the referee's hand was, umm, inserted.

Colt McCoy's Girlfriend: The Rachel Glandorf Fiesta Bowl Memoirs

When future television sports reporter Rachel Glandorf first arrived on DXP back in early November, I really had no idea she would soon become a superstar. Her transformation from the girl next door to beauty queen can be attributed to Colt McCoy's success on the field. There's no doubt that Rachel's current employer, CBS affiliate KEYE42-TV in Austin, Texas, already has a contract ready to be signed as soon as she gets her degree from Baylor (where she also happens to be a track and field athlete.) Regardless if she stays in Texas or moves on to a bigger stage with ESPN or Fox Sports, I'm positive we haven't seen the last of her.

I'm not sure exactly how it is decided what cameraman gets the assignment to cover Rachel for the duration of the Longhorns' games, but I think it is fair to say that he is living the dream of a football cameraman.

Is there an 'F' in Stoops?

A recent study released by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) detailing graduation rates for this year's college bowl teams has been posted on several websites.

At the top of the list of programs graduating a high percentage of players are the usual suspects. Notre Dame, Navy, Air Force, Boston College, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern are all at the top of the list. Nebraska is near the top graduating 78% of its football players.

The three programs graduating the lowest percentage of players are (in order) Arizona, Hawaii, and Oklahoma. All three graduate less than 46% of their players. Congrats to the Stoops brothers for making sure they put the "student" in "student-athlete." Having some of the lowest graduation rates makes some sense for programs placing a high percentage of underclassmen in the NFL.

That might explain how Oklahoma is ranked so low. But Arizona? That program's been doomed since Sports Illustrated featured the "Desert Swarm" defense on the cover of its 1994 college preview edition.

On a positive note, Mark Stoops, currently Mike's defensive coordinator, looks like a perfect fit at Hawaii, should that job ever open up.

Take the Double Extra Points: Bowl Extravaganza Part 5

Bowl Season: 15-12 ATS (56%)
Double Extra Lock: 8-3 ATS (73%) - Regular Season; 4-1 ATS (80%) - Bowl Season

Tostitos Fiesta
Ohio State vs. Texas ( Glendale, AZ)
University of Phoenix Stadium, Jan. 5, 2009, 8 p.m. EST, FOX

Ohio State (+9) over Texas - The Big 12 South has thus far been a major disappointment in the bowl season. They have looked terrible in both of their bowl games as Oregon and Ole Miss dominated Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Ohio State brings a defense here that allowed only 1 opponent all year (USC) to score more than 21 points and held 6 opponents to 10 points or less. Texas and Qb Colt McCoy scored more than 28 points in every game this season and more than 42 points in 8 games. When I look back at what Ok. State RB Kendall Hunter did to the Texas run defense, I can't help but think Qb Terrelle Pryor and Rb Beanie Wells won't have at least some success running around Texas's defensive front. Whenever you have a great defense matched up a great offense, always side with the better defense - especially when they are spotted 9 points.

GMAC
Ball State vs. Tulsa (Mobile, AL)
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Jan. 6, 2009, 8 p.m. EST, ESPN

Ball State (+3) over Tulsa - This game features 2 of the best QBs (statistically speaking) in the NCAA. Tulsa's David Johnson threw for 3,866 yards with 43 TDs and 18 INTs while Ball State's Nate Davis threw for 3,446 yards with 26 TDs and only 7 INTs. The big advantage that Ball State brings to this one is RB Miquale Lewis, the leading rusher in the MAC, who rushed for 1,701 yards and 22 TDs on the season. Both teams are off bad losses at their respective conference championship games where both teams played awful. Ball State somehow let Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls steal away the MAC Championship and Tulsa's David Johnson threw 5 INTs vs. East Carolina. Go with the more talented Cardinals as RB Lewis will be the difference here if Ball State gets up early in this shootout.

Double Extra Lock

FedEx BCS Championship Game
Florida vs. Texas (Miami, FL)
Dolphin Stadium, January 8, 2009, 8 p.m. EST, FOX

Florida (-3.5) over Oklahoma - To better understand Oklahoma's defensive struggles this season, read here. Florida holds the defensive advantage here and it's not even close. Despite Florida's difficult schedule, the Gator defense ranks 8th in total defense, 4th in scoring defense, and 2nd in pass efficiency defense while the Gator offense ranks 17th in total offense and 3rd in scoring offense. Although Oklahoma brings in the nation's #1 offense, their defense has been suspect. The Sooner defense ranks 63rd in total defense and 58th in scoring defense as they have given up more than 26 points to 7 opponents. Since Florida' loss to Ole Miss, the Gators have rolled off 9 straight games and went 8-0 ATS winning by an average of 49-13 even without Percy Harvin for much of that time and who is somewhat questionable for this one. Florida and Urban Meyer's dominance in college football continues in a big way here as they make it their 2nd championship in the the last 3 years.

Florida 48 Oklahoma 30

(Same shirt, Erin?)

USC LB Rey Maualuga and Erin Andrews Get Their Freak On

Alright, maybe it's only Rey Maualaga that gets his freak on. Anyways, there are two things you can take home from this video. The first is to say that Rey doesn't care what others think of him might be the understatement of the year. Second, Erin Andrews needs a vacation. Don't worry Rey. It's not you, it's her.

Ndamukong Suh Projected 1st Round NFL Draft Pick

Ndamukong Suh said as recently as yesterday, “I’m not 100 percent sure, but my mind-set is that I would like to come back to school. I have a year of school to finish, and I want to come back and play for Bo (Pelini). I love playing for these coaches.”

Here are the most recent draft projections from two credible sources:

From NFLMockDraft.com (updated January 3, 2009) -

25

DT, Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska (JR)

The most improved player in the country in 2008. Suh has immense talent, great size (6' 4" 304 lbs) and unlimited potential. Moves like a 300 pound linebacker

From ESPN's Scouts Inc. and Todd McShay (updated December 28, 2008) -

Scouts Inc.'s Top 32 Prospects

31. Ndamukong Suh*

DT

Nebraska

6-4

305

It's wishful thinking for Husker fans that Suh will be coming back for his senior season. However, at this point, it is not in his best interest. Academics and a college diploma are always available. Millions of dollars in guaranteed money and being a first-round NFL draft pick is a once in a lifetime opportunity that can be taken away on a single play in college.

I'm sure Suh will be talking the situation over extensively with his family and coaches in the upcoming weeks. The right thing for him to do is thank the coaches, his teammates, and the fans at Nebraska and move on to a career in the NFL.

2009 Rose Bowl Roundup: USC Song Girls Win Again

USC dominated Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl in every facet of the game. It was hard not to pull for the underdog Penn State cheerleaders to at least make the contest competitive. But as always, USC's superior talent was too much to overcome as the Song Girls danced all over the Penn State Lionettes.

It's okay to be intimidated

I wonder what the going rate for the blonde and brunette pictured above is for a weekend. I'm thinking a few Song Girls at the Husker spring game tailgate won't hurt anyone. My request form is in the mail and I'll be eagerly awaiting a prompt response. Until then, I'll be scouring all pools in and around the USC campus in anticipation of the next Song Girl pool party.

Huskers Wrestle the Gator Bowl

Nebraska 26 Clemson 21




For complete game statistics, click here.

Game thoughts:

• Roy Helu Jr.'s bell was rung. Although the extent of this injury (and his infected knee) was never mentioned, I'm guessing that in his head he thought he was somewhere not in Florida. Another mysterious sidenote to the game was Marlon Lucky. It's anyone's guess as to whether his toe was still bothering him or the coaches looked for a different option. I'm guessing it's a little of both, and although I'm not his biggest fan, I did feel a little bad for him after all he has been through here. He certainly has put in his time and taken his beatings during his 4 seasons in Lincoln.
  
• Quentin Castille's 18 carries for 125 yards was the difference in the game. Without him, we lose. The only way to move the ball on the speedy defensive front of the Tigers was up the middle. Castille's north and south power game was the perfect remedy.
  
• Clemson's inept running game is mind boggling. +4 yards with James Davis and CJ Spiller is not acceptable if you are Clemson. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in that their offensive line might be one of the worst I've seen all year, but come on, the coaches have to be able to figure out how to get some sort of running game going with 2 future NFL backs.
• Joe Ganz isn't the best quarterback Nebraska has ever seen, but he very well could be the toughest. Whether it was hobbling on a gimpy knee, slamming his head on the turf, or committing 2 costly turnovers that lead to touchdowns, he wasn't about to let any of that get to him. Joe's a winner in every way and he couldn't have dreamt of a more fitting way to go out.
• If Ndamukong Suh does indeed hold true to his word and return for his senior season, this defense is going to be borderline great next season. Suh's 2 sacks and blocked field goal were only 3 examples of how much he impacts the game. When half of the offensive line is concerning themselves to his whereabouts at all times, everyone else becomes an All-American.
• Bo Pelini called a perfect game which allotted Clemson only 210 total yards and just over 25 minutes of ball possession. Gambling on 2 consecutive cornerback blitzes from Eric Hagg while Clemson was heading in for the go-ahead touchdown completely took Clemson by surprise.
  

Nebraska has improved dramatically in one year under Bo Pelini. After the two losses to Virginia Tech and Missouri, it was easy to assume that we were going to succumb to Texas Tech in the same fashion and then just continue on with the rest of the season in some sort of way lackluster way we have become accustomed to. However, that was not to be. From that day on, you could clearly see that this team was different than any other team under the Callahan era. Players care again. Coaches care again. Players play for the themselves, the coaches, and the fans again. Football is fun again.

To be where Nebraska football is today on January 1, 2009 is something I was willing to wait another year or two for. Call Bo Pelini's first year a giant success because it was. With success will come bigger expectations and what those expectations are for next year I'll have to sit on for awhile. I do know this though. It's great to be both optimistic and realistic when thinking about regaining status as a perennial powerhouse.

Take notice. Nebraska is soon to be the 2009 preseason Big XII North favorites. In the meantime, use this win and go recruit.

Take the Double Extra Points: Bowl Extravaganza Part 4

To Big Red Country:

My Happy New Year's wish for you
Is for your best year yet (in recruiting),
A year where life is peaceful (stay away Callahan),
And what you want, you get (Big XII Championship.)

A year in which you cherish
The past year’s memories (9-4?),
And live your life
Full of bright expectancies (12-2 next season.)

I wish for you a holiday
With happiness galore (and a Gator Bowl win);
And when it’s done, I wish you
Happy New Year, and many more (National Championships.)

We want to thank everyone who stops by DXP as our 2008 edition is officially in the books. We wish everyone a great 2009 and especially to Jeffie and the future Mrs. Jeffie Husker, who will be launching the second version of MTV's 'Newlyweds' next summer. I would like to be able to tell you what you can expect in 2009 from us, but as you know by now, we really have no clue about anything.

We know return you back to the bookie sheet with some analysis.

(A reminder that the ''XtraWatchabilityPoint' for this year's bowl games are now being done by our game critic extraordinaire, A. Rose. The games are ranked in line with the watchability factor of dancers at five Las Vegas area clubs. From worst to first, they are: Glitter Gulch, Cheetah's, Olympic Gardens, Scores, and the Spearmint Rhino.)

Thursday Jan. 1 11:00 am ET ESPN

Iowa (-3) over South Carolina - Only after Iowa's upset win over Penn State late in the season did people start to take notice of the Hawkeyes and RB Shonn Greene, who finished the season the season with 1,729 yards and rushed for at least 100 yards in every game. Iowa (9-4) lost their 4 games this year by a combined 12 points while South Carolina finished the season with two losses to Florida and Clemson by a combined score of 87-20. South Carolina's defense (#12) is great but their offense (#97) is horrid due to Qb play (go figure.) Iowa's #13 ranked defense should fare well in this spot and as long as Iowa gets minimal mistakes from mobile Qb Ricky Stanzi, they win.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - You're looking at Olympic Gardens again. It's watchable, but don't expect any high flying action. If no make-up or +2 enhancements is your thing, it could be a decent time, but don't be surprised when you wish the cocktail waitresses were the ones with their clothes off.

Thursday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET CBS

Nebraska (+3) over Clemson

This is a great matchup for Nebraska.

The only reason Clemson's defense is thought of highly - #15 total defense and #9 pass defense - is simply a result of they haven't played a passing team all year. Nebraska's balanced rush/pass attack hasn't missed a beat this under Shawn Watson as they have averaged 458 yards/game (#12) while ranking #36 in rushing and #14 in passing. Bo Pelini's focus here will almost solely be on stopping RBs James Davis and CJ Spiller (leads the ACC in all-purpose yards.) Shockingly, Clemson's rushing offense only put up 120 yards/game while Qb Cullen Harper threw for only 2,395 yards with 11 Tds/12 Ints - which combined puts Clemson's offense in at #81.

The HUGE advantage Nebraska has here is at both lines. Clemson's defenisve line averaged only 1.17 sacks/game (106th) while their offensive line gave up 2.33 sack/game (94th.) Nebraska's defensive line, anchored by DT Ndamukong Suh who lead all Big 12 DL in tackles, accounted for 80% of the team's sacks. And with the offensive line being as healthy as they have been since fall camp, expect the Huskers to dominate both lines of scrimmage and walk away here with plenty of momentum heading into next season as the Big XII North favorites.

Nebraska 34 Clemson 27

XtraWatchabilityPoint - I give this a Scores night rating. There's something intriguing about Russian girls who couldn't speak English 2 months ago, but have now mastered the art of emptying your wallet. Solid turnaround and highly watchable.

Thursday Jan. 1 4:30 pm ET ABC

Penn State (+10) over USC - Pete Carroll comes into the Granddaddy of Them All with a 5-0 lifetime record vs. the Big 10. This season, USC is 5-1 vs. bowl teams and 2-4 ATS while Penn State is 4-1 vs. bowl teams and 4-2 ATS. Against both runner-ups in the conference, USC handled Ohio State while Penn State handled Oregon State. Penn State wants to be here and although Carroll has said the Trojans are excited, they really wanted a Big 12 or SEC opponent for this year's bowl game. Go with Joe Paterno and the Nittany Lions + the 10 points here as this Penn State team will come ready to play in what should be a low-scoring game that will be decided in the 4th quarter.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - This rates as a Spearmint Rhino game. Some of the best talent you will find across the country makes this very watchable. You're likely to find at least one future Vivid or Wicked contract girl on stage.

Thursday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET FOX

Virginia Tech (+3) over Cincinnati - Virginia Tech has now lost 4 straight BCS bowl games while this is Cincinnati's first game on this stage. The Hokies defense has been their strong point this year as they have allowed only 17.5 points/game and are lead by shutdown CBs Victor Harris and Stephan Virgil, who should slow down great Bearcat WR Mardy Gilyard. Hokie Qb Tyrod Taylor and Rb Darren Evans should provide enough of a rushing game for Va Tech, who is 89-8 when out-rushing their opponents. Cincinnati will need a great game from Qb Tony Pike as Nebraska and Florida State were the only teams this year to score exactly 30 points on the Hokies.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - Glitter Gulch material. Unbelievable how a once proud institution has degraded to this unwatchable mess. If the cabbie didn't kick you out on Fremont Street for making Al-Qaida comments about his name, you'd be at Scores by now.

Friday Jan. 2 2:00 pm ET FOX

Mississippi (+5) over Texas Tech - The Rebels' 4 losses this season came by an average of 4.8 points/game, including a 4 point loss to Alabama. Qb Jevan Snead, a transfer from Texas, leads a potent Ole Miss offense that includes 2 running backs, Cordera Eason and Dexter McCluster, who were #7 and #8 in the SEC. Houston Nutt's 'Wild Rebel' offense is run by McCluster, whose favorite target out of the formation is WR Mike Wallace, who had an astonishing 20.1 yards/reception this season. The Texas Tech defense has been soft at times this year and with the fact that Ole Miss wants to be here much more than Texas Tech, watch out for the outright upset.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - Solid Olympic Gardens watchability rating. Not the best of the best, but it's still fun to watch that one hot stripper among a group of average talent get back up and stage and hopefully give you a 2-for-1 song special back in VIP.

Friday Jan. 2 5:00 pm ET ESPN

East Carolina (-2) over Kentucky - On paper, this game is about even as you can get. Both teams sport offenses that have been less than stellar (East Carolina #87 in points scored and Kentucky #90) this year due to injuries. These two teams come into this game on completely different patterns. Kentucky lost 4 of their last 5 games including Florida and Georgia while East Carolina won 6 of 7. Kentucky will be without starting Qb Randall Cobb, who recently had knee surgery, for the first time this season. East Carolina should be excited here to get a shot at the SEC and add to their impressive 2008 resume which included wins over West Virginia and Virginia Tech.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - Cheetahs on the worst imaginable night. Very unwatchable and even shocking to the talent downgrade after a promising start. A whole bunch of no-namers and very few that will make to the Spearmint.

Friday Jan. 2 8:00 pm ET FOX

Alabama (-9) over Utah - Losing OT Andre Smith isn't going to help Utah much in this one as Alabama still holds a big advantage in the trenches. The only notable defense Utah faced all season, TCU, held them to only 13 points while Alabama held 9 opponents this season to 14 points or less. Utah last played back on November 22nd while Alabama last played on December 6th which means Utah will be going on well over a month without any game experience. Nick Saban's Tide has way too much talent here for a Utah team that hasn't seen an SEC team since the early 80's. Rb Glen Coffee and WR Julio Jones will provide big plays for a surprisingly good Alabama offense that did move the ball on Florida.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - The ultimate Scores battle of fresh faces vs battle tested veterans. The up-start talent will make this very watchable against the much more talented A-teamers. Think of Gina Lynn from The Sopranos at Bada Bing in a pole war against the Bucci twins (just do the Google image search.)

Double Double Extra Lock

Saturday Jan. 3 12:00 pm ET ESPN2

Connecticut (-5) over Buffalo - I'm routing for Turner Gill here as much as you but let's be realistic here. Buffalo managed a turnover ratio this year of +1.15 (6th) which would explain their 8 wins including a miracle vs. Ball State, a game where they were outgained by 202 yards. UConn RB Donald Brown had 1,923 yards with 17 TDs despite horrible Qb play (4 Tds/17 Ints.) The Huskies have plenty of talent on a defensive unit that allowed only 282 yards and 20 points/game. The miracle Bulls might be one miracle too short here.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - Another Glitter Gulch night, but at least there's there some talent on Fremont Street after the World Series of Poker Main Event. The watchability might be low, but don't be surprised to see some talent.

Thursday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ABC

Georgia (-8) over Michigan State - Remember when Georgia was preseason #1? Neither do I, but I do remember how talented they are. To go along with future NFL 1st rounders Qb Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno, Georgia has the SEC's top 2 leaders in receiving yards with WRs AJ Green and Mohamed Massaquoi. In Michigan State's 3 games this season in which they were an underdog, the Spartans went 0-3 and lost by an average of 25 points/game. In fact, they were 0-5 ATS vs. the 5 teams they played this year with a winning record. If Georgia shows up, this one gets ugly.
XtraWatchabilityPoint - Another Scores battle. You have the highly rated former Vivid starlets that couldn't live up to expectations and are relegated to making side money on a $29.99/month website that has 10 subscribers. It's watchable, but the possibilities could have been so much more