COLUMN: More games, fewer comments

By: 
Pete Temple
Express Sports Editor

HOME STRETCH COLUMN

     Forty-one football bowl games.

     There are 41 of these turkeys now. This poses a problem for your usually crisp, concise sports editor when it comes to predicting the outcomes.

     In past years I have felt the need to comment on every single game. And even though my remarks get funnier every year, I don’t wish to occupy the entire sports section with them.

     So I’ll still list every game, along with my winner – Mark will do the same over in his column – but I will only comment when the mood strikes.

     So here goes:

     Air Force Reserve Celebration: Grambling State over N.C. Central by 6.

     New Mexico: New Mexico over UTSA by 3.

     Las Vegas: I find the prospect of an NHL team in Vegas awesome. Houston over San Diego State by 10.

     Camellia: Appalachian State over Toledo by 2.

     Cure: UCF over Arkansas State by 7.

     New Orleans: Southern Miss over UL-Lafayette by 5.

     Miami Beach: Central Michigan over Tulsa by 4.

     Boca Raton: Western Kentucky over Memphis by 5.

     Poinsettia: BYU over Wyoming by 2.

     Potato: Colorado State over Idaho by 6.

     Bahamas: How do these two programs get to score a Bahamas trip? Eastern Michigan over Old Dominion by 7.

     Armed Forces: Navy over Louisiana Tech by 8.

     Dollar General: Finally, a bowl named after a Monticello business. Troy over Ohio by 5.

     Hawaii: Hard to pick a school that is “middle” anything. Hawaii over Middle Tennessee by 3.

     St. Petersburg: Mississippi State over Miami (Ohio) by 9.

     Quick Lane: Boston College over Maryland by 6.

     Independence: Vanderbilt over N.C. State by 7.

     Heart of Dallas: North Texas over Army by 1.

     Military: Temple over Wake Forest by 6.

     Holiday: Even after 18 years in Iowa, my heart is still with the Gophers in most college sports. Whether they deserve this bowl remains to be seen, but I’m going to go with my heart, and not my head, and say Minnesota over Washington State by 1.

     Cactus: Baylor over Boise State by 4.

     Pinstripe: Pittsburgh over Northwestern by 4.

     Russell Athletic: Miami (Fla). over West Virginia by 3. They call Miami the “U,” but those of us from up north know that the true “U” is the U of M (Minnesota). It’s even in the school song.

     Foster Farms: Utah over Indiana by 12.

     Texas: Kansas State over Texas A&M by 7.

     Birmingham: South Carolina over USF by 6.

     Belk: Virginia Tech over Arkansas by 4.

     Alamo: Colorado over Oklahoma State by 5.

     Liberty: Georgia over TCU by 11.

     Sun: Strike up the Stanford band. Or rather, get rid of it. Stanford over North Carolina by 2.

     Music City: This was the bowl trip many Iowa fans wanted, because of its location and the rumor that Nashville is pretty fun. How could it not be, with an NHL team in town? Tennessee over Nebraska by 3.

     Arizona: I visited Mobile, Ala. in 2009, when the South Alabama football program was just beginning. Now it is in a bowl game. Cool. South Alabama over Air Force by 6.

     Orange: Michigan took Ohio State to overtime and, if not for a call or two, probably would have won. So Michigan should be better than Florida State, by 8.

     Citrus: Rising vs. falling. Louisville over LSU by 4.

     TaxSlayer: I need to get back to Kentucky. Maybe in May sometime. Possibly the first Saturday. Kentucky over Georgia Tech by 7.

     Peach (national semifinal): As much as I’d like to see Washington win, I doubt it. Alabama by 10.

     Fiesta (national semifinal): You have to respect Ohio State coach Urban Meyer’s success, but did he have to run up and down the sideline like a goof, trying to get the crowd to cheer, in the Michigan game? Because of that, I’m taking Clemson over OSU by 1.

     Outback: It should probably be called “Welcomeback” instead of Outback. The Tampa stadium is pretty much Kinnick South. And since Iowa has a score to settle after last year’s Rose Bowl debacle, I’m taking the Hawkeyes over Florida by 3.

     Cotton: As usual, Wisconsin gets to have all the fun. Wisconsin over Western Michigan by 14.

     Rose: There will be no Stanford band to screw up this year’s halftime show. Penn State over USC by 9.

     Sugar: Oklahoma over Auburn by 5.

     National Championship: I’m wrong a lot, and disappointed even more. Might as well keep the magic alive. Clemson over Alabama by 4.

      

 

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