Tide Rolled

I saw the "Tide Rolled" phrase a bunch after the game, it's apt.

FBS Championship Game - Alabama vs. Clemson

If you said you saw that beat down coming, well, you're a time traveler. Clemson was a six point underdog in what was expected to be a coronation of Nick Saban's best team ever.  Instead they flat out got their ass kicked. It was almost shocking how bad the Tigers made the Tide look.

I was in for the whole game, figuring a good three and half hours plus the ridiculous halftime show.  Can anyone explain why Imagine Dragons are popular?  Name one Dragon, I dare you. To try to appeal to a bigger slice of "fans" Lil' Wayne was added to the show.

Yeah, he made it better. His grandma is probably wondering where her clothes are.  Fortunately for the fans at the game, they didn't have to suffer through this, they got to see the marching bands.  ESPN is awful.

You know the outcome by now, it was a master class in coaching by Dabo Swinney. Clemson picked apart the Alabama DB's on the edges and then hit for big plays, anchored by dominant line play on both sides of the ball.

Dabo forced Trick Nicky into making bad decisions, like the fake field goal.  Just put Tua out there Nick and let your offense try to pick up the first down. 

All in all, a pretty good night although anyone who thinks it's going to be any two other teams besides Clemson and Bama next year is delusional.

Clemson 44  Alabama 16

What Did I Eat:  A couple slices of thin crust Home Run Inn Pizza and a salad.

Bowl Swag:  The don't disclose gifts, it's a secret.  Probably a crying towel for Saban.

My Pick:  Alabama, I was just horrible this year.

That's it for another season.  Title game in New Orleans next year, book your flights Tiger and Tide fans.

Questy Awards

Bowl season has come to an end and it's time to rank the good, the bad and what I ate. Also, the championship game Monday night is not a bowl game but of course I'll watch it. It would be kind of pointless to do this and not get to the finish.

Most Valuable Player - Alabama's Tua Tagovailola, 24-27 passing, four touchdowns against Oklahoma.  The Sooner defense is weak but Tua is unreal.

Least Valuable Player - Jake Bentley, South Carolina.  Bentley has been at South Carolina for about nine years, he should be better than 17-for-40, 218 yards with two picks.

Wackiest Name - BYU's Sione Takitaki, it's just fun to say. The guy was a beast in his bowl game against Western Michigan.

Big Play - let's go with this one from the Fiesta Bowl.  It's not often you get a chance to blast a QB and not catch a yellow flag.

Worst Bowl Destination -  Normally I would give it to Shreveport but this year it goes to Annapolis, the site of the Military Bowl.  It was miserable there the entire game.  At least it was sunny in northwest Louisiana.

Best Bowl Destination - This is a toss up between the Bahamas and Hawaii but this year Hawaii was the home team so only one squad got to travel to the big island.  Bahamas wins.

Biggest Disappointment - This one is easy, Notre Dame.  They had no business being in the playoff. Georgia is the runner up, a total wet fart of an effort against Texas. Michigan State is my personal biggest disappointment but scoring six points didn't surprise me at all.

Biggest Surprise - Auburn's offense firing at 100% against Purdue in the Music City Bowl.  The Tigers were a regular season disappointment.

Worst Game - while the First Responder Bowl should win for not being played, let's give it to the Belk Bowl. South Carolina was a total no show, this game could not have been more boring.

Weirdest Game - The Cheez-It Bowl.  Long after the games are played, I'll remember this game more than any other.  It was so bad it was good.  There were nine turnovers and only 17 points, and it went to overtime.

Best Game:  The Birmingham Bowl, Wake Forest needing a missed field goal by Memphis to avoid overtime and get the win, 37-34.  The playoff games continue to be underwhelming or just plain bad.

Bowl Swag, Worst - Pinstripe Bowl. Just some New Era stuff.  They don't even try.

Bowl Swag, Best - Alamo Bowl.  $425 Amazon gift card, Fossil watch (of course), mini helmet, team panoramic photo.

What I Ate, Best - Mrs. Keith's New Year's Day dinner of pork roast, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, salad. And I still have some of the Archer Farm's Tex Mex snack mix around.

If you have an award of our own, leave it in the comments.

Final two bowl games

Let's wrap this up. It might sound crazy after watching 39 bowl games that I often feel a bit melancholic that the games are over but not this year.  Adios bowl season, take your Cheez-It and Red Box bowls with you.

Rose Bowl - Ohio State vs. Washington

The PAC 12 was pretty lousy this year and I thought this would be a blow out considering it was Urban Meyer's last game with the Buckeyes.

I watched most of the game although to say I was paying close attention would be a lie. Ohio State had a 28-3 lead before the Huskies woke up, scoring points in the 4th quarter.  A case of too little too late.

Congrats to Meyer and Ohio State for representing the Big 10 well and taking the trophy.  I think Urb stays retired and will only come out of retirement for one job, Notre Dame. Irish fans will grow tired of Brian Kelly soon and Urban will come back one more time to try and wake the echoes.

Ohio State 28  Washington 23

What Did I Eat:  Dinner - pork roast and sauerkraut (good luck food), mashed potatoes, salad.  Mrs. Keith always kick butt at New Year's dinner.

Bowl Swag:  Gift suite, commemorative Fossil watch, Ogio backpack, New Era 9Fifty snap back hat.

My Pick:  Ohio State, finally got one right on New Year's Day.

Sugar Bowl - Georgia vs. Texas

After taking in four games and six the day before, I had little steam left for watching any of this one. After some genius decided to have Texas mascot Bevo meet Georgia mascot UGA and Bevo attacked the bulldog, I knew bowl season needed to end.  And Bevo's attack on UGA was a precursor of things to come in this game.

I watched the first half and called it a night.  Texas had all the energy while Georgia felt like it should have been in the playoff.  20-7 at half time, good night. Georgia did make a game of it in the fourth quarter but just like Washington, TLTL.

Texas 28  Georgia 20

What Did I Eat:  Still more Christmas cookies.  Son No. 2 made a lot.

Bowl Swag:  Gift suite, Fossil watch, New Era cap, Rock 'Em socks, cuff links.  Cuff links, another gift headed to an older male relative just like the Texas Bowl cowboy hat.

My Pick:  Georgia. My record falls to 22-17, terrible. But hey, at least Bevo posted bail and had a great night on Bourbon Street.

New Year's Day, Pt. 1

Three early games, bunched together.  I had to get out of the house after being cooped up during a rainy Monday.  It was time for some record swapping, took some albums to  Everybody's Records in Pleasant Ridge, hung out for about an hour with the store to myself, and bought a couple. Next door to Everybody's is my favorite tavern in town, The Gas Light Cafe.

Outback Bowl - Iowa vs. Mississippi State

I caught the first quarter at the Gas Light, with the best burger in Cincinnati and a couple of Founders Ales. I thought about actually going to an Outback but why would I when this was right in front of me. The last time I went to an Outback was about 17 years ago.

I watched the first quarter at the bar next to a guy who wanted to watch the NHL Winter Classic which had not started and another who wanted to bitch about "the news" but no one was having any of it.  The staff at the Gaslight is very friendly and the woman tending bar told him in the nicest way to shut up.

Iowa won, with -14 yards rushing.  It's been that kind of bowl season. They also had zero penalties, that helps.  Say what you will about Kirk Ferentz but he runs a disciplined team.

Iowa 27  Mississippi State 22

What Did I Eat:  You can actually see a picture of it just above except I had fries instead of chips.  The friendly bartender upsold me over chips.

What You Can Eat:  A free order of coconut shrimp per table thanks to the Iowa victory. But only on January 2nd. Coconut shrimp kind of sucks.  I like shrimp, I like coconut, I'm not a big fan of them together.

Bowl Swag:  Fossil watch, Jostens ring, $125 Best Buy gift card, Outback Steakhouse gift card. This may be the only bowl game besides the championship where a player gets a ring.

My Pick:  Mississippi State.  Hat tip to Bowlquest reader Bobby Hansen who told me I was wrong.

Fiesta Bowl - Central Florida vs. LSU

After the best meal I've had since Christmas Eve, I got home to watch a quarter of this one.  UCF jumped out to the early lead and was acting like mid 90's Miami, lots of swagger.  LSU fixed that although it never got out of hand.

No self proclaimed championship this year for the Knights. I did like their moxie to just proclaim themselves champs last year and then the University and city of Orlando went along with it and threw them a parade.

LSU 40  UCF 32

What Did I Eat:  Nothing

Bowl Swag:  PS4 gift package including a PS4 console, controller and games, Fossil watch with engraved caseback, Ogio X-fit backpack.

I had the original Sony Playstation.

I played a lot of Crash Bandicoot and Final Fantasy VII. The console is evidently in a box in our basement.

My Pick:  UCF - pretty dumb considering the Knights starting quarterback was out.

Citrus Bowl - Penn State vs. Kentucky

Once I finished my quarter of the Fiesta Bowl I moved to this game and stuck with it. This is a candidate for best game of bowl season.  Enough scoring, enough defense, some star players, went down to the end, about all you can ask from a bowl game.

Kentucky's Benny Snell ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns while Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley played some of the game on an alleged broken foot, throwing for two touchdowns. and running for 75 yards  That was the most for running yards for any Lions player, they really miss Barkley in Happy Valley.

This is why I watch bowl games, in hopes to get one like this.  By the way, VRBO stands for Vacation Rentals By Owners, had to look that up.  These games have lost some serious sponsor luster. A county credit union can now sponsor a mid tier game.

Kentucky 27  Penn State 24

What Did I Eat:  Some Archer Farms snack mix, that crap just won't go away, also a martini. Happy New Year.

Bowl Swag:  $400 Best Buy gift card, Fossil watch, Ogio backpack with luggage tag.  Luggage tag, very nice.

My Pick:  In keeping with the theme of the day, Penn State.

Two more to go and the quest is all but done.

New Year's Eve Games

The down and dirty on six games on the last day of the year.

Military Bowl - Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

I watched all of the first half, and kept this one on the second screen.  This turned out to be a really fun, back and forth game.  We have two Bearcats in the house so the final outcome was pretty sweet and put a bow on a good season for the Bearcats. A lot of positive things are happening in Clifton. 

U.C. 35  Virginia Tech 31

What Did I Eat:  Nothing, we had a late breakfast cooked by Bearcat Son No. 2. 

Bowl Swag:  Dell Mobile Projector, $100 Amex gift card, a pair of slides.  That projector starts at $399.

My Pick:  Cincinnati

Sun Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. Stanford

Hit the twin screen on the TV and watched a quarter of this game.  As usual, this is the only game carried by CBS.  The network has a 50+ year history carrying the Sun Bowl.  This game almost had the same result as the 1985 Sun Bowl when Georgia tied Arizona 13-13 in front of more than 52,000 in El Paso.

Bulldogs kicker Max Zendejas would be named game MVP for making two field goals.  Kicker love! 

Stanford scored late in the 2018 game to get the win. 

Stanford 14  Pitt 13

What Did I Eat:  Nothing again, this game was on at 2pm, I'm not some sort of bottomless pit of snack consumption. 

Bowl Swag:  Team gift suite, Timely Watch Co. watch, Majestic fleece pullover, Ogio Excelsior backpack, Under Armour hat, commemorative coin.  I'm surprised there is no football. 

My Pick:  Stanford

Redbox Bowl - Michigan State vs. Oregon

As a Spartan, I was in for all of this one and what a painful watch it was.  The Spartans offense was woeful this season and with a month's worth of practice it didn't get much better.  The defense on the other hand played lights out, limiting a high scoring Ducks offense to one touchdown.  Michigan State should have won the game, which is the story of their entire season.  The 2018 Michigan State Should-Ofs. 

I could do a thousand words on what went wrong but what's the point, it's a meaningless bowl game that changes sponsors every year or two - hi Foster Farms, and would be a great choice to trim down the schedule. 

Oregon 7  MSU 6

What Did I Eat - a mix of Planter's Dry Roasted Peanuts and Snyder of Hanover Jalapeno Pretzel Bits. Also, I started drinking, because, well, Michigan State. It's hard to believe the Spartans offense average 42 points per game just four years ago.  They scored 32 points total in their last four games this year. 

Bowl Swag:  Fossil watch, Timbuktu backpack, Roku, headphones, Redbox bowl merch.  I guess the Roku is pretty good. 

My Pick:  Michigan State, call me an optimist. 

Liberty Bowl - Missouri vs. Oklahoma State

I watched this one on the split screen during the Michigan State game.  I did catch the end when Missouri came up just short.  Why is Missouri in the SEC? It is neither southern or eastern. They get former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant so they could be a lot of fun next season. 

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy is one of he more interesting guys in college football.  He was rocking the turtleneck and mullet Monday. 

Oklahoma State 38  Missouri 33

What Did I Eat:  Nothing, I snacked during the Redbox bowl. 

Bowl Swag:  Shopping trip to Bass Pro Shop, Bose Soundlink micro Bluetooth speaker, Bulova watch, Nike athletic shoes, sports sandals, backpack, sunglasses, football.  Quite the haul. 

My Pick:  Missouri

Holiday Bowl - Northwestern vs. Utah

This game has been through a myriad of sponsors, taking on the San Diego County Credit Union in 2018, former sponsor of the now defunct Poinsettia Bowl.  

The Spartans killed any interest in watching more football and this one looked like a blowout in the making with the Utes scoring a couple times early.  Utah has a great bowl record under coach Kyle Whittingham, who played in this game a few times. 

Make that every time he played in a bowl game.  The Holiday Bowl used to be BYU's birthright. 

Northwestern came back and sent the Utes home with the L. The Wildcats had a weird season, losing four non-conference games, winning the Big 10 West, losing to Ohio State in the Big 10 championship game and then coming back to win against a team this is usually the surest bet of bowl season. 

Northwestern 31  Utah 20

What Did I Eat:  Nothing, I was waiting on Son No. 2 to get home from work to have New Year's Eve finger food. 

Bowl Swag:  Gift suite, Fossil watch, New Era cap.  I'm sure the players go on a trip to Sea World or the famous San Diego zoo.  

My Pick:  Utah - you just don't pick against the Utes in bowl games.

Gator Bowl - Texas A&M vs. North Carolina State

Has someone involved with this game been reading Bowlquest blog?  They brought back the Gator Bowl name. For the past few years the game has just been called The Taxslayer Bowl and I have voiced my displeasure with removing one of the greatest bowl game names. This new logo is horrible but at least Gator Bowl is back. 

Now that's what I'm talking about.  Put that on a t-shirt and I'll buy it.  I guess I could do that myself since there are plenty of shirt creation options on the internet. 

Anyhow, I had no interest in this game, watched a quarter and turned it off. We flipped around to the New Year's Eve shows on the major networks which all stunk. At least the Fox show had mini Steve Harvey. 

Lil' Steve even had an umbrella, which were not allowed in Times Square for the ball drop.  No one tells Lil' Steve what to do. 

Texas A&M 52  NC State 13

What Did I Eat:  New Year's Eve finger food - mini crab cakes, Mediterranean mixed vegetables, little quiches we've had in the freezer for a long time, meatballs.  

Bowl Swag:  Fossil watch, Maui Jiim sunglasses, Amazon Echo, ISlides, SIC tumbler, dopp kit.  We have an Amazon Echo, it's mostly used as a timer.  I've never bought a more useless item, at least it was half off. 

My Pick:  Texas A&M, the ACC was a lousy league this year, easy pick.

My record stands at 21-13.  Five more games on New Year's Day including the Fiesta Bowl being played at 10am local time.  That one should be jam packed. 

Jeopardy

The best part of bowl season so far has been having College Bowl Games as a category this past week on Jeopardy.

It wasn't so much about games as it was corporate sponsors.  The players avoided it like the plague, probably thinking it was about actual football.

Probably sounding like an alarmist, I think college football is in jeopardy in its current playoff format.  Two teams have gamed the system and the rest are trying to keep up.  Some are doing better than others but at the end of the day, Alabama and Clemson are far and away the top programs for a number of reasons.

1.  Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are not only the two best coaches in the game, they figured out how to game the playoffs. Alabama and Clemson are now the surest schools for players to make the NFL.  Saban and Swinney are great salesman and saw the playoff for what it has become, a huge showcase for NFL teams. Its how they sell players on coming to their school.  "If you come to school here you have the best chance to play professionally."  Urban Meyer is probably the third best at this but has been caught up in a number of well documented problems.  All the other big schools - Georgia, Texas, Southern Cal,  Florida, Florida State, LSU, Michigan and (insert your favorite team) have had too much coaching turnover or inability to win their conference title game.  Alabama and Clemson are stable. It's the closest thing to a pro career guarantee.

2.  Every game is on TV.  If top players don't go to the top schools, they go where they can play right away and get on TV. Talent is spread too thin and no one wants to ride the bench for two years.  The PAC 12 is the best example of this. The PAC 12 gets the least TV coverage nationally and the PAC 12 network is not available to most cable or satellite viewers.  Less TV, less top players to former power schools like USC, UCLA and Oregon (I know the Ducks have a great recruiting class and are keeping their quarterback from one more season, Phil Knight is unhappy with not winning the conference.)  100% TV saturation is also causing attendance problems at all but the biggest schools.

3. Notre Dame.  Being allowed to have all their home games on NBC and not forced into joining a conference has tilted the playoff for more deserving teams, especially this season.  But even in other years, Notre Dame is usually a factor despite being overrated.  There is no question Georgia and Ohio State were better teams this year.  The Irish scraping by against teams like Ball State, Pitt and Vanderbilt should have been reason enough to keep them out this year. Putting Notre Dame in the Big 10 West and having Nebraska return to the Big 12 would be the best solution.

4.  Rules.  Coaches have been able to jump from school to school without penalty and now players can jump from school to school much easier.  The quarterback from Washington State has played at three different schools.

Throw some blame at the internet and millennials/gen Z too, just because I'm old.

So, did I watch the Orange Bowl?  Of course.  Alabama got the quick start and held on. We get Clemson and Alabama, round 4.  The upside, we're watching two of the best programs we'll ever see in our lives.  The downside, for fans like me, we'll have little chance to see our favorite team win a championship.

Bama and Clemson fans, enjoy the ride.

Michigan Lost

That's the best thing I can come up with on a day of horrible games prior to the Orange Bowl.  All the games today through the Cotton Bowl were terrible. 

This Notre Dame fan sums up the entire day prior to the Orange Bowl. Those are some big money seats to watch his team get destroyed. Thanks Dad.

Belk Bowl - Virginia vs. South Carolina

I watched the first quarter and checked back in. 

Virginia 28  South Carolina 0

What Did I Eat:  Some queso and chips.

Bowl Swag:  $450 shopping trip to a Belk store, Fossil Watch.  I'll never forget the time the Arkansas player was charged for shoplifting at Belk when he had a free trip through the store.

My Pick:  South Carolina

Peach Bowl - Michigan vs. Florida

Big Game Jim Harbaugh lost again. Michigan was in serious consideration to be in the playoff before getting drummed in Columbus. They lost to Notre Dame, enough said. This was an embarrassment. 

I watched the second quarter in full, had it on the twin screen.

Florida 41  Michigan 15

What Did I Eat:  Nothing

Bowl Swag:  $300 Vanilla Visa gift card, Peach Bowl Fossil watch, Mophie Powerstation, XL, Amazon Echo Dot 3, souvenir football.  I searched ebay for one of these footballs, no player sells them. 

My Pick:  Michigan, I'm an idiot

Arizona Bowl - Arkansas State vs. Nevada

This game has no business being around.  I watched the second quarter.  It lasted forever. It was 10-10 at the end of regulation at it took over three and a half hours prior to overtime.  How is that possible?  It's like the Cheez-It Bowl had a baby and this was it. 

Nevada 16  Arkansas State 13 (OT)

What Did I Eat:  Nothing

Bowl Swag:  Ghostek backpack with a power bank and external USB port, Beats Buds, Kindle Fire with built in Alexa, hydro flask, cooling towel, Frito Lays products.  I'm not joking, the players got free chips. 

My Pick:  Nevada

Cotton Bowl - Notre Dame vs. Clemson

Another blow out, this is getting tiresome. If you like college football you likely watched it and don't need my analysis.  I watched the whole game. It was terrible.

Clemson 30  Notre Dame 3

What Did Eat:  Cashews, some potato chips

Bowl Swag:  No idea, they don't disclose the player gifts. The Cotton Bowl likes secrets. 

My Pick:  Clemson, I'm not an idiot.  My record is 16-10.