The Season Has a Reason, Finally

CDP

Ah, the Christmas season, when we turn our attention to the truly important things in life: college football bowl games. Not everybody is a fan or has a team, of course. Not even all of the Misfits care. But some of us care very much, maybe entirely too much. So, what follows is a list of the games we care about, whether because we’re alumni, lifelong fans, or we just have familial ties to the school and feel obligated. We’ll also hit the high notes of the other games, and of course the BCS. Any predictions are for gambling purposes only. Feel free to join in with us on Twitter for the smack talk hate fests.

Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 17th –  Houston vs San Diego St.
    
San Diego St. comes in as the Mountain West champions with a record of 10-3, but boasts impressive wins over...well, nobody. Houston, on the other hand, had wins over Oklahoma and Louisville. Unfortunately for the 9-3 Cougars, those wins landed their head coach the head gig at Texas, so they come in with an interim coach named Todd Orlando. Coach Orlando was previously the Houston linebackers coach. The fact that Houston’s previous coach, Tom Herman, is a WR/QB guru and Houston relied on a high powered passing game during the regular season doesn’t bode well for the Cougars. There are past examples of a team rallying around an interim coach and playing inspired football. This will not be another example of that phenomenon.

Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego), Dec. 21st  –  BYU vs Wyoming

Interesting fact: the poinsettia was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, first U.S. Minister to Mexico, who introduced the native Mexican plant to the U.S. in 1825. That little factoid is surely the most interesting thing going on in this game. Anyway, BYU finished 8-4 but did beat Michigan State and Mississippi State, two teams who were admittedly down this year but are still major conference opponents. Wyoming finished 8-5, with their best win arguably being over a strong Air Force team. As our Misfit affiliation is to Wyoming, that is who we’ll be pulling for, but we definitely won’t be putting any money on it.

Texas Bowl (Houston), Dec. 28th –  A&M vs Kansas State

This game should offer an interesting chance to fight about conference supremacy: is an 8-4 SEC team superior to an 8-4 Big XII team? Normally it wouldn’t be all that interesting, as Kansas State does not have a good record recently against SEC West teams in bowl games. However, KState won 4 of their last 5 while A&M was dropping 4 of their last 6. This year’s Aggies are too similar to last year’s team that lost a bowl game to Louisville to be confident they can pull this one out. Our resident Longhorn fan should be happy when this one is over, as her only joy this bowl season can come from the sorrow of others.

Belk Bowl (Charlotte), Dec. 29th  –  Arkansas vs Virginia Tech

The 9-4 Hokies gave Clemson all they could handle in the ACC Championship game. They have a solid defense and the type of quarterback who typically gives the Razorbacks problems. The Hogs finished a disappointing 7-5, finishing the regular season with a bad loss to Mizzou. Arkansas should be able to move the ball on the Hokies, but may have trouble stopping them. It will be a feather in the SEC’s cap if an unranked Hog team can beat an ACC division winner, and both teams should be motivated. Take the over.

Orange Bowl (Miami), Dec. 30th  –  Michigan vs Florida State

Possibly no two more disparate coaching personalities have faced off in a bowl game since Lou Holtz vs. Barry Switzer. FSU isn’t as strong as they have been the last few years, and Michigan will be looking to prove they belonged in the playoff. Michigan’s defense should be the difference, and give the Wolverines the win. What we should all be hoping for is poor officiating, just for the Harbaugh entertainment value.

Peach Bowl (Atlanta), Dec. 31st  –  Alabama vs Washington

The first college football playoff semifinal. Interestingly, this one pits two Misfits against one another. Unfortunately for one of them, Alabama is very, very good. Chris Petersen at UW should scare the hell out of the PAC 12. He will make the Huskies a perennial conference championship contender for a decade or more. But in this game, Alabama’s superior athleticism will win the day, and they won’t come in flat with another game still on the horizon. Huskies get stomped.

Fiesta Bowl (Glendale), Dec. 31st  – Clemson vs Ohio State

Some of us here at Misfits would like to issue the following statement: we f*cking hate Ohio State. Their fans are the Patriots fans of college football, but without nearly as much winning. That being said, none of us have any ties to Clemson, so we want Ohio State to squeak by this one, so that they play Alabama. Mainly just so Bama can stomp them, which they will. If somehow Ohio State could get stomped in both games, that is what we would want to happen.

Sugar Bowl (NOLA), Jan. 2nd –  Auburn vs Oklahoma

One of us has family who are OU fans, and thus feels obligated to pull for them. The rest of us think the Sooners are basically Buckeye fans minus the sweater vests, not to mention the fact that their mascot is literally a land-thieving cheater. Oklahoma probably wins because Big Game Bob always wins when there’s no real pressure. Go Auburn. #SEC

Those are the games we care about the most. Some of us will be watching other games, pulling for the SEC team or the Big 12 team, just to talk some smack to each other. We’ll no doubt drive the Misfits who don’t care about college football a little crazy at times. But it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it.