Pete
Fiutak
Q:
What are three things you're looking for from the bowl season?
A:
3) Can the Big Ten actually play?
Wisconsin beat almost no one this season, while the rest of the league
appeared to be extremely average. Did we all overrate Ohio State and
Michigan based on what they did in the mediocre conference? That can all
go away with a good post-season as Minnesota plays Texas Tech, Iowa
plays Texas, Penn State plays Tennessee, Wisconsin plays Arkansas,
Michigan plays USC, and of course, Ohio State battles Florida for the
national title.
2) Boise State
Does anyone outside of Idaho think Chris Petersen's club has a shot to
beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl? Actually, I sort of do. I don't think
it'll happen, but with a good defense and Ian Johnson and the great
running game, the Broncos are good enough to make it more than just an
odd curiosity bowl. A blowout loss would be disastrous for the future of
the little guy and the BCS. What you saw the voters to do Michigan this
year is what will happen to the Boise State's of the world for a few
years if OU wins 56-3.
1) Who's going to be the West Virginia of the bowl season?
The Mountaineers milked the national attention from the great 2006 Sugar
Bowl win over Georgia for all it was worth. With so many teams returning
good veterans, it'll be interesting to see who the hot teams are after
the bowl year. They can come from upsets, but watch other big things can
get the debate going, like how well the winner of the Michigan vs. USC
Rose Bowl looks as far as who might be 2007's preseason number one. If
Florida beats Ohio State impressively, will that mean a preseason top
spot? Can Texas rebound and thump Iowa? How will the Big Easters do now
that they have more respect? We'll get all the off-season talk rolling
in a few weeks.
Richard
Cirminiello
Q:
What are three things you're looking for from the bowl season?
A:
1. I recognize this is a ridiculously calculating confession at such a
wonderful time of the year, but for me, 2007 began right after the
Heisman Trophy was announced. With the exception of the five BCS bowl
games, I’m treating the next three weeks as an ideal opportunity to
watch 64 teams and a slew of terrific young players that’ll dominate the
college landscape next fall and beyond. Don’t kid yourself—in a sport
that is heavily dominated by opinion and perception, next year’s
rankings and the races for individual awards have already begun.
December and January are the launching pads for August and September
(see West Virginia in last year’s Sugar Bowl), so I’ll be watching
teams, such as Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M with one eye
on the outcome and the other on its impact on next season.
2.
One of the many beauties of the bowl season is having a chance to really
lock in for one night on some of the game’s stars from smaller programs
that don’t enjoy widespread national pub. Yeah, you do your best to
watch everything and everyone on a Saturday, but that’s just not
feasible. I want to watch Kentucky QB Andre Woodson for four quarters,
really understand what makes Central Michigan DE Dan Bazuin so dominant
and get to know Rice WR Jarett Dillard beyond just the numbers and the
records. The post-season affords us an opportunity to soak in some of
college football’s underpublicized heroes without the distraction of 50
other games, most of which would be higher on the national significance
pecking order.
3. How cool is
Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson? He broke his collarbone in October, giving
him a very good excuse to sit out the Fiesta Bowl and protect his NFL
Draft status, but instead has done everything within his power to get
back in time to play this game. Heck, he was pushing to be cleared for
the Big 12 Championship game two weeks ago. Money matters, but not
everything is about dollars and cents, something Peterson made crystal
clear from the moment he declared in October that he planned to return
again in 2006. While others might have taken the more practical
approach, he’s attacked this injury the way he does defenders—head on
and without caution. Peterson’s going to make his millions soon enough,
but right now, he wants to play one more game for the Sooners. I’m
looking forward to seeing him get his wish.
John
Harris
Q:
What are three things you're looking for from the bowl season?A. 1.
Adrian Peterson playing in the Fiesta Bowl. Will Oklahoma allow Adrian
Peterson to play agianst Boise State? Although he's been cleared to
play, will he and if so, how much will he play? How many carries?
2. Teams making a "first appearance" in a bowl
feeding off the emotion of "being there" for the first time.
Furthermore, what does this one singular bowl trip/month of practice in
December mean to programs at schools like Rice, Middle Tennessee State,
Western Michigan - teams that don't make visits often to bowls?
3. These two weeks (well, three this year)
determine what conferences/teams were frauds throughout the year and
what conferences/teams were actually legit. In particular, I'm gearing
up for SEC-Big Ten showdowns - Penn State vs. Tennessee, Wisconsin vs.
Arkansas and of course, Florida vs. Ohio State. Shoot for that matter
throw in the other Midwest power Notre Dame and LSU in the Sugar Bowl as
well. Whose football reigns supreme? Allez cuisine!
Matthew
Zemek
Q:
What are three things you're looking for from the bowl season?
A: 3 - Better quarterbacking than what we've seen this
season. After a lot of mediocre performances this past year, one hopes
the month of preparation will produce better offenses. Both QBs in the
Peach Bowl (yeah, we know the corporate name) will need to perform. John
David Booty will need to step it up in the Rose Bowl. Brandon Cox, all
eyes are on you in Dallas. Reggie
Ball: do you have a good game left at Georgia Tech? Arkansas: can you
get Marcus Monk the ball against Wisconsin? Oregon--can you get good
play under center against BYU? The list goes on and on.
2 - Something special. Lots of these games are dogs with fleas.
Someone please provide a spark.
1 - No grumbling, no grumbling, no grumbling. It's a bowl game. You
have one month to prepare for it, and you (as a player) are getting
loads of free goodies as part of the deal. Play with passion and pride.
If you're a huge favorite, a loss should reflect negatively on you and
your conference. Go out and prove you're a good team, even if you're
playing a very inferior opponent.
|