It’s Called Market Share

The Super Bowl and the Great Ticket Hoax

Remember when Peyton Manning didn't choke away whole Super Bowls…? When the media didn't turn on players for not talking to them for a week straight…? How about that time we all went and watched a team actually upset the Patriots...?

Not so much. That’s because getting a ticket to the Super Bowl is one of the hardest things to get your mitts on in the world. Need a pair? You’re better off trying to survive a summer in the Sudan. First off, let's start with the money it costs.

If you forced some adorable kids into slave labor to operate a lemonade stand, you would have lemonade "market share." Market share is simply the portion or share owned in relation to the totality of market value.

Say you charged ten cents a cup and pocketed all the profits; let’s even say that you had zero overhead. All those backward letters, bent nails, and broken planks be damned, you weren’t hiring migrant workers for a job your slaves could handle.

Slinging lemonade is much easier than jumping the fence at the lumber yard, eh, guys?!

Finally you have a slice of the lemonade market like you'd always wanted, right? Congratulations, you’re everything that a Mac computer game convinced you that you could be. At the end of the year, you made $500—you sold five thousand glasses, or about 40,000 ounces, of tasty lemonade. Looks like you can afford the new gaming console and stuff…life is good. The one bummer is that your market share is pretty weak.

Across the globe, say that only 30% of the world’s lemon supply is turned into lemonade. That is still over 8 billion pounds of lemons; more than a billion gallons of lemonade. Basically, you end up with slightly more lemonade than lemons in weight—about 15% more. That is to say, lemonade is a fairly efficient result of those lemons with little lost in processing. Remember your 40,000 ounces, your 312.5 gallons of lemonade? Your share is 0.0000343% of the total lemonade market.*

Look up, though, you almost had enough market share to cover a quarter of a Super Bowl ticket.

At least I can pinpoint your pitiful position in the global lemonade game, but when it comes to a potential Super Bowl ticket, you’re in stock market free fall. Properly speaking, your ticket market share is so minuscule that it doesn't exist. How can you have an tangible potential, if all you have is a percentage of a shadow number? I consulted some professionals working in a related field, but these "theoretical physicists" said that they had "better things to calculate" than the chances of a "Super Bowl-son Particle."

I read recently that the percentage of Super Bowl tickets given away to sponsors is 80% and I can’t even find a reputable source for this statistic, but that got me thinking, how many tickets are actually available for public purchase? MetLife Stadium (SB48) has a capacity of 82,500 seats, but only had 77,500 tickets for the Super Bowl. This estimate means that 62,000 tickets to this Super Bowl could have been—roughly speaking—given away. In the time leading up to the big game I kept shooting off this statistic. And everyone I talked to responded in the same manner…

“Barack says ‘screw that’ and so do I. That’s not possible.”

According to the NFL, this is how Super Bowl tickets are managed:

• AFC and NFC Champions split 35%
• Host team for Super Bowl gets 6.2%
• Remaining teams split 33.6%, or 1.2% per team
• The league gets the remaining 25.2%

Instead of being greeted with fresh Super Bowl stubs, long-time Broncos and Seahawks season ticketholders were met with fresh Super Bowl snubs. With some fans even acknowledging that they’d been in previous ticketholder lotteries for Super Bowls with a negative result. Between the outrageous prices, lengthy trips, expensive stays, and poor weather—a football game in the bitter Northeastern winter, anyone?—you might think that season ticketholder lotteries would go better for those willing to pay the price.

Given the sheer number of sponsors, involved parties, random and famous attendees—Aaron Paul was at SBXLVIII—it would seem that the NFL could be strangely bereft of tickets. You think Eli Manning paid to be in that box at the Meadowlands? No, but the Giants sure gave him a pass. You would think that the remaining teams could be interested in putting some tickets into the public market, though. Why would the Oakland Raiders want to use any of their tickets, especially last year?

The league can do whatever the hell they want to with 25% of those tickets, in the most literal way. The NFL could sell the tickets to individuals, companies, packs of wolves—those are their tickets. But, do you really suppose that Pepsi—after forking over mountains of cold hard cash, stock options for ads, and sponsorship—plans to pay $1 million in box fees at MetLife Stadium? If you think that happens, I've got a bridge to sell you!

On Scene: The Bridges of Madison County
Not pictured: Clint Eastwood, Meryl Streep

The weirdest part of the equation is that the NFL won’t say how many tickets are available to the public—a spokesperson for the NFL said plainly, “I can’t give you an exact number.” The Broncos and Seahawks wouldn't report how many tickets they’d been given for Super Bowl XLVIII. Even smaller teams are unwilling to part with a number. Honestly though, why would the Chargers even bother telling people how many ticks they got to the big game? Not like Philip Rivers’ lanky ass was going. So the total number of tickets doesn't really dwindle or decrease. But just like that, it becomes very murky.

“Basically, if you can name a company that sponsors the NFL, there's a good chance they're giving away tickets.” The NFL gives tickets, packages, boxes, and whatever to whomever, to make the event a productive one, in the most capitalistic sense. You really think that Sports Authority or Papa John’s didn't see a single Super Bowl ticket? That’s not to shift the blame to Denver, either, because I feel like the Seahawks could have easily given lots of tickets to CenturyLink. Plus, every other team in the NFL is just the same. It’s nothing more than an additive game. And just like shit, this sludge moves downhill...

Scientific observation of fecal matter running down Hill

The only people I can be sure were offered tickets, directly at face value, were the winners of the "preseason non-season ticketholder lottery"—that’s a mouthful. There are over 30,000 requests on that lottery alone, which means at least 60,000 people. Your chances to get at seats are 0.4% based on the preseason lottery, and that is, where they say, “the trail runs cold…”

According to Josh Finkelman—he’s suing the NFL over Super Bowl ticketing practices—the league has made just 1% or 775 tickets available—at face value. While I do not know Finkelman’s method for figuring his number, and it certainly jives with what I've read from irate fans…

“Barack says ‘screw that’ and so do I. That is possible...”

Perhaps most damning voice is that of Peggy McGlone with the Newark Star-Ledger. She states that the Super Bowl is “an insider’s game,” and that lotteries are tailored to these insiders help keep tickets in the hands of “supporters” so that they can turn around and sell their stubs to ticket brokers.

But, if season ticketholders aren't getting in, fanatics aren't getting in, and the rest of the public isn't getting in, just who the hell is getting those tickets…? In a nutshell, the tickets are given or hawked, or hawked and given, or given and then, hawked. There is also very little chance of pushing the tickets into a public or even grey market, let alone at a reasonable price. The average cost of a ticket as of February 1^st, 2014 was $2,645.12, which is a bargain according to the New York Times. Now, imagine that you wanted a good seat...**

I’m reminded of ruminations on the Super Bowl from the Bill Murray film, “Where the Buffalo Roam,” about the incorruptible Dr. Hunter S. Thompson:

“The crowd had assembled; a crowd of America's elite. Toyota salesmen from all around the country—Orientals and even those suspected of being Orientals—stacked on the thirty yard line watching him sweat and wipe caked blood from his face. The Gallo brothers—Ernest and Julio—party guys who had skinned a few Mexicans and forced them to carry them on their shoulders down to the pre-game tailgate parties at the Coliseum. The Pepsi and Coca Cola bottlers of America—Coke adds life; it's the real thing—bombarded by missiles; flying flaming matchbook covers. The water-heads from General Motors up in the top seats where they belong; getting the worst of the pollution…All sorts of weird motherfuckers were at the game.”

But, somehow, not Dr. Thompson…

What I’m talking about isn't foreign, it isn't new, and it certainly isn't irreverent. It’s but the mere reexamination of an old idea in the light of today.

Now, if you could only whip your slaves harder, say, "quadruple-your-profit" harder, you should be able to squeeze out the rest of the scratch to buy a ticket for next year. But, if you can exploit your way past Minute Maid on the global lemonade trade, you probably won’t have to use those extra bucks.

Ask any corporation, that’s the way to free tickets.

*Note. It’s really hard to find the amount of lemonade sold or consumed for any interval of time.
**Note. Since the posting of this article, another NFL season has come and gone with ticketing practices unchanged.

Roger Goodell, Justice Man

A brief aside before I begin my article; a definition complements of the fine folks at Dictionary.com.

Hyp∙o∙crite (hip-uh-krit) n. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess.

Our world is such that we don’t have to look around our immediate area to see the hands of hypocrisy at work.  We can go right to the internet to see it from politicians, celebrities, athletes, or even our friends--thanks Facebook.

However, it seems to especially get our collective goat when we see individuals in positions of power abuse said power.  Many of history’s villains come to mind; Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Donald Trump to name a few.

With that out of the way, I pose a question.  Is Roger Goodell a hypocrite?

I am hard-pressed to think of a commissioner in any sport over the last decade that has so poorly meted out punishment to his or her sports’ gravest transgressors.  And certainly, it would be one thing if his or her judgments typically came down too light on the guilty.  Far too frequently, Goodell has ignored the most important rule of judicial dynamics, that of "case precedent."

Case precedent broadly means that a judge who has seen a similar infraction before will typically punish in a similar manner as they have before.

Take the case of my dog using the laptop as a bathroom.  I will administer some stern language and a little light discipline.  Should this event happen again, I would make it a point to not take it to the "Michael Vick" level.  That low blow will be as it may, but Goodell has this exact problem.  He does not differentiate between the third-degree and the first-degree.

June 17, 2009.  Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth pleads guilty to a charge of "DUI Manslaughter" in the death of a local Miami man.  Stallworth is sentenced to 30 days in jail, 1000 community service hours, must undergo drug and alcohol testing, and has his driver’s license suspended for life.

While a controversial ruling by the Miami-Dade circuit court, what is done, is done.

June 19, 2009.  The NFL indefinitely suspends Donte’ Stallworth without pay.  This suspension would last for a year.  In a memo circulated by Goodell:

"In the past few years, I have not hesitated to impose discipline, including suspensions, on club and league employees who have violated the law relating to alcohol use. Every club should advise its employees of their obligations and our commitment to hold people accountable for alcohol-related violations of law."

In punishing Donte’ Stallworth, Roger Goodell did two things.

Firstly, he threw down the gauntlet to players, coaches, and anyone else involved in the NFL.  Put your ill-advised habits in check or I will come looking for you.

Secondly, he decided to step out of his shoes as the commissioner of a major sport and into those of "Justice Man."  Under his guard, no villain--under his supervision--would fall through the cracks of the U.S. Justice System.  Not now, not ever!

September 21, 2010.  New York Jets wide receiver Braylon Edwards is arrested for drunk driving.  He blows .16, otherwise known as twice the legal limit.  Compounding this disappointment is the fact that the Player Protect program provides 24-hour driving service for athletes.  Braylon couldn’t bear the thought of leaving his Land Rover in the rough neighborhoods of Manhattan overnight. Instead, he decided to drive home at around 5 a.m. while inebriated.

Edwards has been accused of being a bad apple from time to time.  Braylon even got involved in a fight with a friend of LeBron James outside of a night club in Cleveland.  Given Goodell’s earlier statements on alcoholic crime coupled with Edwards’ spotty record and he could--and likely should--have thrown the book at Edwards, but he couldn’t even muster a page.

In fact, Roger was so uninvolved with this DUI arrest that the Jets had to take it into their hands to punish Edwards.  Under Woody Johnson’s command, Rex Ryan sat Braylon Edwards for all of one play in their next game at Miami.  I’m sure that Jets fans thought that was a bit too rough.

This was an opportunity to send another resounding blow in the battle of ethics in sports.  Instead, Roger was likely too busy handling a turkey sandwich.

Maybe he had his hands full making sure that there is an NFL season next year.  How is the CBA coming, Roger?

Roger Goodell has been in a position to play "Justice Man" for about five months.  Edwards still hasn’t been to court since being charged with drunk driving.  He’s due in court March 7^th, just out of range for a punishment that could leave the Jets out a WR1 for the Super Bowl.  Now, ain’t that a coincidence?

Since the Stallworth Precedent, there have been plenty of high profile players who have been caught DUI.  According to a USA Today report by Sean Leahy, halfway through 2010 (not including Edwards), eight NFL players had been arrested under suspicion of DUI including Joey Porter, Ronnie Brown, Will Allen, and Rey Maualuga.  None of which have received even a modicum of the penalty that could have killed Stallworth’s NFL career.

I’d like to reach the conclusion that Roger Goodell is, in fact, a stupid man who can’t quite strike an ethical balance.  It’d be great to say that he doesn’t know what he’s doing from one moment to the next.  I simply can’t.  He’s come too far and done too well to be a complete buffoon.

Unfortunately, it seems that Goodell is worse than I initially thought.  He is a hypocrite with a god-complex; without the intestinal fortitude enforce his lofty and entirely counterfeit philosophy.

Ladies and Gentlemen...

I give you "Justice Man."

You Can't Fix Stupid

I can't remember if my Dad ever told me that "you can't fix stupid," but I do know I heard it from somewhere.  And today, it still remains a somber reminder of just how dumb our species can be.

From time to time we are exposed to the concept of "Social Darwinism."  Usually we see it in the form of the "Darwin Awards," which reward--typically posthumously--the dullest members of our gene pool.  Sometimes the winners still live.

For instance, take the case of this Australian drunk driver who pulled over briefly, to urinate.  While relieving his bladder, he notices a Taipan Snake--the most venomous snake to roam the planet--and decides to catch it.  As he attempts to catch the snake, the Taipan bites him numerous times on his hands and forearm.  He then stuffs the snake in a bag and proceeds to drive the rest of the way to Melbourne to visit a hospital in the city.

During the drive, he reaches into the bag several more times...resulting in more bites and further poisoning.  The doctors said he had six or seven times the amount of venom that would normally kill a human from a Taipan attack.  He ends up having certain parts of his appendages removed--his right hand and part of the forearm--but, remarkably, lives.

At the very least you have to be impressed by the fact that he managed to stop at a bar on the way to the hospital.

Let's not forget the case of the acclaimed "Grizzly Man," Timothy Treadwell.  He spent 13 summers at Katmai National Park in Alaska.  During this time he came to the conclusion that not only could the bears trust him, but that he could trust the bears.  I remember watching a documentary about this man with my girlfriend at the time.  And I must admit there were some truly remarkable things happening in the film; specifically when a female Grizzly approached him and he realized he was in trouble.  He walked forward stomping and yelling at her in a disapproving way, like a scolding mother.  She simply reversed a bit, turned around and left.  This simple, yet incredibly ludicrous tactic had blown me away.

The documentary reminded me of a Disney movie I saw while in a 9th grade science course called "Never Cry Wolf," in which the main character comes to an inhospitable location to study wolves only to find himself understanding their way of life.  In the certain segments of society, we see this as romantic; in my part of the world, I call it "going native."  Unfortunately for Treadwell, he didn't end up like Farley Mowat in "Never Cry Wolf;" he ended up like a mafia informant...in pieces, in trash bags.  Treadwell (and his lovely lady friend) were devoured by a large male Grizzly during his 13th season at Katmai (which would later be shot and gutted, revealing human remains, hence the garbage bags).  He thought that he could reach out to them...to see into the magical land of the bears and be one of them.

At the very least you have to be impressed by the fact that the bear managed to eat almost two whole people.  I'm thinking Arby's...

Sometimes our hometown cinema even treats us to such idiocy.  Now, I assume that most of you saw "The Dark Knight."  Before any of you jump off the cliff and say, "how could you think that movie is stupid?"  I assure you, I'm not speaking poorly of the film, merely one of its characters.

In case you don't remember, Coleman Reese was a sniveling little accountant at Wayne Enterprises who managed to track down some company money and merchandise to an abandoned sector of research and development.  When he realized what was in that sector and who it was for, he was ready to go public with the information that Bruce Wayne was, in fact, Batman.  Here is his boss', Lucius Fox, response:

"Let me get this straight: You think that your client, one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world, is secretly a vigilante who spends his nights beating criminals to a pulp with his bare hands. And your plan is to blackmail this person? Good luck."

At the very least you have to be impressed by the fact that Coleman Reese managed to continue living.

You may have heard the name Ryan Newell before; he's a singer/guitarist, known fairly well on Facebook and Myspace.  He is in an alt rock band called "Sister Hazel" and up until yesterday, was the only "Ryan Newell" in the news.

The other Ryan Newell was arrested Tuesday for stalking Reverend Fred Phelps, his family, and members of his Kansas fellowship, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC).  Now, I know some of my readers out there are thinking that the name Phelps sounds familiar.  As does the WBC.

That's because he is famous for coming to the quiet town of Laramie--already rocked by the brutal beating (and later death) of a young student named Matthew Shephard--to spread his hate speech with pickets reading, "Matthew Shephard Burns in Hell!" among other vile slogans.  Having already cut his teeth in badgering the community of Laramie, Phelps decided to angle his vitriol at a new target.

Most Americans were having a hard time dealing with two wars as it was, and it was becoming more difficult as their children returned home in caskets.  Fred Phelps had a very easy and direct answer for our grieving, heartbroken families.  You should thank God that your son, daughter, brother, sister, father, or mother has come home in a body bag, because He is using these fatalities as a learning tool for us.  So that we may turn away from homosexuality and other accepted practices that are ruining our great nation.

Cue Sergeant Ryan Newell, a homegrown soldier from Marion, Kansas.  In 2008, he lost both of his legs when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.  Though it has been said many times and many ways, it’s true, a man can only take so much.  I don't feel it necessary to connect the dots or go into details about the psyche that Sgt. Newell must've been in; I will simply default to The Wichita Eagle:

"The weapons charges accuse Newell of unlawfully carrying and concealing or possessing with 'intent to use' an M4 rifle, .45-caliber Glock handgun and .38-caliber Smith and Wesson handgun. Besides the weapons, Newell also had more than 90 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle, sources said."

"The Expendables" have gotta' be jealous.

At the very least you have to respect the man for not being afraid of someone like that…
I'm talking about the legless war veteran.  Reverend Phelps is terrified and running for the very few hills there are in Kansas.

My Old Man may have never told me "you can't fix stupid," but I feel he made a strong case for a similar quotation.  “You don't poke the bear."  Literally, in the case of the late Mr. Treadwell.

Also tacitly communicated in not poking the bear is that if you poke the bear once, or even worse, continue to poke the bear, it's likely that whatever happens to you is your own damn fault.

It's an easy to rule to apply to anything; don't push that precariously placed boulder (lest it crush you), don't drink that whole bottle of liquor (lest you wake up as pain wearing human skin), don't touch the alien meteorite which contains a foreign substance (lest it turns you into a plant; thanks "Creepshow").

It is even easy for me to apply this rule to anyone; don't trash talk the biggest guy in the school, don't spit at the bouncer, don't call a black guy a "nigger," and sure as hell don't mess with a war veteran.

I don't know if Fred Phelps considered the fact that he was insulting a noble brotherhood of warriors.  I don't know if Fred Phelps considered the fact that he was insulting people whose expert training is in killing shit.  I don't know if Fred Phelps considered that he was insulting people coming back from a war that they have a hard time justifying on their own.  I don't know if Fred Phelps has considered a single fucking thing in his entire life.

Maybe, just maybe, after this close call, he will...but maybe I'm giving too much ambition to my hope.

After all, you can't fix stupid.

Cameron Newton is Eligible

When will the NCAA stop shooting itself in the foot? It can't decide what to do with its constituents: ignore them, straight-up screw them, or even break the rules for them.

Anyone who has covered NCAA sports for any brief period of time knows that the NCAA is just as corrupt, unethical, and ridiculous as some of the unions that Jimmy Hoffa controlled in the 70's. We were recently exposed to a heavy dose of this NCAA idiocy when Reggie Bush had his Heisman Trophy "taken away" for receiving improper benefits during his tenure at USC.

It took five years to conclude that Reggie Bush had received his ill-gotten gains. It would take me 17 hours to drive from my home to his, only to see that these gains were well spent. It would only take me another 2 or so hour to drive from his San Diego home to his home at the time, the University of Southern California, to see further proof of his impropriety.

But it's not all "better late than never" justice being ladled out upon USC Trojans past, present, and future. The NCAA even sometimes catches the scared. Dez Bryant was a promising wide receiver for Oklahoma State, and even at the time (of his season-ending suspension) was No. 9 on Mel Kiper's Big Board of top NFL Draft prospects.

Sometime in May of the same year, Dez Bryant had visited the home of NFL great Deion Sanders for dinner. Further inquiry also revealed that he had been with Sanders on other occasions. It turns out, he was being mentored by Prime Time. Sanders was helping him avoid the pitfalls of the college and professional football world. Just to be clear, this isn't uncommon, for instance, Charlie Batch mentors Ohio State standout Terrelle Pryor, which includes texts, phone calls, and visits.

When asked about his relationship with Sanders in an NCAA inquiry, Bryant wasn't sure about the rules in this area, Bryant was a 20-year old kid, Bryant panicked, Bryant lied. I can see myself playing the scenario in my head over and over. Six times out of ten I lie, the other four times, I plead the fifth...but I can't even do that, because it constitutes a violation.

"Refusal to furnish information relevant to an investigation of a possible violation of an NCAA regulation when requested to do so by the NCAA or the individual's institution."
Welcome to NCAA Bylaw 10.1, otherwise known as "Unethical Conduct." The above is Section A. It's kind of hard to feel like you're an American when you can't even access your unalienable rights. Dez Bryant is not an enemy combatant, he's not a spy, and he's not even a politician, but the NCAA still couldn't afford him the same right that Mark McGwire half-heartedly tried to use in front of the Congressional Steroids Hearing in 2005.

That being said, Dez Bryant did in fact violate Section D of the bylaw by furnishing false information to the NCAA.  He would then go on to recant this statement in a second interview with the NCAA (after properly advised to do so). What was Bryant's reward for admitting his wrong and doing the right thing? A suspension through the end of the year...how strange to think that he would’ve been in the same position had he continued to lie.  It's a damn good thing he landed on his feet with the Dallas Cowboys.  

And here we have another prime example of the NCAA mucking up the works in the case of Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton.  Except it hasn't taken five years to get a bearing on whether he is ineligible like with Reggie Bush. I must applaud the NCAA; it took substantially less time to find out the same information!

Cameron Newton is, in fact, eligible.

Apparently, his father (Cecil Newton) received somewhere around $180,000 from a Mississippi State booster for getting Cameron to attend Mississippi State (which he didn't). Naturally, Cecil Newton denies this allegation, but doesn't deny the allegation that he has in fact had conversation(s) with, middleman, Kenny Rogers. Bill Bell, the booster, says that he had discussions with Cecil Newton in which the elder Newton did ask for money to have Cameron attend Mississippi State, but would not divulge any other details.

Regardless, Cameron Newton is, in fact, eligible.

Curious, considering what NCAA Bylaw 12.3 says:

"a student-athlete may not accept transportation or other benefits from an athlete agent. This prohibition applies to the student-athlete and his or her relatives or friends."

This is from a "Latest news" update from the NCAA website. Ironically, this was originally posted to explain exactly why Reggie Bush was liable for his complicity in the USC scandal. Now, I would like to draw your attention to the final portion of this section that reads, "relatives or friends." It seems to reason that Cecil Newton is Cameron Newton's father. Even if the younger Newton never saw a dime of that money, you can bet that he at least can see where it was spent: on a home, on a vehicle, maybe even on a church. Hey, I'm not saying...I'm just saying.

I would now like to submit Exhibit B to the court:

"At a minimum, the student-athlete will be required to repay the value of the impermissible benefits and will be withheld from a certain number of contests, based on case precedent."

It sounds like Cecil Newton, via Cameron, should have to repay the $180,000. Additionally, Cameron should be removed from a certain number of games based on precedent. I'd say the closest case on file is...Reggie Bush, whose family received somewhere over $100,000 in illegal benefits from an agent. According to the current logic from the NCAA Bylaw 12.3 (the case precedent notion), it follows that Cameron Newton should've been ineligible this entire season, which also includes the SEC Championship this weekend and any other National Championship game thereafter.

Regardless, Cameron Newton is, in fact, eligible.

Fast forward five years into the future...

Cameron Newton, now a hot shot QB who has spent several years following in the footsteps of Michael Vick--no, not those footsteps--and Donovan McNabb, solidifies the position of the Black quarterback; a man who can beat you with his feet, his arm, and his mind. He is able to perform all of these tasks despite the looming horror that stands before him.  Auburn University has vacated 13 wins from its 2010-2011 season, including the National Championship victory and the crystal football that symbolizes it. Now, the Heisman Trust is demanding something from him that they never even asked of Reggie Bush, "give us back our trophy."

Regardless, Cameron Newton was, in fact, eligible.

Troy Smith...Heisman?

Now, I'm not one of those writers who realizes too little too late that I've placed the wrong man on my Heisman ballot. However, I am one of those guys who has been saying since the tenth week that the rightful Heisman winner is Brady Quinn.
I remember watching last year's National Championship and with seventeen seconds left in the game, also remember almost deficating myself. This was easily one of the best bowl games I've ever seen which is up there with the '03 National Championship and this year's Fiesta Bowl.
For weeks I'd been saying that Florida simply did not belong and how a better title matchup should've been OSU/USC or OSU/Michigan, nonetheless chose to do something for the BCS Championship game. Like any college football fan I called up the guys, got some pizza, some beer and opted to sit down and enjoy what would be a knock-down, drag-out brawl of football between two great squads...and what do I get...besides drunk? I received a boring slap in the face.
The Allstate Sugar Bowl this year was closer than the National Championship. The scores were the same, but JaMarcus Russell and LSU were fumbling and throwing interceptions (as were the Irish). It wasn't even until the third quarter that things looked to be getting out of hand. When Ted Ginn Jr. took a kickoff in for a touchdown, I was expecting a rout by OSU and when Florida answered back with a perfect drive (and I mean perfect), I knew immediately that Ohio State's number one scoring defense was going down. Which also meant that the front four of Florida were going to make life hell for Troy Smith.
Call it a total team collapse, call it fate, call it muscle relaxant in OSU's Gatorade. One thing that I will call it is this, a failure by Troy Smith. I only do this because this is how the media has chosen to label big games that are lost by big points:

Michigan @ Notre Dame: Quinn comes up short

Notre Dame @ USC: Quinn comes up short

Notre Dame @ (in New Orleans, yeah I think that deserves an "@") LSU: Quinn comes up short...again

OSU v. Florida: Total team collapse

Forget that in the game against USC or Michigan, Rhema McKnight, Jeff Samardzija, and other Irish receivers dropped big balls for third and even forth down conversions. Forget that the Irish defense couldn't muster a strong secondary in the second half which let Dwayne Jarrett play catch with Booty or Manningham with Henne. Forget that the Irish run game couldn't get started in either of those matchups. Do we blame the offensive line, how about the coaching staff, maybe even the defense? No, of course not, we wish to blame Brady Quinn for failing to win.
I will say that Brady Quinn is partly to blame for the LSU loss. Part of the fault must be on the Irish defense, but most of the blame has to come onto the coaching staff for not allowing Darius Walker to continuing eating the LSU defense to pieces. However, Quinn didn't have a chump night 15/35 for 148 yards 2 TDs and 2 INTs. Surely not his best night ever, but nowhere near some of the nights I've seen QBs have...so mediocre at best.
For most critics, OSU v. Florida is dismissed as a OSU team blow-up. Give me a break, I'm willing to say the LSU secondary is just as good as the Florida secondary and Quinn could still find receievers. The LSU pass rush wasn't as good as Florida's, but given Troy Smith's out of this world ability to play great under fire, it should've been no problem.
Remember what the Heisman is, an honor for the best player in college football. 4/14, 35 yards, and an interception are the numbers that Troy Smith put up against the Gators. I guess my real complaint is this, if you are willing to blame the OSU squad for blowing up, you have to blame the ND squad for blowing up three times. The issue is placing blame squarely on Brady Quinn who is not at fault, but since these are the dirty rules the voters want to play by, then I'll play by them too...
Heisman Winner Troy Smith comes up short in National Championship

WHAA?!

Ya' know, I've seen lots of things. I'm only twenty-one, but I've seen things that would make the Ghostbusters shit themselves, ya' know the real ones. Probably the highest on the rankings would either be seeing a kitten microwaved or a man murdered by rebels with a combat knife. However, this tops them all:
http://buzzplant.com/lbg/ecard1/?gclid=CKzvm-idrYkCFSSEYAod4H05Lw

That's right, the makers of the Left Behind book series finally could not bear it anymore and had to get into the game market. Niiice, like I didn't enjoy having to hear about those crappy books already, now they've invaded another field I love. I swear if any religious group plans to place a religion based football or soccer squad into the pros, I'll friggin go jihad on those fools.

http://www.leftbehind.com/channelnews.asp?pageid=1322&channelID=17
I originally wanted to go step by step in my diagnosis of this pile of horse shit, but opted instead to take on their pro-argument piece by piece (above link):

• "From the beginning, we have been jealous about the subsidiary rights to Left Behind. We have turned down all sorts of offers to capitalize on the name with pins, pens, mugs, candles, jewelry, and even board games. Our sole purpose in the writing was to declare a message in the hope that fewer people would be left behind, so unless a product can expand that message—as have the kids books, graphic novels (comics), and movies—we have stood firm." EEEH! Wrong answer Jerry, would you like to advance to Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change? Hypocrisy is a dangerous concept, you've whored yourself out to the movie industry (not to mention the rest) and if there is an industry that ever seeks to just make money, that is it. By making a "Left Behind" film early on in the conception of your masterpiece, it shows your willingness to make money off of this idea. Those "I *heart* Jesus" pins really pulled in the cash, I'm sorry but those are tinkertoy enterprises. Video games ARE a money-making endeavor. Its not like the Mormons make a ton of cash off of selling Books of Mormon, nor do missionaries make people pay for The Bible. Unfortunately, the assholes behind Left Behind do make a lot of money off your dumb religious asses. When you only read the book cause your religious, you are stupid, you should be reading something you would enjoy reading like Louis L'Amour, J.R.R. Tolkien or Tom Clancy. Don't support these money-hounding assholes. Ask how much they give of their money to Christian causes. "Q: Do any proceeds from the books go to special causes? A: Jenkins—'Of course, but Scripture is clear that if we talk about this and get the praise of men for it in this life, we lose the reward for it in heaven.'" Hahaha, are you fucking kidding me? I even know church's who will explain how their given offerings are distributed. That kind of garbage is bullshit, I'm guessing its probably somewhere between 0 and .5%. Oliver Stone and the makers of "World Trade Center" said they would donate 10% of their earnings, and they have. Even Mel Gibson said that the money from The Passion would be going towards a church. There is no need to cop-out on your greed, it is okay to be greedy, remember Gordon Gekko "Greed is a good thing, greed makes the world go round."
• "When first we heard of a video game, we were as skeptical as anyone and insisted on hearing the idea directly from the planners. We were pleased to find that they were thorough professionals, shared our faith, and were as committed as we were to have the message be clear. We also wanted to avoid gratuitous violence." Yup, I know how important religious views can be, I'm sure that Wisdom Tree had the same views as the people who wanted to create "Bible Adventures" for the NES (given that the former company made unlicensed games and had to cop-out to religious thoughts to continue making games). I don't want to break anyone's heart here, but video games are also created to make money. Games that have a message flop (insert: Bible Adventures, Captain Novelin, and of course Revolution X). I will get to the gratuitous violence bit later.
• "The result is a game that is beautifully rendered, clearly carries our message (indeed, we have already heard of one young man who has become a believer through playing it), is strategic rather than only warfare based, and is no more violent than the Lone Ranger or Roy Rogers episodes I grew up watching. Unlike typical video games that show buckets of blood and flying body parts, victims shot in our game fall in a puff of smoke." Phew, passed the first hurdle, if the game wasn't well rendered (which its not badly rendered), it wouldn't be able to sell at all. And I'm glad that there has been a conversion. I'm sure that your numbers compared to the number of people who have adopted the religious implications that generally surround "Final Fantasy" or "The Secret of Mana" are astoundingly different even though neither have an actual religion and take place in impossible dream worlds. Again, I will reserve my violence argument for later.
• "Yes, there is killing in self-defense, but more points are scored by building the Tribulation Force and its infrastructure. There is zero targeting of specific people groups. The enemy are the forces of the antichrist who have already taken the mark of the beast and committed themselves to his service." Exactly, you have these things called "Spirit Points" and you earn more by getting people to join by prayer rather than warfare. Well, that solves it, conversion to Christ pays for riflemen, ammunition, training and of course, tanks. I mean really, points? Are you kidding me? The only thing that matters is money in video games and if spirit points are the currency, I guess you better start praying. I think that its been said many times, "It is easier to destroy than create." And I bet you ten bucks that you can bring a Muslim down faster with a battalion of troops than one prayer child and its probably more fun too. In Age of Empires II, you had monks who could work conversion powers on rival soldiers and make them join your side...that was the most boring shit I ever had to do...possibly ever and that includes writing a paper on the metric system. I can only imagine how much more terrible it is in this. The Mark of the Beast is probably attributed to many different walks of people like leaders of his army with Arabic names, I'm sure that Satan gets reinforcements from San Fransisco where gay people have adopted his free-swinging lifestyle. His number one reinforcement area is the nation of Israel because their misbelief in Jesus has caused them to remain on Earth during the Rapture. Its quite comforting to know that all major religions that aren't remotely Christian contribute to the Satan Squad. Either way, you can only convert stragglers who can't decide if they want to eat pastrami on rye or bologna on white. You simply cannot help those who are your enemies and must challenge them to war, you and your prayer circle versus, from what I can tell, guys with guns, big guns...watch out they shoot real bullets. While you on the other hand look like your trying to shoot a prayer gun from Billy Graham's Bible Blaster.
• "The game has been approved by Focus on the Family, which is careful about such matters." Yeah, Focus on the Family, these are the same group of people who feel that movies like "Borat", that are edgy for certain are on the verge of destroying our society. They never even stopped to examine the rare thought experiment that Sacha Baron Cohen revealed to us in our convoluted American Nature. Another quote I found on Focus on the Family's website was this: "A study to be published in the Journal of Environmental Management found an interesting correlation between the public's flagging interest in national parks and increased video gaming activity. Between 1987 to 2000, the average American's game-playing time grew from almost nothing to 90 hours annually. Throw in time spent surfing the Internet and watching movies, and "the average person in the U.S. spent 327 more hours per year on these entertainment media in 2003 than he or she did in 1987," says the study. This increased media usage corresponds with a diminishing number of national park visits by the American public each year since 1988. Up to that year, national park visits had grown annually for the previous 50 years." Being that I'm an amatuer statistician, I've come to understand what exactly bullshit statistics are. The above is an example of bullshit statistics. Bullshit statistics are used to bolster a pathetically weak argument with numbers that seem important. A good example of this is that I could point out that because the world is becoming increasingly more religious, this could be tied with a rising abortion rate. Now everyone knows this is stupid and everyone is of course, right because this is an example of bullshit statstics. I don't blame anyone in paticular for bullshit statistics except for the makers of Freakanomics who seem to think that child illiteracy is caused by the amount of super glue you keep in your kitchen. However, when people choose to use bullshit statistics, I will attack them, Focus on the Family, you suck.
• The Founder of the Promise Keepers (and I do love that title) said "The enemy (being Satan, not Rockstar North) is bombarding them (video gamers) with really clever stuff (entertaining video games)." Mhmm, that's right old man, I'm sure that Satan's big goal to really make me go to hell was to release Gran Turismo 4, Ridge Racer 7, or even more importantly, Madden 2007! Seriously, even the Grand Theft Auto games, Resident Evil titles or first person shooters lack the uhh, ties to the Dark Lord. If you want to talk about a game that deals in showing some satanism, go to Apocalypse on the PSX (and that is STILL FAR OFF), its dealing with exactly the type of stuff Left Behind is. If you look to violent games as a generator for Satan's armies...you have to blame crack for the rising cost of potato chips.
• One section in the promotional video included a section where you can delve into the clues from the scripture in order to help your cause. One slide said "Evolution explained", I understand that one must take a stand against these things, but good Lord. The game designers publicly said that this was going to be neutral towards groups, you were fighting Satan or you weren't. Well uhh, it seems like you're fighting Evolutionists, Scientologists, Muslims, Mormons, Jews and the like...unbelievable. Not to mention that the baddies on the box cover are Hispanics, African Americans, and what look to be masked Arabs. As compared with the good guys who are ALL white. I mean c'mon, seriously, how freakin' blatant does it get.
• I didn't see "The Passion of the Christ" and I didn't see "The Nativity Story", what makes you think I want to play a video game that is supposedly selling me what the Rapture is supposed to be. Uhh, there is a book...hmm, that's right Revelations. If I want a dose of that, I WILL read the book (again). Also, "We're trying to show what will happen in a practical way." Hello! Its the FUCKING APOCALYPSE! Do I need to draw you a fucking picture? I don't need your shitty CG conversions and violence to get me all hopped up about the Apocalypse. I'm sure I can do that on my own.
• I have a major issue with logic. Can you save the souls? The righteous are gone...do you remember this, there are only heathans and Satan. I think that Lucifer wouldn't have too much of a problem kicking the shit out of the stragglers left on Earth. During the Rapture there won't be saving of souls, people will be SOL and they will be fighting to stay alive until they eventually die. Remember this too, Lucifer is second to God in ability and we can stop him right!? Well if you're on Earth and Lucifer is at it, I'll quote Samuel L. Jackson "Your asses would be dead as fried fuckin' chicken."
• Now to the area that pisses me off the most. Violence. Violence in real-time strategy games is almost non-existent. In Command and Conquer tanks get blown up a poof of smoke, men fall down after being killed, people's bodies don't splatter across the map. Age of Empires was the same way, you didn't see bloody charred corpses after the battle, no they just were dead and gone. So don't feed me this, we're holier than thou because we have a RTS title that is non-violent crap. Warcraft 3, now there were some brutal finishes there...NOT! They also said it was more strategy based, now I may be wrong here, but Warcraft 3 was like you have infinite guys and you could just battle forever right? Same thing with Age of Empires and Command and Conquer correct? You didn't have to manage supplies, find more raw materials or even wisely upgrade buildings, classes of characters or even your entire society? I always knew those games had no strategy. You want to look at a strategic real-time strategy game, its called "Civilization", you brainless dickheads and it is non-violent, there is NO VIOLENCE. Go ahead LB Games, make a third person action or a first person shooter Bible game that manages to keep everyone amused and still get your message across. These are the same jackasses who managed to say when Bible Adventures came out, "Well, Mario is just too violent, hopping on turtles and riding green dinosaurs. First of all, why's he riding a dinosaur, does the Guinea smoke pot? Secondly, everyone knows that dinosaurs are just a myth that scientists made up to scare our faith away." It is this level of assumed idiocy that will not stand with me for a fucking second. Never have I been an enemy of trying to bring people to ANY faith, but it is when these people opt to do it out of a pompous, arrogant and ignorant manner I will stand against it.

So, this closes my diatribe on Left Behind: Eternal Forces. If you purchase it, don't let me know, cause I'll knock your fucking head off.

I Love Football...Most of the Time

I love football...most of the time. I will sit down and watch most any game on a saturday, college football excites the nerves and makes me feel all gooey inside.

Recently, I watched as the Trojans dashed any dream of my Irish to do well, but I still watched the game...and enjoyed it. Yesterday, I watched both the New Mexico Bowl and the Armed Forces Bowl and found them both entertaining despite the fact that my Cowboys should've been playing in either of those bowls.

Today, I watched Denver and Cincinnati play in Denver. I started watching at the beginning of the second half. Now, I have never ever claimed to be a fan of the Denver Broncos, and so watching their games is always a healthy way for me to reduce stress while watching them get beat. And hell, I probably could've enjoyed today's game without a Denver loss, but two main things really hit me hard and never stopped:

1. Phil Simms is an idiot. That's right, I thought that Phil Simms had a brain between his ears, but I can assure you that in fact, Phil Simms I.Q. sits somewhere between 30-60. How do I know this? His commentaries on the game: "Ya' know John Lynch didn't even get on the ball when he hit Rudy Johnson." (Me: He put his helmet right on the ball *saw this from the on-field angle*). Phil Simms: "Wow, you see that Lynch puts his helmet right on the ball in that hit." (Me: *anurism*). Another one happened later on: Phil Simms: "You see his foot was on the goal line when he caught this punt." (Me: When he reestablished himself on the one, that's where the ball is.) Referee: "Ruling on the field stands, Denver ball on the 1." Phil Simms: "I still don't see it." (Me: *anurism*). Phil Simms: "Jackson was going around on the reverse and just didn't get outside enough and Cincinnati made the play to shove him out of bounds." (Me: Dur...we all saw that.) Phil Simms: "And because he shoved him out of bounds, the clock stopped." (Me: *anurism*). Finally and more horrifically this was one he had to say. Phil Simms: "Boy this Cincinnati Defense was really playing the physical part of the game and now they just aren't...(no diagnosis)." (Me: They just let Denver go on an eight minute scoring drive for 99 yards, they're fucking exhausted!). Phil Simms: "..." (Me: *telepathically communicating to Phil Simms* "restatement of last sentence"). Phil Simms: "Ya' know...I like turkey." (Me: *anurism*).
2. Commercials! WHAT IS IT ABOUT FUCKING COMMERCIALS AND THE NFL!? Stop that shit, they halt the action in a game so that they can show commercials. Its not like time out called, go to a 30 second commercial. It IS like this: "Denver on top of Cincinnati 24-17, with 8:50 left in the 4th." *do-do-do (three minutes of commericals) do-do-do* and magically, not a SINGLE-FUCKING-PLAY has happened in that three minutes. They radio'd into Marvin Lewis and Mike Shanahan and said "Hey, we're running commercials, do nothing." In that break I'm sure that Chad Johnson was just sitting there letting his legs get cold or Ian Gold was hopping around trying to keep warm and ready for the next play while I was watching the same bullshit commercial for Lowe's about Santa and his stupid ass gifcard stipulated circumstances! I quote Al Pacino from "Any Given Sunday", "It's TV, it changed everything, changed the way we think forever. I mean the first time they stopped the game to cut away to some fucking commercial that was the end of it. Because it was our concentration that mattered, not theirs, not some fruitcake selling cereal." That's one thing that's great about college ball, I come back from commercial break and shit has gone down, "While away at commercial break, Ian Johnson ripped off a 34 yard run against the Wolf Pack Defense." I can deal with the fact that that actually happened, I'm okay with that, why? Because the game didn't stop for commercial bullshit. Another thing too, It took me four hours to finish that Denver game, if I caught a college game at the end of the first, the game would be done in two hours, maybe two and a half tops.

Seriously, like I said, I love football...most of the time. It took me until college to realize that I like NCAAFB way more than the NFL, FOREVER! Because you are a kid...and therefore a friggin' moron, you never understand quite what crap the NFL was forcing you through. I was wondering why as I got older, I watched less and less games and more and more Sportscenter when it pertained to the NFL. Well now you know why.

I'm sure that Phil Simms was just having an off-day, and I'm sure that some commentators do, and that's fine, I will not let bad commentary hold me back from liking a sport. However, this business with the commercials is total and complete bullshit. I cannot stand it and the worst part is that the NFL continues to whore itself out and do more business with commercial ad agencies. College football makes enough money to do themselves a favor when it comes to sports and that is keep it as pure as possible. Watch the Super Bowl and watch the BCS National Championship, in FoxSports Net true fashion, here is my feareless prediction. Two more hours dedicated to the Super Bowl than Ohio State/Florida.

Luck

I once heard a quote that went like this. "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation." Ya' know, sometimes, I think that quote is right. Then there are other times that seem like that quote couldn't be further from the truth.
Here's a thought:
Denver, meaning the Broncos, got, lucky...yep the second kind. Tonight in a 23-24 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals (who can still make the playoffs). Cincinnati managed to turn the ball over four times. You might say, they prepared and took the opportunities...err, some of these were gimmies. I think at least two of the turnovers were about as easy as hand-offs. Then in the final moments of the game, a bad snap on a PAT won Denver the game. Cincinnati proceeded to recover the onside kick and then have a flag called on them for offsides. Denver won by sheer luck tonight.
I hope and pray that through a sense of karma, that one of two things happen. A) Denver plays San Fransisco next week and gets throughly ass-raped by Frank Gore. When Rudy Johnson runs for 130 yards in a game, that's like asking Frank Gore to bring his C game and still annhiliate you. B) Watch Denver make it to the playoffs and end up playing San Diego in San Diego and relish in watching LaDanian Tomlinson make everyone on that team bawl.
Seriously, I don't think I've been this angry about any match-up in years, but this is necessary to state...
"Fuck you Denver."

The Mountain West Strikes Back

The Mountain West Conference was given four bowl games this season: Armed Forces Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl, New Mexico Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl. A pummeling victory by TCU was not what the MWC needed given the opponent (NIU). Even a strong victory at both the Armed Forces Bowl (Utah v. Tulsa), and the New Mexico Bowl (NM v. San Jose St.) will not do enough to cement the MWC as a competitive league with strong teams. The victory needed for the conference is the Las Vegas Bowl where a MWC team has to show its grit against a program in the always strong division of the Pac-10. Well...tonight, BYU did exactly that.

Last night, in the Las Vegas night, the Cougars of Brigham Young proceeded to destroy the Oregon Ducks 38-8. Such a divisive blow has not been struck since my freshman year at the University of Wyoming when Wyoming defeated UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl in addition to seeing Utah obliterate Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

John Beck, one of several players who was arguably left out of the Heisman voting despite a fantastic season that ended up placing him as the second all-time passer in BYU history, had a fantastic game in which he threw for 27 of 46 for 375 yards of total passing. Furthermore, he passed for two touchdowns, but also gave up two interceptions. Beck also ran in for a touchdown in the game.

Fortunately due to some stiff defensive play by the BYU defense which limited both Oregon quarterbacks to only 164 yards passing for one touchdown which came late in the game (2 point conversion after was good). Both Brady Leaf and Dennis Dixon threw an interception in the contest. When the Ducks fell behind BYU rather quickly, they naturally opted to start throwing the ball more on their possessions. The Ducks never got around to aptly developing any sort of run game even though, on 16 carries by Dennis Dixon and Jeremiah Johnson, the Ducks had nearly racked up 100 yards on the ground.

Beck had a solid game in his leadership capabilities and a somewhat better than par game in statistics, but a real workhorse was Curtis Brown who was averaging seven yards each time he put his hands on the ball. He ended the night with 120 yards and two touchdowns in the victory over Oregon.

Another big player who was voted MVP of the Las Vegas Bowl was Johnny Harline who caught nine passes for a whopping 181 yards and a touchdown. Throughout the game it seemed like the Oregon secondary simply could not get complete coverage on Harline and he ended up being a strong hand in the BYU victory as well.

In the end of all this, the Cougars are winners, but the big winner is the MWC which had five bowl eligible teams this season in BYU, TCU, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming (who was tragically cut out of the New Mexico Bowl because of a final week NM victory over the SDSU Aztecs). By proving the competitive nature of this conference, it is obvious that there may be more respect given to this group of programs in addition to more bowl game opportunities.

Pavlov’s Bell Equivalent in College Football: Bowl Season

Can Florida do it, can they knock off an immense Ohio State squad?
Will Notre Dame be able to show the world that they too can win the big game?
Can Boise State make a name for the WAC in college football?
Who cares...?

As important as the BCS games are not only to schools, but to programs, television networks and of course the alcoholic beverage industry, they are only a piece of the puzzle that creates the Bowl Season. I for one am excited to watch these games, but that doesn't mean that there aren't going to be other games worthy of my attention.

The games to watch are those that are little publicized and are little talked about. Here's three games to salivate over in the coming bowl season:

1. Outback Bowl: One word, "potential." This matchup between Tennessee and Penn State has the potential to be one of the real contests of this bowl season. Upon first sight this matchup seems like it will be a snore-fest that reeks of name recognition. There are two solid reasons this game will be worth watching. First of all, Tennessee has the 71st run defense in the nation and Penn State's Tony Hunt who has racked up over 1,200 yards and 11 TDs on the year is licking his chops. Look for Tennessee to give him the "Garrett Wolfe" treatment and watch to see if Paterno & Penn State QB Aaron Morelli can make it rain on a pretty solid Tennessee secondary. Another thing to look at here is one man, Erik Ainge. Two games into the season I wasn't even looking at Brady Quinn or Troy Smith, this was my Heisman vote. He has since then hit a tail spin (which is a nice way of saying it), but still has the ability to lead the Vols to a win against Penn State who is 37th in pass defense in the nation but probably will not be enough to shut down Erik Ainge and the 13th rated pass offense of the Vols, unless... Unless Paul Posluszny along with the rest of the linebacking core of the Nittany Lions can make life uncomfortable for Ainge. These two teams know how to beat each other, and I believe both can execute, so why watch this defensive battle? These teams have a lot to prove (yes, this is my second reason). Tennessee and Penn State both have played in difficult conferences (SEC and Big Ten respectively) and this is a (much)lesser matchup of the national championship. Tennessee came out with high expectations and got handed some losses in just the same fashion that Penn State did. These teams will be entering into this bowl game with a reason to make an example out of each other. An Outback Bowl victory will be a spring-board to recruiting in the off-season as well as some respect come next year. I like Penn State, 28-24.
   
2. Cotton Bowl: This Auburn v. Nebraska matchup is going to be FUN! I mean this is one of the best matchups of this bowl season. Nebraska has been throwing and running the ball like they belong in the BCS somewhere (18th and 25th respectively) and that is thanks to Bill Callahan which means that their defense is not so hot. Auburn, unlike everyone who was saying weeks ago that they were the best one loss team in the nation, I didn't buy it. That is because they're offense never really got going, it never put up stats that were good against quality opponents or even minimal opponents. The defense of Auburn is what I like though, look for their front four to step up and make Nebraska earn their run yards and then watch for their incredible secondary make it difficult for Zac Taylor to find receivers. While he's in the pocket trying play catch, watch the linebacking core of Auburn make him feel it the next day. The deciding factor will be Auburn's offense, and I just don't think they'll be able to get it done, I like Nebraska 14-10.
   
3. Holiday Bowl: Matching Texas A & M and California is gonna' be great. We're talking about two teams that are masters of ground-based or aerial attacks. Neither of the two defenses are great in dealing with their opponents strengths and so have to compensate to try and and stop them. If California can overload the front line of TAMU and force them to start throwing the ball, their secondary which finished fifth in the nation for interceptions with twenty on the year will have a fun time making Stephen McGee try and play around this Golden Bear secondary. Look for him to go to his great running backs in play actions, tosses to the flat and the like. Now, if the Aggie secondary can shut down Nate Longshore, they will have their hands full, Deshawn Jackson was one of my early picks to go to New York this year and although his play has slowed down, he's going to have some time to recooperate and get ready for a pretty strong Aggie defense. I love the Aggie run game and their ability to keep a game tight, but I don't think their secondary, nor their front four will be able to keep enough pressure on Nate Longshore. I know that they won't be able to keep pressure on Longshore because of the way that they handled Zac Taylor in the Nebraska game, he was able to take the Huskers down the field for a score and the fact is, they didn't do enough to keep the pressure on, well I think they're facing a tougher team here in California. Cal 27-14.

One thing that is beautiful about the rest of the Bowl Season outside of the BCS is that there may be a lot of animosity and build-up to the BCS, but these non-BCS teams really have the chip on their shoulder. These teams especially, we're talking about Tennessee, Penn State, California, Texas A & M, Nebraska and Auburn. If cards were played a little differently, we're talking about a number of these teams possibly playing in the BCS. Victory here is important because it breathes new life into the program.

That's it for now, there are certainly other games worth watching but these are three that are either getting trampled by the national title game, the turmoil surrounding the national title, or are just getting dinged for not being BCS games.