Bowl Binge Begins

Saturday Four-Some

EagleBank Congressional Bowl

Wake Forest 29

Navy 19

11 a.m. ESPN

Players get: An early wake up call, sony portable DVD player, autographed football (by whom it does not mention, I suspect from a fellow teammate), woven afghan (no pun intended).

What players should get: Hot breakfast bar at Holiday Inn express

We get: Option football baby! and a rematch of a 17-point underdog upset earlier this year when Navy knocked off Wake

What we ended up getting: Another Navy Bowl Classic that the Midshipmen came up on the short end of and for the second consecutive year, one single play in a Navy bowl game sends shockwaves through Las Vegas. With most books giving Wake Forest out at -3.5 and a total of 44, Deamon Deacon backers who also took the over were staring down a double defeat with WF up 3 and the total sitting at 41.......until Rich Belton broke a 35-yard run for a touchdown rather than watching his team kneel on the ball. 

In other news

Wendy Nix is in rare form on day one of bowl season already

New Mexico Bowl

Colorado State 40 

Fresno State 35

2:30 p.m. ESPN

First time in bowls three year history that New Mexico is not playing in it

Players get: RCA video recorder/camera, oakley watch, backpack

What players should get: List of top 100 things to do in Albuquerque in late December

We get: One of the smallest venues of the bowl season, 38,634 capacity University Stadium in Albuquerque

What we ended up getting: Big play after big play and a partisan Colorado State crowd. Three touchdowns were of plays 69-yards or longer.

MagicJack St. Petersburg Bowl

Memphis 14

South Florida 41

4:30 p.m. ESPN2

Players get: Flip video/phone, sony headphones, ogio bag

What players should get: Free roadside assistance from MagicJack, a free deck of MagicJack playing cards, free gift certificate that can be used at any MagicJack restaurant in the US.

We get: To switch the channel to the deuce! and to finally figure out what MagicJack is.

What we ended up getting: An explanation of what magicJack is....the first infomercial to sponsor a bowl game

Pioneer Pure Visio Las Vegas Bowl

No. 16 BYU 21

Arizona 31

8:00 p.m. ESPN

Players get: Wii System bundle package, oakley watch

What players should get: A stop at the Mirrage sportsbook on the way over to the game to bet on their own team only. You want to see some motivaited mormans, then watch them play with dough on the line.

We get: Bronco Mendenhall on the sideline, what else do you want.

What we ended up getting: Me dipping in and out of consciousness at dickey and poochs christmas party

I have a legitimate hard on right on, I can barely contain my excitement

The bowl binge is finally upon us

Here are the picks

Saturday's Slate

4 units **** Navy +3.5 LOSS

3 units *** Memphis +11.5 LOSS

3 units *** Colorado St. +2.5 WIN

2 units ** BYU +3.5 LOSS

Saturday: 1-3 -6 units

YTD: 1-3 -6 units

Certified Bowl Expert Mr. McNeil Says:

Wake Forest -3.5 WINNER

Colorado St. +2.5 WINNER

South Florida -11.5 WINNER

Arizona -3.5 WINNER

We seem to disagree on 3 out of 4 here

Toosh Says:

Wake Forest -3.5 WINNER

Colorado St. +2.5 WINNER

USF +11 WINNER

BYU +3.5 LOSER

Marshall Says:

Overslept for Navy/Wake Forest

Colorado St. +2.5 WINNER

Memphis +11 LOSER

BYU +3.5 LOSER

Toilet Bowl II Champion Pugliatte Says:

Wake Forest -3.5 WINNER

Fresno State -2.5 WINNER

Memphis +11 LOSER

Arizona -3.5 WINNER

Standings

McNeil 4-0

Pugliatte 3-1

Toosh 3-1

Marshall 1-2

npoc 1-3

Line Factoids:

-No. 16 BYU is GETTING points in what amounts to a home game generally for the Mountain West rep against an unranked Arizona team

-The MagicJack Bowl will eminate from the beautiful baseball dungeon of Tropicana Field

-NAVY runs the option!

MileStones

Wake Forest CB Alphonso Smith needed one interception to break the ACC all-time single season record held by Dre Bly. Seemed unlikely considering he was facing a Navy team that had played games without even attempting a downfield pass this season. Wooster still managed to come up with a game changing interception at the goalline with his team trailing 13-0.

I watched the replay of the Las Vegas bowl at around 4 am and thought it was live

-n