[NU Sports] bowl choices

[Abrahamson, Alan]

 What are the objectives of the bowl game the Wildcats are going to be in?
 1. Winning the game? Of course.
 2. Practice time for the team, especially next year's starters? Right.
 3. Bowl experience for the alumni and fan base? Indeed.
 Since 1 and 2 are the same no matter what game we're in, let's focus on 3. 
 Let's face it, Wildcat faithful. We are headed for a so-called "minor" bowl. 
 That being the case, I hope the bowl reps in places like San Antonio, El Paso, Nashville and Detroit are looking to the likes of the Gophers, Spartans, Badgers or Hawkeyes. Or anybody but Northwestern. 
 To me, the quality of the city, its attractions and weather in item 3 is a key.
 Which is why I hope like hell we are not in Detroit. Good God. Also, since the Wildcats were just there a couple years ago, the Motor City Bowl would invite that "deja vu all over again" feeling.
 Same for San Antonio. Been there, done that. Plus, who can forget that horrid 66-17 butt-whipping we endured at the hands of Nebraska? Ugh. Bad vibe. Who wants to go back there? 
 The only upside to El Paso I can see is that I have never been to New Mexico, and I would naturally be keen to knock New Mexico off my list of states visited while in nearby El Paso, Texas.
 As for Nashville: apologies in advance to those of you who live there or near there (including my fraternity brother and fellow lister Chris Thompson) but where would you rather be in December, Nashville or San Diego?
 Or, for that matter, how about at the insight.com bowl in Phoenix?
 Or the Aloha Bowl (if we're eligible -- I'm too lazy to find out)?
 I hope we wallop the bejeezus out of Illinois this week and then fall right out of the Big Ten matched bowls scene and are free to go where some loving bowl in warm weather wants us. If we finish 7-4, 5-3 Big Ten, our explosive offense (well, on the days it's not playing Michigan or Ohio State and feeling explosive) ought to look inviting to some bowl rep in his or her weird-colored jacket somewhere. 
 Bring on San Diego or Phoenix or Honolulu, as far as I'm concerned.
 Yours in Los Angeles, where it's always warm, which is why the Rose Bowl is the granddaddy of them all -- Alan