[NU Sports] PIGSKING PICKS - Bowl pool update

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Well, Nebraska just stopped Clemson, so I think we can call the only relatively close game of the day so far. 

Yawn for the Hangover Bowl - shoulda been NU in there to beat up on Spurrier! And a good fight by Sparty, but no real surprise. This sucks. Either go back to the grand bowl tradition or get a playoff. Heck, I'd even support Blackledge's "Plus 1" idea they were talking about to fill time at the end of the Citrus where you play five BCS games on Dec. 31 or Jan. 1 unseeded and then have a plus-one playoff later just to get some EXCITEMENT back into January 1.

The Rose Bowl has tried more than anyone and held on to much of their tradition (having a real Big Ten champ vs. Pac 10 champ game today will help), but really, look at what's happened to the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl. These USED to be big games that meant something. These USED to be big games. Now it's Cincy and Va Tech tonig... zzzzzzzz. And another SEC-Buster slaughter snoozer tomorrow? Yawn.

Oh well, a new year and the same rant - the BCS is the worst of both worlds. No more great bowl tradition. No real playoff or champ. Just waaaay too many sponsor-fests in front of half-empty stadiums with only a few games that are competitive and even fewer that mean something. This sucks.

Anyway, between rooting for the Big Ten and wishing for Bowl Days gone by when we'd still have an afternoon of the Fiesta, Rose, Sugar and Orange in front of us, I updated the bowl pool picks.

So with the five B(C)S Bowls and late Liberty/Cotton bowls left, here's where things stand ...

9-4 > Ivars Embrekts, Stephen Truog

8-5 > Ray Stahl, Bob Waldele, James Wall, Alan Wolfson

7-6 > John Hodges, Brian Winkler, Marilyn Zilka

6-7 > Jim Bendat, Jim Leonard, Trey McAdams, Carl Rossi, Eric Steffe, Bruce Taylor, Brad Wilson, Peg Wolfe

5-8 > Ace McInturff

4-9 > Mark Ament

2-11 > Kelly Sevilla

Lots left to play, though, so we'll see how things shake out.

Well, no matter how much the B(C)S tries to ruin things, there still is nothing like Pasadena on New Year's afternoon. I'm getting goosebumps as they kick off now. Such an amazing and special setting. GO PSU!!!

GO CATS!!!
-Stephen

PS - Not even that crappy SC band murdering the national anthem can ruin the Rose Bowl!

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!!