Rockin' Around the Crystal Ball

College Football Week 16 – Florida gets Muschamp; Miami gets Golden

Rockin’ Around the Crystal Ball
At the Football Party Hop

Sugar Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl Rock
Bowl Games Swing and Bowl Games Ring
Predicting and forecasting is bushels of fun
Now that Touchdown Tom’s picks are done


Touchdown Tom’s Annual Bowl Game Forecast:

New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, New Mexico
(University Stadium)
2:00 p.m. ET, December 18 – ESPN
The Canary Dies
BYU 30, UTEP 17


Humanitarian – Boise, Idaho
(Bronco Stadium)
5:30 p.m. ET, December 18 – ESPN
The Huskies are all Mush
Fresno State 35, Northern Illinois 32


New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Louisiana Superdome)
9:00 p.m. ET, December 18 – ESPN
The Trojans Go Marching In
Troy 27, Ohio 21


St. Petersburg Bowl – St. Petersburg, Florida
(Tropicana Field)
8:00 p.m. ET, December 21 – ESPN
The Cardinals are too Strong
Louisville 27, Southern Miss 16


Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
(Sam Boyd Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, December 22 – ESPN
Broncos Mute the Ute
Boise State 31, Utah 28


Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, December 23 – ESPN
Aztecs Sacrifice the Sailors
San Diego State 33, Navy 25


Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
(Aloha Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, December 24 – ESPN
Warriors Seed the Hurricane
Hawaii 47, Tulsa 40


Little Caesars Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
(Ford Field)
8:30 p.m. ET, December 26 – ESPN
The Rockets’ Red Glare
As the Panthers Burst in Air
Toledo 31, Florida International 29


Independence Bowl – Shreveport, Louisiana
(Independence Stadium)
5:00 p.m. ET, December 27 – ESPN2
Falcons take the Jackets on a Hayride
Air Force 29, Georgia Tech 27


Champs Sports Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl)
6:30 p.m. ET, December 28 – ESPN
Wolf Stew
West Virginia 27, N.C. State 18


Insight Bowl – Tempe, Arizona
(Sun Devil Stadium)
10:00 p.m. ET, December 28 – ESPN
Hawkeyes make Pinkel Tinkle
Iowa 27, Missouri 24


Military Bowl – Washington, DC
(RFK Stadium)
2:30 a.m. ET, December 29 – ESPN
Pirates are Shell Shocked
Maryland 34, East Carolina 24


Texas Bowl – Houston, Texas
(Reliant Stadium)
6:00 p.m. ET, December 29 – ESPN
Zook can’t Bear It
Baylor 27, Illinois 25


Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
(Alamodome)
9:15 p.m. ET, December 29 – ESPN
Puss gets Kicked by Boots
Oklahoma State 31, Arizona 24


Armed Forces Bowl – Dallas, Texas
(Gerald J. Ford Stadium)
12:00 noon ET, December 30 – ESPN
G.I. Joe went to Town
Riding on a Pony
Army 26, SMU 20


Pinstripe Bowl – Bronx, New York
(Yankee Stadium)
3:20 noon ET, December 30 – ESPN
Orange Juice the Wildcats
Syracuse 18, Kansas State 17


Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tennessee
(LP Field)
6:40 p.m. ET, December 30 – ESPN
Rocky Tops the High Heels
Tennessee 24, North Carolina 20


Holiday Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
10:00 p.m. ET, December 30 – ESPN
Corn Dogs better than Huskies
Nebraska 33, Washington 19


Meineke Car Care Bowl – Charlotte, North Carolina
(Bank of America Stadium)
12:00 noon ET, December 31 – ESPN
Tigers Feast on Criadillas
Clemson 22, South Florida 15


Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
(Sun Bowl)
2:00 p.m. ET, December 31 – CBS
Irish Suffer a Caning
Miami (Florida) 24, Notre Dame 23


Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tennessee
(Liberty Bowl)
3:30 p.m. ET, December 31 – ESPN
O’Leary gets Dawg Collared
Georgia 30, UCF 22


Chick-fil-A Bowl – Atlanta, Georgia
(Georgia Dome)
7:30 p.m. ET, December 31 – ESPN
Noles Eat More Chickin’
Florida State 33, South Carolina 26


Ticket City Bowl – Dallas, Texas
(Cotton Bowl)
12:00 noon ET, January 1 – ESPNU
Tuber Viles the Cats
Texas Tech 32, Northwestern 19


Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
(Raymond James Stadium)
1:00 p.m. ET, January 1 – ABC
Paterno Chokes on a Bloomin’ Gator Tail
Florida 27, Penn State 26


Capital One Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl)
1:00 p.m. ET, January 1 – ESPN
Spartans Soaked in Tide
Alabama 28, Michigan State 22


Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Florida
(Municipal Stadium)
1:30 noon ET, January 1 – ESPN2
Poor Rod
Mississippi State 31, Michigan 30


Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
(Rose Bowl)
5:00 p.m. ET, January 1 – ESPN
Badgers Show the Frogs a Giggin’ Time
Wisconsin 28, TCU 23


Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Arizona
(University of Phoenix Stadium)
8:30 p.m. EST, January 1 – ESPN
Sooners Turn the Huskies Fiesta into a Siesta
Oklahoma 29, Connecticut 16


Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
(Sun Life Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, January 3 – ESPN
A Tree Grows in Miami
Stanford 23, Virginia Tech 20


Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Louisiana Superdome)
8:00 p.m. ET, January 4 – ESPN
Tressel can’t Belly Up to the Pork
Arkansas 33, Ohio State 31


Go Daddy Bowl – Mobile Alabama
(Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, January 6 – ESPN
Raiders are Stuck in the Middle with Blue
Miami (Ohio) 28, Middle Tennessee 20


Cotton Bowl – Arlington, Texas
(Cowboys Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, January 7 – Fox
Aggies are Cotton Candy for the Tigers
LSU 23, Texas A&M 21


Compass Bowl – Birmingham, Alabama
(Legion Field)
12:00 noon ET, January 8 – ESPN
Kentucky Rains on the Panthers
Kentucky 25, Pitt 24


Fight Hunger Bowl – San Francisco, California
(AT&T Park)
9:00 p.m. ET, January 9 – ESPN
The Eagles Starve
Nevada 29, Boston College 18


BCS National Championship Bowl – Glendale, Arizona
(University of Phoenix Stadium)
8:00 p.m. ET, January 10 – ESPN
Eider Down
Auburn 34, Oregon 32


Touchdown Tom
December 13, 2010


Weekend Review

Navy 31, Army 17 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 25, Army 16). Navy beat Army for the ninth-straight year. This could have been a different, certainly much closer, game had Navy not turned an Army fumble into a 98-yard touchdown. Army was trailing 17-7 and on the Navy two when the fumble occurred. Navy went up 24-7. Army scored on Navy for the first time in four years. Little-by-little, Rich Ellerson is making Army competitive gain. A crowd of 69,223 attended the game in Philadelphia.


Heisman Trophy Presentation:

Auburn junior quarterback Cam Newton won the Heisman Trophy. Newton was followed in the voting by Stanford junior quarterback Andrew Luck (second), Oregon sophomore running back LaMichael James (third) and Boise State junior quarterback Kellen Moore (fourth).


FCS (Division I-AA) Quarterfinals:

Delaware 16, New Hampshire 3
Villanova 42, Appalachian State 24
Georgia Southern 23, Wofford 20
Eastern Washington 38, North Dakota State 31


Division II Semifinals:

Delta State 29, Shepherd 17
UM-Duluth 17, Northwest Missouri State 13


Division III Semifinals:

Mount Union 34, Bethel 14
UW-Whitewater 27, Wesley 7


SWAC Championship Game:

Texas Southern 11, Alabama State 6


Quotes of the Week

“Urban Meyer has done a fantastic job at the University of Florida. I think probably unmatched in college football. I think Urban is great for the college football game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“Why couldn’t Urban Meyer coach and spend time with family,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Please spare me the ridiculous rhetoric about how college football coaches have it so darn tough and just can’t find the time to eat dinner at home and go to Little League games. Puh-leeze. That’s a cop-out. These coaches have plenty of opportunities – many more than most of us working stiffs do – to spend time with their families. If they don't do it, it's their own fault,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“And you’re telling me they can’t find the time to leave the office and drive a couple of miles to see their kid play in a volleyball game?,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“By the way, it’s been three days now and Meyer has not changed his mind. I guess he really means it this time,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“I’ve got a great recruiting pitch for Florida State when trying to convince prospects to sign with the Seminoles instead of the Gators or Hurricanes: ‘Come play for us – at least we have a coach!,’ ” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Newton wins Heisman Trophy, integrity loses,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.


Headline of the Week

Police find Lee Corso’s head; ESPN analyst unaware it was missing (from The Orlando Sentinel)


Friday’s Television Schedule – December 17

Villanova at Eastern Washington (Division I-AA Semifinal) – 8:00 p.m. ET – ESPN2


Saturday’s Television Schedule – December 18

Delta State vs. UM-Duluth (Division II Final) – 11:00 a.m. ET – ESPN2
Georgia Southern at Delaware (Division I-AA Semifinal) – 12:00 noon ET – ESPNU
BYU vs. UTEP (New Mexico Bowl) – 2:00 p.m. ET – ESPN
Mount Union vs. UW-Whitewater (Division III Final) – 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Fresno State vs. Northern Illinois (Humanitarian Bowl) – 5:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
Troy vs. Ohio (New Orleans Bowl) – 9:00 p.m. ET – ESPN


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Indiana hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson as its new football coach…. The Football Writers Association of America voted Oregon coach Chip Kelly the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award as college football’s Coach of the Year…. Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn won the Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant coach.

Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers won the Bronko Nagurski Award as college football’s best defensive player…. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was fired. Wannstedt was 42-31 in six seasons at Pitt…. Texas A&M’s Von Miller won the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker…. Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s top collegiate lineman.

Navy and Texas State has scheduled a two-game home-and-home series to be played in 2012 and 2015…. Wyoming and Texas State have agreed to a two-game home-and-home series to be played in 2011 and 2013…. Florida’s Chas Henry won the Ray Guy Award as college football’s best punter…. Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best receiver.

Hawaii is joining the Mountain West Conference for football and the Big West Conference for all other sports…. Temple coach Al Golden was named the new coach at Miami (Florida)…. Louisiana-Lafayette named Mississippi State wide receivers coach Mark Hudspeth as its new coach. Hudspeth is a former head coach at Division II North Alabama.

Texas defensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp was named the new football coach at Florida. Muschamp was born in Rome, Georgia, but grew up in Gainesville, Florida. His family moved back to Rome when he was in high school. Muschamp played football at Georgia as a walk-on from 1991-1994. He played safety and was the defensive co-captain his senior year. After graduating from Georgia, Muschamp got his master’s degree from Auburn, while he was a graduate assistant coach for the Tigers. Eventually, Muschamp became the defensive coordinator at LSU under Nick Saban and the defensive coordinator at Auburn under Tommy Tuberville, before going to Texas.

And finally on a sad note, Don Meredith, a former star quarterback for SMU and the Dallas Cowboys who helped change the perception of professional football with the easy Texas charm and provocative wit he brought to its first prime-time telecasts on Monday nights, died last week in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was 72. Joseph Donald Meredith was born on April 10, 1938 in Mount Vernon, Texas. In high school, he acted in school plays, scored 52 points in a basketball tournament game, graduated second in his class and won a statewide contest for identifying shrubs. He was an All-American quarterback for two years at Southern Methodist, after turning down Bear Bryant’s entreaties to go to Texas A&M, where Bryant coached before he became an Alabama legend.


Extra Points

On the Internet – College Football Week now has a Website and can be found at www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com.

On the Radio – Listen live to Touchdown Tom every Friday morning from 8:05 to 8:40 ET on the Bill Mick Live show, talking college football with Bill Mick on NEWS TALK 1240 and 1350 WMMB AM. The show streams on http://www.wmmbam.com/. To listen, go to the Web site and click on “Listen Live.”

Touchdown Tom


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad note, there were three passings of mention last week – Don Meredith (mentioned above), Hank Raymonds, Elizabeth Edwards,

Hank Raymonds, who coached the Marquette University men’s basketball team for six years and took it to the NCAA tournament five times, died last week. He was 86. Raymonds, a former assistant under Al McGuire, took over after McGuire’s departure in 1977 and coached until 1983, compiling a career record of 126-50. After his coaching career, Raymonds was Marquette’s athletic director until 1987. Raymonds was born in St. Louis on March 5, 1924, and attended St. Louis University.

Elizabeth Edwards, who as the wife of former Senator John Edwards gave America an intimate look at a candidate’s marriage by sharing his quest for the 2008 presidential nomination as she struggled with incurable cancer and, secretly, with his infidelity, died last week at her home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She was 61. Edwards was born Mary Elizabeth Anania on July 3, 1949, in Jacksonville, Florida. Her father was a Navy pilot, and the family moved often in America and abroad. She attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a bachelor’s degree in English. She enrolled in the university’s law school, where in 1974 she met John Edwards.