College Football Week 16 – Bobby Petrino to Arkansas State?
God rest you merry football fans
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Alabama and Notre Dame
Play after New Year’s Day

Oh predictions of comfort and joy, comfort and joy
Oh predictions of comfort and joy

Touchdown Tom’s Annual Bowl Game Forecast: 

New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, New Mexico
(University Stadium)
1 pm ET, December 15 – ESPN
Little Rod Riding Hood escapes the Big Bad Wolf
Arizona 34, Nevada 27

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Boise, Idaho
(Bronco Stadium)
4:30 pm ET, December 15 – ESPN
Aggies mash the Rockets
Utah State 32, Toledo 29

Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 20 – ESPN
Aztecs sacrifice a Cougar
San Diego State 28, BYU 26 

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl – St. Petersburg, Florida
(Tropicana Field)
7:30 pm ET, December 21 – ESPN
Knights to Ball State, “Where’s the Beef?”
UCF 30, Ball State 28

New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
12 noon ET, December 22 – ESPN
Boudreaux stuffs the Pirates into a boudin
Louisiana-Lafayette 35, East Carolina 33

Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
(Sam Boyd Stadium)
3:30 pm ET, December 22 – ESPN
Huskies say, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
Boise State 19, Washington 16  

Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
(Aloha Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 24 – ESPN
Bulldogs pin the poi on the Ponies
Fresno State 37, SMU 26

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
(Ford Field)
7:30 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
Hilltoppers dip the Chipps
Western Kentucky 27, Central Michigan 22  

Military Bowl – Washington, DC
(RFK Memorial Stadium)
3 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Spartans practice Falconry 
San Jose State 27, Bowling Green 18

Belk Bowl – Charlotte, North Carolina
(Bank of America Stadium)
6:30 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Bearcats egg the Devils
Cincinnati 36, Duke 25

Holiday Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
9:45 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Mora’s Bears are grizzlies; Briles Bears are teddies
UCLA 44, Baylor 40

Independence Bowl – Shreveport, Louisiana
(Independence Stadium)
2 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN2
Monroe doctrines the Bobcats
Louisiana-Monroe 30, Ohio 29

Russell Athletic Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium)
5:30 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN
Beamer commands the round table
Virginia Tech 20, Rutgers 18

Meineke Car Care Bowl – Houston, Texas
(Reliant Stadium)
9 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN
Red Raiders say, “You betcha”
Texas Tech 35, Minnesota 17

Armed Forces Bowl – Fort Worth, Texas
(Amon G. Carter Stadium)
11:45 am ET, December 29 – ESPN
Falcons snap; Owls crack and pop
Rice 23, Air Force 21  

Pinstripe Bowl – Bronx, New York
(Yankee Stadium)
3:15 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Geno pins blue stripes on the Orange
West Virginia 38, Syracuse 33  

Fight Hunger Bowl – San Francisco, California
(AT&T Park)
4 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN2
Sun Devils are no Skylarkers
Arizona State 33, Navy 20

Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
(Alamodome)
6:45 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Beware of Beavers that fall out of trees
Oregon State 28, Texas 27

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Tempe, Arizona
(Sun Devil Stadium)
10:15 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Spartans mistake Frog legs for Wild Wings,
A mistake they regret
TCU 17, Michigan State 14

Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tennessee
(LP Field)
12 noon ET, December 31 – ESPN
Commodores sack the Pack
Vanderbilt 26, NC State 22

Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
(Sun Bowl)
2 pm ET, December 31 – CBS
Trojans mute the Buzzers
USC 27, Georgia Tech 17

Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tennessee
(Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium)
3:30 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
Cyclones stronger than Hurricanes
Iowa State 33, Tulsa 24

Chick-fil-A – Atlanta, Georgia
(Georgia Dome)
7:30 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
The Mad Hatter takes the Clemson Cheshires to a tea party
LSU 33, Clemson 18

Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Florida
(EverBank Field)
12 noon ET, January 1 – ESPN2
Bulldogs growl, Cats meow
Mississippi State 32, Northwestern 22

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Dallas, Texas
(Cotton Bowl Stadium)
12 noon ET, January 1 – ESPNU
The Boilers bawl
And bawl and bawl
Deep in the Heart of Dallas
Oklahoma State 35, Purdue 20

Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
(Raymond James Stadium)
1 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Cocky sings, “Tie me Wolverine down, sport
Tie me Wolverine down”
South Carolina 26, Michigan 19

Capital One Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium)
1 pm ET, January 1 – ABC
“Who’s the loser of the game
That Uga came to play?
P-E-L……I-N-I
M-O-U-S-E
Pelini Mouse…Pelini Mouse….”
Uga knows how to use a Corn Cob
Georgia 30, Nebraska 20

Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
(Rose Bowl)
5 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Shaw Trees a Badger
Stanford 26, Wisconsin 25

Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
(Sun Life Stadium)
8:30 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Sammy Seminole uncovers Northern Exposure
Florida State 33, Northern Illinois 25

Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
8:30 pm ET, January 2 – ESPN
Albert sprinkles sugar on a Cardinal
Chomp!...Chomp!
Florida 34, Louisville 23

Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Arizona
(University of Phoenix Stadium)
8:30 pm EST, January 3 – ESPN
Wildcats take a siesta in the Fiesta
Oregon 44, Kansas State 43

Cotton Bowl – Arlington, Texas
(Cowboys Stadium)
8 pm ET, January 4 – Fox
Johnny comes marching home again
Texas A&M 35, Oklahoma 31

Compass Bowl – Birmingham, Alabama
(Legion Field)
1 pm ET, January 5 – ESPN
The Ole Miss dines on Patty Pitt’s Porch
Ole Miss 24, Pitt 19

Go Daddy Bowl – Mobile Alabama
(Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
9 pm ET, January 6 – ESPN
Kent’s Flash didn’t go off
Unfortunately, Danica Patrick’s didn’t either
Arkansas State 33, Kent State 27

BCS National Championship Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
(Sun Life Stadium)
8:30 pm ET, January 7 – ESPN
Bubba takes the brogue out of the Irish
Alabama 20, Notre Dame 13 

Touchdown Tom
December 10, 2012
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


Week 15 Review

The Middies catch Army skylarking again – Navy 17, Army 13 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, Army 26).  Neither team looked good.  Trailing 13-10, Navy scored a touchdown with 4:41 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter and held on to beat the Black Knights.  Army dominated the stats.  The Cadets had 418 yards of offense to Navy’s 297.  Army running back Raymond Maples rushed for 156 yards.  Navy’s win was its 11th straight over the Black Knights, and its 13th win in the last 14 games.  The victory awards Navy the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.  A crowd of 69,607 attended the game in Philadelphia.

Week 15 Pick:    1 Correct,    0 Wrong   (100.0 percent)
On the Season:    231 Correct,   87 Wrong   (72.6 percent)


Heisman Trophy Presentation:

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny “Football” Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.  Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o came in second in the voting and Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein was third.  Manziel drew 474 first place votes and 2,029 points.  Te’o had 321 first place votes and 1,706 points, while Klein received 60 first place votes and 894 points.  USC receiver Marqise Lee came in fourth and Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller was fifth. 


FCS Quarterfinals:

Sam Houston State 34, Montana State 16
Georgia Southern 49, Old Dominion 35
North Dakota State 14, Wofford 7
Eastern Washington 51, Illinois State 35


Division II Semifinals:

Valdosta State 35, Minnesota State 19
Winston-Salem State 41, West Texas A&M 18


Division III Semifinals:  

Mount Union 48, Mary Hardin-Baylor 35
St. Thomas 28, UW-Oshkosh 14


SWAC Championship Game:   

Arkansas-Pine Bluff 24, Jackson State 21


Quotes of the Week

“I don’t think conference realignment is over.  There’s more coming,” Missouri athletic director Mike Alden.

“There are some advantages to 16 teams compared to 14.  Fourteen is clumsy,” Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis, on the Big Ten expanding from 14 to 16 teams.

“Maybe it’s time to give your coach the credit and support he has earned.  Who would you get that’s better than Jimbo Fisher?,”  Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi, to Florida State fans who have been complaining about Fisher.

“He and I don’t agree on everything, but it’s a lot better than what people say,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy, on the rocky relationship with his athletic director Mike Holder.

“Every time I hear talking heads referring to the fiscal cliff, three words pop into my head: Big East’s future,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“This is a smart young man from West Virginia who did nothing wrong, who was celebrating who he is.  If you’re from West Virginia and you love the outdoors, or if you hunt or don’t hunt, or if you fish or don’t fish, it is a celebration of this state.  As a former WVU graduate, I’m thrilled to death with him.  Happy as can be,” Robert Hickman of Fairmont, West Virginia, who holds two degrees from WVU, on WVU’s Mountaineer mascot Jonathan Kimble being reprimanded by the school for using his University issued rifle to shoot a black bear on a recent hunting excursion in the West Virginia woods.

“He looks like the Stanford mascot,” ESPN’s Desmond Howard, on Manti Te’o at the Heisman Trophy presentation.

   
In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Northern Illinois named Rod Carey its new football coach.  Carey had been the offensive line coach under Dave Doeren at NIU….  Florida hired former Kentucky coach Joker Phillips as its wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator….  Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel was named the SEC offensive players of the year….  Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker.

Former coaches Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee), Jimmy Johnson (Miami of Florida) and R.C. Slocum (Texas A&M) were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last week….  Kansas State’s Collin Klein won the Johnny Unitas Award, given to the nation’s top senior quarterback…  South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney has won the Ted Hendricks Award, becoming the first sophomore chosen as the nation’s best defensive end.

Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o won the Lombardi Award as college football’s best lineman/linebacker….  Fired Southern Miss coach Ellis Johnson was hired by Gus Malzahn as the new defensive coordinator at Auburn….  Pitt and Penn State have announced a four-game home-and-home series to be played from 2016 to 2019….  New Auburn coach Gus Malzahn named Rhett Lashlee as his offensive coordinator.  Lashlee was on Malzahn’s staff at Arkansas State.

Touchdown Tom
(www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com)


P.S.

Not directly college football related, but on a sad comment, there was one passing of note last week – Dave Brubeck. 

Dave Brubeck, the pianist and composer who helped make jazz popular again in the 1950s and 1960s with recordings like “Time Out,” the first jazz album to sell a million copies, and “Take Five,” the hit single from the album, died last week in Norwalk, Connecticut.  He was 91, just one day short of turning 92.  David Warren Brubeck was born December 6, 1920, in Concord, California.  When he was 11, his family moved to Ione, California.  He graduated from the College of Pacific (now the University of the Pacific) in Stockton, California, in 1942.  He then spent three years in the Army, during World War II.