College Football Week 17 – Mack Brown ousted
Where the bowl games glisten
and the football fans listen
to hear Lee Corso in the snow

Said Touchdown Tom to the football fans:
“Do you see what I see?”

Touchdown Tom’s Annual Bowl Game Forecast: 

New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, New Mexico
(University Stadium)
2 pm ET, December 21 – ESPN
Cougars dodge the Rams
Washington State 36, Colorado State 31

Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
(Sam Boyd Stadium)
3:30 pm ET, December 21 – ABC
Trojans sing “Danke Schoen” to the Bulldogs
USC 33, Fresno State 27   

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Boise, Idaho
(Bronco Stadium)
5:30 pm ET, December 21 – ESPN
Aztecs sear the Bulls
and mash their potatoes
San Diego State 32, Buffalo 25

New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
9 pm ET, December 21 – ESPN
The Wave has Boudreaux looking Green
Tulane 24, Louisiana-Lafayette 21

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl – St. Petersburg, Florida
(Tropicana Field)
2 pm ET, December 23 – ESPN
Pirates feast on Bobcat burgers
East Carolina 34, Ohio 21

Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
(Aloha Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 24 – ESPN
He’s got electric boots, a mohair suit
You know I read it in a magazine
Benny and the Beavers
Oregon State 38, Boise State 31

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
(Ford Field)
6 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
The Falcons like Panther on their pizza
Bowling Green 28, Pitt 21   

Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
9:30 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
The Aggies gush
As the Huskies fail to mush
Utah State 30, Northern Illinois 29  

Military Bowl – Annapolis, Maryland
(Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
2:30 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Marco caught napping
As Testudo goes snapping 
Maryland 28, Marshall 24 

Texas Bowl – Houston, Texas
(Reliant Stadium)
6 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Goldy squeezes Otto to a pulp
Minnesota 33, Syracuse 27

Fight Hunger Bowl – San Francisco, California
(AT&T Park)
9:30 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN2
The Huskies book the Mormons
Washington 35, BYU 26

Pinstripe Bowl – Bronx, New York
(Yankee Stadium)
12 noon ET, December 28 – ESPN
The Irish take the Knights on a pub crawl
Notre Dame 26, Rutgers 18   

Belk Bowl – Charlotte, North Carolina
(Bank of America Stadium)
3:20 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN
Bearcats rub the Tar off the Heels
Cincinnati 32, North Carolina 24

Russell Athletic Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium)
6:45 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN
The Cardinals can’t grind the Canes
Miami 30, Louisville 28

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl – Tempe, Arizona
(Sun Devil Stadium)
10:15 pm ET, December 28 – ESPN
The Wildcats sing
As Hoke chokes on a wing
Kansas State 27, Michigan 26

Armed Forces Bowl – Fort Worth, Texas
(Amon G. Carter Stadium)
11:45 am ET, December 30 – ESPN
Raiders can’t get through the Naval blockade
Navy 35, Middle Tennessee 25   

Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tennessee
(LP Field)
3:15 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
Buzz makes the music
Georgia Tech 27, Ole Miss 24

Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
(Alamodome)
6:45 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
Longhorns suffer a Brown out
Oregon 37, Texas 30

Holiday Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
10:15 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
Ain’t no Holiday for Kliffy
Arizona State 40, Texas Tech 29

AdvoCare Bowl – Shreveport, Louisiana
(Independence Stadium)
12:30 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN2
Wildcats cream the Jesuits,
But with Care
Arizona 30, Boston College 26

Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
(Sun Bowl)
2 pm ET, December 31 – CBS
Bruins drive the Beamer
UCLA 24, Virginia Tech 17

Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tennessee
(Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium)
4 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
Bully likes it fried
Mississippi State 26, Rice 23

Chick-fil-A – Atlanta, Georgia
(Georgia Dome)
8 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
Manziel’s a Devil in disguise
Texas A&M 39, Duke 29

Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Florida
(EverBank Field)
12 noon ET, January 1 – ESPN2
Uga’s no Corn Dawg
Georgia 30, Nebraska 20

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Dallas, Texas
(Cotton Bowl)
12 noon ET, January 1 – ESPNU
Runnin’ Rebels get to the Heart of the Matter
UNLV 21, North Texas 20

Capital One Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium)
1 pm ET, January 1 – ABC
Cocky comes home to roost
South Carolina 26, Wisconsin 22

Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
(Raymond James Stadium)
1 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Down came a Hawkeye to drink at the billabong
Up jumps the Tiger and grabs him with glee
And the Mad Hatter sang as he shoved that bird in his tucker bag
You’ll come a waltzing Herky with me
LSU 27, Iowa 23

Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
(Rose Bowl)
5 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
The picture tells the story:
The Cardinal get the Rose
The Spartans get tattooed
Stanford 22, Michigan State 20

Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Arizona
(University of Phoenix Stadium)
8:30 pm EST, January 1 – ESPN
O’Leary doesn’t appreciate Art,
As the Knights take a siesta in the Fiesta
Baylor 40, UCF 30 

Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
8:30 pm ET, January 2 – ESPN
Up in the press box click, click, click
Down on the football field Ole Saint Nick
Ho, Ho, Ho, Saban won’t go
Ho, ho, ho, Sooners eat crow
Alabama 28, Oklahoma 21

Cotton Bowl – Arlington, Texas
(AT&T Stadium)
7:30 pm ET, January 3 – Fox
Blazing saddles: Cowboys rope the Tigers
Oklahoma State 31, Missouri 30

Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
(Sun Life Stadium)
8:30 pm ET, January 3 – ESPN
O-H-Uh-O
Clemson 30, Ohio State 28 

Compass Bowl – Birmingham, Alabama
(Legion Field)
1 pm ET, January 4 – ESPN
Vandy crack O’Korn
Vanderbilt 29, Houston 22

Go Daddy Bowl – Mobile Alabama
(Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
9 pm ET, January 5 – ESPN
Red Wolves can’t bounce the Ball
Ball State 32, Arkansas State 24

BCS National Championship Bowl – Pasadena, California
(Rose Bowl)
8:30 pm ET, January 6 – ESPN
Willie Meggs can’t find enough evidence
To charge Aubie
Auburn 34, Florida State 33  

Touchdown Tom
December 16, 2013
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

Week 16 Review

Rivalry? What rivalry – Navy 34, Army 7 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 31, Army 18).  In the annual Navy game (Army no longer participates), the Middies cleaned up on the Cadets again – for the 12th-straight time.  Navy’s defense held Army to only 10 first downs and 207 yards of offense.  The Middies rushed for 343 yards.  Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds rushed for 136 yards.  The Middies finish the season at 8-4.  (A crowd of 65,612 attended the game in Philadelphia).     

Week 16 Pick:    1 Correct, 0 Wrong (100 percent)
On the Season:   205 Correct, 73 Wrong (73.7 percent)


Heisman Trophy Presentation:

Florida State redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston was the overwhelming winner of the Heisman Trophy.  Alabama senior quarterback A.J. McCarron was second in the voting and Northern Illinois senior quarterback Jordan Lynch was third.  Lynch was followed by Boston College senior running back Andre Williams, Texas A&M sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel and Auburn junior running back Tre Mason respectively, in the voting.  


FCS Quarterfinals:

Towson 49, Eastern Illinois 39
North Dakota State 48, Coastal Carolina 14
Eastern Washington 35, Jacksonville State 24
New Hampshire 20, SE Louisiana 17


Division II Semifinals:

Lenoir-Rhyne 42, West Chester 14
Northwest Missouri State 27, Grand Valley State 13


Division III Semifinals:  

Mount Union 41, North Central 40
UW-Whitewater 16, Mary Hardin-Baylor 15


Quotes of the Week

“Are you trying to be funny,” San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh when asked if he was going to be the new coach of Texas.

“I didn’t know that Jadeveon’s car could go that fast.  He doesn’t have a pretty car like those FSU guys used to drive,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, on Jadeveon Clowney’s speeding ticket.

“Somebody told me the Gators are staying home for the Holidays.  Maybe we can get a bunch of Gators to come to our game,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, whose team will be playing in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

“I never considered going to Texas,” Alabama coach Nick Saban.

“It’s been a wonderful ride,” Texas coach Mack Brown. 

“I sincerely want what’s best for the University of Texas.  There’s just too many distractions, too many negatives out there,” Texas coach Mack Brown.

   
In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Wake Forest has hired Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson as its new coach.  In five seasons with the Falcons, Clawson was 32-31.  He was previously a head coach at Fordham and Richmond and an offensive coordinator for Tennessee….  Arkansas State head coach Bryan Harsin is the new coach at Boise State.  Harsin, a former quarterback at Boise State, finished his first season at Arkansas State at 7-5.

Washington junior tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end….  Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi won the Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation’s best coordinator….  Narduzzi also turned down an offer from Connecticut to be the Huskies new head coach….  Pitt senior defensive tackle Aaron Donald won the Bronco Nagurski Award as college football’s best defensive player.  Donald also won the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player), Outland Trophy (best interior lineman and the Lombardi Award (best lineman).

Colorado State has added Boston College and UC Davis to its 2014 schedule.  UC Davis is a home game for the Rams, while Boston College will be an away game….  Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco is the new head coach at Connecticut….  Eastern Michigan hired Drake head coach Chris Creighton as its new coach.  Creighton was 44-22 in six seasons at Drake.

Utah assistant coach Jay Hill was named the new head coach at Weber State….  Arkansas associate head coach Charlie Partridge is the new coach of Florida Atlantic…. Oregon State’s Brandin Crooks won the Biletnikoff Award (best receiver)….  Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo won the Lou Groza Award (best place-kicker)….  Memphis’ Tom Hornsey won the Ray Guy Award (best punter).

Alabama’s A.J. McCarron won the Maxwell Award (player of the year)….  Florida State’s Jameis Winston won the Davey O’Brien Award (best quarterback)….  Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back)….  Boston College’s Andre Williams won the Doak Walker Award (best running back)….  Florida State’s Bryan Stark won the Rimington Trophy (best center)….  Penn State’s John Urschel won the Campbell Trophy (best academic success). 

Touchdown Tom
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

P.S.

Not directly college football related, but during the pre-Christmas days of December as college football fans were drinking eggnog and eating fruitcake with visions of what ifs, bowl games and Santa Claus dancing in their heads, the number one song in the country…

…70 years ago this week in 1943 was “Paper Doll” by The Mills Brothers

…65 years ago this week in 1948 was “Buttons And Bows” by Dinah Shore

…60 years ago this week in 1953 was “Rags To Riches” by Tony Bennett

…55 years ago this week in 1958 was “To Know Him Is To Love Him” by The Teddy Bears

…50 years ago this week in 1963 was “Dominique” by The Singing Nun

…45 years ago this week in 1968 was “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye

…40 years ago this week in 1973 was “The Most Beautiful Girl” by Charlie Rich

…35 years ago this week in 1978 was “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond

…30 years ago this week in 1983 was “Say Say Say” by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

…25 years ago this week in 1988 was “Look Away” by Chicago

…20 years ago this week in 1993 was “Again” by Janet Jackson


Not directly college football related, but sadly there were four passings of note last week – Eleanor Parker, Don Mitchell, Peter O’Toole and Joan Fontaine.

Eleanor Parker, who was nominated three times for a best actress Oscar, died last week in Palm Springs, California.  She was 91.  Parker was nominated for an Oscar for her dramatic roles as a wrongly convicted young prisoner in “Caged” (1950), a police officer’s neglected wife in “Detective Story” (1951) and an opera star with polio in “Interrupted Melody (1955).  She also received an Emmy Award nomination in 1963 for an episode of “The Eleventh Hour,” an NBC series.  Some of Parker’s other movies included “Between Two Worlds” 1944, “Pride of the Marines” (1945), “Of Human Bondage” (1946), “The Voice of the Turtle” 1947, “The Man with the Golden Arm” (1955), “The King and Four Queens” (1956) and “A Hole in the Head” (1959).  Then in 1965, she played the marriage-minded baroness in “The Sound of Music.”  Eleanor Jean Parker was on born June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio.  Her father was a math teacher.  She appeared in several television movies and as a guest on numerous TV series, mostly in the 1960s and 1970s.  Parker was a regular on the NBC series “Bracken’s World” (1969-70). 

Don Mitchell, an actor best-known for playing Raymond Burr’s assistant on the NBC police drama “Ironside” in the 1960s and 1970s died Sunday at his home in Encino, California.  He was 70.  Mitchell also appeared on TV shows like “I Dream of Jeannie,” “The Fugitive” and “The Virginian.”  Donald Michael Mitchell was born on March 17, 1943, in Houston.  He studied acting at UCLA.  

Peter O’Toole, whose performance in the 1962 epic film “Lawrence of Arabia” earned him overnight fame, died Saturday in London.  He was 81.  O’Toole became one of his generation’s most accomplished actors.  The performance in “Lawrence of Arabia” brought O’Toole the first of eight Academy Award nominations.  Other nominations came from “Beckett” (1964), “The Lion in Winter” (1968), “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1970) and “The Ruling Class” (1973) – all for best actor.  Some of his other films included “Lord Jim” (1965), “What’s New Pussycat” (1965), “Night of the Generals” (1967), “Man of La Mancha” (1972), and “The Last Emperor” (1987).  Peter Seamus O’Toole was born was born on August 2, 1932, in the Connemara region of west Ireland.  When O’Toole was a baby, the family moved to Leeds in England.  His first movie was “The Day They Robbed the Bank of England” (1960).  “The Stunt Man” brought him his sixth Oscar nomination in 1981 and “My Favorite Year” a seventh nomination in 1983.  O’Toole earned his eighth Best Actor nomination for “Venus” (2006).   

Joan Fontaine, the actress who rose to stardom as the second wife in the Alfred Hitchcock film “Rebecca” in 1940 and won an Academy Award for her role in Hitchcock’s “Suspicion,” died Sunday at her home in Carmel, California.  She was 96.  Fontaine, who was only 24 when she won the Oscar, was the younger sister of Olivia de Havilland, also an Oscar nominee that year.  Some of her other movies included “Maid’s Nigh Out” (1937), “The Man Who Found Himself” (1938), “Gunga Din” (1939), “The Women” (1939), “The Constant Nymph” (1943), “Jane Eyre” (1944), “Letter From an Unknown Woman” (1948), “Ivanhoe” (1952) and “Island in the Sun” (1957).  Fontaine received her second Oscar nomination for “The Constant Nymph.”  She made her Broadway debut in 1954, replacing Deborah Kerr in “Tea and Sympathy.”  She returned to Broadway in the late 1960s, replacing Julie Harris in “Forty Carats.”  Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland was born to British parents on October 22, 1917, in Tokyo, where her father was a lawyer.  In 1919, her mother moved with Joan and her sister Olivia to Saratoga, California.  Fontaine moved back to Japan at age 15 to live with her father and attend the American School there.  She returned to America in 1934, moving to Los Angeles to pursue a film career.  Her final movies were “Tender is the Night” (1962) and “The Devil’s Own” (1966).  Fontaine appeared on television in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and did theater in the United States and England, but never returned to film.