College Football Week 17 – Five Bowl Games on Saturday
Have a holly jolly bowl game
It’s the best time of the year

It’s beginning to look a lot like a forecast
Everywhere you go
Take a look at who’s going to win
glistening once again
With offenses and defenses aglow

Touchdown Tom’s Annual Bowl Game Predictions:

New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
11 am ET, December 20 – ESPN
Wolf meat etouffee
Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Nevada 29

New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, New Mexico
(University Stadium)
2:20 pm ET, December 20 – ESPN
The canary dies
Utah State 28, UTEP 17

Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
(Sam Boyd Stadium)
3:30 pm ET, December 20 – ABC
The Utes have the Ram in a jam
Utah 38, Colorado State 35

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl – Boise, Idaho
(Albertsons Stadium)
5:45 pm ET, December 20 – ESPN
The Fly Boys make geldings out of the Broncos
Air Force 31, Western Michigan 30

Camellia Bowl – Montgomery, Alabama
(Crampton Stadium)
9:15 pm ET, December 20 – ESPN
Falcons can’t drive Jaguars
South Alabama 26, Bowling Green 18

Miami Beach Bowl – Miami, Florida
(Marlins Park)
2 pm ET, December 22 – ESPN
The Mormons book the Tigers
BYU 34, Memphis 32

Boca Raton Bowl – Boca Raton, Florida
(FAU Stadium)
6 pm ET, December 23 – ESPN
No Buffalo burgers for the Huskies
Marshall 34, Northern Illinois 31

Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
9:30 pm ET, December 23 – ESPN
The Aztecs rock the boat
San Diego State 28, Navy 25

Bahamas Bowl – Nassau, Bhahmas
(Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium)
12 noon ET, December 24 – ESPN
The Hilltoppers love to munch on Chips
Western Kentucky 42, Central Michigan 30

Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
(Aloha Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 24 – ESPN
The Bulldogs drain the paddies
Fresno State 27, Rice 19

Heart of Dallas Bowl – Dallas, Texas
(Cotton Bowl)
1 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
A band of Banned Indians
Knocks the Bull out of the Dogs
Illinois 31, Louisiana Tech 25

Quick Lane Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
(Ford Field)
4:30 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
The Knights go down in Motor Town
North Carolina 34, Rutgers 28

St. Petersburg Bowl – St. Petersburg, Florida
(Tropicana Field)
8 pm ET, December 26 – ESPN
Nothing big and bad about this Wolf
UCF 26, NC State 22

Military Bowl – Annapolis, Maryland
(Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
1 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
Beamer balls the Bearcats
Virginia Tech 20, Cincinnati 18

Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
(Sun Bowl)
2 pm ET, December 27 – CBS
The Desert Devils make Duke puke
Arizona State 33, Duke 21

Independence Bowl – Shreveport, Louisiana
(Independence Stadium)
3:30 pm ET, December 27 – ABC
Spurrier is a worrier
But Al’s not in his Golden years
South Carolina 30, Miami (Florida) 26

Pinstripe Bowl – Bronx, New York
(Yankee Stadium)
4:30 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
The Lion hits a homerun,
While the Eagle flies out
Penn State 24, Boston College 20

Holiday Bowl – San Diego, California
(Qualcomm Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 27 – ESPN
The Trojans turn the Corn into chowder
USC 33, Nebraska 28

Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tennessee
(Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium)
2 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Kevin ain’t in heaven as Trickett turns on the spigot
West Virginia 35, Texas A&M 34

Russell Athletic Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl)
5:30 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Dabo poops at the sight of Stoops
Oklahoma 28, Clemson 16

Texas Bowl – Houston, Texas
(NRG Stadium)
9 pm ET, December 29 – ESPN
Bevo smokes the Pork
Texas 17, Arkansas 16

Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tennessee
(LP Field)
3 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
Singing a lullaby, the Mad Hatter puts the Irish to sleep
LSU 23, Notre Dame 20

Belk Bowl – Charlotte, North Carolina
(Bank of America Stadium)
6:30 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
Uga retrieves the Bird
Georgia 32, Louisville 23

Foster Farms Bowl – Santa Clara, California
(Levi’s Stadium)
10 pm ET, December 30 – ESPN
The Trees put the Turtles in a box
Stanford 28, Maryland 14

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – Atlanta, Georgia
(Georgia Dome)
12:30 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
The Hot Toadies spike the Hot Toddies
TCU 23, Ole Miss 16

Fiesta Bowl – Glendale, Arizona
(University of Phoenix Stadium)
4 pm EST, December 31 – ESPN
The Rod reels-in a Bronco
Arizona 37, Boise State 29

Orange Bowl – Miami Gardens, Florida
(Sun Life Stadium)
8 pm ET, December 31 – ESPN
Buzz suffers a Dak attack
Mississippi State 29, Georgia Tech 27

Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
(Raymond James Stadium)
12 noon ET, January 1 – ESPN2
The Tigers bury Barry
Auburn 34, Wisconsin 26

Cotton Bowl – Arlington, Texas
(AT&T Stadium)
12:30 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Bryce is nice and Briles smiles
Baylor 27, Michigan State 19

Citrus Bowl – Orlando, Florida
(Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium)
1 pm ET, January 1 – ABC
The Tigers are out for the Kill
Missouri 26, Minnesota 23

Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California
(Rose Bowl)
5 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Puddles sticks that spear up Osceola’s rear
Oregon 33, Florida State 27

Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
(Mercedes-Benz Superdome)
8:30 pm ET, January 1 – ESPN
Amari Cooper puts the Buckeyes in a stupor
Alabama 32, Ohio State 28

Armed Forces Bowl – Fort Worth, Texas
(Amon G. Carter Stadium)
12 noon ET, January 2 – ESPN
The Panthers kick the Cougars out of the litter box
Pitt 30, Houston 27

TaxSlayer Bowl – Jacksonville, Florida
(EverBank Field)
3:20 pm ET, January 2 – ESPN
Smokey’s a Bird dog
Tennessee 27, Iowa 20

Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
(Alamodome)
6:45 pm ET, January 2 – ESPN
The Wildcats stuff the Teddy Bears
Kansas State 33, UCLA 29

Cactus Bowl – Tempe, Arizona
(Sun Devil Stadium)
10:15 pm ET, January 2 – ESPN
The Cowboys brand the Huskies
Oklahoma State 31, Washington 30

Birmingham Bowl – Birmingham, Alabama
(Legion Field)
1 pm ET, January 3 – ESPN
Tick-tock, Tick-tock, the Gator has a clock
Florida 33, East Carolina 30

Go Daddy Bowl – Mobile Alabama
(Ladd-Peebles Stadium)
9 pm ET, January 4 – ESPN
The Rockets empty the Red Wolves’ pockets
Toledo 35, Arkansas State 33

College Football Playoff National Championship – Arlington, Texas
(AT&T Stadium)
8:30 pm ET, January 12 – ESPN
Huey, Dewey and Louie say, “Sorry Amari”
As the Ducks chide the Tide and make Nick sick.
Oregon 27, Alabama 24

Touchdown Tom
December 15, 2014
www.collegefootballweek.blogspot.com


Weekend Recap

Navy 17, Army 10 (Touchdown Tom said: Navy 29, Army 18). Army scored first on a 7-yard return of a blocked punt. The Cadets never scored again until 1:51 left in the game when they kicked a 52-yard field goal. In between, Navy scored 17 points. Army’s offense failed to score a touchdown. The game was mostly a defensive battle – not much offense. The two teams only had 517 total yards combined. The Middies beat the Cadets for the 13th-straight year and for the 16th time in the last 18 games. But under first year coach Jeff Monken, Army could be turning the corner. Coming into the contest, Navy was averaging 358 yards-a-game rushing. Army held the Middies to 205 yards rushing. Attendance in Baltimore: 70,935

Week 16 Pick Result: 1 correct, 0 wrong (100 percent)
Final Season Results: 194 correct, 79 wrong (71.1 percent)


Heisman Trophy Presentation:

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy. In the balloting, Mariota was first, Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon was second, Alabama receiver Amari Cooper was third, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin was fourth and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett was fifth. Mariota received 788 first-place votes of 894 casts.


FCS Quarterfinals:

New Hampshire 35, Chattanooga 30
North Dakota State 39, Coastal Carolina 32
Sam Houston State 34, Villanova 31
Illinois State 59, Eastern Washington 46


Division II Semifinals:

West Georgia 7, CSU-Pueblo 3
Minnesota State 47, Concord 13


Division III Semifinals:

Mount Union 70, Wesley 21
UW-Whitewater 20, Linfield 14


Quotes of the Week

“And in the other semifinal, Alabama’s Nick Saban and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer, trying to outwit and out-arrogant one another,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“Sitting beside each other, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer looked like a married couple at the divorce attorney’s office. They never even looked at each other,” Paul Finebaum, on Saban’s and Meyer’s demeanor at the College Playoff press conference in Orlando.

“The Urbanator is back. And that’s a scary thought for the millions of us who believe Urban Meyer to be among the most arrogant, disingenuous coaches in college football history. The fact of the matter is, he is also among the greatest coaches in college football history,” Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi.

“There’s no doubt that this is where I’m supposed to be,” new Oregon State coach Gary Andersen at his introductory press conference in Corvallis.

“I’m just a ball coach and at the end of the day that’s what I enjoy doing and I’m very thankful to have a great family that understands that,” new Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp at his introductory press conference.


In the Huddle

Elsewhere around college football . . . Oregon’s Marcus Mariota won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation’s top quarterback annually. Mariota beat out UCLA’s Brett Hundley, USC’s Cody Kessler, Baylor’s Bryce Petty and Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott for the award. This season, Mariota completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,783 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Tennessee will now open its 2015 schedule against Bowling Green in Knoxville. The Vols were scheduled to open against UAB, but the Blazers dropped their football program last week…. Ohio State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom Herman was named the winner of this year’s Broyles Award, given annually to college football’s best assistant coach. Herman beat out Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost, TCU offensive coordinator Doug Meacham and Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel for the award.

Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright won the Bronco Nagurski Award, given to the nation’s top college defensive player. The other finalists for the award were Texas defensive tackle Malcolm Brown, Alabama defensive back Landon Collins, Ole Miss defensive back Senquez Golson and Louisville defensive back Gerod Holliman…. UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks won the Lott Impact Trophy awarded to the college defensive player who had the biggest influence on his team. Kendricks beat out Alabama’s Landon Collins, Duke’s David Helton and Washington’s Hau’oli Kikaha for the trophy.

Florida State tight end Nick O’Leary won the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s best tight end. O’Leary is the grandson of golf legend Jack Nicklaus. Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota won the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards given to college football’s most outstanding player…. Former Florida coach Will Muschamp was named the defensive coordinator at Auburn…. Missouri defensive coordinator Dave Steckel was named the new head coach at Missouri State.

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 1944 was “I’m Making Believe” by The Ink Spots and Ella Fitzgerald

…65 years ago this week in 1949 was “Mule Train” by Frankie Laine

…60 years ago this week in 1954 was “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes

…55 years ago this week in 1959 was “Heartaches by the Number” by Guy Mitchell

…50 years ago this week in 1964 was “Mr. Lonely” by Bobby Vinton

…45 years ago this week in 1969 was “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul & Mary

…40 years ago this week in 1974 was “Kung Fu Fighting” by Carl Douglas

…35 years ago this week in 1979 was “Babe” by Styx

…30 years ago this week in 1984 was “Out of Touch” by Daryl Hall and John Oates

…25 years ago this week in 1989 was “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel

…20 years ago this week in 1994 was “Here Comes the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamoze


Not directly college football related, but sadly there was one passing of note last week – Mary Ann Mobley,

Mary Ann Mobley, the first Miss America from Mississippi and an actress who starred in two films with Elvis Presley, died last week in Beverly Hills, California. She was 77. Mobley was crowned Miss America in 1958, the same year she graduated from the University of Mississippi, where she was a Chi Omega and a majorette in the Ole Miss band. For more than four decades, she performed in film, on television and on Broadway, becoming one of the most successful winners of the pageant. Mary Ann Mobley was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on February 17, 1937. She grew up in Brandon, Mississippi. She was married to actor and television host Gary Collins for 45 years, until his death in 2012.