Friday, November 30, 2012

Bowling for Dollars

Here is the 2012-2013 bowl schedule with payouts:


Dec. 15 Gildan New Mexico Bowl


Nevada vs. Pac-12 Albuquerque, N.M. 1 p.m. ESPN $912,500

Dec. 15 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

MAC vs. Utah State Boise, Idaho 4:30 p.m. ESPN $650,000

Dec. 20 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl

San Diego State vs. BYU San Diego, Calif. 8 p.m. ESPN $1 million

Dec. 21 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg

Big East vs. Conference USA St. Petersburg, Fla. 7:30 p.m. ESPN $1.075 million

Dec. 22 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Conference USA vs. Louisiana-Lafayette New Orleans, La. 12 p.m. ESPN $1 million

Dec. 22 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas

Mountain West vs. Pac-12 Las Vegas, Nev. 3:30 p.m. ESPN $2.2 million

Dec. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

SMU vs. Mountain West Honolulu, Hawaii 8 p.m. ESPN $1.3 million

Dec. 26 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

Big Ten vs. MAC Detroit, Mich. 7:30 p.m. ESPN $1.5 million

Dec. 27 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman

ACC vs. TBA (Army) Washington, D.C. 3 p.m. ESPN $2 million

Dec. 27 Belk Bowl

ACC vs. Big East Charlotte, N.C. 6:30 p.m. ESPN $3.4 million

Dec. 27 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl

Big 12 vs. Pac-12 San Diego, Calif. 9:45 p.m. ESPN $4.15 million

Dec. 28 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl

ACC vs. SEC Shreveport, La. 2 p.m. ESPN $2.3 million

Dec. 28 Russell Athletic Bowl

ACC vs. Big East Orlando, Fla. 5:30 p.m. ESPN $4.55 million

Dec. 28 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Big Ten vs. Big 12 Houston, Texas 9 p.m. ESPN $3.4 million

Dec. 29 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Conference USA vs. Mountain West Dallas, Texas 11:45 a.m. ESPN $1.2 million

Dec. 29 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

Pac-12 vs. TBA (Navy) San Francisco, Calif. 3:15 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 $1.675 million

Dec. 29 New Era Pinstripe Bowl

Big East vs. Big 12 Bronx, N.Y. 3:15 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 $3.6 million

Dec. 29 Valero Alamo Bowl

Big 12 vs. Pac-12 San Antonio, Texas 6:45 p.m. ESPN $6.35 million

Dec. 29 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl

Big Ten vs. Big 12 Tempe, Ariz. 10:15 p.m. ESPN $6.65 million

Dec. 31 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl

SEC vs. ACC Nashville, Tenn. 12 p.m. ESPN $3.725 million

Dec. 31 Hyundai Sun Bowl

ACC vs. Pac-12 El Paso, Texas 2 p.m. CBS $4 million

Dec. 31 AutoZone Liberty Bowl

SEC/Big East/Conference USA Memphis, Tenn. 3:30 p.m. ABC $2.875 million

Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl

ACC vs. SEC Atlanta, Ga. 7:30 p.m. ESPN $6.9 million

Jan. 1 TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl

SEC vs. Big Ten Jacksonville, Fla. 12 p.m. ESPN2 $5.45 million

Jan. 1 TicketCity Bowl

Big Ten vs. Conference USA Dallas, Texas 12 p.m. ESPNU $2.2 million

Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl

SEC vs. Big Ten Orlando, Fla. 1 p.m. ESPN $8.5 million

Jan. 1 Outback Bowl

SEC vs. Big Ten Tampa, Fla. 1 p.m. ABC $7 million

Jan. 1 Rose Bowl presented by Vizio

BCS vs. BCS Pasadena, Calif. 5 p.m. ESPN $36 million

Jan. 1 Discover Orange Bowl

BCS vs. BCS Miami, Fla. 8:30 p.m. ESPN TBA

Jan. 2 Allstate Sugar Bowl

BCS vs. BCS New Orleans, La. 8:30 p.m. ESPN TBA

Jan. 3 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl

BCS vs. BCS Glendale, Ariz. 8:30 p.m. ESPN TBA

Jan. 4 AT&T Cotton Bowl

SEC vs. Big 12 Arlington, Texas 8 p.m. FOX $7.25 million

Jan. 5 BBVA Compass Bowl

Big East vs. SEC Birmingham, Ala. 1 p.m. ESPN $1.925 million

Jan. 6 GoDaddy.com Bowl

MAC vs. Sun Belt Mobile, Ala. 9 p.m. ESPN $1.5 million

Jan. 7 Discover BCS National

Championship Game



I totally want to go the the Cap One Bowl:  biggest payout, other than BCS bowls, and matchup against the second or third team from the Big 10.  I believe that would be a winnable game.

Do not want to play in the Cotton Bowl because I don't want to play a Big 12 team.  I suppose some would say it was karma, but I would rather play someone new.

The Outback would match us against a Big 10 team, again probably (possibly?) beatable and Chick-fil-A would pair us with an ACC team ---Florida State?  Not sure I like that matchup, though it may be because I remember a very wet Cotton Bowl game where FSU beat us by the score of 10-2.  Just stinking awful.

Monday, November 26, 2012

Can I Get An Amen?




JFF is supposed to have a press conference this week and I am nervous.  What if he talks like Jar Jar Binks?

Enjoyed the Mizzou game immensely.  I thought it was a nice gesture to feature C. Mike on the first play (and in the first quarter in general.)  He did not disappoint.  Other seniors performed well, too.  I got the feeling that they were on a mission. 



The television color guy kept going on and on about the game being over, why was JFF still in...blah, blah, blah.... WHILE MIZZOU CONTINUED TO SCORE.  And, this was in the first half!  It is possible to lose the lead, dude, even a big one.  We should know, since we have done it frequently.  We have to score early and often because our very thin defense breaks down a bit in the second half.

Would JFF winning the Heisman be a good thing?  Could it add so much pressure and raise expectations for next year so high that the team (and JFF) simply can't handle it?  Perhaps, but I think we are there already in terms of expectations and pressure.  I don't think winning the Heisman would change that at all.  And of course, I think he should win it. GO JFF!



Many around here think that the Aggies will play the Horns in the Cotton Bowl, and many think that would be great.  Why?  The Horns aren't very good so I imagine that the Aggies would be expected to win.  So, a win would be no big deal, because we should win.  But what if we lose?  I might just die.  Is chronic fear of losing to UT a treatable condition?



What a great season this has been!  Thanks to those wonderful, hardworking boys and the coaches for so many hours of joy.  Gig 'em.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Coach of the Year

I have heard nothing on this topic up here in the frozen north. But what will happen here is the Notre Dame coach will get all the votes if they finish undefeated and number one in the nation. But I believe there is absolutely no contest on the true Coach of Year in major college football. 
First year in the job, first year in the toughest conference in football, with a freshman QB (granted a pretty good one), can anyone claim a better job than Sumlin?  No, no way. Coach of the year all the way and to those who disagree -- I fart in your general direction.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Sammy Football

I just love this video of Sam Gordon. Thanks to Rees and Jen for the link.

Monday, November 19, 2012

One to Go to Ten and Two

Those who know me know that I rarely watch the Aggies play "live", but instead DVR the game while keeping tabs on the score by text, phone, or internet.  I blame my father for this little genetic peculiarity.  So it was really weird how upset I got when I figured out that the game between the Aggies and Sam Houston State wasn't being broadcast.  One of my law partners tells me that I need therapy because of the Aggies and sometimes I think she may be right.

For fun, watch this VIDEO of JFF.  A great highlight reel.  Be sure to look for the play where he runs down the defender who had recovered a fumble.

Others may disagree, but I like the fact that Sumlin took the starters out early in the 3rd quarter rather than try to continue to run up the gaudy numbers to improve both JFF's Heisman chances and A&M's position in the polls.  The second-stringers need some playing time, we don't want any of our key guys to get hurt, and since we didn't get a by week, guys have to be tired.  GOTTO beat Mizzou, who always gives us trouble.  Then on to a bowl....I have seen predicted matchups with Michigan and Oklahoma, but that was before the big upsets this last weekend.  I don't particularly want to play the Sooners, just cause we've been playing them for years.  How about someone new (and preferably someone we can moidelize)?

Gig 'em.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Ebb Tide

The Aggies beat Alabama. 



Props to the defense that came through when it had to, to the O-line, to Ryan Swope for taking the hits and holding on to the ball, to Malena, Michael, and Evans.....

And what can I say about JFF that hasn't been said?  More than his athleticism and his competitive spirit, I am impressed by his presence on the field.  The guy seems impervious to nerves, to jitters, to fear, to mistakes, to hits, to noise......He is just so fun to watch.



Now, the Aggies need to moidleize Sam Houston and then take care of Missouri.  I heard this morning that the Ags have jumped to number 8 in the polls.  If they can win out, then they likely will go to a good bowl game.  Whoda thunk it.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

BTHOO Alabama!

In 1968, my dad took me to the Cotton Bowl to see A&M play Alabama.  Gene Stallings, a Bama alum coached by Bear Bryant, was coaching A&M and Bryant, whom I detested, was with Bama.  Kenny Stabler was Bama's QB and, of course, went on to have a tremendous career in the pros.

Here is a little clip from that game.  The Tide was 8-1-1 coming into the game, the Aggies 6-4.  Edd Hargett QB'd the Aggies and was the MVP.  Ags won, 20-16.

I remember little about the game other than the fact that we weren't expected to win but did, and that at the end of the game, Bryant embraced Stallings at midfield.  Most importantly, I remember being there with my dad.  That was a good, good day.