Fruitcake-a-plenty is being passed around this ACC bowl season.
We are in Christm…err, Holiday season(/WarOnChristmas’d) and it is the time for giving. This bowl season gives the ACC a wide range of gifts and that’s how we are ranking them. Our scale for bowl jolly-ness is from the worst of Fruitcake-to Socks as a mid-level sucky gift-to Candy Canes which are nice, but meh-to a Lexus because everyone good person gets their significant other one of those with the red ribbon on it-to Ferrari just because it goes with the first one as a contrast. We have averaged four factors that are important to the quality of a bowl game according to these gifts. Enjoy!
- 1) 01/05/10-Orange / Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. Iowa Hawkeyes / FOX / 8:00 EST
Importance to Team: Ferrari–This is the big one for the ACC(and the Jackets) as back-to-back BCS wins would be awesome for the prestige our little conference. For Georgia Tech specifically, they are looking to shake off last year’s bowl performance as ACC Champions this season and further cement the ushering of the triple option-era of college football.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Candy Cane–Georgia Tech has been fun to watch down the stretch and Iowa has been dramatic this season, but I wonder about how good a game this will be. I’m leaning towards a Jackets comfortable victory.
Destination Excitability: Ferrari–It’s Miami…for the second time this year, but it’s Miami and a BCS bowl at that.
Date/Time Prominence: Ferrari–By itself on the bowl schedule and just two days before the BCS National Sham-pionship, can’t have much more a prominent position.
- 2) 12/31/09-Chick-Fil-A / Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Tennessee Volunteers / 4LN / 7:30 EST
Importance to Team: Candy Cane–For a team that has been used to BCS Bowl appearances, the third to trip to the ATL might not be at the top of the Christmas list, but it is the ACC’s second best bowl and Tennessee is a good opponent to play against.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Lexus–Tennessee has been up and down, but Kiffin’s first year with the Vols has been an interesting one(the most best part of the matchup might come between now and the game with Kiffin trying to keep the players out of jail).
Destination Excitability: Candy Cane–Again, Virginia Tech has the done the Atlanta thing. I’m sure the Kathys will take care of the Hokies with swag and food though.
Date/Time Prominence: Ferrari–New Year’s Eve football with the primetime slot is the next best thing to the next day and week’s activity.
- 3) 12/27/09-Music City / Clemson Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats / 4LN / 8:30 EST
Importance to Team: Lexus–You may be shocked to see this one up this high, but hear me out. Clemson’s seniors have not won a bowl game at Clemson(3 game losing streak) and they will be up for this game despite the precipitous fall they took after the ACC Championship Game.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Candy Cane–C.J. Spiller. Last game. Duh. Kentucky isn’t all that bad to watch either.
Destination Excitability: Socks–It’s not Miami, Atlanta, or Orlando, but Nashville is a fine city to visit around Christmas time–but the Tigers’ wish they could be elsewhere.
Date/Time Prominence: Candy Cane–The extra day past Christmas makes a difference and it is the only game on the 27th so the Tigers did not get all that bad a draw for TV during bowl week.
- 4) 12/29/09-Champ Sports / Miami Hurricanes vs. Wisconsin Badgers / 4LN / 8:00 EST
Importance to Team: Candy Cane–Miami had much higher hopes after their quick start and this is the second trip to Orlando this season for the Canes, but a bowl win is something that has alluded the Canes of late.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Socks–There are many things I would rather do than watch a Big Ten football team: do laundry, shop with fiance, and maybe even eat at McDonald’s(um, maybe not) so I’m biased here. FSU also blitzed the Badgers in last year’s Champs bowl–Wisconsin could be looking for revenge or Miami could blitz them again.
Destination Excitability: Socks–Second trip to Orlando for the Canes and in their home state so the bowl site is not much of a factor here, but it’s not Boise.
Date/Time Prominence: Lexus–Primetime and with no other prominent games going on, the Canes drew a good slot here.
- 5) 12/26/09-Emerald / Boston College Eagles vs. Southern California Trojans / 4LN / 8:00 EST
Importance to Team: Socks–Sure, it’s Southern Cal, but they travel out West to play the day after Christmas against a team that plays in its home state. When it comes down to it, they are playing in the 7th best ACC bowl(against a top ten in country talented team, good luck).
Matchup Watchable-ness: Lexus–I know I will be watching atleast because the matchup intrigues me. I would like to see more ACC-Pac 10 stuff as we saw Wake Forest beat a very good Stanford team already this season.
Destination Excitability: Lexus–San Francisco is my favorite place in the U.S. besides a college football stadium on a Saturday so I’m biased here too. It is a unique situation as it is the day after Christmas, playing on the opposite coast, and in a baseball stadium with endzone running right up into a outfield wall, but it’s fun.
Date/Time Prominence: Fruitcake–Long flight, playing at 8 EST/5 Pacific, and the day after Christmas, it could really screw with them.
- 6) 01/01/10-Gator / Florida State Seminoles vs. West Virginia Mountaineers / CBS / 1:00 EST
Importance to Team: Candy Cane–Yes, it’s Bobby Bowden’s last game at FSU versus his old team, but they are a 6-6 team playing a mediocre Mountaineers’ team. FSU does not have a whole lot to gain from their play here as they did not deserve the bowl in the first-place and winning would be a minor upset, but WVU is no world-beater.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Fruitcake–FSU, 6-6 with no defense and limited offense due to inexeperienced QB at helm, against probably the 5th best team in the Big East…what’s going on in that Auburn-Northwestern game?
Destination Excitability: Socks–FSU will be excited to be playing in a better bowl than they deserved and well, Jacksonville is not all that exciting, especially for a Florida team.
Date/Time Prominence: Ferrari–It’s a New Years Day bowl no matter the participants.
- 7) 12/26/09-Meineke Car Care / North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Pittsburgh Panthers / 4LN / 4:30 EST
Importance to Team: Lexus–North Carolina really needs this game to regain some momentum from their rival owning them again and against the second best team in the Big East at that.
Matchup Watchable-ness: Candy Cane–If you are watching for offense, probably not going to see much. UNC’s defense is fun to watch though with playmakers like Austin, Burney, and others. One factor that brings this game down a notch is whether or not Pitt will be into this one coming off a Big East de facto championship game.
Destination Excitability: Socks–For UNC, just going to a bowl is not good enough anymore and Charlotte is not a warm-weather destination the day after Christmas(this one barely got above fruitcake).
Date/Time Prominence: Fruitcake–I could slot this up a bit since they do not have to travel much and probably could spend time in Chapel Hill for Christmas, but they play in the afternoon, against a good team, and so close to Christmas–this is a fruitcake gift.
How would you rank the bowls? Making the trip to any of these destinations? Any prior expereiences you want to share?
