Bowl games offer holiday entertainment

STAFFORD — The next two weeks are mostly about college football. More specifically, the bowl games. Most are meaningless, but some providing intriguing match-ups. Below are several must-see games, as well as contests with local interest.

By: By BRIAN WRIGHT For the Stafford County Sun | Stafford County Sun
Published: December 23, 2009

EagleBank Bowl (at RFK Stadium)
UCLA vs. Temple
Dec. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Temple head coach Al Golden has led the Owls to their first bowl game in 30 years and a remarkable turnaround to boot. They had a nine-game winning streak and were 7-1 in Mid-American Conference play. UCLA was 4-8 in 2008, recovering to reach .500 under Rick Neuheisel. The Bruins opened with three straight wins, then lost five in a row, but rebounded to win three of their final four.

Texas Bowl
Navy vs. Missouri
Dec. 31, 3:30 p.m.
The 9-4 Midshipmen nearly topped Ohio State on the opening weekend and also had losses to quality opponents in Pittsburgh and Temple. Their stout rushing attack will be matched by the Mizzou Tigers’ prolific passing game. Both teams averaged nearly 30 points per contest.

Chick-fil-a Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.
In his first year following the Phillip Fulmer tenure, head coach Lane Kiffin has guided the Volunteers through many distractions and into a mid-tier bowl game. A rushing defense that was just seventh in the Southeastern Conference is going to have its hands full with Hokie freshman running back Ryan Williams, who averaged 5.7 yards per carry and scored 19 touchdowns. Tech is set to both start and finish its season at the Georgia Dome – but what they hope is with a different result. Alabama beat the Hokies on Sept. 5.

Capital One Bowl
Penn State vs. LSU
Jan. 1, 1 p.m.
The Big Ten can boost its damaged ego with a quality win against an SEC opponent. Penn State is favored in this one, mostly due in part to a tough defense. Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno is seeking to extend his lead for the most bowl victories. The Tigers could have been perfect if things had broken their way. All three defeats — to Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss — came in the late stages.

Orange Bowl
Iowa vs. Georgia Tech
Jan. 5, 8 p.m.
Atlantic Coast Conference champion Georgia Tech has the flavor of Navy. That’s because Yellow Jackets head coach, Paul Johnson, is in his second year in Atlanta after a tenure in Annapolis. Tech brings a tough-to-stop triple option offense, led by quarterback Josh Nesbitt. The Hawkeyes were unbeaten until November, when Northwestern, then Ohio State knocked them off.

BCS National Championship Game
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Texas
Jan. 7, 8 p.m.
The Crimson Tide throttled defending champion Florida in the SEC title game to get to Pasadena, while the Longhorns escaped underdog Nebraska with a last-second field goal. Alabama comes in as solid favorites with Heisman Trophy Mark Ingram. Texas has one of the award’s nominees — quarterback Colt McCoy. He didn’t have a particularly good game against the Cornhusker defense. The one he’ll face in the Rose Bowl will be just as tough — if not more.