Playing the Waiting Game

I cannot wait any longer. I'm tired of seeing all of the experts' bowl projections changing every week. What does it take to be an expert? One who can make a decision? Maybe so. Regardless of who will be right and who will be wrong, bowl season might just be the most wonderful time of the year. Well, at least until March Madness begins! Actually, it's a cycle. There's nothing better than college athletics. All of you pro fans can argue as much as you want. I'll win the argument.

The focus now is on college football. I've always had an affiliation with the game. From an excited kid sitting in the nosebleed sections of Commonwealth Stadium, to an often anxious longsnapper in the SEC, to an ambitious administrator trying to raise money during a recession...I live and breathe college athletics.

I'm thrilled to say that we will go bowling this year...again! But where???! Once the selections are official, you can bet that I will be surfing more travel sites than you ever thought existed for flights to head back to the South. If you only knew how excited I am about booking two $600+ flights!

Back to bowling. There are four WAC teams bowl eligible: Boise State (1st), Nevada (2nd), Fresno State (3rd), and Idaho (4th). The WAC bowl tie-ins include the New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque), the Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu), and the Humanitarian Bowl (Boise). All are essentially equal in regards to payouts, so there is not necessarily a pecking order for selection. The key component to all of this is Boise State. They should finish undefeated and be selected as a BCS team, that is of course unless Nebraska shocks the nation with an upset of Texas in next week's Big 12 Championship game. If this and a few other things happen, there is a slight chance we could actually get left out...but I'm not sweating it.

So if Boise goes to the BCS, the odds are as close to 100% as possible that Idaho will head to the Humanitarian Bowl. Location, location, location! That leaves Nevada and Fresno State. The majority of experts think Fresno State will be playing Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl. I just wonder how many of them realize that we played there last year? My mind is telling me that we will be going to the Hawaii Bowl to play SMU. This is an intriguing matchup for the islanders as they consider Fresno State a rival and bringing June Jones back to the islands gives them a big-time excuse to come out and cheer for...well, most would think Jones and the Mustangs...but he did leave them! Some would argue that Nevada is more deserving of a trip to Hawaii than Fresno State. I've come to learn that it's not necessarily about who is most deserving, but it is more about who will sell the most tickets and have higher TV ratings. We'll just have to wait and see.

So for now, we just have another week to ponder, bite nails, and think about where we might be spending the holidays. If for some reason Boise gets left out of the BCS, then I just wasted a lot of electronic ink and I hope the bowl selection committees think about Fresno State! Happy Holidays and Go Dogs!