Tightwad Hill

1 2 3 - WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?

No, I'm not talking about our neverending War of Liberation - the political blogs have that covered. I'm referring to the far less divisive topic of the Pac-10's bowl booty.

And what a booty it is! Thanks to Tom Hansen and his vicious cycle of low expectations, the Pac has the worst bowl arrangement of any BCS conference. Once you get past the Grand-daddy, Pac 10 teams play a lower-ranked opponent (in terms of conference finish) in every other bowl. Thanks, Tom, for ceding the Cotton Bowl to the SEC. Good work, old man. Dallas is positively frigid in January. Another chardonnay?

Chardonnay-swilling weenie

Rose: Cal v Michigan. You thought I'd type in another team's name? No, this looks just fine.

Holiday: USC v Nebraska. Big Red v Troy! Two great traditions collide! Oh, wait - you're saying we already did this? This matchup will look extra embarrassing for Der Kommissioner after USC shanks Notre Dame in the Coliseum and the Irish wind up in a New Year's game.

Sun: Oregon State v Rutgers. Enjoy the sights, sounds and - especially - the smells of El Paso! Favorite bowl week tradition - the running of the drug cartel gauntlet.

Beaver fans - book your day trips to Juarez


Las Vegas: Oregon v BYU. The excitement of the Vegas Strip seems very, very far away when you're in a bus fighting hellacious traffic to drive 45 minutes to a glorified high school stadium. Plus it's really cold.

Emerald: Washington State v I have no idea. Does this have something to do with almonds? I can't believe this is our #5 bowl.

Hawaii: UCLA v Hawaii. Now this will be a nice trip for the 150 Bruins fans that bother to go. Bowl organizers will do anything - anything - to get another team slotted here, but I'm guessing Dirk Diggler won't get the Sun Devils eligible.

posted by Tightwad @ 4:20 PM