Thoughts on the 2012 Bowl Season

After a much deserved break, I’m back just in time to wallow in the carnage that was the BCS National Championship game. After a very mediocre bowl season, where the SEC looked slightly mortal, the final game of the season made it all better. But before I give my thoughts on the Mauling in Miami, I would like to discuss a few other interesting events from the bowl season. Here they are;

I'm think his helmet landed sometime later in that week.

• Jadeveon Clowney and the “hit heard ‘round the word” was the highlight of bowl season. The newly minted AT&T National Player of the Year cemented his place in collegiate football lore for all time with one of the most vicious hits ever recorded. It followed one of the worst calls in the history of calls by the officiating crew and epitomized the adage that “karma is a bitch”. It was truly one of those plays that you’ll tell your children about (or random youngsters at the bus stop) when you’re older. I can genuinely say that my life is better having witnessed it on live TV.
• Someone needs to inform Les Miles and Will Muschamp that the bowl season exists. I almost forgive Mississippi State for shitting the bed in their bowl game against Northwestern since State was a dumpster fire for the second half of the regular season anyway. However, both LSU and Florida lost to teams they had no business losing to, mostly because they were lethargic and unprepared. This isn’t to disparage Clemson or Louisville, but neither should win a neutral site game against LSU or Florida. I refuse to praise anything associated with Clemson, but props go out to Charlie Strong who proved once again that he should have gotten a head coaching gig long before he did.
• Johnny Manziel is like the son I always wanted. I’m not talking about the talent, the wins, or the Heisman, although those things are really nice. I’m talking about the fact that he’s using his talent and fame in the most justifiable way possible: to pull as much tail as possible. My biggest problem with Tim Tebow was summarized in my open letter to him. It’s almost like my boy Johnny read it and took it to heart. I wouldn’t be surprised if he printed it out and put it in his locker. I’m so very, very proud.
• I can’t pick bowl games to save my ass. Neither can you, but I digress.
• Alabama humiliated the Notre Dame College for Catholic Gentlemen and Samoan Mormon Athletes. This pleased me to no end. Seriously, I haven’t rooted this much for a team I don’t especially like (i.e., Alabama) since the Patriot’s last Super Bowl. Honestly, I can’t think of any team that I wouldn’t root for against Notre Dame (even MS State). Ok, maybe if the Taliban assembled a college football team and played Notre Dame, I might root for the “Irish”. (On a related note, would promising 72 virgins count as a recruiting violation?)  All that being said, this defeat won’t shut the “Irish” faithful up for long (besides cries of “What about our graduation rates!”). I have plenty faith that the bandwagon will fill up again next year, which is a good thing, since if there is anything haters like me need is something to hate on.