Out with the old, in with the Bowls

Rick Pedone Sports
Editorrpedone@osceolanewsgazette.com

Welcome to the News-Gazette’s New Year’s Football Extravaganza, chock full of good stuff to steer you through another happy holiday weekend.
Normally we’d wait until New Year’s Day to spill more pigskin brilliance upon you, but the Gators and Hurricanes are dancing in Atlanta on Friday, and Young Jackson is hard at work even as we speak preparing his infamous (Or is that insufferable?) “Kenny Awards” for Saturday. I’m not sure how good it will be, since he’s spending most of his time looking for champagne and poker chips.
As for the bowl games, we made the command decision to ignore just about all of them. Because, just about all of them are meaningless (thank you, BCS). Not that those team orange juice squeeze-offs aren’t a sight to behold!
Being good, upstanding faux-Floridians, however, we will dabble with the Gators-Canes at the Peach Bowl and the ‘Noles and Mountaineers at the Gator Bowl. And, Young Jackson seems determined to make a statement about the Capital One Bowl up the road. I think he wants the LSU coaching job.
The best news about the NFL schedule this week is that the Dolphins aren’t playing in prime time again. Nothing says, “bring on basketball” like a Fins-Browns tussle the night after Christmas.
Of course, nothing says Happy New Year like the Mighty News-Gazette Bubbly Top 13:
No 1: Dick Clark (Who’s on injured reserve Friday); No. 2: Guy Lombardo (Mr. Happy New Year before Clark took over); No. 3: The dropping ball at Times Square; No. 4: Peyton Manning’s 49th TD pass ball; No. 5: Young Jackson, the Belle of the Ball; No. 6: Reggie, the Minister of Defense. No. 7: Regis, the meister of this New Year’s Eve; No. 8: Champagne; No. 9: Noisemakers (not kids, the things you blow into); No. 10: Tylenol and Alka Seltzer (a carryover from last week); No. 11: After-Christmas sales; No. 12: Pre-New Year’s Sales; No. 13: 2004, sailing into the sunset.
Our bellicose bowl picks:
Peach Bowl — Florida vs. Miami (-3): The Gators have to win this to put the perfect touch on a wacko season. Reptiles by 4.
Gator Bowl — FSU (-8) vs. West Virginia: The epitome of meaningless. Neither of these teams, or their fans, wants to be here. ‘Noles by 3.
Capital One Bowl — LSU (-6 1/2) vs. Iowa: Will the Tigers win one for Saban? No? How about Jackson? Double no? Okay. Hawkeyes by 6.
Sugar Bowl — Auburn (-6 1/2) vs. Virginia Tech: An undefeated SEC champion that won’t win the national championship. So, tell us again how well this BCS thing is working out. War Eagle by 4.
Orange Bowl — USC (-3) vs. Oklahoma: Auburn should get a crack at this winner, which will be … Sooners by 6.
The paid professionals:
Miami at Baltimore: This has 3-0 written all over it. Ravens get the 3.
Tampa Bay at Arizona (-1): Let’s see, watch this or take down Xmas lights? Up on the roof we go. Cards by 2.
Jacksonville at Oakland: My record with the Jags: 5-10. I think that gets me the NFC wild card. Jags by 2.
N.Y. Jets at St. Louis: Both teams need this. J-E-T-S by 3.
Indianapolis at Denver (-8 1/2): If it’s cold enough, and if it snows hard enough, and if Peyton misses the plane out west … Oh, what the heck, Broncs by 3.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo (-9): No Big Ben and Buffalo’s still in playoff hunt. Looks like … Wild Bills by 4.
New Orleans at Carolina (-7): Winner’s in the playoffs. Cats by 2.
Minnesota at Washington: Perfect place for looney Vikes to choke, so they probably won’t. Vikes by 3.
Young Jackson says: LSU BY SEVEN (the CAPITAL One Bowl, remember?), USC by 4 in The Only NCAA Game Left That Matters, IndyColts by 3 … and a sneak peek for Saturday — Jewelry of the Year: Lance’s LiveStrong bracelets by a handlebar over Michael Phelps’ six gold medals.
Last week: A Ho Ho Hum 4-3 (116-62) for Party Leader out-bubbled Party Boy’s 2-5 (112-66).