Before we get to the mailbag, today is the final day to enter the Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success (Bowler, optional). There will be a slew of prizes.
Good times.
Here are the games. You can email your entry to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or put it in the comments section.
We will post all the names of all the players who entered sometime over the weekend, along with our picks, which we will put in the comments section sometime tonight for fairness.
Giddy-up
One-point games
New Mexico Bowl - Arizona (-10) vs. New Mexico
Las Vegas Bowl - BYU vs. Utah (-2)
Camellia Bowl - Ohio vs. App State (-8)
Cure Bowl - San Jose State (-3) vs. Georgia State
New Orleans Bowl - Arkansas State vs. La. Tech (-2)
Miami Bowl - South Florida vs. Western Kentucky (-3)
Two-point games
Potato Bowl - Akron vs. Utah State (-6.5)
Boca Raton Bowl - Toledo vs. Temple (-1.5)
Poinsettia Bowl - Boise State (-7.5) vs. Northern Illinois
Go Daddy Bowl - Bowling Green (-7) vs. Georgia Southern
Bahamas Bowl - MTSU (-3) vs. Western Michigan
Hawaii Bowl - Cincinnati (-1.5) vs. San Diego State
St. Petersburg Bowl - UConn vs. Marshall (-4.5)
Heart of Dallas Bowl - Washington (-8.5) vs. Southern Miss
Three-point games
Sun Bowl - Miami vs. Washington State (-2.5)
Pinstripe Bowl - Indiana (-2) vs. Duke
Independence Bowl - Virginia Tech (-13.5) vs. Tulsa
Foster Farms Bowl -UCLA (-6.5) vs. Nebraska
Military Bowl - Pittsburgh vs. Navy (-3.5)
Quick Lane Bowl - Central Michigan vs. Minnesota (-5)
Armed Forced Bowl - Air Force vs. California (-7)
Arizona Bowl - Nevada vs. Colorado State (-3)
Four-point games
Russell Athletic Bowl - UNC vs. Baylor (-3)
Texas Bowl - Texas Tech vs. LSU (-7)
Belk Bowl - Mississippi State vs. NC State (-5.5)
Music City Bowl - Louisville vs. Texas A&M (-2.5)
Liberty Bowl - Kansas State vs. Arkansas (-11)
Alamo Bowl - Oregon vs. TCU (-1)
Cactus Bowl - West Virginia vs. Arizona State (pick 'em)
Birmingham Bowl - Memphis vs. Auburn (-2)
Five-point games
Holiday Bowl -Wisconsin vs. USC (-3)
Peach Bowl - Houston vs. FSU (-7)
Outback Bowl - Northwestern vs. Tennessee (-8)
Citrus Bowl - Michigan (-4) vs. Florida
Fiesta Bowl - Notre Dame vs. Ohio State (-7)
Rose Bowl - Stanford (-6.5) vs. Iowa
Sugar Bowl - Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss (-6.5)
TaxSlayer Bowl - Penn State vs. Georgia (-6.5)
Seven-point games
Orange Bowl - Clemson vs. Oklahoma (-4)
Cotton Bowl - Alabama (-9.5) vs. Michigan State
Tie-breaker (Winner of the national championship):
Luiz Campos wears a Santa hat with Yoda ears at the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Carmike East Ridge 18 theaters on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Theaters had showtimes as early as 7 p.m. for one of the biggest opening nights in movie history.From P.R.
Are you going to see the new Stars Wars? What is your rushmore Star Wars quotes?
Thanks, and keep up the good work here and on Press Row.
P.R. -
Yes, we will see The Force Awakens at some point. With an 8- and a 5-year-old most of our movie trips are of the animated variety. So it goes.
That said, our 8-year-old has the Star Wars fever pretty bad. (In fact, as we finish up this morning, he's playing some sort of Star Wars video game on the Xbox 360 in the background. Little acorns, we suppose.)
So yes, we'll see it. Along with the rest of the planet. The projections of this movie are off the charts. It's expected that it will make more than $55 million from last night's opening, which is way more than the previous record for a Thursday night opening (the final Harry Potter earned more than $43 million on a Thursday night premiere).
Clay Jones wears a Yoda backpack as fans enter the theater at the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Carmike East Ridge 18 theaters on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Theaters had showtimes as early as 7 p.m. for one of the biggest opening nights in movie history.The weekend is expected to top $220 million - reseting the record opening weekend set by Jurrasic World ($208.8 million) earlier this year. That would come close to tripling the largest December premiere (set by Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with more than $84 million a couple of years ago).
And it's expected to topple Avatar's all-time record of $2.8 billion.
So, in a lot of ways, the Disney decision to spend $4 billion on the Star Wars brand - considering the new money alone will generate close to $3 billion, and that's not counting the side products or future films - was a flat steal. Yep, $4 billion was a bargain.
As for a Rushmore of Star Wars quotes, well, we had a Star Wars Rushmore of scenes on Press Row on Thursday and it was a lot of fun. (We went with Vader cutting off Luke's hand and telling him he was his daddy; Han Solo's Die Hard-esque Yippee Ki Yay moment of blasting the ships to let Luke blow up the Death Star, Obi Wan Kenobi letting Vader strike him down and bikini-clad Leia choking Jabba.)
As for quotes, well, the No. 1 is "May the Force be with you." And all things considered, that likely is on the Rushmore of most famous movie quotes of all time. Think about the reach of "May the Force be with you." It's right there with "Frankly Scarlett" and any other you can think of as far as being well-known.
Heck, our 8-year-old son and your 78-year-old mother are well-versed in the powers of the 'Force' quote.
Cameron Carrara is dressed as an Ewok at the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at Carmike East Ridge 18 theaters on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Theaters had showtimes as early as 7 p.m. for one of the biggest opening nights in movie history.The second would be "Luke, I am your father." And we talked a little about this on Press Row on Thursday. There's no way that scene has the power and surprise it generated for millions back then if "Empire Strikes Back" was released in today's social media climate.
To fill it out, we'll go with Yoda's "Do or do not. There is no try." And we'll finish with the most common quote in the first three movies (first three by order of release) of "Got a bad feeling about this," which apparently is like in the series more than a dozen times.
Great question.
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From Jeremiah M
@jgreesontfp PEDs r ok b/c they bring in fans/money. Gambling bad b/c it undermines integrity of game?Big question then J. What r ur thoughts on daily sports fantasy sights? Gambling or skill? BTW, War Damn Eagle!! Class of '00.
Jeremiah -
Thanks for the Twitter exchange, and we thought it was a fair question.
The back-and-forth above was about our stance on Pete Rose being kept out of baseball until his lifetime ban is over (i.e. when he kicks the bucket and bets the farm in the afterlife).
The point of the cheating of the PED users and the whole 'integrity of the game' soapbox by some of the anti-Rose banner carries use, well, it's not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison.
The PED users were self-serving and the cheating/lying has garnered suspensions and certainly tainted records and legacies. Rose gambled on the game and lied about it - to multiple commissioners, including Rob Manfred in the most recent investigation about Rose's appeal.
FILE - In this Sept. 21, 2015, file photo, former Cincinnati Reds player and manager Pete Rose tapes a segment for Miami Television News on the campus of Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has rejected Pete Rose’s plea for reinstatement, citing his continued gambling and evidence that he bet on games when he was playing for the Cincinnati Reds. Manfred says in a letter sent to Rose and made public on Monday, Dec. 14, 2015, that baseball’s hits king hasn’t been completely honest about his gambling on baseball games. (AP Photo/Gary Landers, File) This is not to excuse one sin, but there are certain misdeeds in certain professions that are scarlet letter sins. Embezzling for an accountant. Plagiarism for journalists. Gambling for professional sports figures.
If the games even appear tainted, then the sport because professional wrestling with predetermined outcomes and fixes. Yes, baseball salaries are skyrocketing and the financial model may have to be altered, but the only thing that could kill it - or any other professional sport - is if the public doesn't trust the game to be on the up and up.
So to forgive or pardon any part of that is to almost encourage it to happen again.
As for the daily fantasy sites, we believe them to be both - a game of skill and gambling.
It's gambling in the "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's a duck' common knowledge definition of the situation. As for the legal distinction between game of chance (which is considered gambling under most states' view) or game of skill, to not say that fantasy sports is a game of skill simply means you've never played fantasy sports.
The more interesting definition down the road will be the hard - and proper - stance that baseball is taking with Rose and gambling within the game while taking the sponsorship money and realizing the dire need of fantasy sports down the road.
And War Eagle, right back at you.
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From Wells
Why is it taking so long for Auburn to find a defensive coordinator?
Wells -
Well, the short answer could be that maybe Auburn is waiting for the NFL playoffs to conclude - maybe Bill Belichick has some interest in the gig. (Yes, we're kidding, but would be a bigger statement of Commander Hoodie's true genius? Winning another Super Bowl with Tom Brady slinging it around the yard or actually making Auburn an elite defense? Huh?)
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) In truth, it likely is a combination of waiting for bowl season to end and trying to find the right fit.
As for the delay, it really doesn't matter that now. College football is in a recruiting dead period right now, and while having a DC go through the motions in preparation of the bowl game would be preferable, it's not like it's monster deal.
As for candidates, well, we've heard to many random names bounced around to really put too much stock in any of the interweb reports.
We do know this: Auburn should do exactly the opposite of how LSU handled the contract dealing with former DC John Chavis. Apparently LSU administrators adjusted Chavis' contract after it had been signed, and while they call it normal, man this seems like just another stubbed toe for the LSU athletic department, which may run out of toes pretty soon.
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From MocTastic
JG, early question for the mail bag. Should the NCAA and/or the conferences put football post season stats into a different category as the pro sports do? Players on good teams who go to conference title games then bowls get inflated stats. You compared Derrick Henry and Herschel Walker, but to me that is apples and oranges. I will buy the fact regular seasons are longer today but the conference title games give a huge edge to players go after stats records. For example in FCS, Armanti Edwards of Appy St owns or is at the top of many categories, but when he was there Appy St usually played several games in the FCS tournament every year. He basically had five seasons of playing against other players who had four. Why not do like MLB/NFL/NBA and split the stats into regular season and playoffs (post season)? IMO the SEC and other conference title games, the bowls, and the new four team playoff games should go into a "postseason" stats. Lets be able to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges.
Former NFL star Herschel Walker talks with football players at Shiloh Christian School in Springdale Thursday afternoon.
9-11-03MT -
We completely agree.
Although we would be open to the discussion of allowing title games in the equation.
That said, we don't see them changing this after the fact. So moving forward, the better gauge for apples-to-apples comparisons would be per game stats.
Like Herschel Walker's per game rushing numbers - more than 171 per - is off the charts good. That said, there will never be a season to compare to what Barry Sanders did in 1988. He had 2,628 rushing yards and 37 rushing TDs in 11 games.
By comparison, we were falling all over ourselves about Derrick Henry, and Henry had a great year. His final numbers - 1,986 rushing yards and 23 TDs - in 13 games. And counting.
The records, by comparison though are never going to be completely apples-to-apples because of time and change, but we concur that the current format distorts the appearance of the record book.
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From Sportsfan
Jay,
For the mailbag, please compare and contrast highlights/lowlights of the 2015 football season with appropriate holiday festivities, events, or meals.
Sportsfan -
Picks are in.
Excellent question.
First thing Christmas morning - that Labor day opening weekend of college football when everyone was stoked and everything was right with the world. Heck, even Auburn was believed to be good at that point. Speaking of Auburn
The present from your aunt that is almost always a really bad sweater from a store that does not take returns - Ladies and gentlemen, your Auburn Tigers.
The Christmas meal - The SEC game on CBS. The similarities here are staggering. Each happens in the mid-afternoon. Each takes about 30 minutes longer than it should. Each always includes a 70-plus-year-old person forgetting people's names. Each requires your presence, and you happily oblige.
The ugly sweater Christmas party - The Big Ten season. You know how you almost always roll your eyes at the thought of another ugly sweater party, then you get duded up, have a couple of Co-Colas, then see your buddy with a red-and-green sweater with reindeer fornicating and you realize you were glad you went. Well, watching Big Ten football this year was roughly the same thing. There were a number of very good games - albeit that a slew of them were not overly aesthetically pleasing but enjoyable nonetheless - throughout the season. Good times.
The office Christmas party - Ivy League football, because really who has office Christmas parties anymore other than the truly elite, and in truth there really not that much fun so in the end you don't really miss them to begin with.
The experience of finding the perfect present - the Michigan-Michigan State game. A wonderful pay-off to a great game in a great rivalry. (If you are a Michigan fan, it's the experience of finding the perfect present only to realize they have sold out and won't have any more until next year.)
Alabama NCAA college football coach Nick Saban talks with the media about Saturday's Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn in his weekly press conference, Monday, Nov. 23, 2015, at Naylor-Stone Media Suite in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/Alabama Media Group via AP) "It's a Wonderful Life" - Nick Saban. Our favorite Christmas movie represents the game's best coach. Think of each in the following descriptions: We know what's going to happen; we are still impressed after all these years; we are amazed at how well the cast performs even if we shouldn't be; we know it will be back next year and be just as awesome.
Ralphie from "Christmas Story" - Mark Richt. All year people were wondering about his status. "You'll shoot your eye out; you'll shoot your eye out." Then bang, it happens, and Ralphie handles it like a champ and comes out smiling like a rose on the other side. Well-played coach.
Christmas stockings - Tuesday night MAC action. The stockings are certainly an underrated part of the present experience, and one that frequently delivers a smaller, yet still greatly appreciated amount of enjoyment. You could even call it entertainment if you'd like. And speaking of entertainment, the entire MAC experience this year was very entertaining in a lot of ways. High-scoring offenses; the favorites generally rolled. There were five MAC teams that were 6-2 or better in the conference. That quintet went 17-5-1 against the spread vs. all the other teams in the MAC- Bowling Green (5-1 against spread vs. the bottom dwellers of the MAC), Northern Illinois (3-1-1), Western Michigan (3-1), Toledo (3-0) and Central Michigan (3-2).
Your favorite uncle swinging by for some cheer - That would be former Georgia coach and college football Hall of Famer Jim Donnan stopping by Press Row every Thursday afternoon on ESPN 105.1 during the football season. That was a fun segment and occasionally featured Donnan trotting out a "Trump pick," a "condo pick" and even a "floater pick." (Where pretty sure he meant all of them as a good adjective, too.)
Thoughts? And have a great weekend.