Santa's on my shit list as it's another hellacious Saturday without Buckeye football.
| TIME (ET) | BOWL | MATCHUP | LOCATION | FAVORITE | TELEVISION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | ST. PETERSBURG | CONNECTICUT vs. MARSHALL | ST. PETERNURG | HERD (-5) | ESPN |
| 2:00 | SUN | MIAMI (FL) vs. WASHINGTON STATE | EL PASO, TEXAS | WSU (-3) | CBS |
| 2:20 | HEART OF DALLAS | WASHINGTON vs. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI | DALLAS, TEXAS | UW (-9) | ESPN |
| 3:30 | PINSTRIPE | INDIANA vs. DUKE | NEW YORK, NEW YORK | IU (-3) | ABC |
| 5:45 | INDEPENDENCE | TULSA vs. Virginia Tech | SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA | VT (-13½) | ESPN |
| 9:15 | FOSTER FARMS | UCLA vs. NEBRASKA | SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA | UCLA (-6½) | ESPN |
Looks like I'll be spending the day reading. That lineup is as exciting as an empty crack vial.
GOOD FIESTA MEMORIES. The last time Ohio State and Notre Dame met, the Buckeyes mangled Brady Quinn and trashed the good vibes of Charlie Weis' first year in South Bend.
Outside of the Courtesy Jim Tressel seven-point spot to begin the game, the whole game ruled.
From 247sports.com's walk down memory lane:
The win allowed Ohio State to become the first school to a 4-0 record in Bowl Championship Series games, although USC can match that mark with a win over Texas in Wednesday's Rose Bowl. OSU also takes a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with Notre Dame.
"The number one goal we had was to make sure our seniors left here with some wonderful memories," said Tressel, whose team ended the year on a seven-game winning streak. "They've done an extraordinary job. We're proud of them and the underclassmen for being committed to them. It was a tough football game. Our kids deserved to win it."
OSU led 21-7 at halftime, but could not put Notre Dame (9-3) away until Antonio Pittman's 60-yard touchdown run with 1:46 left. That was Ohio State's fourth long touchdown, following Troy Smith's touchdown passes of 56 yards to Ted Ginn Jr. and 85 yards to Santonio Holmes and Ginn's 68-yard touchdown run on a reverse.
If Ohio State plays like it can then the 2015 Fiesta Bowl will be a redux of 2006. Fave this tweet.
Secondly, because of the contributions of Ohio State's senior class, I have no doubt the Buckeyes will come to play Friday.
KIZER KEEPS IT REAL. The Buckeyes kicked the tires on Toledo Central Catholic QB DeShone Kizer but ultimately didn't offer him. The Irish QB will get his revenge shot at the team that stilted him.
Props to Kizer, however, for speaking candidly on the matter and not going the "just another team" route.
From ndinsider.com:
"Growing up, since Day 1, I've been forced to understand that Ohio State is the pinnacle for success in football. I've always been a guy where I've opposed that. There's good football outside of that. This game is kind of my opportunity to go out and prove that there's other good football out there, and a guy from Ohio can go to another school and go out and beat the home team."
"Forced to understand" ... great to see Ohio's education system is thriving.
But what did Kelly see in Kizer that Meyer did not?
From dispatch.com:
Kelly had doubts about Kizer’s physical skills — he is 6 feet 4 and now a beefed-up 230 pounds — and saw an inconsistent passer, but he offered a scholarship because of intangibles displayed during fourth-quarter drives in high school.
“He had that ‘I can’t put my finger on it,’ but the guy just gets it done late,” Kelly said.
Let's hope Kizer's fourth quarter touches come with the Irish trailing by three touchdowns.
TRADITION. I think Ohio State should wear these threads for the Fiesta Bowl:
Coolest thing I got this year was my great grandfather's sweater from 1927 when he played LT for the Bucks. #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/1hWscUvLGm
— Scuffy (@Alex_Hanvey) December 25, 2015
Doubt that one would fit Taylor Decker, though.
STORM KLEIN'S DAD DIDN'T NEED CLOTHES TO STOP BURGLAR. It's a risky proposition burglarizing a house in attempts to steal Christmas presents. For example, the homeowner could be sleeping naked with one eye open (and a gun).
From 10tv.com:
“When I first got his attention, he came at me, came at the door and said ‘you ain’t gonna shoot me’ and that's when I said ‘I will shoot you’ and I put the sight right on his head,” [Jason] Klein said.
[...]
Klein kept the gun trained on the would-be burglar until deputies got on scene.
He says he's surprised at the calm that came over him. But he thinks that's partly because, in such an anxious moment, there was something to laugh at.
“I was standing there wearing nothing but my .40 caliber,” Klein said.
And yeah, the would-be burglar is spending the weekend in jail.
THOSE WMDs. Jordan throws a skittle... The year in Buffalo Bills fans... Billionaires battle in the Bahamas... Bobby Fisher was a genius and a jerk... One doctor changed football forever.
