College Football Bowl Friday: Two More Pac-12 Teams Play Today

As bowl season continues to roll on, there are five games on today’s schedule including two games which feature Pac-12 teams.

Personally, I’ve never quite believed in this whole #BackThePac movement. I think it runs contradictory to everything college football stands for. We spend three months (or more) every year hoping our conference rivals will lose while we win, but, now, we’re supposed to suddenly forget all about that and root for the other teams in the Pac-12? I just can’t buy into that.

Especially today.

That’s because today’s top matchup features the #8 Southern Cal Trojans playing the #5 Ohio State Buckeyes. My dislike and, dare I say hatred, for the sports teams across town completely prevent me from cheering those guys to victory. Ever. Their opponent on any given day is and always will be my other favorite team, which means I’ll be rooting for Urban Meyer and his guys tonight in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Asking a Bruin fan to root for Southern Cal is akin to asking a Yankee fan to root for the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series. It shouldn’t be done.

I guess I’ll feel a little more forgiving at Noon today when the other Pac-12 team playing today takes the field. The Arizona State Sun Devils will take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on CBS. While I’m still not inclined to root for another team from our conference, you have to sort of feel sorry for the Sun Devils. After all, the ASU administration fired head coach Todd Graham so they could hire Herm Edwards, a guy who hasn’t coached a football game since 2008 and has never coached in college.

Their plan was to bring in Edwards while leaving Graham’s coordinators in place. It sounds downright Guerrerian in design circa 2008. At least in the Sun Devils’ case, the coordinators had the good sense to bail on the plan and leave for other schools.

But, at least for today, ASU still has some competancy running the team, even if the Wolfpack will probably prove overwhelming for Graham’s Sun Devils.

Today’s action will kickoff at 10 am PT with the Belk Bowl featuring our old friends the Texas A&M Aggies against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. I think Wake Forest has one of the best mascot names in all of college sports. A win gives the Demon Deacons eight wins and their best season since 2008.

Of course, the Aggies have finally fired Kevin Sumlin, but Jimbo Fisher isn’t taking charge quite yet. Interim head coach Jeff Banks will lead the team today. It looks like that means today is also Noel Mazzone’s last game with A&M.

The Music City Bowl kicks off at 1:30pm PT this afternoon and looks to be worth watching. This game should be called the Wildcat Bowl. After years as a sleeping giant, the Kentucky Wildcats are quietly starting to make some noise in the SEC under Mark Stoops. The Wildcats finished tied for 3rd in the SEC East this season behind just Georgia and South Carolina. They will play the Northwestern Wildcats. Pat Fitzgerald’s team finished 7-2 in the Big Ten and 9-3 overall. They were second behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten West. This should be one of the best games today.

I’d say skip the fifth game today entirely. That’s the Arizona Bowl. Or, should it be called the Aggie Bowl? This game has the Utah State Aggies against the New Mexico State Aggies. New Mexico State is making just its fourth bowl appearance ever. Both of these teams finished 6-6 to become bowl-eligible and, while the teams may matchup well, this game just isn’t worth your time.

Here’s today’s full slate:

This is your College Football Friday Bowl Game open thread.


Go Bruins! And, go Buckeyes!