Well, here it is. The last edition of the Rooting Guide for this year. Gone are SOS discussions, bowl predictions, and BCS estimates. The Hokies are going to the Gator Bowl, having been snubbed by the BCS, Notre Dame and Oregon State being taken ahead of us.

So this version is about revenge. Revenge, and next year (although only Uva of our next year’s schedule is in a bowl). And maybe a little of personal animosity thrown in.

There’s nothing scientific about this Rooting Guide (as if it ever was previously). This one is all about fun.

Las Vegas Bowl – Las Vegas, Nevada
Nevada-Las Vegas (7-5) vs. Arkansas (6-5)
Thursday, 21 December @ 8:00pm EST, ESPN2
Arkansas has been on a heck of a run as of late, beating two ranked teams (LSU and Miss State) to end the season and make a bowl. Can they carry the streak into their tilt with UNLV? Who cares! We’re just trying to figure out whom to root for! Two schools of thought here: root against Arkansas because they are SEC and 6-win teams don’t belong in bowls, or root against UNLV because they didn’t tell us about Weaver before we hired him. I think the latter outweighs the former.
Root: Arkansas

Oahu Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
Virginia (6-5) vs. Georgia (7-4)
Sunday, 24 December @ 8:30pm EST, ESPN
In the lesser of the two Hawaii bowls (come on, everybody loves to watch college football on Christmas Day!), we find two lame-duck coaches, and two quarterbacks with something to prove: Ellis, who doesn’t want to be the one to end Virginia’s streak of mediocrity (7 wins), and Carter, who wants to show that he can win on Sunday. Something has got to give here.
Root: Georgia (did you expect me to say anything else?)

Aloha Bowl – Honolulu, Hawaii
Arizona State (6-5) vs. Boston College (6-5)
Monday, 25 December @ 3:30pm, ABC
Is it fair to ask two teams to start a game at 10:30am local time? Sure it’s fair! Three reasons: They’ve gotten a free trip to Hawaii, I love college football on Christmas, and they’re both 6-5 teams—they don’t deserve a bowl game! This game features the only coach of the two Hawaii bowls who is returning next year, and that might change. I see this one as a sit back, relax, and drink some more eggnog. You’re gonna need the eggnog, so that the game becomes more interesting.
Root: Boston College

Motor City Bowl – Detroit, Michigan
Marshall (7-5) vs. Cincinnati (7-4)
Wednesday, 27 December @ 4:00pm EST, ESPN
You think this is bad? You should check out the Humanitarian or the Silicon Valley bowls. Anyways, a strong Marshall helps us next year as we have Western Michigan on the slate.
Root: Marshall

GalleryFurniture.com Bowl – Houston, Texas
Texas Tech (7-5) vs. East Carolina (7-4)
Wednesday, 27 December @ 8:00pm EST, ESPN2
I really don’t know what to make of this game. What I do know is that the game will last a long time, due to both teams’ propensities for airing the ball out. So, if you’re an "early to bed, early to rise" type person, don’t watch this game unless you don’t care who wins. As far as who to root for, well, an ECU win would make us look better…
Root: East Carolina

Humanitarian Bowl – Boise, Idaho
Boise State (9-2) vs. Texas-El Paso (8-3)
Thursday, 28 December @ 1:30pm EST, ESPN2
I’m betting that the bowl schedule will be getting better, because it couldn’t possibly get any worse. The one thing that might make this game interesting is the blue field. I’d love to get some kind of Nielsen rating on how many people try to adjust the contrast on their set. It’s almost like an Andy Kaufman joke, isn’t it?
Root: A huge flock of birds to crash into the field.

Music City Bowl – Nashville, Tennessee
Mississippi (7-4) vs. West Virginia (6-5)
Thursday, 28 December @ 4:00pm EST, ESPN
Did I mention something about 6-5 teams not belonging in a bowl? Well, I didn’t mean it when it comes to Big East teams.
Root: West Virginia

MicronPC Bowl – Miami, Florida
North Carolina State (7-4) vs. Minnesota (6-5)
Thursday, 28 December @ 7:00pm EST, TBS
Since when does TBS get to air a bowl game? Since it’s the MicronPC bowl, which nobody really cares about anyways. The attendance last year was horrible (well, but it was Uva-C, so that’s a given), and rumors are that neither school has sold out their ticket allotment this year. That’s OK, because nobody will be watching on TV, either, since it airs opposite the Insight.com Bowl with Pitt and Iowa State. Think anyone will be watching that either? Probably not. "Friends" will probably have a record ratings night. Oh, yeah, who to root for? Well, since we always play an ACC team or two, a strong ACC might help us.
Root: NC State

Insight.com Bowl – Phoenix, Arizona
Iowa State (8-3) vs. Pittsburg(h) (7-4)
Thursday, 28 December @ 7:30pm EST, ESPN
I think this is the point in the Rooting Guide where I start to sound a bit less caustic. Why? Probably because we’re getting into some decent games. Iowa State may be as good as their 8-3 record states, but maybe not. After all (if I’m reading their schedule right), they lost to every single team on their record that finished above .500. It doesn’t matter anyways. They’re playing a Big East team, so we know whom to root for…
Root: Pitt (sorry, guys, you’ll always be Pitt)

Liberty Bowl – Memphis, Tennessee
Louisville (9-2) vs. Colorado State (9-2)
Friday, 29 December @ 1:30pm EST, ESPN
This is going to be an easy one to call, and most of you older Hokies will remember it (as do I, I just mean older than the recent grads). Louisville sucks, Metro sucks, and Conference USA sucks. (Plus, I have a cousin who went to CSU.)
Root: Colorado State

Sun Bowl – El Paso, Texas
Wisconsin (8-4) vs. UCLA (6-5)
Friday, 29 December @ 2:00pm EST, CBS
This bowl is the story of two disappointments. Wisconsin started the season in the Top 5, but oops, they were over-rated, and went spiraling. Of course, a shoe scandal contributed a wee bit to their disappointing season. UCLA started out unranked but beat two #3 teams in the first three weeks, but disappeared and were never heard from again until the bottom of the 6-5 barrel had to be scraped for a bowl team. I probably won’t watch this game, because I don’t care to see another college football game on CBS as long as I live. As for who to root for, I’m following this rule during the holiday season: THE PAC-10 MUST DIE!!! (Credit I-85Hokie for this thought.)
Root: Foot Locker…errr….Wisconsin

Peach Bowl – Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia Tech (9-2) vs. Louisiana State (7-4)
Friday, 29 December @ 5:00pm EST, ESPN
This promises to be a pretty good game. Despite LSU’s late season loss to Arkansas, they are a pretty good team, but I don’t think they are a match for Georgia Tech’s high-powered offense led by George Godsey, a dark horse for Heisman next year if I ever saw one. Even though OC Freidgen left GT for Maryland, I still think that GT will roll. Why do I say it is a good game, you ask? Because Georgia Tech is my second-favorite team, and I love to see them blow out any opponent, unless that opponent is Virginia Tech.
Root: Georgia Tech

Holiday Bowl – San Diego, California
Oregon (9-2) vs. Texas (9-2)
Friday, 29 December @ 8:30pm EST, ESPN
Which Texas team will show up? The one that lost to Stanford and got blown out by Oklahoma? Or the one that blew out a ranked Texas A&M team in their season finale? Hokies should hope that it’s the latter team that shows up, because they’re playing a….gasp…Pac 10 team, and THE PA(theti)C 10 MUST DIE!!!
Root: Texas

Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, Texas
Nebraska (9-2) vs. Northwestern (8-3)
Saturday, 30 December @ 8:00pm EST, ESPN
Northwestern has been a pleasant surprise this year, at least for Northwestern fans. The rest of the Big T1e1n wasn’t so amused, I’m sure, especially Michigan. Nebraska had a disappointing year, having started the season #1, succumbing to Oklahoma and Kansas State. I’m glad they got knocked down a peg. If they get knocked down again, maybe the Hokies can start the next season ranked ahead of them.
Root: Northwestern

Silicon Valley Bowl – San Jose, California
Fresno State (7-4) vs. Air Force (8-3)
Sunday, 31 December @ 7:00pm EST, Fox Sports Network
I thought the games were supposed to get better as the bowl season progressed! Not so, I suppose, with the introduction of the Silicon Valley Bowl. Another first year bowl that shouldn’t be part of the bowl landscape. Well, at least they don’t have a 6-5 team in it. So, in honor of our Corps of Cadets brothers at Virginia Tech (and because Air Force is the only military academy that’s worth a damn in football), I suggest we…
Root: Air Force

Independence Bowl – Shreveport, Louisiana
Mississippi State (7-4) vs. Texas A&M (7-4)
Sunday, 31 December @ 8:00pm EST, ESPN
Two 7-4 teams here, one from the SEC and one from the Big XII. Miss State is a hard team to figure out, having beaten both SEC Championship Game participants (Florida and Auburn) but also having lost its’ last two games to Arkansas and Ole Miss. Texas A&M is equally an enigma, also having lost their last two games: a close one to Oklahoma and a blowout to Texas. If I were a betting man (and I’m not Beerman, obviously) I would say, "pick ‘em", but we don’t do that here, unless it’s the Fiesta Bowl (more on that later). Again, harkening back to my Corps of Cadets roots, it is my suggestion that Hokies….
Root: Texas A&M

Outback Bowl – Tampa, Florida
South Carolina (7-4) vs. Ohio State (8-3)
Monday, 1 January @ 11:00am EST, ESPN
I don’t think that this game is going to be close at all. South Carolina has looked good at times this year, but not consistently. Same with Ohio State, but I just think that the Buckeyes have more horses. As far as a rooting interest goes, I’d have to lean the same way, since Lou Holtz is the Gamecock head coach, and he used to coach at Notre Dame, and we here at the Rooting Guide offices are all about anything that is anti-Notre Dame this year.
Root: Ohio State

Gator Bowl – Jacksonville, Florida
Virginia Tech (10-1) vs. Clemson (9-2)
Monday, 1 January @ 12:30pm EST, NBC
We shouldn’t be here. Really. However, it will be a nice kickoff for our MNC run for 2001. Now if I could only find a hotel room….
Root: C’mon, if I have to tell you………GO HOKIES!

Citrus Bowl – Orlando, Florida
Auburn (9-3) vs. Michigan (8-3)
Monday, 1 January @ 1:00pm EST, ABC
After the snubbing for the Kickoff Classic this year, there is no way that any Hokie should root for Michigan. Besides, all my friends are Auburn fans. This one is easy.
Root: Auburn

Fiesta Bowl – Tempe, Arizona
Oregon State (10-1) vs. Notre Dame (9-2)
Monday, 1 January @ 8:00pm EST, ABC
We should be here. Unequivocally. But we’re not. Notre Dame—the old grandfather type relentlessly telling stories of how great things were 50 years ago—and Oregon State—the young upstart from a whiny, "we’ll take our ball and go home" conference—are here in our place on what should be our stage. Oh, well. As for who to root for, hmmm…..I’ve got it! I normally would’ve said something petty like "root for an ugly, 3-0 game, in which there are 12 turnovers and lots of penalties and only about 100 yards of total offense for each team", but no, I’ve got a better idea…
Root: A national tragedy similar to the death of Princess Diana so that everybody turns to news channels at about 7:48pm and keeps it there so that nobody watches the game, the ratings are zero, and the myth of Notre Dame and ratings are destroyed.

Sugar Bowl – New Orleans, Louisiana
Miami (10-1) vs. Florida (10-2)
Tuesday, 2 January @ 8:00pm EST, ABC
This looks like one of the best games of the bowl season, next to the Gator Bowl, of course. An intense state rivalry that hasn’t been played since 1987, this is going to be a knock-down drag-em-out. Miami has the horses, though to pull this one out, though, and possibly in convincing fashion. They’re going to need to, though, as a split National Title is on the line for them.
Root: Miami

Orange Bowl – Miami, Florida
Oklahoma (12-0) vs. Florida State (11-1)
Wednesday, 3 January @ 8:00pm EST, ABC
This is the game for all the marbles. Well, not all the marbles, really. A Florida State win here would give Miami some ammunition to claim part of the National Title with a win over Florida, as Florida State re-counted its’ way into the Orange Bowl despite a loss to Miami earlier in the season. Make no doubt about it: both Oklahoma and Florida State are good, very good. But a split of the National Title for Miami would be good for the Big East, and maybe the controversy would lead to a playoff sometime in the future.
Root: Florida State

Well, that just about does it for the Rooting Guide for the season. It’s been a pleasure, y’all, and in the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, "I’ll be back!" (next season).

HH

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