Guest Post: Bowling Anyone?

I received this guest post from Alex O yesterday, but unfortunately haven't been able to post until today. I know that some of it has been completed, but plenty is still good and relevant. Here is Alex O with another guest post on the college bowl season:

Yankee Stadium was the snowy site of The Pinstripe Bowl (ESPN)

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How about a little December 30 MMX bowl chatter?

Army vs. SMU just kicked off, being played in Dallas. I always root for the Black Knights having grown up 25 minutes from West Point and going to a bunch of games through the years. There is not many places as great for a College Football game then Michie Stadium on the banks of the Hudson

Army was getting 7 points but is already up 7. I think they get figured out like they did vs. Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium and they end up getting lumped (unfortunately).

Three other games today including Kansas State (-1) vs. Syracuse. I used to work with a guy named Blatchley who went to KState. I am sure he will be watching somewhere today chewing on some beef jerky with a Bud Light in hand. This is of course is the Inaugural Pinstripe Bowl, little nippy to be “chillin” at Yankee Stadium for a Bowl game of slightly above average teams. The oddsmakers think it will be close so could be worth a gander. If gambling were legal I would take the point and go with the Orange. Here is Yahoo’s short preview.

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UConn football preview: time for Randy Edsall to shine

Many people know UConn as a basketball school, but did you know they play football too?  Well, they do, and the Huskies are primed for a big season.

Jordan Todman in action.  Photo credit here.

A few minutes ago, ESPN.com ran several UConn football headlines on its front page.  Head coach Randy Edsall is front-and-center, as he should be.  The must-read item is this article discussing how unconventional -- yet refreshing and inspiring -- Edsall's path to success has been at UConn.  Couldn't agree more.  The man does everything right.  He sticks with his assistants.  He never says the wrong thing to the media.  He chairs the NCAA's Football Rules Committee.  He has persevered through tragedy.  He has increased the number of Huskies in the NFL from 1 to 13.  He has negotiated huge road games against teams like Notre Dame, Michigan, and Tennessee, all of which gets the UConn program onto the national stage.

Coach Randy Edsall.  Photo credit here.

Oh, and how Edsall has succeeded on the field at Connecticut.  He brought the team from Division I-AA to Division I-A, then into the Big East, then to a co-Big East championship....all in a span of eleven seasons.  He has put 13 players in the NFL, including 4 in the first two rounds in 2009.  He has produced a 3-1 record in bowl games, including a 20-7 win over South Carolina in 2009.  (He has done all this, by the way, while maintaining an impeccable public image.  He has kept himself and UConn completely scandal-free...unlike certain other college football coaches.)  Last, but certainly not least, he squashed Notre Dame in South Bend on national TV last year.

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