PRE XMAS BOWL SEASON VIEWERS GUIDE

HEY Y'ALL. COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BACK SATURDAY. MAKE SURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE GAMES. YOU'LL WANT TO DURING THE ENDLESS PIT OF DOOM, ALSO KNOWN AS THE OFFSEASON.

FOOTBALL SATURDAY

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl
Alcorn State vs NC A&T (pick) - High Noon on ABC
The first season of this bowl should be a very LIT scene in Atlanta featuring two of the top fan bases and bands the MEAC and SWAC have to offer. This is set to become an annual game.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl 
Arizona (pick) vs New Mexico - 2pm on the Mothership
Main thing to watch in this game is the focus level of Arizona and their coaching staff. This was largely a disappointing year for the Wildcats even though many considered it already a rebuilding year. How does a team maintain focus when they're faced with guarding the triple option attack of FootbawBawb

Las Vegas Bowl
BYU vs Utah (The Holy War) - 330pm on ABC
Not very often you get rivals matched up in bowl games. With this being Bronco Mendenhall's final game at the helm of BYU therehas to be some sort of intrigue to which team shows up. He's going after win 100 at BYU.
Utah have a stellar run defense that's stopped virtually everyone. Expect them to keep the ball in front of them, actually on both sides as this should be a grind it out kind of battle that comes down to the last possession.

Camellia Bowl
App State vs Ohio - 530pm on the Mothership
App State's first bowl comes against a team that's having about about as stellar of a year as the Mountaineers. Ohio overcame numerous injuries on the defensive side of a ball, sputtering to a 8-4 finish. The Bobcats expect much of the group, that when it was healthy, a very good defense back against a high scoring App State offensive attack. I expect my home state's Happy Appy State team to roll.

Cure Bowl 
Georgia State vs San Jose State - 7pm - CBSSN
As Bill Connelly noted this bowl is pointless but it should be fun! Both teams are sub 500. Moar footbaw!

New Orleans Bowl
Arkansas State vs Louisiana Tech - 9pm - The Mothership
Both teams are within driving distance of this one so expect a solid showing in the Super Dome. Also expect many points featuring two teams that like to pile it on offensively. Arkansas State is one of the more aggressive teams in the Group of 5 with home run threats on offense and a defense that likes to get after it. Going with Carolina's former OC in this one.

Monday Night Afternoon Football

Miami Beach Bowl 
Western Kentucky vs South Florida - 230pm - The Mothership
Try not to get caught watching this one while at work. That'll be the challenge many of us face next Monday.  Gimme the Hilltoppers

Tuesday Football (MACtion Alert)

Idaho Potato Bowl
Akron vs Utah State - 330pm - The Mothership
Like the Miami Beach Bowl this game will be a test to see how much you actually care about getting work done. What you will see are two talented defenses doing battle on the blue turf. Akron finds themselves in their first bowl in a decade, look for the zips to care of biz in this one.

Boca Raton Bowl
Toledo vs Temple - 7pm on the Mothership
MACtion extraordinares vs the new kids on the black in the American. This should be one of the more enjoyable bowl games of the season. I'm taking the defense in this one: Temple.

Wednesday Football (SunBEAST and MACtion Alerts)

Poinsettia Bowl
The Smurfs vs Northern Illinois - 430pm on the Mothership
Two former BCS Crashers do battle in a matchup feeting some very hot and cold teams in 2015. Both teams showed off their skills at various points of the year and also produced their own stinkers. Going with the smurfs in this one simply because Dave Doeren's replacement still hasnt won a bowl game.

GoDaddy Bowl
Bowling Green vs Georgia Southern - 8pm on ESPN
Oh the commercials.... gimme GaSo over the MACtion Kings.

Christmas Eve

Bahamas Bowl
Middle Tennessee State vs Western Michigan - High Noon on the Mothership
There's a bowl in the Bahamas y'all. I'm leaning MTSU.

Do wish the #Vols ended up in the Bahamas Bowl: Can you imagine the headlines out of Nassau involving this fan base: pic.twitter.com/Zoa5hwKOtZ

— Santa Frat (@FootbawFrat) December 18, 2015

Hawaii Bowl 
Cinci vs San Diego State -  8pm on the Mothership
Like A Christmas Story on for 24 hours straight there's no greater tradition over the holidays than the a poorly attended Hawaii Bowl. For the players coaches, and families involved, spending the holidays in paradise does not suck.

Happy Holidays y'all.

Slept On It: Loss to Clemson and Going Forward

From last night....

The clock's officially struck 12:45am  and I've run out of the Bourbon that's fueled me over the last few hours. Staring at the empty bottle I guess it's time to try to piece together all of the emotions I and many fans felt over the course of the 45-37 loss at the hands of a number one ranked Clemson squad.

First, let me give credit where it's due: Clemson is a very good football team. Tonight we watched one of the best teams in the country operate both effectively and poorly in the same game, sometimes within the same drive. Deshaun Watson is Carolina's Daddy having racked up a stat line in two games that's about as talented as you can find:

It his two games against Carolina (2014 and 2015) Watson is:
A combined 53-78 (68%) throwing for 724 yards 9 touchdowns and two INTs
He's rushed for 162 yards and a pair of scores as well.
He's 2-0.
If Watson put together another game of this nature against Carolina he'll be nearing Russell Wilson status. If I had a vote for the Heisman, Watson would get it. He's simply the best player I've watched this year in college football with Dalvin Cook coming in second and the freight train known as Derrick Henry in third.

I also want to give credit to Clemson's ability to control the offensive line. Clemson had the tedious task of replacing virtually everyone from last year's dominant defensive line and very good offensive line and both units improved steadily over the year. The offensive line, as David Hale of ESPN pointed out, did not give up a sack in their last 4 games. On both sides of the ball Clemson dictated how the game would be played. Their front seven attacked and abused Carolina's offensive line. From one side of the line with Spain all the way to the other side with Jon Heck, Carolina's offensive line got beat from the point of attack. Clemson's Defensive Coordinator (one of the best in the country) Brent Venables slanted and stunted his way through the Carolina offensive line. Outside of a handful or so runs, Carolina's couldn't establish anything on the ground. The attack when Carolina decided to pass, flustered the OL and gave Quise fits. The quarterback who can usually pick a defense apart, struggled to find a rhythm as he dipped and dodged Clemson pass rushers all evening. Carolina's offense didn't ever completely comfortable until they were down by three scores. Clemson had the better athletes, better gameplan and played the better game tonight.

From this mornin'

On the botched call:
Did the refs miss the offsides call on the recovered kick? Yes. Was it at a very inconvenient time? Hell yes. Did it determine the outcome of the game? Maybe. Is it the reason Carolina lost? Hell no. Go watch the ballgame again. Clemson dominated this game from the point of attack. I hate it most for the players who made the play to not get rewarded.

On the offense:
For those who watched it shouldn't come as a surprise when I say that Carolina did not play it's best game. Quise looked rattled for much of the game and the offense failed to establish any kind of consistency until the game was out of reach. As I wrote earlier, much of the credit needs to be given to Clemson. The talent across their roster was evident in all phases of the game yesterday. What;s encouraging even for as poor as Carolina played for a majority of the game, they still managed to have a shot at the end of the game to make things interesting. That's a testament to this team and coaching staff's resilience. They keep fighting and fighting until the bitter end.

On the defense:
The defense gave the offense virtually every opportunity they could yesterday. Yes the 2 minute drill was a let down and the defense couldn't do much after spending a majority of the first 45 minutes of game play on the field; but the defense gave the offense a shot to make the game interesting. We've seen all year the bend but don't break nature of this defense. This defense, while it still has a ways to go, showed some positives against a very good Clemson offensive attack.

Going Forward:
Last night's result should ABSOLUTELY NOT take away what this team's accomplished over the course of this season. This fan base was extremely fortunate to have had this bunch of Seniors leading this squad. The quad of Jeff Schoettmer, Marquise Williams, Shakeel Rashad and Landon Turner helped lead a group which overcame three coaches, a whirlwind of scandal. national disrespect and complete program turmoil. This quad completely flipped the direction of the program with the #IGotYourBack campaign, with their resilience, with their desire and with their constant fight. Kudos are also in store for this coaching staff.

Not enough can be said about the defensive overhaul we've watched over the last 11 months. We went from a group that had given up on the men coaching the defensive side of the ball to a whole team and recruiting class that's bought into the messages of #IGotYourBack and Smart.Fast.Physical. I love where this program's come in the last few months. We went from the lows of losing to Sakerlina in disappointing fashion, to the highs of winning in Atlanta for the first time in 18 years, beating the shit out of Duke and clinching the Coastal in Blacksburg. November, and the first week of December were ballgames to cherish and remember as a fan. I'm so proud of this ball team and these players. They earned every moment on the field this year. I look forward to this bowl game as Carolina attempts to win their 12th game for the first time ever. This program's in the best spot they've been since Marvin's Tweet seen around the world. Morale's high, a large chunk of the two deep returns and recruiting's hummin for what feels like the first time since 09. Cheering for a program emerging in big time college football is such a wonderful drug.

It's always a Great Day to Be A Tar Heel.

WFP

Setting Goals, It ain't over yet: Clemson Preview

This was peak post bar late night rambling. Prediction was written this morning.

Before I dive into previewing Carolina's biggest game to date, I wanna look back at how far this fan base and this team have come over the past 3 months. I remember vividly ripping into a team and coaching staff early on into the season following a horrible and disappointing loss at the hands of Sakerlina. I, like many Tar Heels, couldn't sleep that Thursday night after watching Marquise Williams play his worst game in a Tar Heel uniform. I couldn't sleep because of the incompetence by the offensive coaching shown that game. I couldn't sleep because even Spurrier knew how lucky his squad had gotten in that game. Following that loss, where many teams would crumble, Carolina got back to the keys I had coming into this season:

1. Carolina re-established dominance on the offensive line
This offense has hummed in about every game this season for one point or another. We've watched veteran leadership lead a group that's development a nasty streak and cohesiveness. Even at their toughest struggles against a very well coached Virginia Tech defense, Carolina's O Line paved the way for go up two scores and protect Quise in the game's biggest moment (Game Winner to Quinshad). The game's against Miami and NC State (especially first and third quarters) have been some of the most impressive displays of run blocking I've watched outside of what many consider "elite" programs (Bama, Southern Cal during their run, LSU at times, Notre Dame).

2. Carolina's coaching improved
Unless you've been under a rock, youve probably heard about how much better the coaching been on the sidelines and in the coaches box this year. We're watching coaches make adjustments and players responding to those adjustments. We're watching coaches and players buy-in. We're watching teammates because brothers under the guidance of their mentors.

3. Carolina's Defense grew up and came into their own
While there's still room for improvement, you cannot look over the work Coach Gene Chizik and his supporting staff on the defense did for a bunch that had been in free fall for a couple of years. Even as the offenses this team faced grew more complex, the coaching staff kept things simple and the players responded by fighting their nuts off and making play after play. If this unit remains intact, Carolina's defense couple be SCARY in the coming years.

4. Carolina rallied and used a massive chip on their shoulders and exceeded everyone's (outside of their own) expectations
To keep it simple: This Carolina team's lived out their motto of #IGotYourBack. They've rallied in the face of adversity during games and over the course of the season. They've competed. They've experienced success and failure. Most importantly; they've been a damned fun team to watch and cover.

Heading into Clemson, I find myself not trying to get too lost into the Xs and Os of the game. I find myself in a situation only familiar to my Virginia Tech fandom I had growing up. From the mid nineties until just a few years ago, 10 win seasons were the norm for the orange and maroon and year in and year out I'd watch the Hokies climb to the upper tier of the college football polls only to lose in heartbreaking fashion or get disrespected by the polling and wind up in a bowl matchup below one they deserved. Carolina find themselves in a similar situation this weekend. Win: The Program hits a height we haven't seen in a modern era and we're left to wait to see how a panel of "experts" sees where we fit in the postseason.

How Carolina Wins

1. Win the Turnover Battle
The Tar Heels have gone through a rough stretch in the second halves of the last two games by coughing up the ball and letting Virginia Tech and NC State keep the game closer than it should have been. Clemson's let go of controlling the ball over the last month too. Win the turnover battle and a win in Charlotte just became easier.

2. Control the Line of Scrimmage
On defense, Clemson's offense is gonna look very familiar to Tar Heel fans as Clemson loves to stretch the field and create mismatches in the same way as the Heels. Clemson feeds off the quick striking attack whether it be a wide receiver screen on the perimeter or a zone read that carves the front seven. Carolina's front seven(most six cause I expect to see a bunch of nickel) will have to play sound gap control in the run game and hen Clemson drops back to pass. As good as Deshaun Watson's arm is, he's equally as deadly with his wheels. Maintain contain, wrap up and keep the play in front of you.
On offense, Carolina's O has the task of going up against the best defense they've faced all year. The man on Clemson's defense to watch is Shaq Lawson at Defensive End. While he's not a s fast a Vic Beasley, Lawson's been a force all season. Containing him is key to this Offensive Line. Clemson's defensive front faces the best offensive line they've faced since the monsoon game against Notre Dame. Win the leverage battle and create some alleys for Quise, Eli and TJ to do work.

3. Finish Drives
Field goals ain't gonna get it done against the best offense Carolina's faced all year. Unlike the last game at the BofA, Carolina punches it in when they get in the red zone. Expect a higher scoring affair than what we saw back in the first of September.

While on paper, the Clemson defense should give this team the edge, I cannot go against my heart today. I expect Carolina to jump out to a two score lead. Clemson to rally and the Carolina squad to earn redemption with a late score, a late stop, and a couple late first downs to ice a ballgame between two of the country's best teams.

Carolina 41 Clemson 34 

Carolina Fans can start talking playoff around midnight tonight.

Go Heels.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIEWERS GUIDE

Biggest Game in Carolina's Football History is on Saturday. Needless to say it's been difficult to focus at work this week....

On another note: FEAR NOT! If you're one of the fan bases left out of this weekend's championship game fun, there's plenty of ball games for you to watch as your team makes preparations for 2016

Friday Night Lights

The biggest game in your neck of the woods are likely on the high school gridiron, but if you dont have a dog left in the high school fight, there's a ballgame that may strike your interest

MACtion Championship

Bowling Green vs Northern Illinois at Ford Field (+12.5)
Matt Johnson (QB for BG) vs Drew Hare (QB for Northern Illinois is the matchup to watch here. Both are crazy efficient while Johnson's attack is a bit more vertical. Northern Illinois is my sneaky pick here... simply because they're undefeated as underdogs this season.

Football Saturday

High Nooners

AAC Championship - Temple at Houston (-6) - ABC at Noon
I think Herman's commitment to Houston is the difference in this game. His team shows up inspired for him this week. I think Houston wins by at least a couple of scores.

Conference USA Championship - Southern Miss at Western Kentucky (-8) - The Deuce at Noon
Brandon Doughty against a so-so pass defense? Take my money.

Texas at Baylor (-20) - Noon on The Mothership
This line should honestly be bigger.

Mid Afternooners

SEC Championship - Bama (-16.5) vs Florida - 4 on CBS with tha GAWD
This one's gonna look like Sakerlina vs Auburn did 5 years ago

West Virginia at Kansas State (+6) - 430 on FS1
Gotta go with the squad playing for bowl eligibility.

Night Games

PAC 12 Championship Game - Southern Cal (+5) vs Stanford - 745 on The Mothership
For as good as Stanford's looked over the last few weeks, I can't discount Southern Cal rallying behind now new head Coach Helton. Picking the Trojans in the upset.

B1G Championship - Michigan State  vs Iowa (+4) - 8pm on FOX
Why pick against a corn fed zombie Iowa team? Have we not learned anything yet this year? I don't trust Michigan State's defense enough.... just don't.

ACC Championship - Carolina vs Clemson - 8pm on ABC - Current Line is 4.5 in favor of Clemson
More on this one later.

Check my twitter page... I've been chatting about this ballgame all week

BIG WEEKEND. LET'S GO.