Thursday, January 2, 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR From Las Vegas, Nevada!


Wednesday, January 1, 2010


Happy New Year's Day 2020 indeed to all of you from the comfort of Andy, Jenn and Kevin's warm home in chilly Las Vegas, Nevada!

This day in America, at least for this family, means but one thing . . .

The absolute best day of the year to sit on a couch and enjoy each other's company while we nosh and watch four good college bowl games.

Up first at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time was a doubleheader.

Game I was the Citrus Bowl,
An SEC vs. Big-Ten match-up

A baffling Michigan Wolverines (9-3, 14th ranked) team vs. an underperforming, by their mega-standards, Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2, 13th rated) squad.

Could the Wolverines finally stand up in the face of a quality opponent?

Would Alabama show up mentally after disappointing end to their campaign?

It was a good contest for most of the game but Alabama was just too good for Michigan in the Second Half.

Game II was the Outback Bowl,
another SEC vs. Big-Ten match-up

Another baffling program, the 9-3, #12 ranked Auburn Tigers fresh off an Iron Bowl win over Alabama, was up against one of the feel good stories of the 2019 regular season, the 10-2, #18 rated Minnesota Golden Gophers.

This would be a great, back-and-forth game decided late in the Fourth Quarter.

 Game III was the Rose Bowl, a.k.a.,
"The Granddaddy of Them All"
this was a Big-Ten vs. PAC-12 affair

The Rose Bowl is always my favorite game to watch as it usually pits the two best teams from these two traditional rival conferences barring one or both of their champions being part of the four team championship playoffs.

This year the Big-Ten's best team, the Ohio State Buckeyes (13-0 before losing to Clemson in the national semi-finals) was replaced in the Rose Bowl by the 8th ranked, 10-3 Wisconsin Badgers.

The PAC-12 Champion Oregon Ducks (6th ranked, 11-2) would carry the wounded pride of West Coast American collegiate football into the venerable Arroyo Seco stadium on yet another typically beautiful, Chamber of Commerce day in Pasadena, California.

The exciting game came right down to the wire with but a single point separating these two well prepared teams.

 Game IV was the Sugar Bowl,
this was an SEC vs. Big-XII game

The Georgia Bulldogs (5th ranked, 11-2) were entering their bowl game with a depleted roster due to injuries and were additionally facing the mental anguish of just missing out on a playoff berth.

The Baylor Bears (7th ranked, 11-2) entered the game after one other best seasons in program history. This marked only the sixth time in the Bears 114 season history that they notched ten or more wins.

The final score was a bit closer than the game really was.

As for all of those final scores, here they are:


As I said earlier, Alabama (11-2) proved too much for Michigan (9-4) in the Citrus Bowl by 19 points.

The Outback Bowl saw enthusiastic Minnesota (11-2) outlast Auburn (9-4) by a TD.

The Oregon Ducks (12-2) restored a bit of Pac-12 pride in their stirring one-point Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin (10-4).

In the nightcap, a surprising Georgia (12-2) team easily controlled Baylor (11-3) in the Sugar Bowl by a dozen points.

We all had a great time watching these games today!


Next up in the "Wide, Wide World of American Football" is the U16 Youth Bowl on Sunday, January 5, 2020 in Milan, Italy to determine the U16 Italian National Champion.

This game features our exciting Skorpions Varese (8-0) U16 squad against the Seamen Milano (7-0) U16 team.

The game will stream live
here at 5:00 a.m. in the
Pacific time zone 

Watch party, anyone?

Again to all of you . . .

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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