Bowling: And so it begins

After a couple weeks off, teams (and your favorite bloggers) will be back at it this weekend. We start with some pretty craptastic matchups. (Or is it "craptacular"?)

Saturday:
Eaglebank Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Navy, 10 a.m., ESPN -- This is the newest bowl on the block, and may be the only one that is an encore of a regular-season game. Wake lost 24-17 in their first game against the Midshipmen, all the way back on Sept. 27. Since then, the Demon Deacons dropped four into the L column, while Navy lost twice. Expect boringness, as these teams obviously know each other.

New Mexico Bowl: Colorado State vs. Fresno State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN -- A 6-6 Mountain West team against a 7-5 WAC team. These guys were in the same conference before the big divorce in the 1990s. I'd rather watch the Eaglebank. And you couldn't find a sponsor? Sign of a bad bowl...

Magicjack St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs. South Florida, 3:30 p.m., ESPN -- Another inaugural bowl. South Florida, OK in nonconference play but dreadful in the Big East, gets to play a home game against Memphis, who at 6-6 managed to finish second in the C-USA East. (Shows the Conference USA's strength, no?) Shoot me, shoot me now. And what the heck is Magicjack? It's that thing you hear advertised on late-night TV that lets you "never pay a home phone bill again!"

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Arizona, 7 p.m., ESPN -- Prime Time gives us a ranked team!! BYU was once thought to be the best BCS-buster candidate, now relegated to playing something like their 12th Las Vegas Bowl in a row. Or something like that. Cougars roll right over Arizona in this one.

Sunday:
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Troy, 7:15 p.m., ESPN -- No comment, other than to say I'll only be watching this one because I need football to sustain me through the weekend. But only watching this during the Sunday Night Football commercial breaks.