What we learned by watching television (Bowl Edition)

Tears have been shed. Fists have been shaken. Sleep has been lost. Now, it's time to reflect on the final shake out to another great college football season.

Weekend thoughts...

Woe to the also-rans. As a Boston College fan who has seen his team's BCS bowl hopes go up in smoke three times since 2004 (and as a guy rooting for Jake's vanquished Arizona State Sun Devils this past weekend), I can genuinely empathize with those schools that *almost* made it to the promised land. Ball State, Boise State, TCU, Oregon State, Texas Tech, Pittsburgh, Missouri, Tulsa, Brigham Young... Guys, this beer's for you.

The BCS National Championship is Florida's to lose. I do not believe Oklahoma has the defensive horses to shut down Florida. And, I think the Gators have the smarts and talent to decode Oklahoma's offense. The old adage, "Defense wins championships" will never ring truer than in this game. Remember, too, that Oklahoma's special teams coverage is suspect. Florida happens to shine in that arena.

Big 12 defenses are bad. Top CBS analyst Gary Danielson recently compared Big 12 stats to "pesos," and pointed out that almost every quarterback in the conference put up impressive numbers this year. Having watched Oklahoma air it out and hang 60 on five straight mediocre Big 12 defenses, I think he's right.

Oklahoma's potent offense is built around pacing. Defenses playing Oklahoma most struggle with the Sooners' frenetic pacing. On most snaps, QB Sam Bradford gets the play off in 20 seconds. The strategy has defenses sucking wind by the second quarter.

Florida is keyed by offensive balance and playcalling. In the fourth quarter of the SEC title game, we saw the Florida coaching staff's brilliance shine through. With the ball and leading 24-20 late in the game, the Gators could have done what just about every other college and pro team would have: run, run, run. Instead, Florida twice went to playaction and scored a touchdown that put the game out of reach. Now that's an example of "playing to win."

Nick Saban is a helluva coach. Say what you want about Alabama's coach. He can flat out scheme. Despite having a team with clearly inferior talent, he had Florida's offense confused and stout defense off balance until well into the fourth quarter. A discussion about Alabama is a good segue into our next entry...

...Good luck, Utah. The Utes are a solid team and have had a memorable season. But to think they will be competitive against a Nick Saban-coached, 12-1 Alabama team in the Sugar Bowl is a pipedream. Crystal Ball picks aren't for a few weeks yet, but I would be surprised if the Utes are still in this one at halftime.

The ACC championship game should be played in Charlotte. Our favorite ESPN blogger, Heather Dinich, has got it right. For two straight years, the title game has proven to be an absolute joke. Empty stands. Tickets being given away free at the door. Irrelevance to the national scene. While the conference's national prominence will only improve with time and talent, the ACC can remedy its empty-stands syndrome by hosting the title game in a location that doesn't just cater to Florida State and Miami.

Ohio State versus Texas, ugh. How the undeserved Buckeyes squeeze themselves into all of these BCS games is a mystery. Ohio State had their chances this season. But in my opinion, losing to USC 35-3 with the whole nation watching should have, right then and there, removed the Buckeyes from the national conversation.

West Virginia QB Pat White has been at West Virginia forever. Doesn't it seem like seven or eight years ago now that Pat White burst onto the national scene with that dominant performance against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl? Congrats on a prolific college career, Pat. Next year, we'll see how good Mountaineers' coach Bill Stewart really is.

If only the Big East could play all of its games in the dead of winter. Speaking of West Virginia, what a great atmosphere in Morgantown Saturday for the game against South Florida. There was snow, sub-freezing temperatures, a packed house and lots of defense. Despite its many deficiencies, the Big East is one of the few conferences that can truly replicate the Lambeau Field vibe.

I like the USC-UCLA uniform thing. Powder blue against dark maroon. It worked for me.

Enough with the phrase, "Dial up." What began as the signature phrase of ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer has now become a full-blown epidemic. These days, no football game -- college or pro -- goes by without at least one analyst uttering the phrase, "dial up." It is often used in conjunction with defensive coordinators calling blitzes (Example: "I bet Brett Venables dials up a blitz here..."). Even John Madden, The Dean of Football Broadcasters, has started to use the phrase. Heaven help us. Dial me outta here.

The ACC could be the Big 12 in three years. Laugh now, but with all the young talent in this conference, I envision a Big 12 South-like national slugfest sometime in the future.

Now, for a quick look at the bowl picture...

Games I'm looking forward to watching:

Orange Bowl, Oklahoma versus Florida.

Chick-fil-A Bowl, LSU versus Georgia Tech.

Rose Bowl, Penn State versus USC.

GMAC Bowl, Tulsa versus Ball State.

Cotton Bowl, Ole Miss versus Texas Tech.

Holiday Bowl, Oklahoma State versus Oregon.

Poinsettia Bowl, TCU versus Boise State.

Hawaii Bowl, Hawaii versus Notre Dame.

I'd rather be digging graves (Can you believe that these are actual bowl matchups?):

New Mexico Bowl, Colorado State versus Fresno State.

New Orleans Bowl, Southern Miss versus Troy.

Motor City Bowl, Florida Atlantic versus Central Michigan.

Independence Bowl, Northern Illinois versus Louisiana Tech.

Texas Bowl, Rice versus Western Michigan.

Games I'd love to see, but won't:

Texas versus Oklahoma (The Rematch).

Florida versus USC.

Georgia Tech versus Texas Tech.

USC versus Oklahoma.

Boise State versus Utah.

Ohio State versus Cincinnati.

Penn State versus Alabama.

Georgia versus Texas Tech.

Georgia versus Missouri.

Ohio State versus Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech versus Notre Dame.

Ted Kim's Awards...

Heisman Ballot: QB Sam Bradford (Oklahoma), QB Tim Tebow (Florida), QB Colt McCoy (Texas)

Won't Win Any Awards Studs of the Year: RB Donald Brown (Connecticut), WR A.J. Green (Georgia), DE Michael Johnson (Georgia Tech), QB Darren Clark (Penn State), RB Javon Ringer (Michigan State)

Won't Win Any Awards Studs of Tomorrow: QB Russell Wilson (NC State), RB Jonathan Dwyer (Georgia Tech), WR Julio Jones (Alabama), RB Golden Tate (Notre Dame), DT DaQuan Bowers (Clemson),

Offenses of the Year: 1. Oklahoma, 2. Texas Tech, 3. Florida.

Defenses of the Year: 1. USC, 2. Alabama, 3. TCU.

Overrated Offense of the Year: Missouri.

Overrated Defense of the Year: Georgia.

Underrated Offense of the Year: Alabama, Georgia Tech.

Underrated Defense of the Year: TCU, Boston College.

Overrated Team of the Year: Clemson.

Underrated Team of the Year: Ole Miss, Texas.

Stadium Atmospheres of the Year: 1. Texas Tech, 2. Oklahoma, 3. Penn State, 4. Florida, 5. Utah, 6. Texas, 7. Ohio State, 8. Alabama, 9. Oregon, 10. Georgia. Honorable Mention: Oregon State, LSU, Notre Dame.

Coaches of the Year: Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech), Urban Meyer (Florida), Kyle Whittingham (Utah), Chris Peterson (Boise State), Brady Hoke (Ball State), Turner Gill (Buffalo), Nick Saban (Alabama), Paul Johnson (Georgia Tech).