Pigskin Potpourri, Poinsettia Edition

Now that TCU has upended Boise State in the most watchable matchup of the entire bowl season, it's worth asking: How did TCU wind up in the Mountain West instead of the Big 12?

Baylor is all giddy that it managed to beat A&M this year and finish NEXT-to-last in the Big 12 South, a step up from its perennial doormat status. Iowa State is a joke. Kansas State had to pull Bill Snyder out of retirement to get back to the level where TCU already is now. Think of how much more competitive the Big 12 would be with TCU in the mix -- and how much more lively the DFW sports scene would be with a hometown Big 12 team.

Bowling: Midweek update

After catching some godawful football (didn't get to see it, but looks like the Las Vegas Bowl was an exception here) over the weekend (hello, New Orleans Bowl!), we've got a gem tomorrow night. Here's the rundown:

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Boise State vs. TCU
7 p.m. Tuesday, ESPN
See two BCS-eligible teams face each other in sunny San Diego. How the Poinsettia managed to snag these two mystifies me. But this may well be the best game of the non-major bowl season. Tough competitors from mid-major conferences. Both once considered BCS busters. Gonna be a major throwdown.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Notre Dame at Hawaii
7 p.m. Wednesday, ESPN
This one's got pathetic written all over it. I find it difficult to believe that the Irish deserve to be in a bowl game, but when you've got 400 bowls and just 119 teams to fill them, this is what happens. Why do I say AT Hawaii? Because let's get serious here -- they've got more of an advantage than Boise State would have playing on the Smurf Turf.

Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
6:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN
As exciting a pairing as Sunday's New Orleans Bowl blockbuster of Southern Miss vs. Troy. Sun Belt and MAC. Woo. Hoo. Gonna have to be seriously eggnogged to enjoy this one. Even more reason to pity poor Detroit.