Pretty bleak slate tomorrow.
Birmingham: Texas Tech - South Florida
Armed Forces - San Diego St - Army
Saving the best for last...
Dollar General - Appalachian State and Toledo; the battle of the two teams that have recently orchestrated monster Michigan upsets.
I was tied up the last couple days and didn't see this, but this schedule was bleak to you? Brand really does guide how we watch this sport.
USF came in at 9-2, with one of the most prolific and entertaining QBs in the country, plus a defense that took massive strides under a new coach in Year 1. Won't cape for Tech that hard. They're not this board's flavor, but a decent watch if you like passing offenses that put up the numbers.
Army was 9-3, SDSU 10-2. Aztecs have one of the best I-form offenses in the land, a bit of a curious attack that primarily moved the ball with big plays, especially from the 2,000-yard back (plus a pretty decent defense from one of the better non-P5 coaches in recent memory). Army is a resurgent story, a squad that went from the bottom rung to nine wins with steady progress. Their coach would be moving up but for the option.
And then you had a 11-3 champion with one of the most efficent QBs in the country and one of the most prolific in recent memory, leading one of the most prolific attacks around (full of productive guys), against a 8-4 co-conference champ that's been subtly built on solid defense and an explosive rushing attack (I think it was downhill, but don't quote me) paired with a decent little passing game.
If a day where five of the six teams had 11, 10, 9, 9, 8 wins, with a couple conference champs and the commander and chief winner is bleak, then badmouthing early bowl season is a self-fulfilling prophecy. (We got two good games out of three, granted one involved the 6-6 P5 team, and the third was a kind of one-sided upset. Not too shabby)
