The Front Porch - Online Edition

Day 10 Roundup - If you are a football fan, it just doesn’t get much better than this.  What a great day of college football.  I can’t say it was a great day for our contest as Vandy, LSU, and Oregon State all won, though the majority of us picked against them.  At least we all lost together.  However, several of you did make some smart selections and your records reflect that.  Pretzel finally fell from the top spot, thanks in part to the upsets of the day.  The most notable entry is one of our current leaders.  Jackie “Snaps” Burch entered the contest late, so she had to forfeit the first 4 games.  Despite spotting us those 4 games, she has worked her way into the top spot.  Here is how the rest of you all fared today:

Leaders (15-7): Ben “Dill” Helton, Jackie “Snaps” Burch
2nd Place (14-8):  Daniel Jimenez, Cameron Wingo, Jodonna Jimenez, Melissa “Pretzel” Miller, Michael Sokolow, Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
3rd Place (13-9):  Paige Fierbaugh, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Amory “Shug” Mann, James Jenkins
Notables: Apparently Kelsey ________ felt sorry for Stretch so she joined him in the cellar at 7-15.  Hold on Kelsey and Stretch… I think Bacon will join you again soon.

10:55pm Chic-fil-a Bowl - LSU 38 - Georgia Tech 3
LSU looked to be back in top shape tonight and totally owned Georgia Tech during this contest.  I’m not sure where this team was all season, but the Tigers played tonight like the Les Miles teams that were feared by all.  Georgia Tech’s success against UGA didn’t seem to carry over to this SEC powerhouse as another ACC team drops a big one to the SEC.  The triple option that the Jackets had made famous this year just didn’t get it done against the Tiger defense.  I’m guessing that the month of preparation helped LSU learn how to defend this scheme so well.  Their hard work certainly paid off.  By the way, Pretzel finally falls of the top spot.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 11-11
Bacon: 10-12
Rebecca: 11-11

Leaders: (15-7) Dill, Snaps

8:55pm Insight Bowl - Kansas 42 - Minnesota 21
Kansas was simply too much for the Minnesota Golden Gophers tonight.  KU quarterback Reesing had a great game going 27 for 35 passing with 4 touchdowns.  The Gophers looked like they could match up with Kansas during the early going of this contest, but the Jayhawks eventually pulled away with the solid victory.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 11-10
Bacon: 10-11
Rebecca: 11-10

Leaders: (14-7) Jodonna Jimenez, Pretzel, Dill, Michael Sokolow, Snaps

6:55pm Music City Bowl - Vanderbilt 16 - Boston College 14
Wow!  Who would’ve thought Vandy would pull it out.  The perennial bottom dwellers of the SEC win their first bowl game since 1955.  This Vandy team was rated as high as 13 earlier this season before losing game after game to finish the season at .500.  Apparently the Vandy team just needed a month off to rest and prepare.  If only the season worked that way.  Despite losing this pick, I’m proud of the Commodores for playing with so much heart and passion during this game and completing a nice turnaround season.  One more ACC / SEC matchup tonight… we’ll see how that goes.  Of note, a couple of more names mysteriously appeared on the leaderboard.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 10-10
Bacon: 9-11
Rebecca: 11-9

Leaders: (13-7) Pretzel, Jodonna Jimenez, Dill, Michael Sokolow, Snaps

5:55pm Sun Bowl - Oregon State 3 - Pittsburgh 0
In a high scoring affair, Oregon State Beavers outlast the “Brut” force of the Pitt offense.  If I didn’t know better, I would think this was the score of a baseball game.  Seriously, where was the offense?  At any rate, defense wins championships, or so they say, so these two teams apparently should be playing for the title.  Neither team could get anything going, so the only hope was for the defense to score, but that didn’t happen either.  So, that lone field goal from the 1st half proved to be the game winning score.  Not sure anyone saw this coming.  On a brighter note, a couple of folks caught Pretzel to tie for the lead!!!

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 10-9
Bacon: 9-10
Rebecca: 11-8

Leaders: (13-6) Pretzel, Jodonna Jimenez, Michael Sokolow

3:55pm Armed Forces Bowl - Houston 34 - Air Force 28
Houston has the number 1 rated offense in the country, averaging over 500 yards per game.  That stat didn’t matter here as they made this game interesting by giving Air Force plenty of opportunities to win.  You have to give Air Force credit for a taming that explosive offense by playing a solid defensive game as well as a putting in a remarkable comeback effort to keep the “W’ within reach.  However, on Air Force’s last offensive series, it was Houston’s defense that stood strong forcing Air Force to turn the ball over on downs.  From that point Houston needed one first down, which they got, and then they just took a knee.  Game over.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 10-8
Bacon: 9-9
Rebecca: 11-7

Leader: (13-5) Pretzel

Day 9 Roundup - Another good day of college football is behind us and just a few more to look forward to.  Bacon is back to his losing ways as Rambo and Rebecca are in a tight race for the Office Cup.  Rambo pulled even with the Rice win, but lost a game with the Oregon victory to leave him 1 game behind Rebecca for the day.  Pretzel is still amazing us with her college football expertise (some call it luck) as she still holds the overall advantage in our contest.  There are still plenty of games and lots of contenders though, so stay tuned to see if anyone can knock her off the pedestal.  Here’s you daily dose of the standings:

Leader (12-5): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (11-6): Daniel Jimenez, Andrew Fierbaugh, Jodonna Jimenez, Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Ben “Dill” Helton, Michael Sokolow
3rd place (10-7): Nathan Dose, Kirsten Weed, Caitlin Weed, Erin Leavell, Preston Shankle, Cameron Wingo, Sutherland Monahan, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Amory “Shug” Mann, James Jenkins, Jackie Burch
Notables: Stretch: 6-11…enough said.

11:55pm Holiday Bowl - Oregon 42 - Oklahoma State 31
Most of us thought that coming out of the Big 12 and competing in such a tough conference would help the Cowboys pick up this game.  To the contrary, Oregon handed them all they could handle and more.  Oregon’s quick hitting offense had to grind it out at times and endure a dismal first half before they came alive, lighting up the second half scoreboard.  The Cowboys, who led at halftime, just could not stop the Duck’s QB Jeremiah Masoli.  He threw for 258 yards with 1 TD, and ran over 100 yards with 3 TDs.  For a player who started the year as a backup to a backup, Masoli showed just how good he can be at the college level.  Though I thought Oklahoma State would win this one and picked that way, I am always happy to see any team from Oklahoma get hammered.  Good job Oregon!

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 10-7
Bacon: 8-9
Rebecca: 11-6

Leader (12-5): Pretzel (should’ve known)

11:55 Texas Bowl - Rice 38 - Western Michigan 14
Well, I chose to watch the big boys play in the Holiday Bowl, so I didn’t get to see this game, but I did cringe every time I saw an updated score.  From what I have heard / read, it seems like one key in the game was that Rice’s usually questionable defense stood strong and held the Broncos to under 300 total yards of offense during the game.  On the season, Rice gives up over 450 yards per game and 35 points per game.  Not tonight, and that defensive performance likely made the difference.  It looks like I missed 2 picks today…  could the curse of Bacon be returning???

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 10-6
Bacon: 8-8
Rebecca: 10-6

Leader (12-4): Pretzel

7:55pm Humanitarian Bowl - Maryland 42 - Nevada 35
Can you say back and forth?  This game was like a boxing match with both teams trading blows and the lead changing or score being tied several times.  In the end, the Terps outlasted the Wolfpack and gained a big win for the ACC.  Nevada’s QB showed a lot of heart and character as he played through the pain of sprained ankle during the second half to keep his team in the game.  Despite his efforts, Maryland had too many big plays for Nevada to overcome.  If you missed this game, you missed a good one.  Here’s a little update for you:

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 9-6
Bacon: 8-7
Rebecca: 9-6

Leader (11-4): Pretzel (again)

Day 8 Round Up - These were two fun games to watch leading up to an exciting week of college football.  Rambo and Rebecca finish the day tied with Bacon only 1 game back.  Pretzel is still leading the race, but her lead is definitely slipping away as several folks are only 1 game back from her record now.  Here’s the update:

Leader (10-4): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (9-5): Daniel Jimenez, Kirsten Weed, Caitlin Weed, Andrew Fierbaugh, Cameron Wingo, Jodonna Jimenez, Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Ben “Dill” Helton, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Amory “Shug” Mann, Michael Sokolow
3rd place (8-6): Paige Fierbaugh, Erin Leavell, Preston Shankle, James Jenkins, Jackie Burch
Notables: Stretch is still lagging behind with a 5-9 record.

11:55pm Alamo Bowl - Missouri 30 - Northwestern 23 OT
It took overtime to do it, but Chase Daniel finally showed up long enough to help lead Missouri to a victory.  Many folks thought that this game would be an upset as Northwestern had tons to prove and Missouri’s season was somewhat of a letdown.  It actually seemed like that would happen as Daniel had one of the worst games of his career at Mizzou.  With 3 interceptions and only 200 yards passing, this was not the way he envisioned going out, but leading the Tigers to victory will surely be a memory he will cherish.  Northwestern played a great game against a solid Big 12 opponent, proving that they were definitely worthy of their top 25 ranking.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 8-6
Bacon: 7-7
Rebecca: 8-6

Leader (@ 10-4): Pretzel

6:55pm PapaJohns.com Bowl - Rutgers 29 - NC State 23
Well, if you just watched the first half of this game, you are probably a little surprised by the final outcome.  While Rutgers put up a fight during the first half, it looked like NC State was going to have their way.  Unfortunately, their starting quarterback tweaked his knee late in the 2nd quarter.  He finished the half, but could not go during the 2nd half.  Rutgers made adjustments in the 3rd and took advantage of the less than stellar replacement quarterback to turn this game around.  By the time the State coaches had enough, and put in quarterback number 3, the momentum had shifted and State just couldn’t get it done.  Rutgers played too well down the stretch and finished on top.  All in all, this was a pretty fun game to watch.  Pretzel still leads our contest, but one more game to go tonight and there are a couple of campers slipping up on her.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 7-6
Bacon: 6-7
Rebecca: 8-5

Leader (@ 10-3): Pretzel

Day 7 Round Up - Not too much action today as the only bowl game featured less than popular teams.  For those keeping track, the office race has really tightened up as Rambo has finally caught Rebecca and Bacon is creeping up as well.  We’ll see how it all shakes out over the next few days.  Here’s how the rest of you stand:

Leaders (10-2):  Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (8-4): Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Daniel Jimenez, Kirsten Weed, Caitlin Weed, Ben “Dill” Helton, Amory “Shug” Mann
3rd place (7-5):  Erin Leavell, Andrew Fierbaugh, Preston Shankle, Cameron Wingo, Jodonna Jimenez, James Jenkins, Michael Sokolow, Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
Notables: Last place officially belongs to…  Stretch!!

11:55pm Independence Bowl - La Tech 17 - N. Illinois 10
So, most of us really knew nothing about these two teams, and I am not sure that anyone cared a whole lot about this game.  But, that’s the great thing about bowl season… we get to watch a few teams that we know nothing about.  Well, I must admit, I tuned in for a while, but this game just didn’t keep my attention.  At any rate, Louisiana Tech pulled it out in the end in what I call a “sleeper.”  Can’t wait for the BCS games. 

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 7-5
Bacon: 6-6
Rebecca: 7-5

Leader (@ 10-2): Pretzel

Day 6 Round Up - Bacon had a great day with his picks winning all three contests.  Is it too little too late?  Rambo and Rebecca each improved their records as well by going 2-1 on the day.  We are finally starting to see some more separation from the contest entries, but a ton of you guys are still beating Bacon, so lots of prizes are still on the line.  Pretzel is still in the lead with a remarkable record, but she is coming back down to earth as she went 1-2 on the day.  Here’s how the rest of you stand:

Leaders (9-2):  Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (8-3): Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller
3rd place (7-4): Daniel Jimenez, Kirsten Weed, Caitlin Weed, Kelsey Weed, Jodonna Jimenez, Ben “Dill” Helton, Amory “Shug” Mann, Michael Sokolow, Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
Notables: It pleasures me to announce the last place entry - Michael “Cricket” Barre currently holds that honor.  Way to go Cricket!

11:55pm Emerald Bowl - California 24 - Miami 17
This was a pretty good game to watch as both teams battled it out until the finish.  Miami’s costly fumble deep in their own territory ended up being the game changing play.  California picked it up and ran it all the way back to the two, setting up an easy go ahead drive with just a little over 2:00 to go.  Miami’s attempt for a final miracle drive fell short.  Great game for Miami considering their normal starting quarterback, along with 4 other players, had to watch from the sidelines because of a suspension.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 6-5
Bacon: 5-6
Rebecca: 7-4

Leader (@ 9-2): Pretzel

7:55 pm Champs Sports Bowl - Florida State 42 - Wisconsin 13
Another Florida team puts a severe beating on their opponent.  FSU got off to a somewhat slow start but came alive in the second half with scoring drive after scoring drive.  They put on a show like the Old School Seminoles.  When the ‘Noles play like that, they are just tough to beat.  I do certainly get tired of hearing that war chant when they play, especially when they play well.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 5-5
Bacon: 4-6
Rebecca: 7-3

Leader (@ 9-1): Pretzel

4:55 pm Meineke Car Care Bowl - West Virginia 31 - North Carolina 30

Both offensive units began this game on fire and it looked like we might have a high scoring affair.  However, things finally settled down a bit as defensive adjustments began to take effect.  In the end, as predicted, Pat White finished his career strong by leading the Mountaineers to yet another Bowl victory.  This guy has been so much fun to watch during the last 4 years at West Virginia, so it is good to see him go out on top.  Props to the Tarheels as well for a remarkable turn around season.  Of note…  Pretzel finally lost her first game!!

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 4-5
Bacon: 3-6
Rebecca: 6-3

Leader (@ 8-1): Pretzel

Day 5 Round Up - Pretty much everyone in the contest lost this game.  Only 4 folks had picked FAU to win, so most of us had a bad day.  Amazingly enough, Pretzel was one of those 4 to keep the lead with a perfect 8-0 record.  Way to go Pretzel!!

Leader (8-0): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (6-2):  Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller
3rd place (5-3): Carlton French, Daniel Jimenez,  Stephen “Hotshot” Turton, Caitlin Weed, Ben “Dill” Helton
Notables: We’ll leave this alone today.  Virtually no one had a good day, so that’s the story, and I’m sticking to it.

10:55pm Motor City Bowl - Florida Atlantic 24 - Central Michigan 21
Florida Atlantic continued their late season winning ways to play a solid game and come out on top in the Motor City.  Quarterback Rusty Smith had a great performance for the Owls, with 300 passing yards and 2 TDs.  The Chippewas definitely made a game of it, but failed to recover an onside kick attempt and pretty much had to watch the clock expire. 

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 4-4
Bacon: 2-6
Rebecca: 5-3

Leader (@ 8-0): Pretzel

Day 4 Round Up - Rebecca lost another one as Rambo and Bacon took a victory.  Rambo is inching up in the standings trying to put Rebecca back in her place, while Bacon is working hard to regain some lost respect.  Pretzel is making us all look silly as her scientific formula for picking winners seems to be paying off.  We will just have to see if science holds up.  Several campers are tied at 5-2 to lead the way.  Perhaps we will have a little separation over the next few days.  Merry Christmas to all!!!

Leader (7-0): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (6-1):  Morgan “Pepper” Holley 
3rd place (5-2): Carlton French, Daniel Jimenez, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller,  Stephen “Hotshot” Turton, Caitlin Weed
Notables: One camper decided to make Bacon feel good about his record.  At 1-6, Allison “you know who you are” wanted to be sure Bacon wasn’t last forever.  Thanks Allie!

11:55pm Hawaii Bowl - Notre Dame 49 - Hawaii 21
Finally…  The Irish won a bowl game!!  This may not hush the doubters, but what a convincing win for Notre Dame.  Maybe Hawaii wasn’t a great opponent but perhaps the Irish are turning the corner and looking forward to things to come.  Most impressive was the fact that Notre Dame won despite the fact that Bacon picked them.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 4-3
Bacon: 2-5
Rebecca: 5-2

Leader (@ 7-0): Pretzel

Day 3 Round Up - Rebecca finally lost one, Rambo picked up a game, and Bacon continued his quest for the worst picks in 10 years.  Stretch and Boots finally broke free from the grasp of Bacon’s cellar.  This day saw a lot of losses across the contest as most of us had Boise State coming out on top.  Check back tonight to see if Rambo can close the gap on Rebecca.  He has Notre Dame on top and Rebecca picked Hawaii.  Bad news for Rambo… Bacon also picked Notre Dame, so don’t get your hopes up.

Leader (6-0): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (5-1):  Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller,  Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
3rd place (4-2): Carlton French, Preston Shankle, Amory “Shug” Mann, Daniel Jimenez, Caitlin Weed, Michael Sokolow
Notables: Snaps and Bee are still keeping Bacon company in the gutter.

11:55pm Poinsettia Bowl - TCU 17 - Boise State 16
In the most hyped non BCS matchup, we witnessed two very good teams in a hard faught head to head contest.  Though not a high scoring affair, this was a fun game to watch.  The Horned Frogs defense forced multiple field goal attempts in situations where the Broncos should have had touchdowns.  Putting up 3 points when you should have 7 means ending your hopes for a perfect 13-0 season.  Boise State did have one final opportunity to drive the length of the field with 1:53 left in the game.  A successful drive with just another field goal would have sealed the victory.  However, on the very first play of the drive, the Horned Frogs brought the pressure with a great blitz and forced a bad passing decision resulting in an interception.  Game over.  Season Over. Undefeated dreams Over.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 3-3
Bacon: 1-5
Rebecca: 5-1

Leader (@ 6-0): Pretzel

Day 2 Round Up - Rebecca is still putting on a show and leading the office staff with an undefeated record.  Rambo follows, with Bacon coming in dead last.  Bacon thinks that he should change his BCS Championship Pick to Oklahoma since apparently every team he picks ends up losing.  Previously undefeated camper Carlton French finally lost a game to drop out of first place.  And how about Pretzel hanging in with the perfect record?

Leader (5-0): Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (4-1): Carlton French, Preston Shankle, Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Amory “Shug” Mann, Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
3rd place (3-2): Daniel Jimenez, Kirsten Weed, Caitlin Weed, Kelsey Weed, Erin Leavell, Teressa Munday, Brittany Sander, Ben “Dill” Helton, Katherine “Cash” Parham, Michael Sokolow
Notables: Cellar dwellers with Bacon include Stretch, Boots, Snaps and Bee.

11:55pm New Orleans Bowl - Southern Miss 30 - Troy 27 OT
In a well played contest, the men of Troy could not overcome the comeback heroics of Southern Miss.  At the end of the third quarter, it looked like Troy might walk away with this one, but Southern Miss fought back to tie the game and send it to overtime.  In overtime, Troy had another opportunity to stay in the game but Southern Miss blocked a field goal to seal the victory.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 2-3
Bacon: 1-4
Rebecca: 5-0

Leader (@ 5-0): Pretzel

Day 1 Round Up - Rebecca comes out of the gate strong with a 4-0 record on opening day.  Rambo finishes day one with a respectable 2-2 mark, while Bacon ends the day with an embarrassing 1-3 performance.  Here’s how the rest of you all fared (for the most part, the ladies of Strong Rock are putting a beating on the guys):

Leaders (4-0):  Carlton French, Melissa “Pretzel” Miller
2nd place (3-1): Erin Leavell, Teressa Munday, Preston Shankle, Brittany Sander, Morgan “Pepper” Holley, Ben “Dill” Helton, Sarah “Scuttle” Miller, Amory “Shug” Mann, Katherine “Cash” Parham, Michael Sokolow, Stephen “Hotshot” Turton
Notables: Staffers in the basement with Bacon include Stretch, Boots, Snaps and Bee

11:55pm Las Vegas Bowl - Arizona 31 - BYU 21
Can you say sloppy?  BYU comes into the game with 10 wins and a national ranking, yet plays this game like they don’t belong.  Penalties, turnovers and 3 missed field goals were the story of the night for the Cougars.  Arizona capitalized on their opportunities and claimed their first bowl win in 10 years.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 2-2
Bacon: 1-3
Rebecca: 4-0

Leaders (@ 4-0): Carlton French, Pretzel

7:55 pm MagicJack Bowl - South Florida 41 - Memphis 14
Not one of the better matchups of the day.  South Florida pretty much had their way in this event.  After their dissappointing year, the Bulls finish strong with a solid win to complete their season.  Bacon finally gets a “W” on the board.  Of course, only 3 people were brave enough to pick Memphis, so pretty much everyone got this “W.”

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 2-1
Bacon: 1-2
Rebecca: 3-0

Leaders (@ 3-0): Carlton French, Pepper, Pretzel, Scuttle

5:55 pm New Mexico Bowl - Colorado St. 40 - Fresno St. 35
In a remarkable effort, Gartrell Johnson rushed for 285 yards to seal the victory for Colorado State.  In a key series with 3:00 remaining, Fresno State elected to punt rather than go for it on 4th down.  That decision proved to cost the Bulldogs the game.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 1-1
Bacon: 0-2
Rebecca: 2-0

Leaders (@ 2-0): Carlton French, Pepper, Pretzel, Scuttle

2:55 pm EagleBank Bowl - Wake Forest 29 - Navy 19
Despite the final spread, this was a well fought game.  Though I didn’t pick Wake Forest to win, I am certainly proud of my hometown team.  Riley Skinner goes 11-11 for 166 passing yards to lead the Demon Deacons to the victory.

Contest Standings:
Rambo: 0-1
Bacon: 0-1
Rebecca: 1-0

Leaders (@ 1-0): Carlton French, Daniel Jimenez, Erin Leavell, Andrew Fierbaugh, Allison Russell, Sutherland Monahan, Pepper, Pretzel, Bekah James, Dill, Scuttle, Cash, James Jenkins, Michael Sokolow