My Christmas gift to you all…

some SABOWL art work that helps to capture the child-like joy the SABOWL brings us when we actually pick a game correctly!

Today we have two bowl games to see if anyone can get some separation from the pack:

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl – Western Kentucky favored over Central Michigan by 3.5
Western Kentucky: Rebecca, Joe, Jonathan, Ellen, Jimmy, Josh, April, Christina, D/J, Stephen
Central Michigan: Emily, Michael, Jim

Hawaii Bowl – Rice favored over Fresno State by 1.5
Rice: Rebecca, Emily, Michael, Joe, Ellen, Jimmy, April, Christina
Fresno State: Jim, Jonathan, Josh, D/J, Stephen

Some notes so far:
– Jonathan has bounced back into contention nicely!
– This is anyone’s SABOWL at this point…
– Except maybe Stephen’s, yikes bud.

Update from the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, after a terrible game it actually got really interesting at the end…

As I prepared to attempt to write a witty post about tonight’s Memphis/BYU matchup, I realized it was actually this afternoon’s match. Whoops.

This game is leaning in the direction of BYU right now which would have some interesting early SABOWL ramifications:

If BYU wins, we will have a six person tie for the SABOWL lead and Jonathan’s dark, hopeless, abysmal SABOWL effort will remain winless.

If Memphis wins, Ellen will retain her smug spot at the top of the leader board alone and Jonathan will be able to sleep tonight.

Now for some highlights from the opening “night” of the SABOWL’s locker room action.

– Jimmy won the locker room with SABOWL IX’s first locker room hashtag, first accusation of smugness, and the first dictionary addition of the year.
– Michael, though a week late to the party, had some nice contributions while everyone else was sleeping and his children were in the backyard working against child labor laws.
– Jonathan needs a hug.
– The I-Team made its first appearance and we are still waiting for a rebuttal from current champion, Rebecca Sabo.
– Ellen popped in for a quick, smug appearance.

Let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the SABOWL. During the offseason, www.sabowl.com was hacked.

The good news: no passwords or personal information were stolen by the hackers because…well, none exists on www.sabowl.com.

The bad news: this photo was splashed all over the site:

The good news that flows from the bad news: during the SABOWL offseason, the Locker Room goes virtually dormant and the site averages .00021 views per day. So none of you even noticed.

The challenge to us is very clear this SABOWL season and the stakes are higher than ever. This SABOWL season, the world is looking toward the SABOWL for hope, for perseverance in the face of tyranny, for joy, and for moments of distraction that can not be filled by a movie about potheads.

Today we march forward.

Today we fill a void our world desperately needs.

Today we SABOWL.

Let’s be real about today’s game action, with teams in action like Louisiana Lafayette, South Alabama, and Bowling Green and bowl names like the Raycom Media Cameillia Bowl – we have no clue about what is going on with these teams. What we do know is that we all picked winners and today is a huge day to see who jumps out to an early lead in the SABOWL.

Sit back and enjoy, bring the Locker Room to life, and show the world that the SABOWL will not be defeated. The world is watching Sabo’s.

It is official, everyone except for one person has this image running through their minds.

That’s right!  The SABOWL has left a huge hole in your upcoming decorating plans for the upcoming year.  For me it will be a daily reminder of the 8 years of failure that I have suffered through.

With that being said, We officially have a SABOWL VIII CHAMPION.

Congratulations to Rebecca.  I must admit this is the first time that I have congratulated her due to my Sabowl Syndrome.  Rebecca now joins an elite group of Sabowl Champions that includes Michael, April, Jimmy, Danny/Stephen, and Josh.

We still have some interesting story lines remaining for Sabowl VIII.

Who will collect the 2nd and 3rd place positions?  

Emily, Joey, Jim, Jonathan, Michael, Joe, and Stephen all have their eyes on these positions.

Who will collect the coveted Sabowl Toilet?

Christina, Danny/Julian, Stephen, Ellen, Jimmy, Michael, and Jim all are still in contention for that.

now to the games for tonight.

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Missouri vs. Oklahoma State

7:30 pm on Fox

The SABOWL would not be complete without showing this Mike Gundy video, If you need information about Mike Gundy feel free to check out the Dictionary.

I think that tells you enough about the Cotton Bowl.  Should be a pretty good game.  Interesting to see how Missouri performs since the SEC has not performed as well as usual in this SABOWL season.

Discover Orange Bowl

Ohio State Vs. Clemson

8:30 pm on ESPN

This game features 2 of the most notorious teams that compete during the SABOWL season.  Many of us were left with a dilemma in this selection.  Should we choose Ohio State(who may trade their jerseys for tattoos and show up bare chested), Clemson(Read paragraph 2 to find out what else may happen) or none of the above.

According to Josh, Ohio State made headlines during SABOWL I.  During this heated battle for the inaugural SABOWL, it all came down to the National Championship Game.  Michael had the opportunity to win it all with Florida, and Josh had the opportunity to win it all with Ohio State.  I think we all know where this story goes and I will leave it to Michael and or Josh to elaborate if they would like.

I think that everyone remembers the brutal beating in this same Orange Bowl that Clemson suffered as the favorite against West Virginia in SABOWL VI.  Many say that this is one of the worse beatings in the modern SABOWL Era.  West Virginia won that game 70 – 33.  What many people do not know is that Clemson decided to load the bus at half time to beat the traffic back to South Carolina.  A local Middle School team was selected to head out for the 2nd half.  West Virginia showed no mercy on them and the rest is history.

Good luck to all and I hope to see you in the Locker Room.  Lets Enjoy the remaining moments we have before the smell becomes unbearable and they turn the lights off.

Happy News Year everyone!

Very interesting evening for the Sabowl competition. There was a hard charge for the lead but Rebecca held everyone off. That was a true test of what it takes to be a Sabowl champion. Could this be the year? It will not be easy as I know that many others are in striking distance and smelling blood….and it is a sweet, sweet smell.

Good luck to everyone today and I hope that the Sabowl treats you well.

Many games on the schedule today.

Check your spreadsheet and have a good day. There may be updates as the day goes.

This post comes to you from the Biltmore House.

Pretty sure I will be eliminated today after I lose my 9th Straight game. Is that a record?

Advocare V100 Bowl

Arizona (-7.5) vs. Boston College

When: Dec. 31, 12:30 p.m. ET

 Where: Shreveport, La.

 TV: ESPN

Arizona (7-5) lost three of four to finish the season fourth in the Pac-12’s South Division. The Wildcats, who are ranked 11th nationally in rushing offense, have the No. 2 running back in the country in Ka’Deem Carey (156 yards per game) and a quarterback in B.J. Denker who has thrown for 14 touchdowns and rushed for 12 more.

Boston College (7-5) features FBS’ top-rated running back, Andre Williams, who ran for 2,102 yards despite getting hurt early in the Eagles’ season finale. BC finished third in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, partly because it was 0-3 against teams that finished with better records.

 From the Sponsor:  Rumor on the street is that each player will be loaded up with Advocare products before the game.  This should make things interesting.  Here is a preview.

WARNING TO ALL SABOWLERS:  Beware of drinking any Kool-Aid products provided by Advocare.  The after affects are not known to anyone. 

**Please note this video does not reflect my views of Capitalism. However it does about The Jones Cult, Karl Marx and Lebron James.

Hyundai Sun Bowl

UCLA (-7.5) vs. Virginia Tech

When: Dec. 31, 2 p.m. ET

 Where: El Paso, Texas

 TV: CBS

UCLA (9-3) faced five ranked teams and lost to three of them, finishing second in the Pac-12’s South Division. The Bruins’ top rusher for the season was also its quarterback, Brett Hundley, but toward the end of the year they also discovered a hidden offensive gem in freshman linebacker Myles Jack.

 Virginia Tech (8-4) finished with the eighth-best scoring defense (17.4 points allowed per game) but only scored 23.4 per game itself, part of why the Hokies finished in a three-way tie for second place in the ACC’s Coastal Division. QB Logan Thomas has been decent, though his rushing numbers have been down.

 From the Sponsor:  If either of these teams are not able to get their pulse going, Hyndai has a plan.  See the video

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Mississippi State (-7.5) vs. Rice

When: Dec. 31, 4 p.m. ET

 Where: Memphis, Tenn.

 TV: ESPN

Rice (10-3) navigated a watered-down Conference USA to beat Marshall for its first conference title since 1957. The Owls have a solid run game and a game manager in QB Taylor McHargue, not to mention a defense that has been able to slow opponents down.

 Mississippi State (6-6) won its final two games to reach bowl eligibility, including an overtime victory in the Egg Bowl over Ole Miss. The Bulldogs have been sluggish on offense, but they’re better when dual-threat QB Dak Prescott is moving the ball around.

 Don’t really have anything interesting to say here.  Nothing says Happy New Year like the combination of Rice and Auto Parts.

Chick Fil A Bowl

Texas A&M (-13.5) vs. Duke

When: Dec. 31, 8 p.m. ET

 Where: Atlanta

 TV: ESPN

Duke (10-3) made its first-ever appearance in the ACC title game but got blown out by unbeaten Florida State. Nevertheless, this has been the best season in school history for the Blue Devils, which won the Coastal Division and used a smoke-and-mirrors approach to get to 10 victories.

 Texas A&M (8-4) has the country’s most polarizing player in QB Johnny Manziel, but the Aggies couldn’t do any better than eight wins despite his exploits because of a defense that made it impossible to stop anyone. A&M went 0-4 against ranked teams and allowed 33.5 points per game in wins over four other bowl-bound opponents.

 From the Sponsor:  This game is sponsored by the finest quick service restaurant on the planet.  Though I am not opposed to them being closed on Sundays, I am sure this represents how we all feel every Sunday and everyday for those of you that do not have a Chick-Fil-A in your region. 

If you would like to know more about Chick-Fil-A or prepare your pallet for a delicious chicken sandwich, feel free to check out this video as well. 

Be on the lookout for this in the Georgia Dome during tonight’s game.  The cows are known to terrorize evil burger vendors.

Every bowl tells a story, for example…

The dust bowl of the 1930’s tells the story of poor awareness of our environment and the tragic consequences of environmental practices that fail to care for the environment we find ourselves in. (I’m including a wikipedia link to the Dust Bowl entry to help Rebecca do research for the Locker Room.) It’s a good thing we learned our lesson! Right?

Another example..

The Bowl Cut, popular in the 1990’s and continuing in some circles today, tells the story of people who like a consistent hair cut. Hard to find fault with a good bowl cut.

The most important question of the day however is what story will the SABOWL tell? We enter the day with 20 games remaining and all SABOWL competitors holding on to their hope of victory. Rebecca jumped out to an early lead and has shown she has no desire to relinquish it! With four games today the SABOWL could look very different by this evening.

Competitors with enough unique picks to tie or take the lead: Jonathan, Jimmy, & RJ1.

The stories of todays bowls:

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Navy favored over Middle Tennessee by 7.5. This being the Armed Forces Bowl…its clear that organizers chose an opponent for Navy that they could beat. The question is will they be able to win by 7.5?

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Ole Miss favored over Georgia Tech by 4.5. Georgia Tech won a SABOWL matchup last year for the first time in SABOWL history, can this become a trend? Some “Georgia Tech fans” in the SABOWL picked against Georgia Tech, are they really fans? Can you say Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl twice quickly without taking a breath? So many questions, only time will tell how this story will end.

Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon favored over Texas by 14.5. This will be the final game for Texas coach Mack Brown as the school has decided to put him out to pasture…don’t feel too badly for the fella. While it seems this pasture lacks green grass it makes up for it in the millions of green dollars covering the ground that Brown will be paid through 2020. The 14.5 point spread is one of the largest in SABOWL VIII. Will Brown’s team go out fighting for their coach or will the mighty ducks do a Flying V all over the Alamo?

National University Holiday Bowl
Arizona State is favored over Texas Tech by 14.5. The second bowl game of the day with a 14.5 point spread, will the large spread come back into play here as it did when the NBC Fighting Irish took the field mere days ago?

SABOWL VIII for Kids
Last but certainly not least Sabo kids will be entering the octagon that is SABOWL VIII for Kids to experience the devastation that flows from the SABOWL. Good to learn from an early age young Sabo’s, just remember…mental toughness.

We’ll talk over these unfolding stories and more in the locker room.

We are now ten games and we have quite a battle brewing for the Sabowl. 
Twenty-four games to go.
…And four very big games today.

In honor of Notre Dame playing today, we want to start this day of with the challenge to Sabowl like a champion today.  http://youtu.be/cTdSkVbkZRI

New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium
12:00 pm
ESPN
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers

Yankee Stadium was the site of the famous “Win One For The Gipper” Speech by Knute Rockne in 1928 in a game versus Army.

http://youtu.be/NmY7ttVNiWo

It was created in the 1993 favorite, Rudy, starred by a scrappy and always hungry hobbit-Sean Austin.

When it comes to the game, Notre Dame is by far the better team.  The fact is that if Rutgers was not a New York city team, they would not have ever been considered for this bowl game.  However, they will bring a crowd.  The last thing that the Steinbrenner’s want is an empty stadium for this game.  The tricky part of this will be the spread-17.5 points.  This is the largest spread of the Sabowl and should be interesting to watch.   
Belk Bowl
3:20 pm
ESPN
North Carolina vs. Cincinnati

This game finds some good ole fashioned home cooking that would make Aunt Bea raise her eyebrows.  Belk was founded in 1888 in the town of Monroe, North Carolina.  And of course, who is playing in this game?  North Carolina.  Coincindence I am sure.   At the same time, Cincinnati will be making their second straight Belk Bowl appearance. 

NC is favored by 2.5 points even though Cincinnati ranks higher in almost all catagories. 

Cincinnati is coached by Tommy Tuberville.  I will disclose ground breaking insight on how Reggie Bush and Tommy Tuberville have impacted this year’s championship game. 

Russell Athletic Bowl
6:45 pm
ESPN
Louisville vs. Miami

Earlier this season, this matchup was looking like a potential BCS showdown.  However, there have some bumps in the road and both teams are now playing in the Russell Athletic Bowl.  Miami and Louisville are a couple of good football teams and this should be a good game.  Both have some potential on offense while Louisville has demonstrated significant strength on defense.  This could be the difference maker. 

This video demonstrates how Russell Athletic clothing allow Mark Ingram to do something.  It is too complex for me to understand. 
http://youtu.be/MGl7WafD_RI

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
10:45 pm
ESPN
Kansas State vs. Michigan

This game is also called the “Why in the World Do You Start a Bowl Game at 10:45 at Night?  Are You Kidding Me? Bowl”. 

Kansas State is favored by 3.5 here.  The irony is that Michigan will have to start a true freshman at QB and he will have to go back to the hotel at half time due to his age and curfew restrictions.  Kansas State has not won a bowl game in a decade and this may be their time.  It will be up to Michigan QB Shane Morris to step and prove that he is a big, strong man.
http://youtu.be/4XJyH2RJsvM

We are 8 games into SABOWL VIII and we have many interesting story lines.  Lets start by looking at some numbers.

Longest Winning Streak:  4 games (Emily and Jonathan)

Longest Losing Streak:  6 games (Christina)

Number of Sabowlers who have had sole position of the lead:  2 (Emily and Rebecca)

Number of Sabowlers who have had sole position of last place:  2 (Michael and Christina)

Combined record of Former SABOWL Champions:  17-23 (Michael, April, Jimmy, Danny and Josh)

Combined record of Former Toilet Bowl Winners:  18-22 (Christina, Josh, Michael, Jim, and Rebecca)

Number of games Remaining:  27

Probability that one person can win or lose all 27 games:  .00000000745

If you picked the underdog in every game, you would be leading with SABOWL with a 6-2 record.

Will Josh Recover to retain the SABOWL in Illinois?

Will Christina Repeat as the Toilet Bowl Winner?

Will Michael become the first 3 time winner after starting 0-4?

So many questions… Only time will tell.

We have 3 games today (Probability of winning all games is .125)

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman

Marshall (-3.5) Vs. Maryland

Here is a preview courtesy of Bleacher Report

Marshall (9-4) fell at Rice in the Conference USA title game, which would have sent the Thundering Herd to the Liberty Bowl against an SEC team. Instead, QB Rakeem Cato and running back Essray Taliaferro get a much more favorable matchup with an ACC foe.

Maryland (7-5) started the season 4-0, but a bevy of injuries caused the Terrapins to finish fifth in the ACC’s Atlantic Division. When healthy, though, dual-threat QB C.J. Brown (2,583 yards of total offense, 23 total touchdowns) is hard to contain.

Prediction: Marshall 26, Maryland 21

Maryland does have one appearance in the Military Bowl, which they won 51-20 over East Carolina in 2010.  Marshall are Military Bowl Rookies.

Texas Bowl 

Minnesota (-4.5) Vs. Syracuse

Interesting Fact about Texas, they are the top cattle producing state in the United States.  They produce 14.3 % of American Cattle.  I Guess Texas has a lot of Beef.

Here is a preview courtesy of Bleacher Report.

Minnesota (8-4) is looking for its first bowl win since beating Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl. The Golden Gophers finished fourth in the Big Ten Legends Division, but their defense kept them in many games despite an inconsistent offense.

Syracuse (6-6) finished fourth in the ACC’s Atlantic Division in its first season since moving from the Big East. The Orange reached bowl eligibility despite a very uneven season, especially on offense, where it rates 104th in passing and 99th in scoring.

Prediction: Minnesota 24, Syracuse 14

More Coming later for Game 3

Good Luck everyone

The SABOWL is off to a great start!

My wife is perfect (I knew that already but what a great first SABOWL day for her…also I’ll get no points for this statement because my wife is not a model SABOWL competitor and rarely graces the beauty that is www.SABOWL.com) and everyone (except Michael) is looking like they have a shot at winning this year.

Normally we’re all pretty positive at this point in the SABOWL but I’d like to take this opportunity to air some beefs.

(1) My beef with the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg bowl…
Seriously a 2 PM EST start time on a Monday? C’mon man. I know you don’t want to compete with Monday Night Football and thought you’d have a better shot competing against Jerry Springer and crappy soap operas but this is pathetic. Mr. Beef ‘O’ Brady my recommendation is not put your name on a bowl that airs at a time that allows for 18 people to watch it nationwide.

(2) My beef with the Locker Room…
Seriously people, the SABOWL starts and the Locker Room has 6 comments (MVLRC, most valuable locker room commenter, shoutout to Michael with 4 of the 6. I don’t want to call into question everyone’s SABOWL spirit but c’mon everybody.

(3) My beef with Boise State…
Seriously, if you’re going to have a bright blue, headache inducing field…you should be forced to also play in blue face paint a la the Blue Men group. C’mon Boise State.
– Side note to this beef: Boise State (+4.5) takes on Oregon State tonight at 8 PM EST in Hawaii. The current SABOWL leaders (Jim, Emily, & Rebecca, 4-1) all chose Boise State so there is an opportunity for Rookie Joe and Joey, who picked Oregon State to join the leadership pack .

This looks about right…

(4) My beef with Bowling Green alumni Orel Hershiser and Scott Hamilton…
Seriously, Pitt’s alumni cover the costs for their students to enjoy the Little Caesar’s bowl and you guys can’t turn your figure skating and baseball earnings into tickets for Bowling Green students? C’mon Orel and Scott, I’m calling you out…tickets barely cost more than a delicious Hot-N-Ready Little Caesar’s pizza.
– A SABOWL beef Did you Know: Types of beef you can get on a Little Caesar’s pizza include: none, all meat toppings are from pigs.
– Side note to this beef: Bowling Green (+6.5) takes on Pitt Thursday at 6 PM EST. Commentary about impact on SABOWL standings to come…

(5) My beef with the poison Poinsettia myth…
Seriously everybody, I understand that saying poison poinsettia is pretty fun (that is if you know how to pronounce poinsettia which I don’t but thats a secondary beef at this point) but the myth that poinsettia are poisonous to children and animals causes a lot of people to miss out on these beautiful plants. C’mon myth believing people (*admittedly reaching on this beef).
– Side note to this beef: Northern Illinois (+2.5) takes on Utah State Thursdayat 9:30 PM EST. Commentary about impact on SABOWL standings to come…

Alright folks, I feel better having gotten these beefs off my chest. Now its your turn, lets hear your beefs in the Locker Room!