Orange Bowl

This game was all wrong - not from the outcome or how it was played, but the time and day it was played.  The FBS plan failed in the bowl committee's stubbornness to have the Big 6 games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  This game and the Cotton Bowl should have been played on Saturday.

I feel ya kid. 

Clemson vs. Oklahoma

If there was any doubt about Clemson they erased it with this win.

I watched the full first quarter at work since the game started at 4pm.  That's the part that was all wrong with this game schedule.  A lot of people still had to work this day and if you live in the Pacific time zone, it started at 1pm.  That's just like any other game.  They took the special-ness out of this game.  The ratings are going to be terrible and considering how much ESPN paid for these games, they should have fought harder to have the playoffs on January 2nd.

Thanks to technology, I left at 5pm and got home to watch the second half.  After a competitive first half, Clemson just took over.  Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson was great and the Tigers' defense picked off Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield twice.  By the fourth quarter there was no doubt Clemson would be playing for the title.

Clemson 37  Oklahoma 17

My pick:  Oklahoma (read the opinions of too many experts, Clemson wasn't even favored.)

Game notes:

-Oklahoma feasted on Big 12 competition at the end of the season when those teams were at their weakest.  TCU and Baylor were both missing their starting QB's when the Sooners beat them.  I hate the way the Big 12 back loads the schedule, the good match-ups should be spread out from October to November.

-This was the second consecutive bowl game that Clemson throttled Oklahoma.  Sooner fans have seen enough orange and purple.

-Presidents used to attend bowl games.

 JFK watching Alabama and Oklahoma in the 1963 Orange Bowl.  Hope he wasn't planning on going to the 1964 edition.

What did I eat?  Mrs. Keith wisely chose to get take out party food and not cook, which meant I didn't have to clean up.  Appetizers from Par's Place and plenty of hooch.  Man, would I need that in about three hours.

Player swag:  Kind of unique; Gift suite; Tourneau watch; Schutt commemorative "split" helmet (half one team and half the other. Maybe one of the Oklahoma players will put one on Ebay.  It's about time to start searching for my BowlQuest souvenir.

One more game, I don't have a good feeling about this...