Not exactly bowled over

The 2008-09 college football bowl schedule was announced last week, and, hey, for all I know, one is being played right now as I write this. I used to love the bowl season, and while I wish there were a playoff system in place, I still enjoy the idea of there being a ton of games spread out over the entire holiday season.

In fact, in days of yore, when I was a swinging bachelor, I'd often take time out from my ring-a-ding lifestyle and actually watch a lot of these games. Nowadays, with work and family, I just don't have as much time to watch 'em even if I wanted to...and I'm not so sure I want to.

I mean, can even the teams involved be excited about the Motor City Bowl this week, the Detroit instant classic pairing Central Michigan and Florida Atlantic? Hey, I shouldn't sell Florida Atlantic short, though. Some observers consider them the best 6-6 team in the country.

I could go on at some length ridiculing the corporate sponsorships and the weak match-ups involving teams with 5 and 6 losses, but anyone who has followed college football for some time knows the drill by now. I know I do, but for some reason, my enthusiasm wanes more and more each year. I mean, it's nice to have football on just about every day over the holidays, just in case I need it, but I rarely need it.

I will say that I AM happy Penn State is playing in the Rose Bowl. I've long hated the so-called Grandaddy of Them All, a boring game coasting on tradition and the inexplicable love its adherents have for the Big Ten-Pac-10 combination it so cherishes. Ever since PSU was forced to play a weak Oregon team--and got penalized for it by voters--after the 1994 season, I resented this game.

This year, though, I'm thankful the Nittany Lions are in a prestigious bowl against a marquee opponent, USC. Plus the New Year's Day date stands out now that so many of the bigger bowls play in the anti-climactic time between Jan. 1 and the BCS title game. So this year, tradition is a good thing, and I'll be with my family as we plan our holiday around the Rose Bowl.

But I won't be rearranging my plans to catch the Motor City Bowl, even if those plans involve a nap, some leftovers, and the newspaper.