New Years Day Sports Preview

Here's what you can/should watch on New Year's Day.  Unlike Christmas Day, which is all NBA all the time (not that that's a bad thing), this is a day you should grab a beer, (or a Chaser) a bag of chips, and plant it on the couch for a great day of sports.

11 AM (ET) Outback Bowl South Carolina vs. Iowa

Ok.  I'm not going to sit here and say this is the most compelling match up, but if you're like me, you've probably woken up to the Outback Bowl many times on New Year's Day.  That's why I usually like to check this game out each January 1st.  This year's match up pits two big name coaches, as the old ball coach, Steve Spurrier, leads his South Carolina Game Cocks against Kirk Ferentz's Iowa Hawkeyes.  SEC vs. Big Ten, two power conferences, and if history continues on its recent path, the SEC will probably dominate this again.  Both teams aren't that great, (SC was 7-5, Iowa went 8-4), but this game has some intrigue.  Iowa won five of its last six games to get to this game, and beat Penn State to eliminate them from the national title discussion.  And any Spurrier coached team is likely to put up some points.  This game serves as a solid appetizer to the rest of the day.

1 PM (ET) The Winter Classic Chicago vs. Detroit

I've been hammering on this point all week, and I'll do it again.  Even though it's hockey, this game is loaded with intrigue.  Tune into NBC at 1 and you'll see two original six hockey teams, the Blackhawks and Red Wings, battle outdoors at one of the world's most recognizable sports venues, Wrigley Field.  The Blackhawks enter the game having just lost to the Red Wings Tuesday night, which snapped the teams' franchise record nine game winning streak.  So there will be the revenge factor, including the fact that Wrigley will have a packed house in January to watch two of the league's top teams play.  This is a must-see event.  If you're not a hockey fan, and you are open minded (i.e., not Scott), I implore you to tune in.  If you don't find this entertaining, I'd be surprised.  And, it's good hockey.  The Red Wings lead the Western Conference's Central Division by just 6 points over the rival Blackhawks, and the two teams rank 2nd and 4th in the conference respectively.

1PM (ET) Gator Bowl Nebraska vs. Clemson

Meh, this is not a great game.  Nebraska is a historic and traditional college football team, but they haven't been good since the days of Eric Crouch.

1PM (ET) Capital One Bowl (16) Georgia vs. (19) Michigan State

This is a very compelling match up, as the preseason number one Bulldogs take on one of the best teams in the Big Ten.  Once again, this is a chance for the Big Ten to prove it's not terribly worse than the SEC.  Two high profile coaches meet again, as Mark Richt meets Mark D'Antonio.  Two high-profile running backs face off as MSU's Javon Ringer goes for the yardage battle against the Georgia's Knowshon Moreno.  If you can't stand hockey so much that you must have football in the afternoon, this is a good option.  If you're choosing the hockey game, you can flip to this during the period intermissions.

5PM (ET) Rose Bowl (6) Penn State vs. (5) Souther California

This is a great match-up, and it's after the hockey game is over.  Had it not been for an amazing comeback by Iowa, JoePa's Nittany Lions would have been in line for a national championship bid.  Had it not been for a big upset by Oregon State against Pete Caroll's Trojans, USC might have been in the big game January 8th.  This game has star power, as USC's great defense featuring Rey Maualuga squares off against a dynamic Penn State offense with QB Daryll Clark and RB Evan Royster.  USC's offense is no slouch either, as they have three running backs that have rushed for 600 or more yards, and a good signal caller in Mark Sanchez.  I expect a close battle between two historically great teams, and an excellent way to spend your late afternoon.

8PM (ET) Orange Bowl (12) Cincinnati vs. (21) Virginia Tech

This game is emblematic of the fact that neither the ACC nor the Big East deserve an automatic BCS bid.  This game has no intrigue, in my opinion, other than the fact that the Orange Bowl is traditionally a fun game to watch.  I'm not interested in either team, neither team boasts a fantastic offense or defense.  This is a typical bowl game being played on too large a stage.  This might as well be the Capital One Bowl or the Gator Bowl.  The difference is, these teams get A LOT more money for playing in it, and neither team is compelling or interesting to watch.  

Happy New Year everyone!  Enjoy the day.  And remember, if you make a resolution or two, at least keep them through the day.