Feed your crippling college football addiction with: The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl

Despite their sporadic posting habits, TOSW's writers are college football addicts, much like yourself. Because of this -- and because we care -- we're previewing every one of this year's bowl games. Come, join us in our celebration of mediocrity!

The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
Memphis vs. South Florida
December 20, 2008, 4:30 p.m. EST
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Woefully misguided sponsor:
I'm assuming magicJack is some kind of VoIP service. I've never actually paid attention to one of their ubiquitous late-night TV commercials, but damn are they ever-present:



Yeah, I think it's safe to say that magicJack has joined the likes of GalleryFurniture.com and Poulan (maker of fine Weedeaters) as the most pathetic bowl sponsors of all time.

Why this bowl is ill-conceived
No reason whatsoever. Zero. None. It's going to be sunny and 72 degrees in the Tampa Bay area tomorrow at kickoff. Lucky Memphis and USF fans. They get to sit outside in beautiful weather and watch football. A perfect reward for an occasionaly good, sometimes well-played season.

Wait...

What?!?

They're playing the game indoors?!? In a drab concrete sarcophagus complete with possibly-in-play catwalks and a saltwater tank filled with live marine creatures? Yeah, nevermind. This bowl sucks.


Really?!?

Will this be a bowl game in the 2009-10 season?
I'm gonna go with "no." At least not in this location. I believe the Tampa Bay area, in a good economy, can sustain two bowls. But for the love of all that is good, St. Petersburg, just lease Raymond James Stadium for a night and call it the "St. Petersburg Bowl of Tampa" or something. It won't wound your civic pride too badly.

StubHub currently has tickets available for as little as:
No one is selling tickets to this game on StubHub. Not one person. Good times.

Why this matchup should never be played under any circumstances:
Memphis beat five FBS schools this year. Combined record: 19-41. South Florida is 2-6 since October began. And who says there are too many bowl games?

Why this could be a great game:
Well, USF is the "hometown team" of sorts, and despite their late-season swoon, they've got some talent. And hey, maybe their fans will decide they're just sick and tired of all this nice weather and migrate en masse to the Trop. If this happens, it could lead to a loud atmosphere -- one that by most accounts will be rather unkind to Tigers fans who made the trip from delta country. Also, you might enjoy watching Memphis quarterback Arkelon Hall, who narrowly avoided shattering every bone in his body when he made the decision to transfer out of Washington State a few years back.

Half-baked, poorly informed prediction:
Bulls romp, 35-17. You will go catatonic during the third quarter.

Photo of Tropicana Field via The St. Petersburg Times.