New Mexico Bowl 2008
Colorado State v. Fresno State
2:30 PM ET, December 20, 2008
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
Unlike the illustrious magicJack Bowl, we don’t have a fantastic sponsor to prop up in this one at least. So, there’s something anyway. Both CSU and FSU play in the general vicinity of New Mexico, but get to travel to play a 12:30 am local time game at UNM. Quite an exciting proposition for these two squads, CSU being a powerful 6-6 and FSU an astounding 7-5
Why this Bowl is ill-conceived
Well, it’s matching two teams that each had 4-4 conference records from mid-major conferences, albeit two of the three best such conferences. Not quite sure why we need a New Mexico Bowl. Sure, the state has some nice weather most of the time, but really? Albuquerque? Yea, if I was a D-I football player, it would be my dream to spend my pre-Christmas days hanging around in NM.
Will this be a Bowl Game in 2009-2010?
Yes. Despite New Mexico being a non-major college football city, the area is growing rather quickly. Generally speaking, the weather’s nice in December, which is always a plus. And the game has been relatively successful in the past few seasons. Plus, we really do have a burning, urgent need to let 4-4 Mountain West and WAC teams play each other around December 20th every season.
Why this matchup should never be played under any circumstances
Fresno State ended its season with a 61-10 shellacking at the hands of Chris Petersen’s Boise State squad, and also dropped games against three other WAC schools (Nevada, LaTech, Hawaii) and a non-conference loss against Wisconsin. Not a terrible resume… but then again, FSU did go 4-4 in the WAC. And, they were outscored by a slim margin on the year. Colorado State lost big at Colorado, Cal, Utah, and Air Force, and dropped home games against TCU and BYU. Again, a solid set of teams to lose games to. But, the Rams were outscored on the year 358-287 on the year, and finished fifth in the Mountain West. That’s right, fifth. The Pac-10 barely had five bowl-eligible teams this year, yet the Mountain West’s #5 team goes to a bowl…
Why this could be a great game
First, both teams are semi-local, which should generate some interest. Second, both teams have solid programs that have historically been near the top of their respective conferences. Third, the game features Pat Hill in the immediate aftermath of his unconsummated flirtation with the University of Washington. It will be interesting to see how FSU’s players react to that. Fourth, both sides should come out with a lot of passion. After all, these are two WAC and Mountain West teams… even if they had gone 10-2, they still stand no chance of a better matchup. Both teams will be ready to play, and despite this being a slightly ridiculous matchup, should be a good one.
Poorly Informed, Half-Interested Prediction
The Rams of CSU come out strong against Hill’s Bulldogs. Fresno is usually solid, but after the way their season ended coupled with Hill’s near departure, they’ll come out flat. Colorado State 28, Fresno State 17. Pretty decent game if you like defense.
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