It's that time of year again. Pure, white snow covers the ground. Holiday songs seem to hang in the air like the glow of the colorful lights lining State Street storefronts. Children's hearts are filled with glee as they watch timeless classics like The Muppet Christmas Carol,"" ""A Christmas Story"" and ""Home Alone"" (part 1 or 2, not 3).
Yet, perhaps some of you don't see things that way. You've got a little over a week to do a semester's worth of work. You're soaking wet because you slipped and fell in a puddle of slush, and the only Christmas DVD you own is ""Prancer.""
It seems for every person that is subconsciously programmed to belt out the lyrics to ""Feliz Navidad"" whenever they hear the song on the radio, there is another person who would like to shove a Christmas stocking down their throat or clock them in the head with a wreath, Menorah, Festivus Pole, etc.
In the sports world, the only thing comparable to this holiday dichotomy is the dissent between the believers and non-believers in college football's current postseason structure.
The non-believers have plenty of logical arguments to support their claims.
College football is the only major sport that does not use a tournament to crown a champion. Instead, writers, coaches and a bunch of math geeks pour numbers and stats into a giant computer which poops out an answer as to who the best teams in the country are.
Anyone who has seen ""Terminator 3"" or been unable to print out a paper on the day it was due knows computers cannot be trusted.
Several teams have the right to grumble like the Grinch after receiving their bowl game selections.
Missouri, the No. 1 team in the country a few days ago, is off to the Cotton Bowl, despite the fact that the Tigers defeated Illinois and Kansas, two teams going to Bowl Championship Series bowls.
Hawaii went undefeated, but won't get a chance to play for the national championship, and some feel Oklahoma or USC deserved a shot to play for the title as well. Yet, the bowl problems go beyond the BCS ""system.""
I'm sure Houston Cougar fans can't wait to pack up their bags and head to ... ah ... Houston, to play in the ... Houston Bowl? Whoo-hoo, road trip! Of course all the Cougar fans will actually have to go to the game because it's being broadcast on the NFL Network.
Houston fans can take solace in knowing they are saving a lot of money on gas and plane tickets and that New Mexico is also not traveling far from home.
They play in the New Mexico Bowl. Go figure.
While Badger backers sun themselves along the beaches of Tampa, Purdue fans will be headed north to Detroit to watch their beloved Boilermakers face Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl on the day after Christmas.
Purdue head coach Joe Tiller must be on the naughty list to garner such a draw.
Nevertheless, it could have been worse. Fresno State and Georgia Tech are headed to Boise to play in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Sure, the game-time temperature will be around two degrees Fahrenheit, but have you been to Boise on New Year's Eve? Everyone counts down as the giant potato drops at midnight. It's simply magic.
For those of you keeping score at home, Roady's is a national truck-stop chain. Players and coaches on the winning team receive a gift certificate for a free tank of gas and one Little Debbie snack of their choice.
There's also the Papa Johns.com Bowl. Man, I could go for a cyber-slice right now.
Other must-see bowl games include the International Bowl, pitting Rutgers against Ball State live from Toronto, and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, which will probably be more fun to say than to watch Utah versus Navy.
This lengthy name reminds me how the bowls have changed over the years. What used to be celebrations of team spirit and conference pride now stand as moneymakers for insurance firms, car repair specialists and even nut manufacturers.
In short, they've corporatized and secularized these celebrations by basing them more on hype and hoopla than on the real reason for the (bowl) season.
Maybe the BCS and the overall bowl system are inherently flawed. Maybe they're all about the modern day Ebenezer Scrooges selling cologne, cell phones and promoting a website for a second-tier pizza company. The truth is, I really don't care.
What could be more heartwarming than getting together with family, roasting chestnuts over an open hearth and watching the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
Yes, the BCS is far from perfect. But when you really look at it, it's just like Santa Claus. Whether it's a fat guy from the North Pole squeezing down chimneys to give boys and girls presents, or a computer deciding who the two best college football teams are, it doesn't have to make sense. You just have to believe it to enjoy it.
If you think someone has spiked Ryan's eggnog or if you are from Idaho and now want to murder Ryan, e-
mail him at reszel@dailycardinal.com.
