Early Look at the Bowls

The bowls have been announced and the Hawkeyes are heading back to Tampa, Florida and the Outback Bowl for the third time since 2003. This has become a fan favorite for many Iowans and those that I have spoken to are excited about a return trip. I'm looking to returning to Hat Tricks, a earlier Night Out on the Town. The match-up is with the "Ole Ball Coach," Steve Spurrier. The former Florida Head Coach should have his hands full in trying to stop Iowa running back Shonn Greene.

A look at other bowl games.

Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl--BYU v Arizona. Is there not a worse fit for team and bowl than Las Vegas and Brigham Young? This will be the fourth straight trip to Vegas for the Cougars. Its a good thing the game is already sold out.

Independence Bowl--Louisiana Tech v Northern Illinois. This game is the only bowl on national tv that night. It was originally to pit a representative from the Big 12 and SEC, but neither had enough eligible teams. This is definitely not the match-up those in Shreveport were looking for, but on the other hand, not many want to spend the holidays in Shreveport.

Hawaii Bowl--Hawaii v Notre Dame. How is that for a reward? A 6-6 Irish team is able to travel to the islands to take on a very tough Hawaii team. It isn't very Christmas-like to place the Irish on the 24th. There will be little Christmas cheer for Notre Dame from this college football fan.

We'll pick on the Big Ten's bowl games as December progresses. My inital prediction is that the conference will not have a winning record. The teams with the best opportunity for victory are Iowa and Michigan State.

Night Out on the Town

This week's recommended place is a Sports Bar / Restaurant in Tampa, Flordia called Hattricks. Located in downtown Tampa, Hattricks is located near the St. Pete Times Forum, the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning. As the name indicates, this is a Hockey Bar that is also a place to take the whole family. The food is better than bar fare and with the many televisions, a game of any type can always be found.

Hatticks was a place many of us frequented while in town for the Outback Bowl in 2003 and 2005. With the game on Jan. 2 of 2006, my family and I went to the hangout for lunch on New Year's Day. The staff treated my 1 1/2 year old son very well.

Tampa is a great bowl city and Hattricks is one of the places we enjoy going back to.