Went from bowling in beautiful San Diego to Hyphy Park in the Bay Area

I was infuriated this weekend at finding out that the Beavers were yet again subject to our bad PR team and not enough national recognition to be accepted to a bowl UNDER the team we just beat!!

The Beavers unfortunately were the subject of bad luck and horrible policies by the bowl chairmen of the Sun Bowl by being selected to play in the Emerald Bowl at AT&T park. The bowl is still great, but we finished 3rd in the Pac-10 over the Ducks. The Eugeninites, after surviving a brutal loss at the hands of the school up north, were not only given the third place bowl game, the Sun Bowl, but they also get the higher bowl payout. All of this was set up by the snubbing of ASU for a BCS bid. Had they made it to a better bowl game, OSU likely would have been playing with Shamu.

The bright side? The Bay Area is beautiful and the park is magnificent. I have seen the Giants play there a number of times and I can not wait to rush the field after the game. The Emerald Bowl committee is excited to have us play as well. I can tell you right now that dealing with the Sun Bowl for press credentials last year was a nightmare and they could care less about anyone that wasn't an AD or a booster. Furthermore, Riley loves the idea of going to San Francisco for a bowl game. A lot of his players are from Northern California and some of them grew up very near the Bay. OSU recruits the area "like crazy'' in Riley's words.
The Beavers also play The Terrapins (6-6), an ACC team tied for fifth place in the Atlantic Division, with quality wins over No. 8 Boston College and No. 10 Rutgers. The team plays right into our strengths, as our defense plays with heart and conviction against the run, and it seems like this is the only place where the Terrapins have thrived this year. Interestingly, the Terrapins were just as beat up as we were this year and their season seemed to have mirrored our own as they came on strong towards the end. With both of us coming in healthy, we should have a slight edge.

Top 5 reasons why playing in the Emerald Bowl is muuuuuuuuuuuuch better than the Holiday and Sun Bowl

1. I don't have to change planes in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Houston and Dallas to arrive in San Francisco
2. Four Words: Mexico is further away
3. I don't think President Bush is a fan of the Terrapins
4. I actually get to see my family for Christmas
5. We get a few extra days to heal!!