The Fraud Five – Bowl Edition

The Fraud Five – Bowl Edition

By Mike Kern

January 5, 2020

Fraud Five, Bowl Edition

Because, well, why not?

And because of my holiday spirit, let it be duly noted that I didn’t get too out of my way to make anyone look too bad. At least I think I tried.

Oklahoma — It’s certainly OK to lose to this year’s LSU team, especially in the national semifinals. But that doesn’t mean it’s OK to give up like 50 points in the first half. Look, the Sooners weren’t supposed to win. But the way it went down is a bad look for OU and the Big 12, which apparently doesn’t always play nearly enough defense. Is it me, or does it seem like we’ve seen this kind of game before in this kind of spot?

Utah – I know the way this stuff works. You lose a close game that would have put you into the Rose Bowl, if not even give you an outside shot at the last playoff spot, and you end up playing a game against a middle-of-the-road Texas team. In Texas. And the Longhorns had done the same thing a year earlier against a Georgia team that found itself in the same situation as Utah. But the Utes were favored by a touchdown, and lost by 28. They only scored 10. Again, not a good look for a league that needs all the positive pub it can muster.

Miami – I know Louisiana Tech has won a bunch of bowl games in a row under Skip Holtz (remember him?). And I know the game was played in Louisiana. But still, the Hurricanes were a touchdown fave. And it wasn’t so much that they lost by 14, but that they got shutout. Guess that explains why their offensive coordinator got gone the day after.

Boise State – It’s OK to lose to Washington, and your old coach, who was coaching his last game at the school. But you were the ranked team, not Washington. And you lost by 31, as a three-point dog. Sorry.

Temple – Good thing it was 10-6 early. Because the final was 55-13, against North Carolina in Annapolis. And it doesn’t help that last year the Owls lost to another ACC team, Duke (and quarterback Daniel Jones), in a similar manner. I’m guessing this wasn’t the way they wanted to head into the offseason, once more. In case you were keeping track, the line was around six. As if that mattered.

Iowa State – It’s OK to lose to Notre Dame, as a slight dog. But 33-9 is a bit excessive.

Southern Cal – Sue me. I’m adding a sixth man to the equation. I’m allowed. I write the rules. So it’s not OK to lose by 25 to Iowa in the Rose Bowl, especially after you just said you were bringing your coach back when maybe not everyone thought that was the right move. And by the way, when was the last time Iowa scored 49 against a supposedly good opponent? Just saying.

So there you have it. Hope I didn’t leave too many out, and hope that’s enough to keep you satisfied until next season gets underway in a little over eight months. Maybe I should just start doing one for every sport, every day. Anyway, thanks for paying attention. And as always, be careful out there. You never know where that next fraudulent violation may occur.