Tag Archives: 12 Bowls of Christmas

With each couple of Bowl games played, a new staffer on a hot streak in the 12 BOWLS OF CHRISTMAS contest emerges.  After losing his first 4 picks, ORB CFO Rick Schwartz reeled off 5 straight wins before the Miami Hurricanes got man-handled by Wisconsin last night in the Champs Sports Bowl.  The latest  to catch fire is ORB marketing guru Cassidy Moore (pictured right of the gentleman), who has won 4 straight, after being the lone employee to pick the Badgers to win last night.  Meanwhile, I have lost 3 of my last 4 (You killed me Temple!) and feel the heat from the ORB Arizona Alumni triumvirate!  Word on the street is that Marc, Rick, and Cassidy, will all be in San Diego tonight to watch the Holiday Bowl featuring Arizona and Nebraska (I've got the Huskers!).  Here are the updated standings:

Andy 7-3         Cassidy 6-4         Marc 5-5         Rick 5-5

With all the hoopla surrounding the Urban Meyer resignation, non-resignation, leave of absence nonsense (actually made Tiger Woods a footnote for a few days!), and the Tim Tebow era at Florida coming to an and chatter, AND former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly headed to Notre Dame chatter, the media in its lust to make a big story a behemoth of a story, has forgotten about something:  THE CINCINNATI BEARCATS ARE 12-0, AND WILL BEAT THE FLORIDA GATORS IN THE SUGAR BOWL! Now that will be a behemoth of a story. Bearcats - 35, Gators - 18. (Marc, Cassidy & Rick all have Florida & I'm home alone with Cincy)

The Grandaddy of them all features the Oregon Ducks versus the Ohio State Buckeyes.  The last time these teams met in the Rose Bowl was 1958, and Oregon quarterback Jack Crabtree won the Outstanding Player of the game award in a losing cause, as the Buckeyes were outplayed in every aspect of the game, but still managed to win 10-7.  The Ohio State defense has been stellar this year, but Oregon will outplay the Buckeyes again, and this time they will win behind Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli & freshman running back LaMichael James.  Ducks - 21, Buckeyes - 20. (All staff picking Oregon)

Have to feel for Bobby Bowden this year.  He really doesn't deserve the beating he's taken from the press and fans, after being such a positive force for Florida State and college football for the past 50+ years (388-129-4 record!).  Will have to add a little more sympathy after West Virginia caps another beat down on the Seminoles in the Gator Bowl, at the hands of senior quarterback Jarrett Brown.  The Mountaineers put together a solid season, while FSU was plain lousy.  Sorry Bobby.  West Virginia - 28, FSU - 13. (Cassidy on her own with FSU pick)

While we are discussing legendary coaches, Joe Paterno (393-129-3!) put such chatter of his demise to bed a few years back by winning 50 games (13 losses) since going 4-7 in 2004.  The Penn State Nittany Lions go into the Capital One Bowl versus the LSU Tigers boasting one of the strongest defenses in the country.  Meanwhile, LSU has been very inconsistent running and passing all year.  It's weird that I am a complete SEC snob, yet I have Florida AND LSU losing?  Penn State - 24, LSU - 17. (All by myself in picking Penn State)

And now we can add Auburn to the list......The Tigers lost their last 2 games of the season, while the Northwestern Wildcats stunned Big-Ten rivals # 4 Iowa with a victory, and then finished off their schedule with a huge win over Wisconsin.  Big "Mo" is with the 'Cats in the Outback Bowl.  Northwestern - 23, Auburn - 21. (All by myself again picking Northwestern)

Enjoy the action tonight, and please check back tomorrow for more picks.

7  College Bowl games down, 19 to go.  Original Retro Brand CFO Rick Schwartz turned his 0-4 frown upside down, by picking the winner in all 3 contests on the slate this past weekend (Pitt, USC & Clemson).  Marc, Cassidy, and Andy each went 2-1, and the standings in the "ORB 12 BOWLS OF CHRISTMAS" contest look like this as the "meat" of the schedule starts tonight, with the Georgia Bulldogs taking on the Texas A&M Aggies in the Independence Bowl:

Andy 6-1         Cassidy 3-4         Marc 3-4         Rick 3-4

It was tough being a Dawg fan this season (annihilated by Florida & Tennessee & losing to Kentucky?).  Knocking off in-state rival and eventual ACC Champion Georgia Tech (on the Jackets home turf), did ease some of the pain.  The Dawgs have won 10 times in their last 12 Bowl games.  This does not bode well for the Aggies, who've dropped three of their last four games.  I have to give this one to Georgia.  UGA - 35, Texas A&M - 20.

The UCLA Bruins take on the Temple Owls in the Eaglebank Bowl tomorrow afternoon in the nation's capital.  After losing their first 2 games of the season, the Owls went on a rampage,winning 9 straight.  Freshman workhorse Bernard Pierce rushed for over 1,300 yards including back-to-back 200 yard games against Toledo and Navy.  The UCLA offense on the other hand, has no standout player to shoulder the load this year, and were flat out inconsistent the entire season.  Temple - 28, UCLA  - 17.

The Miami Hurricanes had the unenviable task of opening their season with 4 straight games against ranked teams.  After emerging with 3 wins, including a 1-point epic victory over # 8 Oklahoma, the "U" was officially back on the national scene as a legitimate contender for the National title.  Sophomore sensation Jacory Harris threw for over 3,000 yards, and the future for the Canes is very bright indeed.  The Wisconsin Badgers match up almost identically on paper with Miami in most categories.  Running back John Clay is a bona fide stud with over 1,000 yards rushing for the "Greatful Red," but there is one glaring difference between the two teams;  Miami knocked off 3 ranked teams, and Wisconsin lost both of their games versus ranked teams (Ohio State & Iowa).  Miami - 24, Wisconsin - 20.

This next one has been eating me up on many levels.  Arizona vs. Nebraska.  I still have vivid memories of  one of my favorite college players ever, in Cornhusker Heisman winner Johnny Rodgers.  I am friends in "real life" with Jarvis Redwine -  the first running back to ever rush for back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons for Nebraska.  Red is my favorite color.  GO HUSKERS!!  Hold on a minute....  The folks I work for all went to the University of Arizona, and dare I bite the hand that feeds me?  I was lucky enough to visit the University of Arizona campus about 25 years ago, and I still can't understand how kids get any work done there.  Palm trees & plush manicured lawns with the majestic Catalina Mountains for a backdrop, seem an unlikely place to do anything but go on vacation.  A vacation is where the Wildcats football team seems to have been the past ten years, before putting together back-to-back 8 win seasons in 2008-2009.  The Cats let a huge victory slip through their fingers against Oregon, but really showed they had heart by closing out the season with impressive wins against home state rival Arizona State, and the equally hated USC Trojans.  GO CATS!!  I really like both teams, but I am still bitter that Ndamukong Suh didn't win the Heisman Trophy this year.  Nebraska was also one tic away from knocking off # 2 Texas and for those reason's I'm picking Big Red to win in a close one.  Nebraska - 27, Arizona - 24.

Despite picking the Cornhuskers, I believe I will still have a job tomorrow, enabling me the opportunity to bring you more bowl picks.  Enjoy the game tonight, and HONKER DOWN YOU HAIRY DAWGS!!

Original Retro Brand CFO Rick Schwartz correctly stated, "It's not how you start, but how you finish..." in regard to the * last 12 Bowls of Christmas Bowl contest update.  Rick was 0-2 at the time, and with BYU crushing Oregon State this past Tuesday, and Utah's comeback drubbing of CAL last night (Let's here it for the Mountain West Conference-Woo-Hoo!),  his record remains unblemished in the win column at 0-4.  With 22 Bowl games left on the pick list, he has plenty of time to come back and win (heck, Utah was down 14 - 0 before storming back to victory..), but he needs to notch a few w's soon.  I have a very good feeling with these next batch of games through the Christmas weekend, Rick will finally get off the shnicky:

It may be difficult for the Pitt Panthers to get up for North Carolina in the upcoming Car Care Bowl, after ending an otherwise very strong season with 2 losses at home to West Virginia and Cincinnati.  Pitt played their hearts out in those losses however, and they were certainly close enough games that could have ended up as wins.  Stud Freshman of the year, Dion Lewis, rushed for over 100 yards 9 times (1,600 yards for a 5.5 average per carry for the season) without dropping the rock even once.  Look for more of the same from Lewis against a pretty decent defensive front from the Tar Heels.  PITT-35, UNC-28.

Do the USC Trojans even deserve to be in a Bowl game?  After complete domination and one-sided losses at the hands of Oregon and Stanford, one might say no to that question.  Let's get back to reality.  These are still the USC Trojans, and they still beat Ohio State and 2 other ranked teams during the season.  They take on Boston College in the Emerald Bowl this Saturday, and while BC had a pretty good year overall (8-4), they were not able to win any big games on their schedule (losses to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame & North Carolina).  I think Pete Carroll and USC take out their non-USC like season frustrations out on the Eagles in a big way.  USC-45, BC-14.

The Clemson Tigers limp into the Music City Bowl, after losing back to back games to interstate rival South Carolina, and then the ACC Championship to Georgia Tech.  The Kentucky Wildcats had reeled off 3 straight victories before losing their last game of the season in overtime to Tennessee.  I believe the Wildcats have more "Mo" than the the Tigers.  Superfreak C.J. Spiller may rush for 200 yards and return a kickoff for a touchdown, but it won't be enough for Clemson.  Kentucky has won 3 consecutive Bowl games dating back to 2006 when they defeated Clemson in the Music City Bowl, and I believe history will repeat itself.  Kentucky-28, Clemson-21.

My fellow staff members in this contest are free to comment on my picks in the "comment" section at the end of this post, and offer their own thoughts.  I'd like to get your thoughts too, so have at it...

Here is a recap of the Original Retro Brand STAFF Picks....

MARC               RICK              CASSIDY              ANDY               BOWL GAME

Wyoming          Fresno           Fresno                  Wyoming          (New Mexico Bowl)
UCF                 UCF               Rutgers                 Rutgers         (St. Petersburg Bowl)
Oregon State    Oregon State  Oregon State         BYU         (Las Vegas Bowl)
CAL                 CAL               CAL                      Utah         (Poinsettia Bowl)
UNC                 PITT              PITT                      PITT         (Car Care Bowl)
USC                 USC              BC                        USC         (Emerald Bowl)
Clemson           Clemson        Clemson                Kentucky         (Music City Bowl)
UGA                 UGA              UGA                     UGA         **(Independence Bowl)
UCLA               UCLA              UCLA                    Temple         (Eaglebank Bowl)
Miami               Miami            Wisconsin             Miami         (Sports Bowl)
Arizona            Arizona           Arizona                 Nebraska         (Holiday Bowl)
Oklahoma        Oklahoma       Oklahoma              Stanford         (Sun Bowl)                 VTech              VTech            Tennessee             VTech         (Chic-Fil-A Bowl)

Iowa State         Minnesota         Minnesota         Minnesota         (Insight Bowl)
Texas Tech       Texas Tech       Texas Tech        Michigan State    (Alamo Bowl)
Auburn              Auburn             Auburn              Northwestern         (Outback Bowl)
LSU                  LSU                 LSU                  Penn State         (Capital One Bowl)
West Virginia     West Virginia    Florida State     West Virginia         (Gator Bowl)
Oregon              Oregon            Oregon              Oregon               *** (Rose Bowl)
Navy                  Missouri          Missouri            Navy                   (Texas Bowl)
Florida               Florida             Florida              Cincinnati         (Sugar Bowl)
South Carolina   South Carolina  South Carolina   UCONN         (Papa John Bowl)
Okl. State          Okl.State         Ole Miss           Okl. State         (Cotton Bowl)
TCU                   TCU                Boise State        TCU                (Fiesta Bowl)
Georgia Tech      Georgia Tech    Iowa                 Georgia Tech         (Orange Bowl)
Texas                 Alabama          Alabama           Texas         (BCS Championship)

* *Nobody picked Texas A&M  *** Nobody picked Ohio State

Records as of this post….

Marc 1-3         Rick 0-4         Cassidy 1-3         Andy 4-0

So enjoy the action, and check back Monday for another update.  We really get into the bowels of the Bowls next week, kicking off with Georgia vs. Texas A&M and ending 15 games later on Sunday, January 2nd, with Michigan State vs. Texas Tech.....then the finale week leading up to Texas vs. Alabama.

I want to thank all of the folks who have sent in e-mails, and are participating in this 12 Bowls of Christmas contest, and all of the folks who have supported The Original Retro Brand this past year.  And with that, I will close out by saying, MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!

*Click here for contest details

For the second 12 Bowls of Christmas, the Original Retro Brand will give to you....Our expert football picks and  a chance to WIN 2 FREE Original Retro Brand shirts!!

Last week, the ORB staff laid out their picks for a baker's dozen of College Bowl games, and today we will add another 13.  The stakes are high.  The staff member who wins the most games outright, will receive a Christmas Laurel, and hardy handshake.  The staff member who loses the most games outright, will have to count shirts, and do inventory in the Original Retro Brand warehouse.  The warehouse is not small.  More importantly, however, is that each staff member will be playing on behalf of customers that have e-mailed in which ORB person they think will pick the most games correctly (26 total).  The customer who backs the winner, will receive 2 FREE Original Retro Brand shirts of their choice.  All four staff members have received at least one vote of confidence, so GAME ON!!!

Here is a recap of games picked last week:

MARC               RICK              CASSIDY              ANDY               BOWL GAME

Wyoming          Fresno           Fresno                  Wyoming          (New Mexico Bowl)
UCF                 UCF               Rutgers                 Rutgers         (St. Petersburg Bowl)
Oregon State    Oregon State  Oregon State         BYU         (Las Vegas Bowl)
CAL                 CAL               CAL                      Utah         (Poinsettia Bowl)
UNC                 PITT              PITT                      PITT         (Car Care Bowl)
USC                 USC              BC                        USC         (Emerald Bowl)
Clemson           Clemson        Clemson                Kentucky         (Music City Bowl)
UGA                 UGA              UGA                     UGA         *(Independence Bowl)
UCLA               UCLA              UCLA                    Temple         (Eaglebank Bowl)
Miami               Miami            Wisconsin             Miami         (Sports Bowl)
Arizona            Arizona           Arizona                 Nebraska         (Holiday Bowl)
Oklahoma        Oklahoma       Oklahoma              Stanford         (Sun Bowl)                 VTech              VTech            Tennessee             VTech         (Chic-Fil-A Bowl)

The remaining 13....

Iowa State         Minnesota         Minnesota         Minnesota         (Insight Bowl)
Texas Tech       Texas Tech       Texas Tech        Michigan State    (Alamo Bowl)
Auburn              Auburn             Auburn              Northwestern         (Outback Bowl)
LSU                  LSU                 LSU                  Penn State         (Capital One Bowl)
West Virginia     West Virginia    Florida State     West Virginia         (Gator Bowl)
Oregon              Oregon            Oregon              Oregon               ** (Rose Bowl)
Navy                  Missouri          Missouri            Navy                   (Texas Bowl)
Florida               Florida             Florida              Cincinnati         (Sugar Bowl)
South Carolina   South Carolina  South Carolina   UCONN         (Papa John Bowl)
Okl. State          Okl.State         Ole Miss           Okl. State         (Cotton Bowl)
TCU                   TCU                Boise State        TCU                (Fiesta Bowl)
Georgia Tech      Georgia Tech    Iowa                 Georgia Tech         (Orange Bowl)
Texas                 Alabama          Alabama           Texas         (BCS Championship)

* Nobody picked Texas A&M  ** Nobody picked Ohio State

Records as of this post.....

Marc 1-1                     Rick 0-2               Cassidy 1-1                   Andy 2-0

Hey, I have to boast a blistering start while I have the chance...Only 24 games to go....Be sure to stay tuned to this blog, the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fanpage & Twitter, for daily updates on all of these bowl games, leading up to and including the championship game.  I invite my fellow combatants to throw in their two cents on the comment section at the end of this blog whenever they deem fit, as this is going to be a battle royale.

Let's take a quick look at tonight's match up in the Las Vegas Bowl:  BYU comes in off a big win over Utah, while Oregon State lost a shot at the Rose Bowl going down to Oregon.  Surely the Beavers had a tougher schedule in the Pac-10, but I go back to BYU's opening day victory over the Oklahoma Sooners as more important, and believe they will finish with a nice win to bookend the season.  BYU - 28, OREGON STATE 23

The Poinsettia Bowl tomorrow pits aforementioned Utah vs. the CAL Bears.  It's hard to figure out which CAL team will show up....the smokin' hot team that knocked off consecutive wins over tough Arizona & Stanford teams, or the squad that got spanked by a lousy Washington team 42-10 to finish out the season?   Utah fought a bitter battle in a losing cause to BYU to finish up their regular schedule.  Without CAL  standout running back Jahvid Best suiting up, I believe the Utes will have the upper hand.  UTAH: 35, CAL 17.

Good luck to all, and talk to you tomorrow!

We've just received our 3rd entry for week # 6, in the "ORB IN ACTION" photo contest from Samantha By of Evanston, Illinois.  Samantha is following in her brother Bobby's footsteps by entering the contest.  Bobby sent in his entry last week.  Check out her photo and what she had to say:

"Hi, I’m a student at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.  Here I am with my sister (I’m on the left) and we're getting ready for the holidays by finishing up a gingerbread house.  Special thanks to Northwestern Alumni Association’s website for being super easy to use so I could make this greeting card.  We both love our Northwestern ORB shirts.  I’m always getting compliments on how cute the shirt is.  I just love this logo and have not seen any other shirt that features Willie, the way this shirt does.

Also, I’m thinking that you’re going to be the overall winner of the bowl contest.  Good luck.

Happy Holidays"

Thanks for the excellent entry Samantha (and extra thanks for your vote of confidence in the 12 Bowls of Christmas contest.. I'll do my best to make you a winner!), and good luck on Monday when we announce the results for week # 6!!

Remember folks, we’re only accepting entries up until Monday,December 28th, so send em’ in today!! Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We’ll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt!  A new winner will be announced this Monday for week # 6, with the final Monday being December 28th.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year’s Day.  The Grand Prize will be your choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts.  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.  We need more entries NOW for week # 6, so please send them in TODAY!!!

For the first 12 Bowls of Christmas, the Original Retro Brand will give to you.......Our expert football picks (and a chance to win 2 FREE Original Retro Brand tees)!!

For most of the College football season, you have been blessed with only my superfluous insight and expertise at picking the weekly winners of the most significant games.  Reality painted a picture of mediocrity however (expertise duth not equal a record of 23-23!), and therefore it is time to bring in some fresh perspective for the REALLY SIGNIFICANT games.

I figured why not go to the folks in my own backyard, and have a little fun.  With that in mind, I summoned Original Retro Brand CEO Marc Herman, CFO Rick Schwartz, and VP of Marketing & Licensing, Cassidy Moore, to have them join me in picking the winners of the upcoming Bowl games.  We'll keep it simple  for you too, ok?  (Who has time to break down every single game in detail anyway?  WE MAKE SHIRTS!!).  We'll just give you each person's list of who will win each game.  I will keep a tally up to, and including the BCS Championship game, and then post the winner.  The winner will receive a laurel and hardy handshake, and the loser will have to go to the Original Retro Brand warehouse and do inventory (have you seen how many shirts we have?!!).   You can win 2 Original Retro Brand shirts by sending yours truly an e-mail (andyphyman@gmail.com) no later than this Monday evening, 12/21/09, advising on which Original Retro Brand "expert" will be the overall winner!!  Any ties will be broken by picking names out of an Original Retro Brand hat.  So.......here are the Bowls and the ORB expert's picks:

MARC              RICK              CASSIDY              ANDY              BOWL GAME

Wyoming          Fresno           Fresno                  Wyoming          (New Mexico Bowl)
UCF                 UCF               Rutgers                 Rutgers         (St. Petersburg Bowl)
Oregon State    Oregon State  Oregon State         BYU         (Las Vegas Bowl)
CAL                 CAL               CAL                      Utah         (Poinsettia Bowl)
UNC                 PITT              PITT                      PITT         (Car Care Bowl)
USC                 USC              BC                        USC         (Emerald Bowl)
Clemson           Clemson        Clemson                Kentucky         (Music City Bowl)
UGA                 UGA              UGA                     UGA         *(Independence Bowl)
UCLA               UCLA              UCLA                    Temple         (Eaglebank Bowl)
Miami               Miami            Wisconsin             Miami         (Sports Bowl)
Arizona            Arizona           Arizona                 Nebraska         (Holiday Bowl)
Oklahoma        Oklahoma       Oklahoma              Stanford         (Sun Bowl)                 VTech              VTech            Tennessee             VTech         (Chic-Fil-A Bowl)

Don't ye fret, lest you think we've forgotten the rest of the BIG BOWL games.  This is just a taste to get warmed up for New Year's Day & beyond.  Look for those picks next week.   Remember it's time for gift giving, so send us an e-mail, and maybe you'll be receiving the gift of Original Retro Brand.

*nobody picked Texas A&M

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