Congressman John Campbell's Blog - Green Eyeshade Blog

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Posted by: John Campbell at 2:49 PM

In 1866, Mark Twain said that "no man's life, liberty or property is safe when the legislature is in session." Congress is now out of session so your life, liberty and property are safe until mid-January.

We engage in some pretty hard discourse on very weighty topics in this regular missive. Now, as the holidays approach, it's time to talk about something even more important and taxes, spending, war, and energy policy.

By that I mean, of course, college football.

Now I follow college football, along with NASCAR and Formula One racing. And, like politics, I am not without my opinions. In the interests of full disclosure, my two sons are both undergraduates at USC and the captivating Mrs. Campbell (my wife) did her undergraduate work there as I did my graduate work there. I'm also a USC football season ticket holder and will be going to the Rose Bowl.

OK, disclosures complete. Here are my predictions for the 5 BCS bowls ahead of us over the next few weeks:

Jan. 1, 2008 - Rose Bowl - USC vs. Illinois: USC is going to run over Illinois like Democrats over a proposal to cut a John Murtha earmark. I so wanted to see SC play Georgia or Hawaii. Oh well. SC is finally playing like the team we thought they might be early in the season and they should win by 3 touchdowns to make a statement. Go Trojans!!!

Jan. 1, 2008 - Sugar Bowl - Hawaii vs. Georgia: This is the best game of the BCS bowls and I won't be able to see it because I will be at the Rose Bowl. I would like to see Hawaii win and have an undefeated season. But I think Georgia will win. Either way, it should be even more entertaining than watching Hillary and Obama ask each other questions about illegal immigration that they both duck. Oh and by the way, Hawaii's quarterback Colt Brennan (an Orange County native) should have won the Heisman trophy. Hawaii's games are on just too late for anyone back east to see how good he is. He suffered from college football's version of not being 'inside the beltway."

Jan. 2, 2008 - Fiesta Bowl - West Virginia vs. Oklahoma: I am normally not a fan of Big 12 football, but I like Oklahoma in this game. They looked as impressive against Missouri as Mitt Romney did during his religion in government speech earlier in the month. This is my least favorite game of the BCS bowls. I'm not saying I'd rather watch C-Span, however.

Jan. 3, 2008 - Orange Bowl - Kansas vs. Virginia Tech: First of all, if I were Missouri I would be asking why a team that didn't even make it to their conference championship is playing in a BCS bowl when Missouri beat Kansas? Moving along, I think VaTech is peaking at the right time and should win this game. But I do have a soft spot for Kansas since my mother was born there and we have a family farm there.

Jan. 7, 2008 - BCS National Championship Game - Ohio State vs. LSU: Bet the farm on LSU. The Big 10 is the worst conference in football. Ohio State only has one loss because they played nobody outside of their conference and there is nobody inside their conference. Winning the big 10 this year was about as hard as getting some additional spending in a Nancy Pelosi budget bill if you promise to vote for it. LSU will win the game, but they may not be the best team in football this year. Bring on an 8 team playoff!

OK, I have probably offended more of you than I could ever do with political positions. So, reply with your picks, criticisms and agreement using the tab on this page. Never let it be said, in politics or sports, that you don't know where I stand. Want some opinions on wine and beer? J

Until some time in January, here's wishing you and yours the Happiest of Hanukkahs, The Merriest of Christmasses and the Happiest of New Years!

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Sawmiller writes:	Thursday, December, 20, 2007 10:39 PM
LSU is the best team in college football
They played the toughest schedule I have seen in the last 40 years. Their two losses were in triple overtime - something that should not exist. Overtime is an invention to make TV producers richer. By the way, Florida's schedule was almost as difficult as LSU's. Florida should be ranked in the top five. Florida would have no trouble with the likes of VT, WVA, Missouri, and similar teams that play nobody. What good is an 8 game playoff if 6 of the 8 teams get there by playing nobody, as OSU did. The argument about who is number 1 and 2 just becomes an argument about who is number 7 and 8. The solution is to rate team schedules and give that rating a far greater place in ranking teams than it is given today.
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Scott writes:	Friday, December, 21, 2007 1:52 AM
Sawmiller & Campbell / re: Ohio State
Okay guys, I get it. You don't like my Ohio State Buckeyes, and you don't respect them. They had an awful poor showing last year, and I don't think they've forgotten about that... I think coach Tressel will have them ready, and I think they'll come to play :-)
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Nate writes:	Friday, December, 21, 2007 8:13 AM
The Big 10
I agree, the Big 10 has had an off year, but the blanket statement that it is the worst in football may be a bit excessive. Are you honestly contending that the MAC is better? To be fair, the Big 10 spent the season playing within itself or against very weak non-conference opponents. We will find out a lot about its relative strength in the bowl season.
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IGoCommando writes:	Friday, December, 21, 2007 10:53 AM
Just when....
...the Big Ten is dismissed; be it basketball or football, that is exactly when they turn and make the biggest waves. So don't be so quick to bury the Big10. People residing in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks John. Don't forget how pathetic the Pac10 was for a stretch of years not that far back in history. In saying that, I hope OSU gets stomped mercilessly by LSU because I loathe the Suckeyes. If OSU was playing against Satan, I'd root for the devil. Oh wait-- They're one in the same!
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Danny writes:	Friday, December, 21, 2007 1:53 PM
WVU vs. Oklahoma
I'm a WVU grad who bleeds blue and gold, and the Fiesta Bowl is my least favorite of the BCS games this year, too. After our embarrassing "chokers of the century" loss to Pitt and the cowardly departure of our classless coach, Rich Rodriguez, the Mountaineers will be too crushed to even compete. Oklahoma will annihilate us. I haven't decided yet whether to force myself to watch the destruction.
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brettc writes:	Saturday, December, 22, 2007 12:04 AM
playoffs & best game
I sometimes dream of college football playoffs and proving that teams normally marginalized by divisional snobbery would get the chance to rub the "big" schools noses in it. They are the insiders like the beltway insiders and the Yale & harvard et al types that think they are the only places leaders can come from. So.. I'll be rooting for Hawaii to win by 21 over a very good Georgia team (with a coach I really like). If only it wern't so awkward to yell "kill 'em rainbows."
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Scott writes:	Monday, December, 24, 2007 12:48 AM
IGoCommando - that's a little harsh...
IGoCommando writes: "In saying that, I hope OSU gets stomped mercilessly by LSU because I loathe the Suckeyes. If OSU was playing against Satan, I'd root for the devil. Oh wait-- They're one in the same!" Man, you michigan fans are sore losers!
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About John Campbell

John Campbell is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, and has taken a leadership role in addressing the country's top economic issues. Campbell serves as a member of the Joint Economic Committee, and House Committee on the Budget. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from UCLA and a Master's Degree in Taxation from USC.