EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

Reactions: Bowl Games

Users share thoughts on favorite matchups

Some CNNSI.com users are more excited about the Miami-Florida Sugar Bowl matchup than the Oklahoma-FSU Orange Bowl. AP

Everyone has there favorite bowl game and reasons for watching it. We asked CNNSI.com users to tell us just which games they were looking forward to seeing, and now we want to share a sample of the responses with you:

Miami versus Florida in the Sugar Bowl will be the best bowl game of the New Year. Both teams have similar defensive styles, and both quarterbacks are talented beyond recognition and have stellar throwing arms. This will be a high-scoring game, maybe in the mid-40s to low-50s, and the special teams will be the ones who will shine the most.
Brian Holt, Dearborn, Mich.

To me, there's no better bowl than Florida-Miami. Not only is it simply a great game, matching up some of the best athletes in the nation, but it's got all the storylines you could want. The rivalry has lost some heat since it dropped off, but it'll pick up right where it left off. Also, there's the possibility for extreme controversy if Miami can pull of a big win. Florida has a young, talented team, and Miami is fueled with emotion to try and win part of the title they should be playing for. It's better than watching a team that lost to Miami play against Oklahoma for the whacked-up BCS pollsters.
Rob Stevens, Longwood, Fla.

How does a Top 25 team, with a record of 10-1, get left out of a bowl game? Toledo had wins over Penn State, Navy, Marshall and seven other teams. You tell me what bowl I should look forward to.
Rockets, Youngstown, Ohio

I was looking forward to seeing the Sugar Bowl, Rose Bowl and maybe the Orange Bowl. However, I am so disgusted with the BCS bowls that I will probably watch the Rose Bowl and the Gator Bowl (if it's even shown on the West Coast). The selection of Notre Dame rather than Virginia Tech shows that the pick for the bowls is based upon money, not skill. If even one team is snubbed because of money, the whole system is flawed. When you have something that is flawed, you usually fix it or get rid of it.
Richard Miles, Seattle

I am looking forward to the Sun Bowl. Yes, I know it is not the most glamorous bowl of the season, but there is also no controversy surrounding it, either. Wisconsin is my favorite college football team, and I was disappointed when it fell on hard times this year. We all had high expectations for them to be in the BCS at the end of this season. Now, in a way, I am glad they aren't. The team is going to be able to go out, play UW football and once again triumph against a Pac-10 team.
Ripcord, Tomahawk, Wis.

The Humanitarian Bowl, played in beautiful Boise, will be one of the best games this bowl season. Honoring athletes who have given back to their fans and society, the H-Bowl focuses on the positives of sport. The game will feature two outstanding offenses and fired-up Texas and Idaho supporters. There is no doubt that the Big West Champion Boise State Broncos and WAC Co-Champ UTEP Miners will light up the Idaho sky!
Ken Jenkins, Boise, Idaho

Oregon versus Texas should not only be a great match-up on the field between two high-powered offenses, but it represents the subtle underlying things that make college football so great. Sure, both schools feature talented quarterbacks and big-play receivers. But Oregon and Texas couldn't be more different. It's one of those matchups that represents a clash of cultures as much as it does of football teams. One school is a traditional powerhouse, the other is an under-recognized up-and-comer. It's mountains and valleys against flat plains of wheat. One school's most famous runner is Earl Campbell, the others is Steve Prefontaine. It's Bush versus Gore. Timber and oil. Green versus burnt orange. Rainstorms against tornadoes. It is the stuff that college football classics are made of.
Jay, Reno, Nev.

It's not one of the most nationally known match-ups, but I think the Las Vegas Bowl (UNLV-Arkansas) is one of the best stories in the nation. John Robinson has turned a once hopeless program, (0-11 in 1998) into a bowl team in just two years. I understand Lou Holtz has done a good job down there at USC, but the job Robinson has done is phenomenal. He has turned a one-time basketball town into a football-frenzied city. Also watch for sophomore quarterback Jason Thomas for future Heisman considerations.
Mike Cluka, Las Vegas

The Gator Bowl! What more could you ask for? You have the two most electrifying quarterbacks in college football facing off in Clemson's Woody Dantzler and Virginia Tech's Michael Vick! Both not only have good passing games and wide-open offenses, but they are exciting runners who make people miss tackles. Both are one-man highlight reels!
Chris Pack, Spartanburg, S.C.

I am looking forward to the Alamo Bowl. Finally, we get to see the two best conferences match up. The Big XII and the Big Ten don't play each other enough. On one side you have Nebraska, a perennial power in the college football world. On the other side, you have a Cinderella team in Northwestern, which, in my opinion, has the best running back in the nation. The option offense versus the spread offense. It doesn't get any better than that. Besides that, Nebraska will bring a boatload of fans, as usual, and I think the city of Chicago has got to be pretty excited about Northwestern. How often do they get to play a team like Nebraska outside of the Big Ten? It is too bad these teams couldn't have matched up in a BCS Bowl. In terms of the quality of the game, I think this might be the best one out there, along with Miami-Florida. These two teams might see each other again in the game for the Roses next year, as they both bring back a load of talent. In fact, it might be Crouch versus Anderson for the Heisman also. Both teams will avenge their conference losses from this year and will be the talk of college football in 2001. I have to also give a plug to the city of San Antonio. This has to be one of the best bowl destinations possible. The whole Riverwalk area is a blast for all of the fans attending and the price of the tickets is low, too. I see Nebraska winning the game 38-28, but maybe even closer than that.
Tim Proctor, St. Louis

I will be attending the Mobile Alabama Bowl. You have the nation's leading rusher facing one of the nations best run defenses. Two teams that were on the verge of being ranked in the Top 10. Southern Miss has played with a lot of injuries and a patched-up offensive line, and it still managed to be ranked a majority of the season. They have a tight end that used to be a quarterback, and another one who is now injured that was converted to guard! Conference USA is a conference on the move, with teams like Louisville, East Carolina, Cincinati and Southern Miss on deck for national prominence. TCU will be a full member of C-USA next year. With the exception of this season, Southern Miss has been on top of C-USA. I personally feel that this is a matchup of two of the most underrated teams in Division I-A football. Finally, it will be fun to watch and see how the Alabama faithful welcome "Franc" in Mobile.
Anthony Richardson, Atlanta

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.