Good morning/afternoon, all! I shirked work and slept like the dead (thanks, extended release muscle relaxers!) to celebrate U*NC’s delightful ass pounding last night. Now, hopefully the stars are aligned for more “forces of goodness” triumphs the rest of the week…

Birmingham Bowl – Auburn vs. Memphis (Noon, ESPN)

We will see who is more depressed to be here. Apparently this game is played in the REALLY shitty part of town (there’s a non-shitty part of Birmingham? A non-shitty part of Alabama in general?), based on reports from fans who attended when NC State played Rutgers there way back in the formative Charmslinger days. Sometimes, Aubie looks pretty good. Sometimes, they lose to 1-AA teams (or barely win in OT, I honestly can’t recall how that November game ended).

Old-Timey Dying Small Southern Town Department Store Bowl – Mississippi State vs. NC State (3:30, ESPN)

I’ve got a fever, and the only cure is…less cowbell!! My hearing is bad enough to risk further damage to EVER risk another game against the Starkville peeps, but it truly is an interesting life experience. Dak Prescott is a really good QB, which is wolven kryptonite, but I have this feeling that MSU is the team who will be all meh about being in CLT for this game, and that NC State will show up ready to make amends for their poor showing in their season finale.

Music City Bowl – Texas A&M vs. Louisville (7:00, ESPN)

This is the ACC-affiliated bowl invite that I’m always sooooo jelly about. Go to Nashville, play a decent SEC opponent. REALLY fun city, especially around the holidays. Also really looking forward to this classic “offense vs. defense” matchup between two flawed, but quite watchable teams. With the caveat that BOTH the 1st and 2nd team Aggie QBs transferred after the regular season ended. So this could end up being a tire fire of sorts, too.

Holiday Bowl – Southern Cal vs. Wisconsin (10:30, ESPN)

Remember when this game used to regularly featured undefeated BYU and 6-5 Michigan? FUN TIMES. Anyway, I’m not sure this game merits staying up until 2am on a Wednesday to watch. I mean, fucking Wisconsin, amirite?