Reasons not to overlook the Citrus, TaxSlayer Bowls

It's finally here. No, I'm not talking about the conclusion to 2016, though, yes, technically that's here as well. I'm talking about the College Football Playoff, which kicks off in the afternoon this New Year's Eve with Alabama and Washington in the Peach Bowl, followed by Ohio State and Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.

However, before those games begin and well before the ball drops on 2016, there are two morning contests worth your time, and we don't want you to miss out.

Citrus Bowl
LSU (7-4, SEC) vs. Louisville (9-3, ACC)
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando
Time: Saturday, Dec. 31, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT
Channel: ABC

Since this is the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, what makes for a better BWW commercial: LSU’s coaching craziness (firing Miles in-season, chasing every big name under the sun, retaining interim coach Ed Orgeron) or Bobby Petrino’s shadiness — oh, and Lamar Jackson’s brilliance?

Shiloh Carder: Petrino. Just seeing him pitch some wings and a few frosty drinks during the NBA Finals or World Series ... then come back for the next game in the series with all those cuts and bruises and that neck brace from an off-camera accident would make me think of the good times you could have at the local B-Dubs.

Sam Greszes: Are you asking which one of those would make me want to patronize Buffalo Wild Wings more? Because if so, the answer is LSU because everything it has done in the past year has been so frustrating that I have wanted to drown my sorrows in an overpriced and oversized pitcher of terrible domestic beer. And I'm not even a fan!

The slogan would be "Buffalo Wild Wings: Hey, LSU fans, we have beer." It'd be their best ad campaign ever.

Daniel Tran: When watching Louisville games, you have to wonder whether some Buffalo Wild Wings employee really has a button to make crazy stuff happen when Lamar Jackson has the ball. That kid can tear it up on the football field.

Imagine this commercial: Bobby Petrino is at a Buffalo Wild Wings enjoying a meal when a Louisville official approaches him with documents on some suspicious activity on his phone. In a panic, Petrino pushes the Buffalo Wild Wings button, Lamar Jackson pops up and asks, “Who wants to watch me throw this pass to myself?” As everyone looks at Lamar Jackson, Petrino takes the documents and disposes of them in a fryer.

Damn, can someone order me some parmesan garlic wings? I’m starving now.

How big of a handicap is it for LSU to have Leonard Fournette sitting out the game?

Shiloh Carder: Well, they've played without Fournette before, soooooo. Seriously, he is such a major threat that not having him dressed for this one is a serious setback for the Tigers.

Sam Greszes: So have you ever gone bowling with a friend who's a better bowler than you? And then they refuse to play with you unless you agree to let them have the gutter bumpers up for their turns but not yours?

It's kind of like that.

Also I need to pick some new friends to go bowling with.

Daniel Tran: Surprisingly, as good as Leonard Fournette has been, he hasn’t even been their best back this year. Derrius Guice leads the Tigers in rushing with 1,249 yards and 14 touchdowns. Fournette has been dinged up a couple times earlier in the year, which has affected his numbers, but Guice has topped Fournette in average yards per carry as well.

Not having Fournette in the lineup prevents the Tigers from having two stud running backs, which will not be ideal. I would say they are worse by three points without him. However, they are in good hands if Guice can continue his production.

Mascot edge: LSU utilizes a real, live tiger named Mike as its mascot. Louisville uses someone dressed in a cardinal costume. Give me the tiger every day of the week.

TaxSlayer Bowl
Georgia Tech (8-4, ACC) vs. Kentucky (7-5, SEC)
Location: EverBank Field, Jacksonville
Time: Saturday, Dec. 31, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT
Channel: ESPN

With all due respect to both teams, can we discuss Georgia Tech OL Eason Fromayan making this his last game and spending his senior season training to get on a NASCAR pit crew? Going a step further, which famous football alumnus from each school would make the best NASCAR driver and why?

Shiloh Carder: Hey, you go to college to find yourself, and Fromayan wants to find himself in a NASCAR pit crew. He's been a lifelong racing fan who will be getting his degree, and pit crews are full of former athletes. Do what you love.

Famous alumni who could be a NASCAR driver? How about Jeff Foxworthy for Georgia Tech and DeMarcus Cousins for Kentucky?  Foxworthy would be a god in NASCAR culture and would be a great post-race interview. I just want to see Cousins get into a one of those classic NASCAR scuffles.

Sam Greszes: For Kentucky, I have to go with Tim Couch. Quarterbacking the Cleveland Browns for years has given him a lot of practice at going around in circles, not accomplishing anything of note.

On the Georgia Tech side, it's pretty clear that the pick is Calvin "Megatron" Johnson, because if the Transformers series is anything to go by, he has some experience defeating other cars in battle.

Daniel Tran: According to the NCAA, only about 1 percent of NCAA football players will become NFL players. Fromayan just realized his true passion before he wasted his time trying to be in that very exclusive club.

If you don’t think being in a pit crew is athletic, you really haven’t watched NASCAR and how they bust their butts to take a car apart and put it back together in less than 20 seconds. Pit crew members also get compensated pretty well, making around $83,000 per race. With 36 races per year in NASCAR, that’s a pretty good living for sometimes watching car crashes, instead of being involved in one every play in the NFL.

Mascot edge: I foresee a Ramblin' Wreck of Yeallow Jackets wreaking all kinds of havoc on cats of any kind, including Wildcats.