This year’s Poinsettia Bowl, officially titled the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, will kick off on December 23, 2009 at 8pm. The bowl was created in 1995 and was created by the organizers of the Holiday Bowl, and this year’s bowl is slated to feature a team from the Pac-10 against the Mountain West Conference. Of course, this can change depending on whether the initial conferences have enough bowl-eligible teams. In 2008, Boise State replaced the Pac-10 bid since the Pac-10 did not have enough eligible teams. The bowl game is played in San Diego, and due to it’s proximity to several military installations, often tries to consider military academies highly. The first Poinsettia Bowl Navy in a high octane offensive showcase, where the Midshipmen defeated Colorado State 51-30.
TCU has won the bowl twice, and in the short history of the bowl, TCU and Navy are the teams with the most Poinsettia Bowl appearances. Although the first two bowl games were relative blowouts, the two since then have been extremely close games. In 2007, Utah defeated Navy by a mere three points, 35-32. However, the next year, TCU defeated Boise State by an even slimmer margin, winning by a single point, 17-16. TCU had trailed the first three quarters of the game before managing to score a fourth quarter touchdown which put them in the lead for good.
Since the Poinsettia Bowl is played in San Diego, it’s natural that many fans will want to attend the events surrounding the game, enjoying the famous beautiful San Diego weather and attractions. The festivities start on December 20, with Team Day at Sea World, when the Mountain West Conference team is scheduled to attend. But, the at-large team isn’t left out; they have their own Team Day at the San Diego Zoo on the same day. There’s more fun on December 21 at the Miramar Speed Circuit, where players and coaches will race each other on karts at the quarter-mile asphalt track.
The San Diego Gaslamp Quarter will host the the Poinsettia Bowl March Through the Gaslamp on December 21, which will feature marching bands and spirit squads on a parade from each end of Fifth Avenue. The bands will meet at Market Street and engage in a Battle of the Bands to finish off the March. The AT…T Team Luncheon will be held on December 22 and gives college football fans a chance to dine with the players.
Game day festivities include a VIP Tailgate Party at the stadium and a pre-game show on the field. Once the game kicks off, it will be televised across the country on ESPN.
Although some fans find the college bowl system not to their liking, it does give teams who have had success during the season to enjoy their wins and possibly end their season on a winning note. While many fans and sports analysts would like to see the bowl system revised to use a more traditional playoff system, there’s no question that the college bowl atmosphere is a lot of fun.
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