Hawai'i Can Afford It Now

Good news: Hawai'i did get something good out of the Sugar Bowl, besides an expensive vacation to New Orleans to watch a blowout. The Warriors received a record bowl payout for a non-BCS team, $4.4 million. After the expense of transporting the team, band, and hula girls from the islands to New Orleans, the team is expected to net about $2.2 million.

Maybe that will be enough to reassemble Colt Brennan from that pile of agonized body parts under Marcus Howard into a functioning NFL backup QB.

Quinton

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Sugar Hangover

Kevin Cox/Getty Images

I don't have any insightful game analysis. I have yet to watch the game again and I didn't pay super close attention to the game after somewhere around the middle of the first quarter, or when I realized what was about to happen. You already know what happened. We were focused. We were stronger. We were faster. A workman-like destruction of a team that was overwhelmed from the beginning. I can't remember feeling that concerned for an opposing quarterback's health since we left Auburn's Gabe Gross a bloody heap in 1998.

After I watch the game, I guess I should have plenty of bad things to say about the FOX broadcast. I had one friend say that he couldn't watch much of the game with the sound on because of FOX's coverage. He said he might rather have Lincoln Financial doing the game than FOX. Orson ripped Thom Brennaman repeatedly yesterday as well. If last night's Fiesta Bowl is any indication, I can look forward to repeated iso shots of the Bud Light sign in the stadium.

A few thoughts on the atmosphere:

1. I really enjoyed the street preachers at Canal and Bourbon screaming at all the "sinners" and "drunkards" making their way from the bars to the Superdome. They told me that Jesus hates football when I went by them and I responded with a "Jesus loves the Dawgs, though. He loves everybody." They then yelled at me about damnation through a megaphone. Jonathan Edwards would have been proud of those guys.

2. Paul has already covered this, but the Hawai'i fans certainly deserved a tip of the hat. Paul hopes to have more on this soon. Almost all traveled a titanic distance to watch the game and enjoy New Orleans. Then when they got there, they cheered for their guys the whole game, even when they were getting beaten badly. Afterward, each one I talked to was polite and courteous, acknowledging that the Dawgs were a great team and that they lost to a much better group of athletes. No excuses. I wasn't sure what to make of the Warrior fans before the game, but they showed themselves to be a great group of devoted fans, willing to support their team with time and serious dollars, even when they're getting waylayed from all angles. Until we meet again, Go Warriors.

3. We may have booed their band before the game (along with President Adams and Ray Nagin), but there was no booing Hawai'i's throng of hula dancing girls. I'm generally a critic of dance lines, but those hula girls were a lot of fun to watch.

4. LSU fan was out to announce his presence on Bourbon Street. I saw at least two LSU mobs chanting "L-S-U" and "Tiger Bait" at fans of both persuasions. I hope no Dawg fans were at the Peach Bowl harassing Auburn or Clemson fans for their New Year's Eve amusement.

5. Is it me or is every bowl halftime show the same? An amalgam of high school bands playing one song loudly and repeatedly. Seriously, can we get some frisbee chasing dogs? I'd even take twenty minutes of the ha'a dance or the hula girls. Anything but a huge group of high school kids in mismatching uniforms.

Quinton

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DawgPost.com video recaps

Immediate Post Game from Dean Legge of Dawgpost.com

DawgPost also has a "photo story" on Youtube. Pretty cool, but it needs audio. Well...not summer camp "Friends are Friends Forever" Audio. But maybe Back in Black or the Men in Black Theme.

PWD

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UGA's punter vs. Hawaii's Linebacker

This sorta sums the whole thing up. You could argue that Mimbs kinda sucker punched him a bit. But really....he was clobbering the punter away from the play like that with the same intent as Mimbs took with his response. I think it speaks volumes that our punter so completely unimpressed with the Warriors (sic) that he went after their linebacker.

ht - dawgjack

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Your Volcano God Can't Save You Now

White Sugar Bowl Champions Shirt. Click to Buy

DawgPost.com beat me to the headline of the day "Aloha Means Blowout." Dawgnoxious, Quinton and I are are all in transit today, so it's unclear how much posting you'll get. Probably very little. Check DawgBone.net for all the headlines. Or just visit the store for Sugar Bowl Championship shirts, hats, sweatshirts, you name it. Go Dawgs. Go Willie Martinez! Go Marcus Howard! Go...well...everything related to 2008.


Black Magic Sugar Bowl Champs Shirt
BTW -- the Hawaii fans we ran into were a class bunch. The horror stories of the Miami Hurricane style NFLish fans didn't really show up. We asked some folks about that, and they said, "The fans you see walking around NOLA aren't necessarily the folks you see on TV at the games. Those folks can't afford this trip." The Hawaii fans represented their school well in the Big Easy. They proudly sported their colors, and they were generally pretty cool. Although, I did have to laugh at all the "UNDEFEATED" Shirts we saw all week. I mean really...wasn't that jumping the gun just a little?

As for UGA Fans, we BROUGHT THE CROWD. I felt like we had a MUCH larger crowd this time than the 2002 Sugar Bowl despite playing a much less "sexy" opponent. More on all that later. We have a lot to be proud of.

PWD

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More Video & Team Mindset

Dave Gladow's Saturday practice video makes me feel better about the Sugar Bowl. At the very end, reporters ask Coach Richt about the team's prep and if the Dawgs are taking Hawai'i more seriously their opponent last time we went to the Sugar Bowl. Richt says the team learned from the West Virginia game and has had a "different edge" in their bowl preparations. An edge that was evidently missing from our last Sugar Bowl trip. That puts me at ease a bit. If we play a good game and they beat us, so be it. But, a sloppy, ill-coached performance will leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth after an immensely fun season.



Other fun bowl stuff: Tebow tells Brennan to watch out for the Dawg pass rush and Geno Atkins is into Colt Brennan. Geno will hopefully try to further his relationship with Colt by hugging him hard and repeatedly during the Sugar Bowl.

The Athens Banner-Herald put together this fantastic photo montage (that looks like a flipbook) of some of the season's important moments:



Quinton

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Friday Practice Video

Here's yesterday's practice video from Dave Gladow of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.



It's a relief to know that the defensive line isn't going through Samoan lessons. I would guess they have enough to think about. Dave has a Hawai'i video too.

Quinton

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Pulpwood Smith on Hawaii

Pulpwood has two updates up from New Orleans. The first one is from two weeks ago, the latest one is this week.

Note: As always, Pulpwood's use profanity is a skill he honed to perfection while incarcerated. So as always, his updates are rated R for extreme language.

Pulpwood's Reaction to the BCS Picture
Pulpwood on the Game
Pulpwood Season Archive

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New Orleans Boozing and Entertaining Yourself

In no particular order...some things I enjoy:

• Pat O'Brien's -- Best patio in the universe. Sure the Hurricane is solid, but their Category 5 Margarita is even better. Thirsty? Try the 384 ounce Hurricane. It's the booze companion to John Candy's "Ol' 96er" steak. (image right)
  
  
• Jazz at Preservation Hall - Warning get a belly full of booze before you go. They serve nothing there. It's a place you drop by for 30 minutes or so.

Other Recommendations and Notes:

• Rental Cars -- If you're staying in the French Quarter or the Central Business District VERY close to Canal, you shouldn't need a car (rental or otherwise). Use MapQuest to confirm. Everything worth seeing can be walked. If you're driving, park once and don't move it again. It's not worth the hassle.
  
  
• Garden District Tours -- Great place to walk around. I don't know if the Trolly connecting the Quarter and Garden District are back up and running. If not, catch a cab over there. Beautiful historic homes and architecture. Just walk around. You don't need a guide; although, if you're a dork you could always stop by and see the Real World New Orleans House. (Yo - that's a shout out to RoyOrbisonDawg).
  
  
• Harrah's -- Full Casino with table games, craps, poker, etc. Located along the Riverwalk just a few blocks from the Convention Center. Just keep the Blackberry Bandit of Tift County away from your table, and you should be fine. Some women just ain't lucky.
  
  
• The 3 for 1 Drink Special -- In the afternoon you'll see dudes standing outside of bars along Bourbon Street with 3 for 1 or even 4 for 1 drink special signs. It's 3 drinks PER PERSON for the cost of 1. You can't just give away the other two drinks. In other words, if three of you walk into a bar and ask for the 3 for 1 special, they will give you nine drinks. It's a bit of a scam, BUT it's still the cheapest booze in the world.
  
  
• Music -- Stand outside of a bar. If you like the music go in. Every place down there has something to listen to.
  
  
• Nudie Bars -- I've actually never been to one here. No. Seriously, I haven't. But from the looks of the "talent" (or complete lack thereof) standing outside of the doors, the quality has gone from bad to worse since Katrina.
  
  
• Shopping -- Personally, I like to stroll along Royal Street. It's the street "to the right" of Bourbon if Canal is to your back. Don't walk down Bourbon Street in the day light. The filth and smell will revolt you.

What did I forget? A nice touristy thing is to take the Ferry Wheel Boat for a short ride. What else?

PWD

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Sugar Bowl Tickets: Online Prices Collapse

As is often the case with bowl tickets, the online after market for Sugar Bowl tickets has finally crashed for high quality seats. Some prices as of this morning:

Lower Level Starting at $100
Club Level Starting at $100
Upper Level Starting at $40

If you want to go to the 2008 Sugar Bowl, the price is right. If you're wondering where the endless supply is coming from....there appears to be around 35,000-40,000 tickets controlled by corporate sponsors and locals.

PWD

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The Biggest Thing to Hit Hawaii Since....

From the New Orleans Times Picayune (ht - JimFromDuluth).

Herman Frazier, Hawaii's athletic director, concurred. "It's Hawaii's Super Bowl," he said. "Our participation in the Sugar Bowl is going to be like Hawaii playing in a Super Bowl." Still, to speak of the Sugar Bowl as a mere football game, even a really big one, fails to capture the mood.

"For many people here," said Bobby Curran, a Honolulu sports radio announcer and longtime Hawaii follower, "this is the biggest thing to hit Hawaii since statehood." (emphasis added)

For UGA fans looking to wrap your head around Hawaii Mania sweeping the islands, my best comparison would probably be the '91 Braves.

I remember most of our state staying up half the night watching the Braves west coast swings vs. the Dodgers, Giants and Padres leading up to Sid Bream's Slide. It was a white hot love affair, and everything was so new. We couldn't get enough of it, and they could do no wrong. It sounds like that to me. In other words, it's not like a state full of life long Hawaii Football fans is coming over.

According to the article linked above, their stadium seats ~50,000, and they only have 22,800 season ticket holders. Basically, their stadium is the size of Bobby Dodd, and GT has a similarly sized season ticket holder base. Hmm....I'm sure there's a shot at Tech in there somewhere.

It's more than just "This is new." It's "This couldn't be more different than what they are used to."

See Also:
-- 10 facts about Hawaii - AJC
-- Dawgs return to NOLA - DawgPost
-- Warriors on Guard - UGASports.com ($)

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Hawaii Blog: Keep an Eye on This

Tombo Ahi's University of Hawaii Blog is extremely well done. Lots of video and aggregated news on the Hawaii Candy Coated Chocolate Unicorn Elf Warriors from the Land Beyond Time. However, none of the video highlights showcase the sacrifice of virgins to appease their Volcano God.

Then again, I might not have found those clips yet. Let me consult with Carl on that one and get back with you.

In all seriousness, it's a good site.

PWD

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Video: Carl's Picks for the Bowl Season

Carl from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim gives his picks for the bowl season. Note: some profanity.

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Ticket Woes

My seats are only slightly farther away from the field than this view.

Poor Rory Lee. The four-year Hawai'i season ticket holder is sad. When he got his tickets to the Sugar Bowl and excitedly opened the envelope, he discovered that he would be sitting in Section 127 of the Superdome. Section 127 is in the ... lower endzone! The horror! It seems fans used to sitting in a "kinda full" Aloha Stadium during the regular season don't like having bad seats for the biggest game in their program's history. Another Hawai'i fan says:

"I hope, in the sense of fairness, that Georgia season-ticket holders have similar seats on the opposite side of the field. It would be quite unfair if Georgia had a whole sideline opposed to UH's half sideline and a full end zone."

Listen up, Hawai'i. You'll sit in those seats and like it. I've been a UGA season ticket holder a lot longer than you've been one at Hawai'i, Rory. I might sacrifice a family pet to get down to 127 from the slop seats that UGA sent me: upper deck, endzone, three rows from the roof. But I'm not complaining. I'm happy the Dawgs are in a BCS game and will joyously squint through binoculars to discern if the players have taken the field.

Frankly, you should view a BCS bid as a blessing too and enjoy being in the stadium. LSU fans would crawl through the swamps naked and covered in alligator bait to get a chance at BCS Bowl tickets, even if they were upper deck endzones. And they won a national championship a few years ago. You, whose crowning bowl achievement has been at the Holiday Bowl, are now complaining about your lower deck endzone seats at the Sugar Bowl. It's probably not rude, but it is quite uppity.

If you know your seat location, the Saints have a nice seating chart with views from each section of the Superdome.

Quinton


(Update from PWD: It appears that the 4,000 tickets that Hawaii gave UGA before they went on sale were all upper level tickets. That comes from a decent source, and it's "confirmed" using common sense. It does look like Hawaii received some upper deck seats during their whine fest from the Sugar Bowl. Most of those appear to be uppers. I'm hearing sections 619-613. I'm expecting the other 40+ upper deck sections to be Dawg fans and Hawaii mainlanders who bought via Stubhub or some other service. So yeah -- I agree with Quinton. If you're in the lower level at the Sugar Bowl. Don't bitch. Because most of us are sitting with Oxygen Tanks. Signed - PWD. 29th out of 34 rows. Upper Deck Corner.)

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Culture Shock: UGA vs. Hawaii

Hawaii's C.J. Hawthorne is originally from Gulfport, Mississippi. He offers the following advice to his Hawaii teammates.

C.J. Hawthorne has been to New Orleans and he’s been to Las Vegas.

The Warriors senior receiver from Gulfport, Miss., said New Orleans is probably wilder, and the players will have to be at their self-disciplined best, especially on New Year’s Eve, which also happens to be the night before the Sugar Bowl against Georgia.

“Guys are going to see stuff they’ve never seen before,” Hawthorne said after today’s practice. “It’ll be for the guys from Hawaii what Hawaii was like when I first got here.” (emphasis added)

That's about the best way to describe it. There's a longer article about Hawaii trying to stay out of trouble in New Orleans in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Josh Kendall offers a Bulldog view into the Culture Clash expected in the Big Easy.

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Blackout vs. White Out

As you know by now, Mark Richt has called for a Blackout of the Sugar Bowl by Georgia fans. It's a request I fully intend to comply with as a black shirt looks damn good with the red pants....but I digress. As part of this effort, the Dawgs will be in the black jerseys for the game.

To counter this fashion move, June Jones is asking for a Hawaii Whiteout. I would make a joke about blizzards, but all the references would be lost on them. Anyway, they'll be wearing white tops, white pants and white helmets.

It's times like this that I just absolutely love the College Football that much more. It's absurd really that anyone thinks that any of this matters. But it's even more absurd that it does matter!

By the way, there are several articles running around that say this is the second or third most expensive or best selling bowl ticket in terms of after market online purchases. I think the biggest thing driving the inflated numbers (other than mainland Hawaii fans gobbling up tickets) is the ENORMOUS upper deck and tiny lower deck. Stubhub has uppers for less than face value, but lower level tickets are going for a robust premium.

See Also:
-- Hawaii answering Dawg Blackout - AJC
-- Richt a motivational Master - Honolulu News
-- Hawaii's road unis and what not - UHfootball
-- Bulldog Hotline Notes - Anti-Orange Page (JimFromDuluth)

Black UGA Apparel (still have time before Christmas!)
-- Black T-Shirt Short Sleeve
-- Black Long Sleeve Shirt

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Video Interview with Players from OnlineAthens.com

from the ABH


I think this was from Friday.

PWD

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Some Sugar Thoughts

On January 1, 2006, my wife and I were riding MARTA to the Sugar Bowl. We were in a MARTA car full of Dawg fans discussing the SEC championship game and how we were going to beat West Virgina by at least 21. West Virginia, after all, was from the weak Big East, a conference that shouldn't have kept their automatic BCS berth after the defection of their best teams to the ACC. WVU was a pretender, they said. One member of our traveling party even confronted two WVU fans in front of us. "I'm just gonna warn you now. No. 17's name is Blue and he's gonna hurt ya'll's freshman quarterback tonight." The Dawg fans laughed. One of the WVU fans turned to the other and said quietly, "Well, they're gonna have to catch him first." You know the rest of the story.

So, here we are again. "We're hot. We're feeling good. We're disappointed we missed the BCS Bowl or a big match up with USC in Pasadena. Instead, we get a tricky team from the middle of the Pacific Ocean who play their home games at 1:00 in the morning. Hawai'i hasn't played anyone. They play in a conference that no one cares about. They put up ridiculous numbers, but they haven't faced an SEC defense. We deserve better. We're Georgia. We'll kill Hawai'i."

Let's put an end to that. No one knows what will happen. I was one of those people who thought we would steamroll WVU, but I never would have imagined we would lose two fumbles in the first quarter and generally play the first half as if we hadn't practiced since beating LSU. We will not win this game simply by telling Hawai'i that we're Georgia and they have no shot in the biggest game in the history of their program. We will have to earn it.

I think the coaches realize this and grasp what's at stake. Georgia's national reputation took a big hit with that WVU loss. People still talk about it as if WVU rolled us when the game was tight until the end, despite the shocking 28-0 first half deficit. It was a bitter pill to swallow after the pure glee of winning the conference championship. If Hawai'i beats UGA, you can expect to hear about it for a long, long time. I've seen several national media folks saying this is a lose-lose situation for us. Let me dispel that notion right now. Winning the Sugar Bowl, a bowl we have a 3-5 record in, is a huge win for us. This is a showcase game for the Georgia program and a springboard for the 2008 season, a season that holds a great deal of promise. A BCS win is important and needed. The season won't look nearly as good, as fun, as special if it ends in a loss. We have to win new year's night.

That being said, here's a few interesting tidbits about the Hawai'i Warriors:

• While several of the Hawai'i athletic teams go by the nickname "Rainbow Warriors," the football team likes "Warriors," only. Why?
• Since 1956, Hawai'i is 7-28 against ranked opponents and 1-7 against top 5 teams, beating BYU in 1990. They are 1-6 against SEC teams, beating Alabama in 2003.
  
• It's 4,202 miles from Honolulu to New Orleans, a 7 hour and 55 minute flight.
• The Warriors have played a grand total of one bowl game on the mainland, winning the 1992 Holiday Bowl. So, Hawai'i has never lost a bowl game on the mainland.
  
• Hawai'i has a player named Hercules and another named Solomon. They are thus both strong and wise. I remember our 2005 team had a Pope, a Moses, and a Mohammad, covering three major religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
  

Quinton

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New Orleans Restaurant Recommendations

Some suggestions for places that I've enjoyed over the years. I assume they are all still open. You'll need to research dress codes and prices on your own. Unless I otherwise mention it, it's probably not a cheap place, and it's probably in the French Quarter. They are listed in no particular order (Image above: Crawfish Etoufee):

• Muriels -- Jackson Square. Awesome Bar downstairs, séance room upstairs, and a balcony overlooking the square. I think they take reservations. I'd call it contemporary New Orleans cuisine.
  
  
• K-Paul’s -- In a word....awesome. My dad and I ate there on a weekend evening, and they had a live band playing in the street outside. Occasionally, the band would come inside and start playing for a while. Another contemporary Cajun/Creole type thing. They are closed on Dec. 30th. Call for reservations.
  
  
• Irene's -- This is what you get when you cross Italian and Cajun. Located well into the Quarter away from Canal. They don't take reservations, and the line is long. The Duck is the best I've ever had. I've also had a "sweet potato soup" which buckled my knees.
  
  
• Palace Cafe - Located on Canal, this is a dressier venue than the above suggestions, but not a jacket required type thing. It's a more "accessible" place than it's big brother -- Commander's Palace. I've probably eaten here four times, and every experience was positive. Another Contemporary Cajun/Creole place. I'd get reservations if I were you.
  
  
• Commander's Palace and Emerils -- If you're going to blow it out and go Jacket Required (or really close to that), these are two of your better options. Commander's is a massive old house in the Garden District. Take a cab over there. I wouldn't bother with lunch there. The drop-off in the overall experience is just too much. Emeril got his start at Commander's as a Chef (I think). I've never been to any of the Emeril's in NOLA. However, I've been to them in other towns. The service is usually off the charts, and the food is exceptional. Personally, I think the cost vs. the experience isn't worth the price difference between the other's listed. But the experience is more over the top from a service standpoint.
  
  
• Breakfast at Brennan's -- There can't possibly be a more outrageous breakfast experience than this. It's obscenely expensive ($70 or so each), but it's a once in a lifetime type blow it out. When I went there this Spring, I looked at my dad and said, "Are they kidding with this meal? Damn." I'm sure the regular restaurant is awesome for dinner, too. But the breakfast is legen---wait for it---dary. If you want breakfast, you damn sure better get reservations.
  
  
• Court of Two Sisters -- They are best known for their Jazz Brunch. However, I've always enjoyed their dinner more. The best Turtle Soup in New Orleans. If you've never had Turtle Soup try it. It's like better gumbo. This place is less dressy and probably less expensive than some of the other options listed above. It's on Royal Street closer to Canal.
  
  
• Gumbo Shop -- Spectacular lunch place. Affordable, real New Orleans food. Actually, it's pretty damn awesome for dinner too, but it's best known for lunch. No reservations. Just a damn long line at times.
  
  
• Dickie Brennan's - I think I've eaten a great steak here once or maybe twice. But my general rule of thumb is..."I can get steaks back home." Granted, I'm not going to get a steak topped in crawfish and some redonkulous sauce, but I can get a great steak elsewhere. Regardless, if you're dying for beef -- this is for you.
  
  
• Mr. B's Bistro - This place took a very long time to reopen after Katrina, and I haven't tried it yet since the reopening. It's owned by the Brennan's so that's a good sign. From a cost standpoint, the menu was priced like Court of Two Sisters (ie: between K. Paul's and Gumbo Shop but closer to K. Paul's).

Places I hear raves about, but I've never eaten:

• Arnaud's in the Quarter
  
• ACME Oyster House - if you like Raw Bars and Cold Beer, this is for you. It's not really my bag, but tourists love it.
  
• Mother's - Closer to the Superdome. It's an cheap/quality southern breakfast place. The line is very, very long.
  
• Also our readers recommend -- Jacquimo, Petunia's, Camellia Grill, and Tujaques. However, I can't vouch for any of those because I haven't been.

Avoid Red Fish. It's the only restaurant in the Brennan Family empire that completely sucks hind teat. I wouldn't eat there again if they paid me.

Dive Bar to Close the Evening:

• The Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar -- The oldest bar in New Orleans. It's on Bourbon Street past the college beer barns, past the Gay Bars and about 1 block past what you think might be safe at around midnight. Barely has electricity, but the piano bar is a blast.

What else am I missing?

See Also:
-- Sugar Bowl Tickets starting below face value -- Stubhub

PWD

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Rumors: June Jones interested in UCLA?

The LA Daily News reports that June Jones has thrown his hat into the ring at UCLA. He joins Mike Leach and Steve Mariucci as names linked to the job. One thing is for sure...Jones' offensive system would entertain the fans in Los Angeles.

(Image: the bad old days in the A-T-L)

If he were to take the job, it would be unlikely that UCLA or Hawaii could (or would want to) keep it a secret through the Sugar Bowl. A healthy distraction for the Warriors would be nice.

West Coast Dawg (a UCLA/UGA Fan) mentions Jim Mora, Jr. for the job, and he quotes an LA Paper suggesting that Mike Leach won't be in the mix for the gig. Interesting.

See Also
-- Hawaii vs. Georgia Sugar Bowl Tickets

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