Good Day Grover Pickers,

I’m trying to make bowl season easier to understand, but good grief, there are a LOT of crappy bowl games! I feel like Luke Skywalker sitting on that rock, depleting his life by over-using the force!

But… as you will read below, we made it! All the bowl games in proper perspective.

Before we complete our journey through the 51 bowls and remaining NFL games through January 4, a few corrections and updates.

Why is a Trainer Kicking Case Keenum in the Nuts?

It’s a fair question. Looking for any reasonable explanation for this:

Why is a trainer kicking Case Keenum in the nuts https://t.co/mBdQcUl9fu

— Grim (@grimpost) December 14, 2025

Commissioner Failures -Fixed

In part one of ‘A Few Good Bowls’, I, The Commissioner, failed to properly explain three very important bowl sponsors. I’ll fix that here:

1. 68 Ventures Bowl, Mobile, AL –

Hang with me here. I found the rabbit hole of 68 Ventures’ story fascinating as a concept, a business, a football ally, and marketing horse-hooey. Warning– in this section The Commissioner will make fun of a business operated by a Veteran. If that’s not your thing, skip to #2.

68Ventures is a very fancy home building business on the Gulf Coast in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The homes are not all fancy, but the business of building them is. The company is owned by a former Alabama football player who also played for the US Marine Corps, named Nathan Cox.

What does 68 Ventures do? Hard to say at first, it took a lot of digging on their very own website to get to anything that informed me about what they ‘make’.

I believe it is summarized as:

“assembling investment groups to acquire distressed assets and then put in place operating businesses, to monetize the assets. Also, developed over 10,000 lots, constructed more than 3,400 homes, built hundreds of millions of dollars worth of commercial jobs, deployed well over a billion dollars in capital across multiple asset classes, and successfully started, acquired, or exited over twenty operating companies.”

Translation: We turned a pickup truck full of money into a semi-tractor trailer full of money.

One thing 68 Ventures does is finance and build subdivisions along the coast. Housing subdivisions benefit from story. That’s why they have cool name like “River Oaks” and “Prancing Deer Estates” and such. 68 Ventures is no different. Among their subdivisions are places including:

Moonraker Estates– single family homes in Panama City, FL and specifically, and I’m sure not for legal reasons, described as “distinct from the James Bond film Moonraker”, in case you are confused. Fun Fact: All residences are situated on “Moonraker Circle”, which is an awesome address.

Old Battles Village – single family homes in Fairhope, AL. nestled next to, “The Hamlet at Old Battles Village, a new phase for Truland’s active adult product.” I know we all long to rest our weary selves in an active adult product on Garrison Blvd, or Musket Ave.

Summer Salt – mixed used development in Orange Beach, AL. A neighborhood of elevated stilt homes built on a former estuary near Fat Daddy’s Arcade between Mobile and Panama City. Common areas include a pool, a putting green and a fire pit. It’s a Mountain Brook paradise.

68 Ventures is the most football-centric bowl sponsor, maybe ever. It’s as if a there’s a head football coach screaming at every employee in the break room 24/7. Consider these real and actual cliches copied from the 68 Ventures website used to describe the company culture:

• A fiercely loyal tribe of needle-movers
• We share one common thread: we give a damn.
• We believe how you do anything is how you do everything
• We call it as we see it
• We refuse to let anyone down
• We are each other’s biggest fans and our own harshest critics.
• Champions take the hits and keep moving forward.
• Do you have what it takes?

If I was dry wall, and I heard that speech, I might hang myself!

And how does 68 Ventures describe the boss, Nathan Cox?

“He craves the esprit de corps that can only be forged through hard times when the bullets are flying and all you have is each other. Often, he can be heard saying that everything that has provided him fulfillment in his life was miserable at the time.”

Oh, my. Is this guy married?

More workplaces should be this transparent about how miserable the work is. 68 Ventures sounds like an awful place to toil, but then, I never naturally realized the building of homes was so related to destroying an enemy. That’s on me. 68 Ventures also sounds like a great place to print money.

And what’s up with the “68”? Was it a jersey number? Yes, it is a jersey number, but not Nathan Cox’s jersey number. Not even a football jersey, either.

“The phrase, “What’s Your 68” is derived from the jersey number worn by hockey legend Jaromir Jagr. Jagr’s grandfather was killed in 1968 during the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, so he wore the number 68 to honor his grandfather and his entire country every time he took the ice. Jagr was great because he didn’t play for money or medals—he played for his family and his country. We take great pride in challenging not only one another, but also everyone we work with to seek out, identify and pursue their own 68. What’s your 68?”

Most football bowl sponsor ever, confirmed. We’ve got Bama, Russians, the Occupation of Czechoslovakia, single family homes, misery, cliches, beaches, flying bullets and money.

To be fair, 68 Ventures is self-aware enough to realize their oddities, also expressed in cliche:

“68 Ventures is not for everyone. We live by our ethos, make “big” happen, and never apologize for demanding things be done the right way. We’re all in all the time and never stop punching. Being part of our journey is life changing—not because of what we do, but because of who you will become along the way.”

(In your own mind, picture your favorite coach screaming in his most inspirational football coach tone) “Now go out there and sponsor a bowl game between Delaware and Louisiana!”

2. Xbox Bowl, Frisco, TX –

The Xbox Bowl emerged in late 2025 as a last-minute replacement for the Bahamas Bowl. With just 12,000 seats, the Ford Center has the lowest capacity of any bowl venue this year. Still, X-Box is not deterred!

“The Xbox Bowl is where the thrill of game day meets the joy of play,” said Chris Lee, Vice President of Xbox Marketing.”

What a phrase! It’s like Tom Rinaldi wrote it himself!

7,000 fans witnessed Arkansas State’s win over Missouri State. Thrill and joy indeed.

3. Wasabi Fenway Bowl, Boston, MA –

You, and I, we both thought this was sponsored by the pungent, spicy Japanese condiment used on sushi. We are wrong.

The Fenway Bowl is part of the Fenway Sports group that owns and operates the Red Sox, Liverpool FC, a NASCAR team, and, for now, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Wasabi is a tech company. The mission stated on the website is:
“Wasabi is on a mission to store all the world’s data.”

That doesn’t scare me. Does it scare you?

Wasabi, the storage company, not the condiment, will store ALL of the world’s data by:

“Making data storage simple, affordable, predictable, and secure. If you have data to store, whether it’s backups, medical images, surveillance videos, financial data, multimedia, or scientific data, our pledge is to always be the cheapest, fastest, most secure and reliable cloud storage in the world. It’s all we do, and we do it better than anyone.”

So, the safest storage will be the cheapest storage? And everything, even the Epstein Files, will be stored there? Maybe the secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices? Will it be so secure that even Ohio State’s football practice video will be safe from the prying eyes at Michigan and maybe Chapel Hill?

You bet! Because Wasabi, the tech bros, not the condiment, promises its services will be “not just immutable. It’s Invisible.”

So not only is the data frozen, you can’t see it, either?

That is how I prefer my data and my sushi

Amateur Professional Football Bowl Games

Let’s get back to the rest of the upcoming games, shall we?

Birmingham, AL — Protective Stadium
Georgia Southern University — Statesboro, GA; Appalachian State University — Boone, NC
Enrollment: Georgia Southern 21,000; App State 20,900

Should You Watch?

Do you choose to be left out? (see below)

Why?

• Official Bowl Slogan: SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY. SERIOUS FOOTBALL.
• Football does not get more serious than Eagles v Mountaineers
• Do you need/want at 100 watt, 360° Bluetooth speaker with full RGB lighting? Of course you do! And JLab has you covered!
• Last year, FOUR MILLION ‘’people” watched the JLab Birmingham Bowl! I could tell you not to watch, but it doesn’t seem like it will do any good.

Why Not?

Optics. Plus, you like a good protest, even when it’s somewhat unfounded.

This bowl game is played in the Protective Stadium in downtown Birmingham, which is home to UAB Blazers Football, Birmingham Legion FC, Birmingham Stallions, and the JLab Birmingham Bowl. The 45,000 seat stadium is located on a ‘campus’ in the Uptown Birmingham Entertainment District. The stadium is described as “Modern, sleek, state-of-the-art, built for today’s fan experience. Better food, modern facilities, comfortable seating, with a turf field.” The entire complex, including the stadium, is intended to symbolize Birmingham’s growth. The stadium is only 4 years old.

GREAT! However…

Venerable Legion Field still stands. The ‘Old Gray Lady’ still hosts the largest football game in Birmingham each season. That game used to be Alabama v Auburn or the SEC Championship, but now those 70,000 cold aluminum bench seats host The Magic City Classic.

The Magic City Classic is the nation’s largest HBCU (Historically Black College and University) football game, an annual rivalry between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University. It’s a massive cultural event featuring a weekend of festivities, including parades, concerts, and tailgating. The Classic averages 60,000 fans every year.

Logistically, it makes sense to put the Magic City Classic in Legion Field. Optically, in Birmingham, you are still sending the HBCU’s to the second-hand facility, which is also a symbol of Birmingham’s “growth.”

Last, JLab is located in San Diego, CA, 1,195 miles from Birmingham. It seems unlikely that any of those lab folks are begging to travel to Birmingham in December.

Alternative Viewing:

Back of your eyelids.

Shreveport, LA — Independence Stadium
Coastal Carolina University — Conway, SC; Louisiana Tech University — Ruston, LA
Enrollment: Coastal Carolina 11,000; La. Tech 11,400

Should You Watch?

On a late December Tuesday? At 2pm? You bet!

Why?

Radiance Technologies makes high energy lasers and land-based hypersonic missiles and something called ‘warfighter support.’ Very aligned with a game that features blitzes, bombs, a ground game and an aerial attack.

• There is a Mardi Gras Preview Parade featuring floats from SEVEN local Mardi Gras Krewes!
• Shreveport launched Elvis’ career. Never forget.
• Live music from Parish County Line, a wild-eyed ‘good ole country band’ performing original songs such as “Turn on Some Hank,” and “Back to Country”.

Why Not?

• Mack Brown hosted the bowl game kickoff dinner in August. Weakens credibility of the entire enterprise.
• Silent, invisible hypersonic missile attack constantly disrupts your internet on Tuesdays. It’s just a drill.

Alternative Viewing:

The Lawrence Welk Show on WEDU PBS

Nashville, TN — Nissan Stadium
University of Tennessee — Knoxville, TN; University of Illinois — Urbana–Champaign, IL
Enrollment: Tennessee 36,800; Illinois 34,000

Should You Watch?

Yes, highly recommended.

Why?

• Emus. Everywhere.
• SEC v Big10
• Orange is the new indigo.
• Likely last game played at each school for Illinois QB Luke Altmyer and current Vol QB Joey Aguilar.

Why Not?

• Pre-game Battle of the Bands between the school’s marching units wasting field space better used by professional Nashville musicians and/or FAMU v Southern bands.
• Both schools started the season expecting to be in the playoff. This isn’t that.

Alternative Viewing:

Wardens of the North on Animal Planet

San Antonio, TX — Alamodome
University of Southern California — Los Angeles, CA; Texas Christian University — Fort Worth, TX
Enrollment: USC 49,300; TCU 10,900

Should You Watch?

Yes, but I wish it wasn’t the case.

Why?

• Valero Alamo Bowl-O usually delivers an entertaining game.
• The wonder of seeing grown men wear purple get-ups featuring a mythically venomous frog with horns, a devil-frog, really, is a joy.
• Actual horned frogs are small- you could fit four in the palm of your hand and still hold a beer can. So there is a large ‘Cute’ factor at play.
• USC is always on the verge of good, often entertaining, and a satisfying hate-watch.

Why Not?

• Horned frog ‘venom’ is a myth. If you held four horned frogs in your hand, they would likely bite you, causing some pain and drawing a little blood, but you would live. Where’s the challenge in that?
• USC decided this week to stop scheduling Notre Dame. Boooooooo!
• On the other hand, and mostly unrelated, Notre Dame will now schedule BYU, moving college football closer to The Commissioner’s suggested Faith Conference that would include BYU, Notre Dame, Baylor, TCU, Liberty, SMU, and Wake Forest.
• Valero TV commercials not as much fun as the Emu ones for the Liberty-bibbity bowl.

Alternative Viewing:

76ers v Grizzlies on Peacock

Tampa, FL — Raymond James Stadium
University of Iowa — Iowa City, IA; Vanderbilt University — Nashville, TN
Enrollment: Iowa 32,000; Vanderbilt 12,000

Should You Watch?

Yes!

Why?

1. Vandy QB Diego Pavia. The attitude of Johnny Rotten, the size of the New Year’s Baby.
2. It’s a beautiful New Year! Let’s eat again!
3. ReliaQuest is a leading cybersecurity firm. It built the AI-powered GreyMatter platform, which automates threat detection, investigation, and response across cloud and on-premise environments for large enterprises. Who doesn’t need that? Are we not all, together and individually, a large enterprise environment?
4. You know who really needs this? Case Keenum! We can’t have ran trainers out here kicking legendary backup QBs in the nuts!

Why is a trainer kicking Case Keenum in the nuts https://t.co/mBdQcUl9fu

— Grim (@grimpost) December 14, 2025

Why Not?

1. Iowa. We’ve all seen enough.
2. Still not recovered from last night of old, washed up, exasperating year.

Alternative Viewing:

The Young and the Restless CBS episode 13,291, 54th Season

El Paso, TX — Sun Bowl Stadium
Arizona State University — Tempe, AZ; Duke University — Durham, NC
Enrollment: ASU 74,000; Duke 8,900

Should You Watch?

Sure! It’s Grrrrrrrrrrrr-eat!

Why?

• Devil on Devil is a rare showdown.
• Good for Americans to check in once a year and see if El Paso is still there.
• Should be a hell of a game.

Why Not?

It’s really the Frosted Flakes Bowl and they are using Tony to sports wash sugary cereals that, while tasty, are bad for us. Might as well eat cotton candy for breakfast, which, I’m sure we have both tried at some point.

Alternative Viewing:

Gabon v Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations on blenTV from Marrakech

Orlando, FL — Camping World Stadium
University of Texas — Austin, TX; University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, MI
Enrollment: Texas 51,000; Michigan 48,000

Should You Watch?

Oh, yes. It’s got everything!

Why?

• Biff Poggi
• Arch Manning
• Classic Uniforms
• Fight Songs
• Infractions- Mike Bianchi, the Orlando Sentinel columnist, called Michigan the “dirtiest program in college football’ in a recent column, and he would know. Bianchi was born in Gainesville, was a student at UF during the scandalous, rules-averse early 80’s, and covered the Gators ruthlessly ever since.
• Cheezits!

Why Not?

• I’m going on a hike in nature
• I’m planting a garden
• I’m reading a book
• I’m pouring a bourbon flight tasting for some cool gentlemen of a certain age

Alternative Viewing:

Stream “The Hangover”

Las Vegas, NV — Allegiant Stadium
University of Nebraska — Lincoln, NE; University of Utah — Salt Lake City, UT
Enrollment: Nebraska 25,000; Utah 32,000

Should You Watch?

No.

Why?

• Boring sponsor.
• Boring Nebraska.
• Boring Utah.

Whole thing sounds boring.

Why Not?

If they suddenly decide to play the game on top of The Sphere, then consider watching.

Alternative Viewing:

Stream “The Hangover II”, in case you didn’t learn your lesson in first one

Arlington, TX — AT&T Stadium
Ohio State University — Columbus, OH; Texas A&M — College Station, TX; Miami — Coral Gables, FL
Enrollment: Ohio State 61,000; Miami 19,000

Should You Watch?

Yes.

Why?

• Somebody is getting a whoopin’!
• The ACC Non-Champions are must-see TV.
• The Big10 Runners-up are must-see TV.
• Ohio State has played exactly 3 ranked teams this season. Two of those were Illinois and Michigan. The other was Indy-freakin’-ana and OSU lost. They might be frauds!
• Miami has played exactly five ranked teams and beat all of them, including Notre Dame and Texas A&M. They might be for real.
• Michael Irvin reaction shots

Why Not?

What are you, a hockey fan? You are watching this game!

Alternative Viewing:

ESPN Megacast – The Pat McAfee Show

Miami Gardens, FL — Hard Rock Stadium
Texas Tech University — Lubbock, TX; JMU — Harrisonburg, VA; Oregon — Eugene, OR
Enrollment: Texas Tech 36,000; Oregon 25,900

Should You Watch?

Yes.

Why?

• It’s the holiday season and this game is red and green
• Do you like points? This game will be full of points.
• Do you like fast? This game is full of fast people.
• Do you like underdogs? These are the pesky upstarts, the new money, of the school-boy game.
• You have not watched a single down of Red Raider football this season, and you must.

Why Not?

What are you, a badminton fan? You are watching this game.

Alternative Viewing:

ESPN Megacast – All 22 Feed

Pasadena, CA — Rose Bowl Stadium
Indiana University — Bloomington, IN; Oklahoma — Norman, OK; Alabama — Tuscaloosa, AL
Enrollment: Indiana 43,000; Alabama 38,500

Should You Watch?

YES!

Why?

• Were you there when Martin Luther nailed his whiner list to the door? NO!
• Were you there when Edison discovered light? NO!
• Were you there when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show? Maybe.

BUT– you can be witness to the moment in time when INDIANA FOOTBALL, the losingest, boringest, most useless appendage of college football, visits no less than Pasadena, California, the Rose Bowl, the finest football stadium in the land, the place where college football history begins, and see those Mighty Hoosiers assault, with prejudice, malice and bad intentions, the royal chemtrail that is the 18-time mythical and actual national champions, the school where it means more than all the other schools where it means more, the 3rd all-time winningest college team, the school with the most bowl game appearances ever, the Alabama Crimson Tide.

This game is a globe-shaking, Superman-reversing-time, invention of ice cream, discovery of the new world, what happens if I drop this atom bomb on the ground, kind of moment.

The Hoosiers squeaked by Ohio State in the Big10 title game. OSU has been in Indiana’s head since Jesus was a gleam in God’s eye. But the Tide are not in Indiana’s head, the Tide are in Indiana’s sights.

Why Not?

Why not? Would you seriously consider NOT watching the ROSE BOWL? Why do you hate America?

Alternative Viewing:

These are the #1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. There are no alternatives.

New Orleans, LA — Caesars Superdome
University of Georgia — Athens, GA; Ole Miss — Oxford, MS; Tulane — New Orleans, LA
Enrollment: Georgia 47,000; Ole Miss 23,500

Should You Watch?

Yes.

Why?

It just means more, possibly everything, ever.

Why Not?

Maybe you skip the first half if Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s post-game interview runs long after the Rose Bowl, but otherwise, it is your duty to fall asleep on the first night of the new year to the sound of Sean McDonough intoning, “Kirby Smart has a big decision here on fourth down…”

Alternative Viewing:

Rose Bowl Parade replay, since you probably missed it this morning.

Fort Worth, TX — Amon G. Carter Stadium
Rice University — Houston, TX – Texas State University — San Marcos, TX
Enrollment: Rice 4,878; Texas State 44,000

Should You Watch?

No.

Why?

By now, you or your loved ones will be seriously considering enrolling in an in-patient football rehab facility. If you choose, willingly and intentionally, to tune in this game at kickoff, that is your sign to get help.

Why Not?

If you are still surrounded by guests or family in your home on January 2, it might be helpful to put this on and turn up the volume just to have something else to listen to.

Alternative Viewing:

Replay of Whatever is The Best Bowl Game You Missed Due to Your, or Your Spouse/Partner’s, Poor Decision Making

Memphis, TN — Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium
USNA — Annapolis, MD; University of Cincinnati — Cincinnati, OH
Enrollment: USNA ; University of Cincinnati

Should You Watch?

Not on a bet.

Why?

The Grover Picks is required by the terms of its charter with the International Football Picking Consortium, to NEVER endorse football activity occurring in or near, or related to, Memphis. Therefore, the Liberty Bowl is a no-go.

Why Not?

• It’s got Navy, so it’s a patriotic duty to watch
• It’s got Bearcats, which sound terrifying

Alternative Viewing:

Whatever is the easiest wall for you to stare at from whatever position you are sitting in at 2pm on a Friday after New Year’s Day.

Charlotte, NC — Bank of America Stadium
Wake Forest University — Winston-Salem, NC; Mississippi State University — Starkville, MS
Enrollment: Wake Forest 8,000; Mississippi State 22,000

Should You Watch?

Required to watch the post-game. The rest is optional, with prejudice toward “Not really!”

Why?

• Fun with mayonnaise.
• Dumping mayo on the winning coach’s head LIVE! (not on socials hours later)
• Last chance for SEC to save face in an otherwise embarrassing bowl season.

Why Not?

It says Wake Forest right there on the marquee. You should not require any further explanation as to why not to watch?

Alternative Viewing:

It’s 2026. It’s Friday night. It’s cold, and you need to feel better about yourself. There is only one option.

On Patrol: Live on Reels. (This used to be LivePD! before the lawsuits.)

San Diego, CA – Snapdragon Stadium
University of Arizona – Tucson, AZ; SMU – Dallas, TX
Enrollment: Arizona 56,544; SMU 12,116

Should You Watch?

Can you watch? How sick are you of bowl games? Is your brain still minimally conscious?

Why?

Last call for Bowl Games! This is the End! Other than a few NFL playoff games, the college playoff Championship, and Bad Bunny, your weekends are free now until March Madness.

Sure, the Lords of Media will foist the Winter Olympic Games on you. In the summer the Alternate Football will hold its little global tournament here in North America, but this is it for multiple game viewing until late August!

So take a last sip.

Plus, maybe today is the day to consider going online and establishing or updating your will or trust using real or AI attorneys. Somebody’s going to get that barcalounger you’ve been using to watch all these football games and it’s time for you to decide who that lucky person will be.

Why Not?

• Game involves an ACC team.
• Don’t want to get caught up watching this and miss the Mayo Dump on the other channel.
• When is enough enough?

Alternative Viewing:

Viewer’s Choice.

And that’s Bowl Season.

Enjoy, dear pickers. Some games will be more entertaining than others, but any and all of football is better than getting kicked in the nuts by Case Keenum’s trainer.

Caleb Williams and Drew Dalman. pic.twitter.com/MTZGqmSti5

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) December 14, 2025

Happy Picking,

The Commissioner