Must List: With Some College Basketball Thrown In

Bowl season is upon us. The 2009-2010 bowl season kicks off Saturday with two bowl games. Sure Fresno State and Wyoming doesn't sound exciting and you may be right, but there is some great college basketball games this weekend. So this week's must list will have bowl game previews with some college basketball games thrown in.

Announcing Schedule

Saturday, December 19th
New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State vs. Wyoming (ESPN, 4:30)- Oh Fresno State. They return to the bowl game and location where they blew a fourth quarter lead to Colorado State last season. Even though Wyoming is a mediocre Mountain West team, I have zero confidence in Fresno State. The Bulldogs will find some way to blow this game against Wyoming.

St. Petersburg Bowl: Central Florida vs. Rutgers (ESPN, 8PM)- How does a bowl game played in Tropicana Field sound to you? I will be honest, I didn't know Central Florida was good enough to earn a spot in a bowl game. Needless to say I will be watching something else on Saturday night.

College Basketball Announcing Schedule

Michigan @ Kansas (ESPN, Noon)- Michigan is a mid tier Big Ten team that doesn't have enough experience or depth to keep up with Kansas. This will be an excellent game for Michigan guard Manny Harris to show off his skills. The Junior guard is averaging 22 points this season and is carrying this Michigan team so far this year. Kansas in the meantime is loaded and looks like the best team in the nation. Still should be a Kansas blowout despite the presence of Harris for Michigan.

UCLA @ Notre Dame (CBS, 2pm)- Both teams have had some curious loses this season. UCLA lost to Cal State Fullerton, while Notre Dame lost to Loyola Marymount. UCLA meanwhile is coming off a five straight losing streak and looking like they might not even make the NIT this season. Should be a fun train wreck to watch.

North Carolina @ Texas (ESPN, 2pm)- Not only is this game going to be played in Jerryworld, but it features two of the best teams this year. Texas has a big week as they face Michigan State a little later in the week. The frontcourt battle between these teams will be worth the price of admission.

Xavier @ Butler (ESPN2, 2pm)- Butler is coming off a huge win over Ohio State, while Xavier is coming off a huge win against cross-city rival Cincinnati. These games are always interesting because it's the only time people like myself get to watch these teams before the tournament starts. I will definitely be switching back and forth between this game and the Texas-UNC game.

Gonzaga v. Duke (CBS, 4pm)- Gonzaga has two loses against Michigan State and Wake Forest. While Duke's only loss was against Wisconsin. Gonzaga beat Wisconsin in Hawaii back in November. Should be an interesting matchup between Jon Scheyer and Matt Bouldin. I expect Gonzaga to make this game close, but somehow Duke pulls out the victory.

Western Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN2, 4pm)- Louisville is struggling big time this year with loses already to UNLV, Charlotte, and Western Carolina. Western Kentucky is a historically tough team to beat despite them only being 5-3 on the season. The Hilltoppers do have a win over Vanderbilt. Western Kentucky should give Louisville a tough challenge before Big East play.

Sunday, December 20th

New Orleans Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Middle Tennessee (ESPN, 8:15)- All I know about these two teams, is that Southern Miss has an explosive offense. Other than that, I know nothing about these two teams.

Drink of the Week: Hot Toddy

Ingredients
1 teaspoon honey
2 fluid ounces boiling water
1 1/2 fluid ounces whiskey
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 slice lemon
1 pinch ground nutmeg

Directions
Pour the honey, boiling water, and whiskey into a mug. Spice it with the cloves and cinnamon, and put in the slice of lemon. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes so the flavors can mingle, then sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg before serving.

Things to Get You to Sunday:
1. Celebrate- For the majority of us, this is our last week of school before Christmas break. I will be celebrating on Saturday that I don't have school for a month.

2. Watch Avatar- James Cameron's huge budgeted 3D movie comes out this weekend. Remember this is the movie that showed it's world premiere trailer on the Jerryworld big screen.