FanHouse SunBowl

Halftime events at college football games matter very little -- at least in this man's opinion. If it's something great (Philip Rivers getting his jersey retired) or something miserable (David Hasselhoff performing) then there's a possibility I'll stick around. But your basic "throw footballs through the tubs" game? Yeah, no thanks.

However, if you're attending the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas on New Year's Eve, you're probably going to want to refrain from exiting your seat when the second quarter ends. Unless you've already seen the Village People, then you can probably leave.

"We are really excited to get a musical group, such as the Village People, that transcends generations," said Sun Bowl Association president Joe E. Valenzuela. "Their music has become a mainstay at stadiums across the country during sporting events and we are extremely excited to have them perform live at the Brut Sun Bowl.

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the Sun Bowl (El Paso, Texas), which pits Pittsburgh against Oregon State.

Overview/Matchup: You know that anytime you can end up with Dave Wannstedt's mustache wandering through the desert sands of Texas, well, you've had a pretty freaking good season. Actually, it would be rather unfair to dog Wanny that much -- a 9-3 record in the Big East with only Cincy and Rutgers as conference blemishes is pretty good. Oregon State, meanwhile, inexplicably beat USC only to fall to Utah the next week ... and then close out the season by losing to the in-state rival Ducks after reeling off six straight wins. In other words, this should be a nice game.

Hotels: The Camino Real El Paso is arguably the finest hotel in El Paso. The Camino's downtown location and historic décor (the former Hilton features a Tiffany glass dome over the lobby and leather wingback chairs) are of exceptionally high quality for the midrange rates. Closer to the airport, the Hyatt Place El Paso Airport offers more traditional midrange accommodation and atmosphere at similar rates to the Camino. The Hyatt's a good alternative for travelers who are worried about the stuffiness of a four-star hotel (i.e. the Camino). Budget-minded travelers should stay at the Holiday Inn Express downtown. Just blocks from the Camino and within a mile of Sun Bowl Stadium, the Holiday Inn can't be beat for convenience and price.

Since joining the Bowl Championship Series system, the Pac Ten has been the perennial odd-man out, and history repeated itself again as the Kansas Jayhawks were selected to play in the Orange Bowl, leaving Arizona State as the off-man out.

Pac Ten Commissioner Tom Hansen is likely not amused--but nor should be be surprised. The BCS has a history of giving the conference the short end of the stick.

In 2001, the Oregon Ducks were jumped over by a Nebraska team that lost its final game and left out of the Rose Bowl. Two years later, USC was ranked #1 in both human polls, but left out of the Title Game. A year later, Mack Brown lobbied enough pollsters to jump Cal for the final automatic qualifying spot and a Rose Bowl berth, and in 2005, Oregon missed an automatic BCS berth by one slot.

Although it seemed unlikely as their season unraveled earlier this month, the UCLA Bruins are still in the running for the Rose Bowl Game after defeating the beleaguered Oregon Ducks in Pasadena 16-0.

For the first half of the game, it looked like neither injury-riddled team wanted to win the ballgame. Converted wide receiver Osaar Rashaan completed none of his 7 passes in the start, resulting in Karl Dorrell bringing "emergency substitute" Ben Olson off the bench at haltime--providing a spark to make the UCLA offense look merely mediocre. Meanwhile, the Bruin defense showed just how important Dennis Dixon was to the Oregon Ducks.

If UCLA beats USC, Oregon beats Oregon State and Arizona defeats Arizona State next Saturday, the Bruins will have the tiebreaker in the four-way race, sending the 7-5 Bruins to the Rose Bowl Game, Oregon to the Holiday Bowl, USC to the Sun Bowl and Arizona State to San Francisco's Emerald Bowl.

Then again, the Oregon loss puts USC in the drivers' seat for the Rose Bowl game--win and they're in. Even if the Trojans lose to UCLA, they could back in to the Rose Bowl is Oregon and Arizona State also lose.

Although it is considered by many to be the second-toughest conference in College Football, the Pac Ten looks like it will not fill all of its bowl allotments in 2007.

The Pac Ten has arrangements this year with the Rose, Holiday, Sun, Las Vegas, Emerald and Armed Forces Bowls. That is six bowls before you consider that either Arizona State or USC will likely get a BCS at-large invitation if either team wins its final two games.

Five Pac-Ten teams are already bowl-eligible: Oregon, ASU, USC, California and Oregon State--but coming up with a sixth--or even seventh--will be much more difficult.