Bowl Preview: magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl

The magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
South Florida vs. Memphis
Date: Dec. 20
Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Line: South Florida –12.5

About South Florida: A mere 12 years ago, the South Florida Bulls didn’t exist. Now, in 2008, coach Jim Leavitt has yelled them all the way into that bowl game down the street. Known as the Ron Zook of west Florida, Leavitt believes no cliché is too worn, no sentiment too tired to motivate his group of players who couldn’t get accepted into actual schools. You had them at “Hey, you!” Jim.

Intangibles:
Home field advantage of Tropicana Field: -1
Beaches: +4
Better than Gainesville: +5
Rays tickets still easy to get: +6

About Memphis: At 6-6 with impressive wins over Nicholls State and Arkansas State, there’s little doubt the Tigers belong in a bowl game. Wait, WHAT? This team lost to frickin’ Marshall for God’s sake. I refuse to watch this game for my own mental health.


Intangibles:
Barbecue: +45
Crime: -21
Graceland: -5
Graceland while drunk: +12
“Walking in Memphis”: -4

Impact player: USF defensive end George Selvie. Think of the last great player named George. My pick? George Rogers of South Carolina. Did you see him at the Heisman ceremony? He wore some kind of giant, plaid tent.

Bowl slogan: “Come for the beaches, stay for the seafood and for God’s sake, skip the football.”

Little known fact: St. Petersburg is to Tampa Bay as Roger Clinton is to Bill Clinton. (There ain’t as much difference as you’d think.)

Watchability (1-5): -4.8

The Pick: South Florida 31, Memphis 4