LET'S BRING BACK HAPPY NEW YEAR

For the Kanye West, Lady Gaga generation, there used to be a time when ringing in the New Year meant partying until the wee hours and then waking up late -- 11AM or later -- to be pleasantly greeted with a day long feast of college bowl games.

New Year's Day used to be sacred.

The Rose, Sugar, Cotton and Orange Bowl all headlined on the same day.  The various broadcast networks staggered start times and it was pure fan heaven.  Now when the BCS title game gets underway, it seems at about the same time pitchers and catchers have to report.

So, instead of having a bevy of games to choose from, we're sometimes left with only one or two games on a given day leading up to New Year's and hopefully those games won't be blowouts.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to be forced to channel surf and get sucked into watching Designed to Sell or America's Biggest Loser.

Everyone wants a little recognition for a hard fought season but achieving only six wins to be bowl eligible is a bunch of crap.  The bowl picture is now a diluted, feel good about your program playing field.  Raise your hand if you just can't wait for the:  St. Petersburg Bowl, Eagle Bank Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, Maaco Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Papa Johns Bowl -- I could go on and on.

Granted, maybe I'm just being a "I went to a big university" snob.  But, Purdue hasn't been to anything of significance lately, either, and didn't look that great when they did.  Boilermaker fans, though, travel well and most of these nondescript bowls understand that principle about a number of programs.  Thus, if you create it, they will come.

This really has become one of those things that's gotten out of control, sort of like spring break in various Florida beach communities.  The recession has given way to a lot of toilet bowls that need to be flushed.

I'm just old school and want my New Year's Day back.  Lots of food, friends, hope, optimism and games well into the night.