Trivia experts get 2nd chance



Since many readers are no doubt depressed about not winning The Vindicator's Buckeye Trivia contest, I thought it would be nice to give them a second chance.
Who needs a trip to Arizona to watch the game in person? Isn't watching it at home on your couch better anyway?
(Hahahahaha! Of course not!)
But to soothe widespread holiday depression, I put together a special Bowl Trivia contest.
We were going to give the winner a free trip to the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, but our corporate sponsorship fell through and we sports writers can't afford the homicide insurance.
Questions
(Answers listed below.)
1. What Christmas Day bowl was inspired by Santa Claus?
2. The Outback Bowl pairs noted coaching hotheads Ron Zook (Florida) and Lloyd Carr (Michigan). Which coach swears more?
3. Former Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari couldn't throw, see the field or win games. What was he best known for?
4. How many bowl games did Bellisari win as an Ohio State quarterback?
5. How many touchdown passes will Florida State quarterback Chris Rix complete against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl?
6. Match the corporate sponsor with the citrus-fruit inspired bowl game.
1. Orange Bowl.
2. Tangerine Bowl.
3. Peach Bowl.
a) Mazda
b) Chick-Fil-A
c) Federal Express
7. Which of the bowls in Question 7 sounds stupidest when paired with its corporate sponsor?
8. The Orange Bowl pits Iowa senior Brad Banks against USC senior (and Heisman winner) Carson Palmer. Is this quarterback matchup better than the GMAC Bowl when Marshall's Byron Leftwich outdueled Louisville's Dave Ragone?
9. Does today's Las Vegas Bowl only exist so that the teams, ESPN and casino-owning Mafia members can make money?
Bonus question: Does today's Hawaii Bowl have a corporate sponsor?
Answers
1. The Las Vegas Bowl, but with a key difference. When Santa gives away everything he owns, he gets cookies in return. In Las Vegas, you get free drinks.
2. It's a tossup. Experts say Carr swears most when he's angry; Zook when he's happy. (This column is entertaining and educational.)
3. He was best known for not being able to throw, see the field or win games.
4. As many as you and I did.
5. As many as you and I will.
6. 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
7. The Tangerine Bowl, but it can't compete with the stupidest sounding-bowl of all -- the Alamo Bowl, presented by MasterCard. Only America could have a corporate sponsor for a bowl sponsored by a corporate sponsor.
8. Yes, but it's still not the best quarterback duel of this year. That honor goes to Hawaii's Timmy Chang, who will battle the immortal J.P. Losman of Tulane in today's much-anticipated Hawaii Bowl.
9. Absolutely not. It exists to enrich the overall college experience of our nation's devoted student athletes.
Bonus question: Of course! And, as we all know, it's just not Christmas until the family gathers around the TV to watch a football game sponsored by Conagra Foods.
Sigh. The holidays pass too quickly.
XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.