A small bowl of something

The Blob usually avoids the All Then Other Bowls season, on account of there's so many Others it can't keep them straight, and also because it's got other fish to pan-sear during the holidays, like binge-watching old Irwin Allen TV series from the 1960s.

(Which plankton monster will the Seaview battle next? Find out on the next exciting episode of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"!)

Anyway ... the various spud, military-industrial complex and chicken joint bowls don't do it for the Blob, generally.

But last night a few interesting things happened ... well, three ... that the Blob feels compelled to mention:

1. In the aptly named Belk Bowl (and, yes, I threw "aptly named" in there just for the heck of it), Wake Forest beat Texas A&M 55-52. And not in overtime. The defensive MVP was the game clock, which successfully stopped both teams from scoring when neither could manage it on their own.

2. In the Cotton Bowl, which used to be one of the biggies but now is just another part of the pre-New Year's Day blur of Belks and the like, Ohio State throttled USC 24-7. USC quarterback Sam Darnold, projected to be one of the top quarterback prospects in the April NFL Draft, played like an enormous foof, presiding over four turnovers. He's now reportedly reconsidering whether he wants to come out or not, which might have been the plan all along.

If so, self-sabotage would seem to be an extreme measure just to avoid possibly being drafted by the Browns. Then again, they are the Browns.

3. Last but not least, New Mexico State beat Utah State in the aptly named Arizona Bowl (because it was played in Arizona).  This was New Mexico State's first bowl win in 57 years. It was also New Mexico State's first bowl appearance in 57 years, which could be some kind of record, although probably not.

Still, it's been since 1960 that New Mexico State played in a bowl. That's so long ago "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" wasn't even on the air yet. It was a much more innocent time.

I mean, we didn't even know about the plankton monsters.