"DE-FENSE!"

For millions of Americans, the holiday season isn’t only a magical time because of the standard stocking stuffers and gingerbread houses, but also because it means college football bowl season is here (!!!!).

Unless you’re a die-hard football fan or your team is playing in one of these games, you probably won’t have the time to tune into some of the smaller bowl games such as the Beef ‘O’ Bradys’ St. Petersburg Bowl (yup, this is an actual name of a bowl game). But for everyone else (and yes, I mean everyone – from the dedicated college football fan to the dedicated Saturday tailgater), the big bowl games are fun and exciting to watch.

Here is a quick guide to the biggest bowl games this season, and the deets you need to know while watching each. So grab a couple friends and a couple beers (optional) and park yourself on the couch. It’s time to go “bowling”!

Be honest, what else do you have to do over winter break?

Rose Bowl (January 1, 5:00 ET on ESPN)
Who: TCU Horned Frogs (3) v. Wisconsin Badgers (5)
What to know: The third-ranked Horned Frogs (intimidating right?) will take on the fifth-ranked Badgers in the Rose Bowl, the historical New Years day game held in Pasadena. TCU offense is led by quarterback Andy Dalton who is coming off a successful senior season, and their much-hyped defense is number one in the nation for holding their opponents to the fewest points. TCU will be playing with a lot of emotion; they finished the season undefeated and feel as though they should be playing for the national championship.

Wisconsin offense is led by quarterback Scott Tolzien and three standout running backs. Badger linemen Gabe Carimi and John Moffitt were just named all-American first team and will provide a note-worthy match up with the TCU defensive line.
Fun Facts: The Rosebowl is known as the ‘Granddaddy of Them All’ because it is the oldest and formerly most prestigious game… Wisconsin has scored over 70 points in three of its wins this season… This is the first ever Rosebowl for TCU. Read More »

While it’s obvious that there are situations common to all college students whatever campus they may call home, every campus has its own unique traditions. Some, like walking through a certain fountain upon graduation, date back hundreds of years. Others, like puking under a table at the late night Mexican restaurant on the night of your 21st birthday, are simply infamous amongst the student body.

And it is these things that unite students and make us proud to call our specific school home. So this week I asked the CollegeCandy writers to show a little school pride and share their university’s eccentricities with the world.

Tell us: what campus “tradition” sets your school apart from the pack? Read More »

I am literally counting down the days until I head back to school (30 and a half, baby!). I miss red Solo cups, beer pong, and (although I hate to admit it) the cliche frat guys who are always down for an ice luge and day drinking.

As Asher Roth says (to a very nice beat), I love college. And I think all of you will agree with my reasons for wanting to get back to the leisurely life of football games, parties, boys, and, um, oh yeah, classes.

My Girls: I know back in the day college was often considered the place women went to find their husbands, but for me, it’s all about my girls.  I haven’t found my groom in college, but I’ve definitely found my bridesmaids and I can’t wait to be back under one roof with all of them.

One Nighters: In the city, the typical morning-after walk of shame becomes a cab of shame and that just costs more. Not to mention the increased creepy factor when you go home with a randar in the city and have to use Google Maps to find your way home. But on campus? I’m only a few blocks from my bed and have some (albeit long and random) connection to the boy at hand….or mouth. See? Not so random, after all. 

Football Games: Tailgating, drinking before noon, shotgunning, stuffing your face with hot dogs, and having this all be socially acceptable? Only in college.

Free Condoms!: That’s right,  I said free. Most college Student Health Centers supply students with a limited supply of condoms each semester with just the show of your student ID card. Most importantly for us ladies, you can often get your birth control at a cheaper rate, too. Read More »

We all can’t get into Stanford. I know, I know. Life is rough. Luckily you can sneak in like Ms. Azia Kim, a girl who decided that rejection letter or no rejection letter she was going to hobnob with the smart kids. When she showed up for New Student Orientation in September, she told her new roommates that she was a star softball pitcher and was temporarily out of housing because of a mixup. Well the girls were in freshman mode, the state of mind that makes you a complete whore for new friends lest you lose the “cool status” that you’ve carefully crafted during your four long years in high school. They let her squat in their room….for fall and winter term.

Stanford kicked her out on Monday when she was caught sneaking through the window of “her dorm”. Fake students don’t have ID cards you know. What I want to know is why it took an elite school almost until the end of the school year to figure out they had a fake student? I mean, it’s not like it was UC Davis or something. Read More »