While most of us are buying our cold weather gear to get ready for December and January football, this skier buys his clothing for a different reason…

Brace yourself for one of the worst ski crashes ever. It’s amazing the person is always OK.

The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando will feature two powerhouse football teams: the Florida State Seminoles (8-4 overall, 5-3 conference) and the Wisconsin Badgers (7-5 overall, 3-5 conference). The game is scheduled for December 27 at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN.

“This will be one of the more exciting games of the season featuring two powerhouse football brands in Florida State and Wisconsin,” said Hogan. “This will be the first time these two programs have played each other in football and hosting coach Bowden in Orlando for the first time in over a decade will be a treat for all of us.”

Wisconsin has had a very disappointing season, remember, they were a 2008 preseason Top 10 team. Florida State finished their season pretty close to what the experts expected. Another 8 win regular season for Bowden…

The following is a game preview from ESPN. They include several players to keep your eye on.

Both Florida State and Wisconsin have depended on their running games this season, with the Badgers leaning on P.J. Hill and John Clay, and FSU relying on Antone Smith and Jermaine Thomas. Seminoles quarterback Christian Ponder is looking to redeem himself from a poor performance against Florida in which he was benched in favor of Drew Weatherford. The Badgers have been more effective since Dustin Sherer replaced Allan Evridge at quarterback.

So who do you think will win? Seminoles or Badgers?

Congratulations to nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA).  On Saturday, December 13^th Slater went on stage to receive his sixth award in the 2008 ASP World Tour.  This one was for the Billabong Pipeline Masters.  Out of the 17 times Slater has entered the competition he has went on to finals 10 times, and won the competition six.  In addition to his recent one, he clinched the title in 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1999.

Slater surfed eight to 10 foot waves beating Chris Ward (USA) in the first man-to-man final held in eight years at the infamous Pipeline. 

The event in 2009 will be something to look forward to.  Here are the surfers that automatically qualify for the tour:

World Nos. 1-10 respectively are: Kelly Slater (USA), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Taj Burrow (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Adriano de Souza (BRA), Mick Fanning (AUS), Bobby Martinez (USA) Jeremy Flores (FRA).

Surfers finishing World Nos. 11-27 respectively are: Luke Stedman (AUS), Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Andy Irons (HAW), Chris Ward (USA), Kai Otton (AUS), Tim Reyes (USA), Tom Whitaker (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), Bruce Irons (HAW), Mikael Picon (FRA), Dane Reynolds (USA), Taylor Knox (USA), Damien Hobgood (USA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Ben Dunn (AUS).

The National Football League announced this year’s Pro Bowl starters and reserves. The New York Jets led all teams with seven Pro Bowlers, including quarterback Brett Favre, who will be in his 10th Pro Bowl, but his first representing the AFC. There will be six each from the New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans in the game, to be played on Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

This will also mark the first time in history that quarterback-playing brothers have been chosen for the same all-star game. A lot of fans gripe about the Pro Bowl just being a popularity contest and the most deserving players sometimes get left out. However, this year I think the fans and the NFL got it right. One of only snubs this year is Atlanta Falcons defensive end Jonathan Abraham, who has 15.5 sacks. He has been the star the 9-5 Falcons’ defense.

Below are the complete starting rosters for both the AFC and the NFC. If you think someone was left off the starting rosters, leave a comment.

AFC Pro Bowl Offensive Starters
QB- Peyton Manning
WR- Andre Johnson
WR- Brandon Marshall
OT- Jason Peters
OT- Joe Thomas
OG- Kris Dielman
OG- Alan Faneca
C- Kevin Mawae
TE- Tony Gonzalez
RB- Thomas Jones
FB- Le’Ron McClain

AFC Pro Bowl Defensive Starters
DE- Dwight Freeney
DE- Mario Williams
DT- Albert Haynesworth
DT- Kris Jenkins
OLB- James Harrison
OLB- Joey Porter
ILB- Ray Lewis
CB- Nnamdi Asomugha
CB- Cortland Finnegan
FS- Ed Reed
SS- Troy Polamalu

NFC Pro Bowl Offensive Starters
QB- Kurt Warner
WR- Larry Fitzgerald
WR- Anquan Boldin
OT- Jordan Gross
OT- Walter Jones
OG- Steve Hutchinson
OG- Chris Snee
C- Andre Gurode
TE- Jason Witten
RB- Adrian Peterson
FB- Mike Sellers

NFC Pro Bowl Defensive Starters
DE- Julius Peppers
DE- Justin Tuck
DT- Jay Ratliff
DT- Kevin Williams
OLB- Lance Briggs
OLB- DeMarcus Ware
ILB- Patrick Willis
CB- Antoine Winfield
CB- Charles Woodson
FS- Nick Collins
SS- Adrian Wilson

The inaugural EagleBank Bowl, held on December 20, 2008 at 11:00 AM EST, will host the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-5 overall, 4-4 conference) and the Navy Midshipmen (8-4 overall). The game will be played at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. and aired live on ESPN.

The EagleBank Bowl is a rematch from a Navy vs. Wake Forest game ealier this season. The Midshipmen beat the Demon Deacons 24-17 at Wake. Neither team wanted a rematch, but they couldn’t avoid it. For the first time in 63 years, Wake Forest will play the same team twice in one season. Maybe there will be a hint of revenge coming out of their locker room.

This game may not have the marquee matchups of a New Year’s Day Bowl, but fans will still get to see some great football. Navy may have shut out their last two opponents, but they don’t have the nation’s best linebacker… Wake Forest does. Wake Forest senior Aaron Curry won the Butkus Award honoring the nation’s top college linebacker. Curry finished the regular season with 101 tackles, three fumble recoveries and an interception.

There is no line on the game, but I think it’ll be very close. Both teams know each other well and play with a similar style. The weather could play a factor in the game, being one of the only Bowl Games played that far north in an outdoor stadium.

The Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl is scheduled for December 20, 2008 at 8:00 PM EST. This year, the No. 16 Brigham Young Cougars (10-2 overall, 6-2 Mountain West Conference) are facing off with the Arizona Wildcats (7-5 overall, 5-4 Pac-10 conference). BYU is going for its fourth consecutive Las Vegas Bowl victory, while Arizona is playing in its first bowl game since 1998. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN & ESPN HD from Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, NV.

While BYU and Arizona will face each other in a bowl game for the first time, it marks the 22nd meeting between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1936. Arizona leads 11-9-1 all-time but the teams split a recent home-and-home series. Despite BYU being a ranked team and going for their fourth consecutive bowl win, the odds makers have Arizona favored by 3 points.

Neither team has a strong defense, in fact, BYU has given up 32 or more points in four of its past six games. I think we’ll see a score approaching 40s by both teams. If neither team can stop the other, it may come down to whoever has the ball last will win.

Some key players to keep an eye on: BYU’s Jan Jorgensen, a junior defensive end who is already his league’s all-time leader in QB sacks with 22.5, and Arizona’s Willie Tuitama, a senior all-conference performer that is his school’s career passing leader. Both players should have solid careers at the next level.

The 2008 Heisman Trophy Award will be presented Saturday December 13 at 8:00 PM EST in New York City. This year, three players have been invited to the Heisman Presentation: Tim Tebow (the 2007 winner), Sam Bradford, and Colt McCoy.

Most experts and websites have it at a very close 3-way race among Tebow, Bradford and McCoy. Just a few weeks ago, Tim Tebow wouldn’t have been mentioned as a potential winner, but after his performance in the SEC Championship game a lot of voters have been changing their minds.

In 2007, Tebow won on stats alone… but will the 2008 winner be judged on the same criteria?

Tim Tebow (12-1)
-2,515 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
-564 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns, 0 fumbles

Sam Bradford (12-1)
-4,464 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
-65 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns, 0 fumbles

Colt McCoy (11-1)
-3,445 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 7 interceptions
-576 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns, 0 fumbles

Now you also have to take into consideration passing attempts, completion percentage, style of offense, and strength of schedule. When you add it all up, these 3 players are very close.

One thing that could factor into the voting is both Bradford and McCoy play in the Big 12, so the regional votes could be split… leaving room for Tim Tebow to take the lead.

Tell us your take on the Heisman. Who do you think will win this year?