Obscure Bowl Games (12/20/05)

All football fans know about the Rose Bowl and the Orange Bowl, but less famous are such gridiron classics as the Raisin Bowl, the Bluebonnet Bowl, and, yes, Virginia, there actually was a Salad Bowl. The last three are defunct, but even thriving games like the Cactus Bowl, the Mineral Water Bowl, and the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl are followed mainly by aficionados of Division II and Division III college football. All of these unjustly obscure games offer the fan something, whether it's the long history of the Sun Bowl, the hoopla surrounding the Music City Bowl, or the inauguration of the Poinsettia Bowl. So, pull up a chair, grab a chicken sandwich and some nuts, and tune into a game like the MPC Computers Bowl. But don't adjust your TV set if the field looks funny -- it's supposed to be blue.