Oregon State vs. Boise State, 2013 Hawaii Bowl: Beavers rule the islands

Boise State’s yardage margin. If you’re just looking at the total yards without any sense of the game flow, you would get a conflicted view of how the Broncos lost this game. BSU gained an impressive 538 yards while allowing 454 but was more or less done in by early turnovers and a sharp-enough Oregon State offense.

You can break this game into two pieces, basically.

Oregon State used an efficient, balanced offense and a pair of defensive touchdowns to jump on Boise State and hang on for the 38-23 victory in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

The game, like the telecast, was a mess at several points, which seems sort of fitting for the waning hours of Christmas Eve. If you ever needed a reminder that college football is a trivial pursuit in the grand scheme of things, why not be reminded during the holiday season?

A non-conference Pacific Northwest rivalry will be played out in a bowl game nowhere near the Pacific Northwest, as the Boise State Broncos and the Oregon State Beavers will square off in the Hawaii Bowl. Television coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Both schools had disappointing seasons, starting with extremely disappointing season-opening losses to schools in Washington. Boise State was blown out by Washington, while No. 25 Oregon State lost a heartbreaker to FCS powerhouse Eastern Washington. The Beavers responded with six straight wins, getting back to that dreaded No. 25 spot before losing to Stanford in a close one. Oregon State lost the rest of its games -- USC, Arizona State, Washington and Oregon -- to finish the year at 6-6.

If you expect to get attention playing football on Christmas Eve, you better entertain. For much of its recent history, the Hawaii Bowl has absolutely done that. We got a brawl in 2003, a Chris Johnson coming-out party in 2007, and a stunning, “motivation and individual matchups matter” upset in 2012.

Plus, more often than not, we get points. A lot of them. The winner has scored at least 40 points in nine of 10 Hawaii Bowls (the exception: the dreadful 24-17 Southern Miss win over Nevada about which we will never speak again; it felt like 3-0), and in five of those nine, the loser also scored at least 35.

Boise State (Mountain West, 8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS, 7-5 OU) suffered through its worst season in eight years, failing to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2005.

After suffering a stunning loss as a 26-point favorite against Eastern Washington in their home opener, the Oregon State Beavers (Pac-12, 6-6 SU, 6-6 ATS, 7-5 OU) seemed to have their season back on track with a 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS run over the next six games.

Southwick has denied his involvement, claiming he took a lie detector test and passed it once he got back to Boise. Yes, a lie detector test about peeing off a balcony. He met with the media to clear his name in Peegate 2013.

So what really happened? It sounds like someone definitely peed off a balcony somewhere in Hawaii. Whether or not it was Southwick’s urine is something we’ll probably never know.

Update: Wow.

Interim coach Bob Gregory met with the media following Friday’s practice but did not go into what the future held for his two quarterbacks.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has taken Colorado State bowling for the first time since 2008, going 7-6 and finishing third in the Mountain division of the Mountain West. Out of those seven wins, none came against teams that finished with a winning record, but the Rams have a legitimate star in running back Kapri Bibbs. The sophomore led the nation with 28 touchdown runs this season on fewer than 20 carries per game, and has set school records in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points scored.

Carr is one of the very best quarterbacks in the country, passing for 48 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards on the season. The Bulldogs started the year 10-0, with notable wins over Rutgers, Boise State and San Diego State before a dramatic Friday night loss to San Jose State. Fresno State still won the conference, defeating Utah State in the conference title game.