Thursday, September 7 No worry, Joe Snackchip, we've got your bowl guide By Bill Doherty Special to ESPN.com

It's the last full week of the 20th Century and there's lots to do. You've got to buy a few last-minute Christmas gifts, stock up on champagne, make sure your computer is completely Y2K protected and of course, watch as many bowl games as your significant other will allow.

	The debate over a starting QB has dogged Paul Pasqualoni this year.

To make the last of those four things-to-do a whole lot easier, here's a short print-and-save guide to the bowl games played between Dec 22 and the end of 1999 which involve either an ACC or Big East team or ones that feature a team with ties of some sort to the East region. We'll give you a quick idea of what to look for in each game.

Next week we'll take a closer look at the Nokia Sugar Bowl (No.1 Florida State vs. No. 2 Virginia Tech) and the Gator Bowl (where Georgia Tech and Miami collide).

Mobile Alabama Bowl
East Carolina (9-2) vs. TCU (7-4), Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2.
This game features two of college football's up-and-coming coaches in East Carolina's Steve Logan (who received a hefty raise after the season) and TCU's Dennis Franchione (who has turned the Horned Frogs into princes). In the 32 years prior to Franchione's arrival, TCU had only five winning seasons and two bowl appearances. Franchione has taken them to back-to-back bowls, beating USC in the Sun Bowl a year ago and getting a crack at East Carolina here by earning a share of the WAC title.

East Carolina should be able to move the football, thanks to the presence of super-sized sophomore quarterback David Garrard (6-3, 240). Garrard has completed 181 of his 312 throws for 2,359 yards and 14 TDs. "David's got a mobility about him that's very, very attractive," says Logan. "His accuracy throwing the football is above and beyond any quarterback I've had an opportunity to coach." Which is saying something because Logan once coached current Cincinnati Bengal signalcaller Jeff Blake.

The $750,000 question (that's the payout each team will receive) is whether East Carolina's rugged defense can slow down TCU's running star LaDainian Tomlinson, the nation's leading rusher this year with 1,850 yards. Tomlinson has rushed for 250 or more yards in three different games this season, however the ECU defense is just one of two NCAA Division I-A units (Kansas State is the other) to hold five different opponents to under 10 points. The Pirates held Duke (9 points), South Carolina (3), Tulane (7), Houston (3) and N.C. State (6) to single digits this season.

Aloha Bowl
Arizona State (6-5) vs. Wake Forest (6-5), Dec. 25, 3:30 p.m., ABC.
The two coaches in this game, ASU's Bill Snyder and Wake Forest's Jim Caldwell, did more than earn bowl bids with season-ending wins. They probably saved their jobs in the process too. November victories over USC and Arizona helped Snyder avoid a second straight losing season -- and in all probability, the ax. Caldwell saved his job with a 26-23 season-ending upset of No. 14 Georgia Tech. That win earned the Demon Deacons a trip to Hawaii and enabled Caldwell to avoid an ACC-record seventh consecutive losing season. He already held the record with six.

Even without starting quarterback Ryan Kealy (torn ACL in right knee), Arizona State is the more talent-laden of these two teams. Senior tailback J.R. Redmond (1,085 yards, 12 rushing TDs) will play in the NFL, as will the man the anchors the line in front of him, junior left tackle Marvel Smith (27 straight starts). How good is Smith? This might his last college game, because Smith looks like a first-round pick should he elect to forgo his senior year. Sophomore tight end Todd Heap, whose cousin is former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White, also has NFL written all over him. Often compared to current Denver Broncos star Ed McCaffery, Heap caught 50 balls for 793 yards this season.

The question is: Who will be throwing the football for ASU with Kealy out of commission? The two candidates are sophomore John Leonard (24 of 64, 312 yards, 1 TD, 4 INTs) or junior Griffin Goodman (16 of 30, 234 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs). Suffice it to say, ASU will try to run the ball with those two inexperienced hands under center. It will be interesting to see if Wake's defense can stop Redmond and talented JUCO import Delvon Flowers (504 yards rushing in limited action this year).

Caldwell will attempt to shorten the game by running the football himself. It certainly worked against Georgia Tech when senior Morgan Kane piled up 224 yards rushing himself. Kane is an able runner, as his 1,121 yards and 10 rushing TDs in 1999 attest.

Motor City Bowl
Marshall (12-0) vs. BYU (8-3), Dec. 27, 1:30 p.m., ESPN.
This game comes accompanied with a warning for Joe Snackchip: Please allow four hours to catch this game from start to finish. The reason? Both of these teams will take to the friendly skies quite often in this one.

Despite a 12-0 mark and a nation's best 16-game win streak, Marshall enters this game with something to prove after its near-disastrous performance in the Mid-American Conference title game vs. Western Michigan. The Thundering Herd trailed in that one, 23-0 before rallying to win in its only nationally-televised game this season. The comeback was only possible because of the presence of senior quarterback Chad Pennington, who many feel will be the first quarterback taken in next spring's NFL draft. Pennington lived up to the school's season-long Heisman hype by completing 63 percent of his passes for over 3,500 yards and 34 TDs this season. He finished fifth in the 1999 Heisman balloting.

Like Marshall, Mountain West Conference tri-champion BYU enters this game with serious questions after season-ending losses to Wyoming and Utah. The biggest problem area for BYU is the pass blocking prowess of its offensive line (which has allowed a whopping 37 sacks). If senior quarterback Kevin Feterick is kept upright, then he's a threat to turn this into one of those games that produces 1,200 yards of total offense. Feterick was seventh nationally in passing yardage (316 yards per game) and 15th in passing efficiency.

Alamo Bowl
Penn State (9-3) vs. Texas A&M (8-3), Dec. 28, 7:30 p.m., ESPN.
Perhaps this matchup should be referred to as the Classic Underachievers Bowl. Both of these teams were ranked in the preseason top-5 and harbored national title hopes. Penn State, in particular, seemed to be the real deal and headed for a Nokia Sugar Bowl date for all marbles against Florida State -- that is, until a late-season swoon by the Nittany Lions.

Those three late-season losses to Minnesota, Michigan and Michigan State forced Joe Paterno to accept an invite to the Alamo Bowl, marking the first time since 1992 that the Nittany Lions won't be playing on New Year's Day. Still, this team is loaded on defense. Defensive end Courtney Brown (29 tackles for loss, 13ݪ sacks in 1999) and linebacker LaVar Arrington seem to be locks to go in the top five of the upcoming NFL draft, if Arrington elects to skip his senior season. Bet on that happening.

The Nittany Lions' star-studded defense (which also includes stellar linebacker Brandon Short and excellent cover guy David Macklin) should be motivated for two reasons. First, they'd like to get the bad taste out of their mouths after the late-season freefall. And second, this is the last game that defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky will coach. He's retiring after this game. His last challenge at State College is to devise a plan to shut down Texas A&M's jumbo-sized backfield of 265-pound tailback JaMar Toombs and 242-pound fullback D'Andre Hardeman, as well as the capable passing of Randy McCown (2,437 yards). The good news for the Nits is that A&M has struggled in bowl games this decade, winning just twice in seven tries.

Music City Bowl
Kentucky (6-5) vs. Syracuse (6-5), Dec. 29, 4 p.m., ESPN.
This will be an unofficial home game for the Wildcats, whose fan base is in easy driving distance of Nashville. As expected, both teams struggled at times in the year after their superstar quarterbacks (Kentucky's Tim Couch, Syracuse's Donovan McNabb) went 1-2 in last spring's NFL draft. Despite identical 6-5 records, Kentucky, which lost its entire offensive line and its top receiver (Craig Yeast) from last season, is viewed as 1999 success story, while Syracuse is a bust after its 5-1 start was ruined by a 1-4 finish.

Some Orangemen fans are calling for the head of Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni, in large part because SU's coach never decided on one quarterback. Three different guys -- Troy Nunes (95 of 161, 1,141 yards, 11 TDs and 5 INTs), Madei Williams (55 of 110, 742, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) and tailback Dee Brown (741 rushing yards) -- all got snaps under center. As a result, his team's offense fizzled down the stretch. How bad were things? Once 5-1 and nationally ranked, the Orangemen suffered a 62-0 loss to Virginia Tech, had three players stabbed in a fight outside a club and lost to 30-point underdog Rutgers late in the year. Ouch. Somehow it seems appropriate that a team whose regular season closed on such a down note ends up in Nashville, where country western singers have cried in the beer for years.

To help ease their pain, SU's defense -- led by pass rushing end Duke Pettijohn (10½ sacks) and hitting machine Keith Bulluck (Big East-best 135 tackles) -- must come up with answers against UK's wide-open offense, led by sophomore quarterback Dusty Bonner. The SEC's top-rated passer this season, Bonner loves to throw the ball in the direction of first-team All-American tight end James Whalen (90 receptions in 1999).

MicronPC.com Bowl
Illinois (7-4) vs. Virginia (7-4), Dec.30, 7 p.m., TBS.
Virginia overcame a 3-3 start to finish 7-4. The keys to Virginia's quick finishing kick were the brilliance of senior running back Thomas Jones (ACC single-season record 1,798 yards rushing) and the late-season emergence of junior quarterback Dan Ellis (37 of 53, 639 yards and 10 TDs in his last two games).

Much like last year, the MicronPC Bowl will be home to the nation's best all-around running back, no matter what the Heisman voters say. Last year, the bowl game had Miami's Edgerrin James. This year, it has Jones -- who will be picked in this spring's NFL draft long before 1999 Heisman winner Ron Dayne hears his name called.

Jones should add to his gaudy numbers in this game, because Illinois has had its fair share of problems against top-shelf running backs this season. The question is: Can Virginia's defense slow down the Illini's aerial attack, paced by sophomore quarterback Kirk Kittner (his 22 TD passes tied Jeff George's school record) and fifth-year senior wideout Michael Dean (43 catches, 566 yards, 4 TDs). Helping the Cavaliers' cause on defense is the fact that this injury-riddled group will be as healthy as it's been all season. Middle linebacker Yubrenal Isabelle (mono) as well as defensive ends Travis Griffith and Boo Battle (both had ankle injuries) are expected to be 100 percent against Illinois.

Peach Bowl
Clemson (6-5) vs. Mississippi State (9-2), Dec. 30, 7:30 p.m., ESPN.
This intriguing matchup pits Mississippi State's stingy defense, a unit ranked No. 1 in the nation in both rushing and total defense, against a wide-open Clemson offense. Whoever wins that battle will probably win the football game.

"This is another tough defense for our team to test themselves against," says Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. "We've already played against four of the top 18 defenses in country in Virginia Tech, Marshall, Florida State and South Carolina.

"There's no doubt we're going to have to move the ball and then put some points on the board. And nobody's been able to do that against them on a consistent basis."

Of course, cynics point to SEC Light schedule as the reason the Bulldogs went 9-2 this fall. After all, Mississippi State didn't have to play against Tennessee, Florida or Georgia this season and had seven home games. Still, Bowden is impressed by State's defense which was sixth nationally in scoring defense (13.5 ppg allowed). Only Kentucky (22 points) and Mississippi (20) scored 20 or more points against Joe Lee Dunn's unit this year.

Clemson plays an attack style defense too. It worked this season as Bowden's club led the ACC in sacks (45) and turnover margin (plus-9). The ringleader of this group is undersized linebacker Keith Adams, the son of former 15-year NFL vet Julius Adams who led the nation in tackles (176) and set a Tigers single-season records with 16 sacks and 33 tackles for loss.

Insight.com Bowl
Boston College (8-3) vs. Colorado (6-5), Dec. 31, 1:45 p.m., ESPN.
Boston College has been one of the feel-good stories of the 1999 football season. A few years removed from a gambling scandal which rocked the program and the college sportsworld, BC has turned things around under disciplinarian Tom O'Brien. The team mirrors O'Brien's steady, no-nonsense personality.

On offense, tailback Cedric Washington has filled in nicely for the departed Mike Cloud (now with the Kansas City Chiefs). Washington posted six 100-yard rushing games and finished second in the Big East in rushing (1,122 yards). Quarterback Tim Hasselbeck isn't spectacular, but plays mistake-free football and is a much better runner than most opposing teams suspect.

The question is whether the BC defense, which has more seniors than a church bingo night, can control Colorado's speedy offense. Let's face it, the Eagles had their fair share of problems dealing with Virginia Tech's speed (555 yards allowed). Future pro Chris Hovan (a Big East-best 21 tackles for loss) will lead the Eagles' attempt to disrupt the passing of Colorado senior Mike Moschetti (2,693 passing yards, 18 TD passes), who ranked 18th nationally in total offense this year.

Extra points
Virginia has gotten its Mann, as in Hampton (Va.) High School star linebacker Raymond Mann, the 1999 Gatorade State Player of the Year, Mann has given a verbal commitment to the Cavaliers over Tennessee and Georgia Tech. ... Tired of defending its soft schedule, Marshall is doing something about it. Next season, the Thundering Herd play Michigan State and North Carolina. And down the road, Bob Pruett's squad has games scheduled with Virginia Tech, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and Florida. ... Next year's Heisman Trophy could be decided in late-August, if the annual Kickoff Classic has its way. Organizers of the game are talking to Virginia Tech and Purdue about the possibility of playing one another in the 2000 game. That matchup would pit Tech's Michael Vick and Purdue's Drew Brees, who finished third and fourth in the 1999 Heisman chase, against one another. Apparently though, a Tech-Purdue matchup hinges on finding a suitable late-August opponent for Michigan, who had been pegged as a 2000 Kickoff Classic participant but balked at playing Virginia Tech.

Bill Doherty, a freelance writer from Bethlehem, Pa., is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.