When your alma mater plays in a bowl game once every 29 years, YOU TAKE THE DAY OFF!

And that's what Johnny's done today. His alma mater, Eastern Michigan, the most moribund of college football programs over the last, look at that, 30 years, is playing today in the Bahamas Bowl vs Old Dominion (1pm ESPN). When Johnny says Eastern's been bad for his Jersey City readers who may know very little of EMU, they've been 1-11, 2-10 every year bad for 30 years. One year they did hit 6-6. 4-8 have been great years in Ypsilanti. Today though the 7-5 Hurons (Johnny's not using the other name) have defied the expectations of everyone in college football but those in the EMU locker room will play in their first bowl game since the 1987 California Bowl, won by EMU over San Jose St. 30-27, but of course you remembered that without Johnny reminding you, yes? That's some big motivation and excitement for Johnny's old pals back in Ypsilanti.

So a hale and hearty Let's Go Eastern who do come into the game underdogs but that's fair; ODU and EMU have played a couple times the last four years with ODU winning both in high scoring and low scoring games. Still, it's why they play the games! Hell, Jon Snow won at Winterfell and he had a smaller army. Maybe Auburn will show up like The Vale and play EMU's fourth quarter and pull it out.