Peggy Dover

Last night I retired with the din and excitement of the previous day’s bowl games bouncing, leaping, tackling and fumbling in my head. Both my teams had won so I slept well.

Yes, I chose to watch bowl games on New Year’s Day — all day (with a mind-clearing walk thrown in). I binged football. So, if you don’t care for pigskin pontificating, feel free to switch to the Home Shopping Network.

I grew up watching football with Dad the athlete. He loved the game and patiently explained the basics to me at a young age, which made it fun. He took seriously my nascent commentary as a teenage girl. We cheered the triumphs and jeered the fumbles together. I would love to see Nebraska and ASU make comebacks.

I still enjoy a good game — especially college ball — particularly if I care about the team. In America, love of football — the kind you carry and run with — is an unmitigated fever that nobody better try to mitigate.

I’d rather face a nest of ticked-off Asian hornets than an army of red-belly-painted, Tide-rollin’, chicken wing-greased-up ‘Bama mamas. I’m just glad I was nowhere near the South when they lost that close one to Michigan. Never mind, ladies, that your quarterback was sacked six times and the fumbled snaps didn’t make for smooth play action. Nick Saban even looked frustrated, so don’t send a posse up after me here in the Northwest. I’m not saying which state.

Nearly 48,000 people attended the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, this year, where, let’s just say, the Oregon Ducks took care of business handily with a team fairly doomed from the start. Not sure whose idea that match-up was. Maybe the same guy who put Woody Allen with Mia Farrow. Hey, maybe it was Woody Allen. I could see him pulling a stunt like that.

Over 96,000 people packed the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena for the match-up with Alabama and Michigan. The Sugar Bowl hosted 68,000 passionate Dawg and Longhorn fans for Washington and Texas. And what a game that was. Sorry if you missed it. Football games are like live theater — one-of-a-kind performances.

I came away with a few new insights for the modern football aficionado that I thought I’d share.

Every once in a while the camera showed the offensive or defensive coordinator up in the tower making major decisions. I read his lips when he asked Alexa. And more than once I saw his fingers fly to Google. I’m glad I’m not the only one. In a pinch, ask the internet.

Third best strategy is to go to Facebook or Instagram, where knowledgeable fans will gladly offer their advice for putting the game away. Bryan on the Husky FB page suggests this gem, “No more mistakes. Finish it off.” Did you hear that boys? Mindy wisely points out, “Shouldn’t have fumbled that ball on the punt.” And Marty questions, “Why aren’t the Huskies running sweeps?” I wonder if he’s still waiting for a reply.

Many comments are thoughtful posts of encouragement, but do they really think the players are desperately snatching up their phones to check and see what the populace has to advise and to see if they’re still loved even after that fumble?

Though I missed the first episode of the new “Kids Baking Championship,” it was worth it to see Husky player Elijah Jackson bat that final Texas game-losing pass down. I watched it every time they replayed it, which was a lot. You see, the game deciding play came down to one second on the clock and the final of four attempts to make a touchdown. One second. One pass. One major bat-down. It was exciting. About 30,000 fans within earshot agreed.

And Lane and I toasted the games and the New Year with bubbly. Next Monday is the final big one between Washington and Michigan. Joe on Facebook informed me from his crystal ball that Washington hasn’t a chance. Let’s go, Huskies. One final Pac-12 triumph. Ending it with a championship W would be epic, see? You don’t?

Well, everyone knows the answer to the final question, “Who won?”

The vendors, of course.