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Bowl Season '08: Matt Grothe Dominates, South Florida Rolls Past Memphis

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

Matt Grothe has a season left in his collegiate career, and that should be enough to make South Florida one of the Big East favorites for 2009. The South Florida quarterback completed an up-and-down season with a spectacular performance in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Saturday night, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns, and leading the Bulls in rushing. That performance helped USF smoke Memphis 41-14.

This one was over almost from the opening kick -- South Florida started its first drive at the Memphis 43 and, three plays into the game, Grothe threw a TD strike to Taurus Johnson for a 7-0 lead and USF never looked back.

Memphis pulled within 14-7 after the first quarter, but the Bulls then ran off 10 unanswered points and the lead never dipped into single digits again.

Turkey Legs to Go: St. Petersburg Bowl Travel Guide, South Florida vs. Memphis

Turkey Legs to Go is FanHouse's complete travel guide for all of the 2008-2009 college bowl games. Here, we cover the St. Petersburg Bowl (St. Petersburg, Fla.), which pits South Florida against Memphis.

Overview / Matchup: The St. Petersburg Bowl debuts this year as a Conference USA - Big East throwdown of mid-standing proportions, and is on the first day of bowl games thie year. In its inaugural game, Tropicana Field will be hosting a somewhat local team, South Florida. Memphis, meanwhile, beat Tulane in its final game to get bowl eligible, throttling the Green Wave 45-6.

Hotels: The Don CeSar Beach Resort is arguably the best hotel in St. Petersburg and offers excellent on-site dining. The building's flamingo-pink exterior helps it stand out against the blue water and white sand of Pinellas Bayway. Don CeSar's only downside: it's a 15-minute drive from the stadium. The Hilton St Petersburg Bayfront and Days Inn Central are both close enough to the stadium that you won't have to worry about timing. The Hilton is the best all-around value for bowl travelers, balancing accommodation, proximity and price. Budget travelers should head for the Days Inn Central. It's less than two miles from Tropicana Field and has rooms for less than $100 per night.