The Favorite WSU Spring Break Destination tournament is under way

Remember when Carson Daly was cool enough to go to Daytona Beach and hang out with a bunch of co-eds from Gainesville? Or when Pauly Shore was culturally relevant instead of taking a part in whatever awful cow-turd of a film Adam Sandler decided to produce between cashing Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore royalty checks?

It's probably fair to say MTV's coverage of Spring Break vaulted the annual week off from an afterthought of all but the college populace to the right of passage for sloppy 20-year olds it is today. Spring Break has been a yearly cash-cow for resort towns across the continent for so many years, it's a shock this happened 15 years ago. That's one-five years ago.

With Washington State University taking a week off in just about a month, some students may still be scrambling to find a place to go. Considering all possible factors, we here at CougCenter believe it's our duty, along with our esteemed readers, to give you advice on the best location possible. So, we've chosen eight locations that seem to be generally popular with your classmates and graded them on certain criteria. But, our evaluations are meant to serve merely as a guide to your voting.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE: We've got the eight locations up for a vote and the top four will advance to the knockout stages. When you vote, you get to pick FOUR of your favorites to go to the semifinals. Think of it as the college football playoff for Spring Break locales. Below are our brief summaries on all eight locations and grades on the following criteria: cost, weather, activities, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You Here?

In no particular order, here are the nominees:

1. San Diego, CA

Cost: B+, Weather: A, Activities: A-, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

San Diego hotels can be a touch on the expensive side but you can usually find some good deals on your standard travel websites. It's southern California in March, so any weather is an improvement plus you can sneak across the border into Mexico if you're 19, want to drink tequila, and duck into a back alley club where absolutely nothing the United Nations would consider a human and animal rights violation is occurring.

Daisy Fuentes would totally hang out with you at Mission, though.

2. Phoenix, AZ

Cost: C+, Weather: A, Activities: A, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

Activities (spring training baseball) and weather wise (sunshine and warm temperatures), it doesn't get much better than the Phoenix metropolitan area. Plus, with ASU students in year-round Spring Break mode as it is, a trip to Mill Avenue is a little slice of Pullman in the desert. The biggest knock though is the price. Hotels are generally more expensive during spring training and then you'll add in the cost of going to the games themselves.

Daisy Fuentes will be rockin' a sun dress and giant Kentucky Derby style hat next to you, though.

3. Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta)

Cost: D-, Weather: A, Activities: A, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

Mexico is worse than most everywhere mentioned here and better than most everywhere mentioned here in two different ways. Bad news first: the cost will be exorbitant. Although there are some cheap hotels (you won't want to stay there, the water is definitely brown), flights generally aren't cheap thanks to taxes from the Mexican government and the hotels you'll actually want to stay in are expensive. Good news: the drinking age is only 18. Add in the gorgeous weather and the myriad of stuff to do any resort provides and if you've got the cash, it's a great way to go.

Daisy Fuentes will definitely let you by her a $12 Dirty Monkey from the hotel bar, though.

4. Whistler, BC, Canada

Cost: C, Weather: B, Activities: A-, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

What money Whistler keeps in your pocket with the savings on airfare, it's going to rip straight out again with the cost of a hotel and lift ticket. Although the weather can be a bit on the damp side by the time March rolls around, the skiing is still world class and the village bars are amongst my favorite anywhere. Plus, as Blackie pointed out, Aussies.

Daisy Fuentes is totally gunna rock the furry boots at Rimrock for dinner, though.

5. Las Vegas, NV

Cost: B, Weather: A-, Activities: A, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

Las Vegas gets your money secretly like Whistler. Although the flight + hotel packages on Expedia are a screaming deal, the $50 covers you can pay to get into some of the clubs plus the $18 cocktails once you get in are positively cataclysmic. Add in the money you're going to lose (and you will lose it) gambling and you'll spend more than you thought you would. But the weather is nice, there's a ton to do and there are place you can definitely find a cheap beer.

Daisy Fuentes will probably get you a VIP table at Surrender, though.

6. Lake Tahoe CA/NV

Cost: D+, Weather: B, Activities: B+, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

Tahoe doesn't get the Whistler benefit of being cheap to get to. Combine that with expensive lift tickets and accommodations and this one isn't exactly light on the wallet. But, there's plenty of great skiing and if you're on the Nevada side of the lake, you can spin the roulette wheel a few times.

Daisy Fuentes is definitely gunna mix you a hot toddy in the cabin, though.

7. Los Angeles, CA

Cost: B-, Weather: A-, Activities: A, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Yes.

Although LA is plenty cheap to get to in general, hotels other than the cheap chains on the outskirts of Hollywood are going to run a bit on the high end for a college budget. The relatively low chance of any inclement weather combined with a veritable cornucopia of stuff to do though do make up drastically for the lowered cost. Pro tip: go to Hermosa or Manhattan Beach and stay the hell away from Santa Monica. It's less crowded, more relax, and there aren't drifters trying to shank you and take your wallet.

I'm pretty sure Daisy Fuentes lives here, though.

8. Home

Cost: A+, Weather: C-, Activities: D, Would Daisy Fuentes Hang Out With You? Hell to the no.

Just going back home for a week to decompress is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Problem is, if you're like most WSU students and live somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, the weather is going to stink and you're going to get bored.

Also, there's no way in hell Daisy Fuentes is gunna chill with you. Not even if you break out Super Smash Bros.

Remember, pick FOUR of your favorite spring break destinations: