Bowls To Date: 12-10
Season: 231-93
The bowl season drags on and on. Next up is New Year’s Day. Once upon a time, New Year’s Day was a celebration of college football. You had the Cotton Bowl when it was a big game. You had the Rose Bowl, when it was an excuse to prepare for the really important game that night. Then, you had the Orange Bowl, which usually featured a Big 8 team and/or Miami playing for a national championship. Ok, not every year, but it sure seemed like it. Now, there is a glut of meaningless games on New Year’s Day and spreading to the days after. There is only one game that counts, and it is on January 8.
Outback Bowl, January 1, Tampa: Iowa vs. South Carolina: Slow Big Ten team plays underachieving SEC team. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier was once quarterback for an NFL team in Tampa. They went 0-14. He’ll do better on New Year’s Day. Pick: SC
Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, January 1, Jacksonville: Nebraska vs. Clemson: Middle of the road Big 12 team meets middle of the road ACC team. It won’t be great TV, but they’ll sell plenty of tickets and fill plenty of hotel rooms. Pick: Clemson
Capital One Bowl, January 1, Orlando: Georgia vs. Michigan State: See Outback Bowl-slow Big Ten team plays underachieving SEC team. That’s right, the Bulldogs underachieved, having lost to both rivals in Florida and Georgia Tech. Still, they should be able to handle the Spartans. Pick: Jawja
Rose Bowl presented by Citi, January 1, Pasadena, California: USC vs. Penn State: Once again, USC is in the Rose Bowl, and once again, a Big Ten team loses the Rose Bowl. Penn State should be able to keep it close, but SC’s defense should keep Penn State’s offense out of the end zone for most of the game. Pick: USC
FedEx Orange Bowl, January 1, Miami: Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech: This really is a BCS bowl game. None of the other BCS bowls wanted either of these teams, but the Orange Bowl gets the national championship game this year, so they’re stuck with this matchup. VT came out of a gaggle of evenly balanced teams in the ACC. Cincinnati dominated the Big East this year. Pick: Cincy
AT&T Cotton Bowl, January 2, Dallas: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech: Ole Miss surprised the SEC and the world this season in their first year under Houston Nutt. Tech has won 11 games for the first time in the history of man. Make that 12. Pick: Tech
Liberty Bowl, January 2, Memphis: Kentucky vs. East Carolina: Zzzz. Did you know this is Kentucky’s third bowl in a row? So-so SEC team vs. champion of Conference USA. Give me the SEC. Pick: Kentucky
Sugar Bowl, January 2, New Orleans: Alabama vs. Utah: Bama has to be disappointed after running the table in the regular season before losing to Florida in the SEC championship game. The Utes had an awesome year, going undefeated to represent the non-BCS world in one of the $17 million BCS bowl. This won’t be as bad as Hawaii’s game last year against Georgia, but don’t look for the ’06 Boise State team to show up, either. Pick: Alabama
International Bowl, January 3, Toronto: Buffalo vs. Connecticut: Somebody has to go to Toronto in January for a bowl game. It may as well be two snowbound schools. At least the game is indoors. Buffalo won the MAC in Turner Gill’s third year as coach. UConn is becoming a bowl regular. The Bulls have had a great run, but UConn knows what they’re doing here. Pick: UConn
Fiesta Bowl, January 5, Glendale, Arizona: Texas vs. Ohio State: The Longhorns are really, really mad that they came out on the wrong end of the Big 12’s three-way tiebreaker for the South division championship. They really do have a case to be in the national championship game. On the other side of this matchup is Ohio State, winners of 10 games and a regular to this game in the desert. The Buckeyes had a nice season in the Big Ten, but they’re no match for Texas. Pick: Texas
GMAC Bowl, January 6, Mobile, Alabama: Tulsa vs. Ball State: Ball State had a great season, going 12-0 before being upset by Buffalo in the MAC championship game. Since then, head coach Brady Hoke has flown the coop for the warmer climes at San Diego State. Tulsa had a great year, as well, winning 10 games. Tulsa has faded a bit at the end of the season, losing three of their last five games. Pick: Ball State
BCS National Championship Game, January 8, Miami: Oklahoma vs. Florida: Get ready to stay up all night for this one, as there will be lots of offense here. Both teams have Heisman trophy winners. Both teams won premier conferences. Bob Stoops has national championship rings from both schools. As a Sooner fan, I cannot review this game objectively. Sooners win national championship number 8. Pick: OU
Showing posts with label bowls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bowls. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Bowl Picks, Part 2
Bowls to date: 6-6
Season: 219-83
Papajohns.com Bowl at Birmingham, December 29: N.C. State vs. Rutgers. I think I’ll be doing other things Monday afternoon. Besides, I prefer Pizza Hut or Domino’s to Papa John’s. When we last saw Rutgers, they were hanging 63 on Louisville. Pick: Rutgers
Valero Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, December 29: Missouri vs. Northwestern. Tigers have to be disappointed with this season. They managed to win the Big 12 North, but that’s about like winning District 1-5A in Texas high school football. Missouri expected a lot more from this season. Northwestern rang up a lot of points in the Big Ten this year. Expect a lot of scoring in this one. Pick: Northwestern
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho, December 30: Maryland vs. Nevada. Somebody has to go to this bowl, played on Boise State’s blue turf. Pick: Maryland
Texas Bowl at Houston, December 30: Rice vs. Western Michigan. Another bowl slot that the Big 12 could not fill due to lack of teams. Neither of these teams have a sexy name, but both are actually pretty good. Plenty of good seats available. Pick: Rice
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at San Diego, December 30: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon. This bowl is known for high-scoring shootouts, and this promises to live up to that reputation. OSU has three losses, all to teams ranked in the top 8 in the nation. Oregon has already beaten one orange-clad OSU: their archrival Oregon State. Pick: OSU
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, December 31: Houston vs. Air Force. Rematch of a game played earlier this season, won by Air Force and played in Dallas due to Hurricane Ike. Cougars hope to have a less stressful trip to the Town of the Cow. It’s hard to beat a team twice. Pick: Houston
Brut Sun Bowl at El Paso, December 31: Pittsburgh vs. Oregon State. I wonder if my wife would like it if I bought some Brut? Oregon State had a great run in the Pac-10, including an upset win over USC. Pitt is coming around. Pick: Oregon State
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl at Nashville, December 31: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt. Vandy is in its first bowl game since the Reagan administration, and only has to travel across town to get to it. Boston College has made a living in minor bowl games, winning eight consecutive bowls while never making it to the BCS. Vandy better enjoy the trip to the Opryland hotel, because the game won’t be much fun for them. Pick: BC
Insight Bowl at Tempe, Arizona, December 31: Kansas vs. Minnesota. The Glen Mason Bowl. Mason formerly coached at both schools. This year, KU survived numerous injuries and a murderous Big 12 schedule to qualify for a bowl game. Minnesota won 7 of their first 8 games before collapsing down the stretch. Pick: KU
Chick-Fil-A Bowl at Atlanta, December 31: Georgia Tech vs. LSU: I like chicken. I like Chick-Fil-A. Tigers went 7-5 one year after winning a national championship. Yellow Jackets won 9 games in their first season under Paul Johnson, including a win over archrival Georgia. One team is headed up, the other is headed down. Pick: Ramblin’ Wreck
Season: 219-83
Papajohns.com Bowl at Birmingham, December 29: N.C. State vs. Rutgers. I think I’ll be doing other things Monday afternoon. Besides, I prefer Pizza Hut or Domino’s to Papa John’s. When we last saw Rutgers, they were hanging 63 on Louisville. Pick: Rutgers
Valero Alamo Bowl at San Antonio, December 29: Missouri vs. Northwestern. Tigers have to be disappointed with this season. They managed to win the Big 12 North, but that’s about like winning District 1-5A in Texas high school football. Missouri expected a lot more from this season. Northwestern rang up a lot of points in the Big Ten this year. Expect a lot of scoring in this one. Pick: Northwestern
Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho, December 30: Maryland vs. Nevada. Somebody has to go to this bowl, played on Boise State’s blue turf. Pick: Maryland
Texas Bowl at Houston, December 30: Rice vs. Western Michigan. Another bowl slot that the Big 12 could not fill due to lack of teams. Neither of these teams have a sexy name, but both are actually pretty good. Plenty of good seats available. Pick: Rice
Pacific Life Holiday Bowl at San Diego, December 30: Oklahoma State vs. Oregon. This bowl is known for high-scoring shootouts, and this promises to live up to that reputation. OSU has three losses, all to teams ranked in the top 8 in the nation. Oregon has already beaten one orange-clad OSU: their archrival Oregon State. Pick: OSU
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, December 31: Houston vs. Air Force. Rematch of a game played earlier this season, won by Air Force and played in Dallas due to Hurricane Ike. Cougars hope to have a less stressful trip to the Town of the Cow. It’s hard to beat a team twice. Pick: Houston
Brut Sun Bowl at El Paso, December 31: Pittsburgh vs. Oregon State. I wonder if my wife would like it if I bought some Brut? Oregon State had a great run in the Pac-10, including an upset win over USC. Pitt is coming around. Pick: Oregon State
Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl at Nashville, December 31: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt. Vandy is in its first bowl game since the Reagan administration, and only has to travel across town to get to it. Boston College has made a living in minor bowl games, winning eight consecutive bowls while never making it to the BCS. Vandy better enjoy the trip to the Opryland hotel, because the game won’t be much fun for them. Pick: BC
Insight Bowl at Tempe, Arizona, December 31: Kansas vs. Minnesota. The Glen Mason Bowl. Mason formerly coached at both schools. This year, KU survived numerous injuries and a murderous Big 12 schedule to qualify for a bowl game. Minnesota won 7 of their first 8 games before collapsing down the stretch. Pick: KU
Chick-Fil-A Bowl at Atlanta, December 31: Georgia Tech vs. LSU: I like chicken. I like Chick-Fil-A. Tigers went 7-5 one year after winning a national championship. Yellow Jackets won 9 games in their first season under Paul Johnson, including a win over archrival Georgia. One team is headed up, the other is headed down. Pick: Ramblin’ Wreck
Saturday, December 29, 2007
A Few People Are Making Money
Scott Reid of the Orange County Register this week produced a great series of articles on the business of college bowls. What a racket!
The bowl system is a method of filling hotel rooms in host cities, and of filling bowl officials’ pockets. A majority of them enjoy a dubious non-profit status as charitable organizations. While the bowls do perform some good work in their communities, their foremost purpose is not charity, but economic development. The bowls also spend an enormous amount of money lobbying government officials and entertaining college administrators.
Most schools actually do not make money on bowl games, after expenses are taken into account. Both Florida and Ohio State ran a combined deficit of $600,000 on last year’s trip to the BCS national championship game. Teams going to lesser bowls are required to sell a certain amount of tickets, and often have to eat large amounts of unsold tickets.
I’m not going to reproduce his articles here, but here are some highlights:
Gary Cavalli, executive director of the San Francisco Bowl Game Association, which puts on the Emerald Bowl. Cavalli received $362,018 in compensation and employee benefits in 2006, accounting for 11 percent of the bowl's budget. The game cleared $271,412. In a filing with the IRS, Cavalli said he works 35 hours a week.
What a gig! The guy gets to live in San Francisco, with a job wining and dining corporate people and college presidents and athletic directors. He’s got it made.
Also, the following schools lost their shirts on unsold tickets and bowl expenses:
Northern Illinois, 2006 Poinsettia Bowl: NIU sent 434 people to San Diego, costing the school about $916,800 in expenses. The school's share of the payout was $598,901, leaving NIU with a $317,898 deficit, more than the school spent last year on six of its nine women's sports combined.
Ohio University, 2006 GMAC Bowl: Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich led Ohio to its first bowl appearance since 1968. The celebration in Athens, however, was short-lived. A $277,550 bowl deficit was more than an athletic department already awash in red ink and facing Title IX sanctions could take. The university was forced to dip into general reserve funds to pay the bowl tab and just weeks after the game the school dropped track, swimming and lacrosse, leaving 383 athletes without teams. Ohio spent less than $200,000 annually on the three dropped programs.
And, there's Coach Fran and our friends at Texas A&M:
The Aggies ran up a Texas-sized deficit — $489,978 — in San Diego. A&M's awards expenditures explain some of the red ink. The Aggies spent nearly as much on awards for players and staff — $133,645 — as Florida and Ohio State did combined. Two years earlier, A&M spent $198,395 on awards at the Cotton Bowl.
The bowl system is the biggest crock of bovine excrement out there. I’m no fan of the NCAA and their politically correct, pointy-headed approach. However, a handful of people are holding college football hostage, both politically and financially.
I have no problem with generating large sums of revenue. However, it is not worth it to take a bath on a bowl trip, and to cut athletic programs and scholarships as a result.
Another thought, anathema to proud alumni everywhere: If schools from conferences such as the MAC are going to lose large sums of money on bowl trips, perhaps they should move to the Football Championship Subdivision, where they can play in a less-expensive playoff system and contend for championships.
Links:
Special Report: Price of Success
Special Report: College Football's Money Bowl
Special Report: Having a Party
Special Report: Bowl Calculators in Overdrive
Now, to get ready for that titanic bowl game in Shreveport between 6-6 Colorado and 6-6 Alabama. Because, it's not Pearl Harbor. It's Division I football.
The bowl system is a method of filling hotel rooms in host cities, and of filling bowl officials’ pockets. A majority of them enjoy a dubious non-profit status as charitable organizations. While the bowls do perform some good work in their communities, their foremost purpose is not charity, but economic development. The bowls also spend an enormous amount of money lobbying government officials and entertaining college administrators.
Most schools actually do not make money on bowl games, after expenses are taken into account. Both Florida and Ohio State ran a combined deficit of $600,000 on last year’s trip to the BCS national championship game. Teams going to lesser bowls are required to sell a certain amount of tickets, and often have to eat large amounts of unsold tickets.
I’m not going to reproduce his articles here, but here are some highlights:
Gary Cavalli, executive director of the San Francisco Bowl Game Association, which puts on the Emerald Bowl. Cavalli received $362,018 in compensation and employee benefits in 2006, accounting for 11 percent of the bowl's budget. The game cleared $271,412. In a filing with the IRS, Cavalli said he works 35 hours a week.
What a gig! The guy gets to live in San Francisco, with a job wining and dining corporate people and college presidents and athletic directors. He’s got it made.
Also, the following schools lost their shirts on unsold tickets and bowl expenses:
Northern Illinois, 2006 Poinsettia Bowl: NIU sent 434 people to San Diego, costing the school about $916,800 in expenses. The school's share of the payout was $598,901, leaving NIU with a $317,898 deficit, more than the school spent last year on six of its nine women's sports combined.
Ohio University, 2006 GMAC Bowl: Former Nebraska coach Frank Solich led Ohio to its first bowl appearance since 1968. The celebration in Athens, however, was short-lived. A $277,550 bowl deficit was more than an athletic department already awash in red ink and facing Title IX sanctions could take. The university was forced to dip into general reserve funds to pay the bowl tab and just weeks after the game the school dropped track, swimming and lacrosse, leaving 383 athletes without teams. Ohio spent less than $200,000 annually on the three dropped programs.
And, there's Coach Fran and our friends at Texas A&M:
The Aggies ran up a Texas-sized deficit — $489,978 — in San Diego. A&M's awards expenditures explain some of the red ink. The Aggies spent nearly as much on awards for players and staff — $133,645 — as Florida and Ohio State did combined. Two years earlier, A&M spent $198,395 on awards at the Cotton Bowl.
The bowl system is the biggest crock of bovine excrement out there. I’m no fan of the NCAA and their politically correct, pointy-headed approach. However, a handful of people are holding college football hostage, both politically and financially.
I have no problem with generating large sums of revenue. However, it is not worth it to take a bath on a bowl trip, and to cut athletic programs and scholarships as a result.
Another thought, anathema to proud alumni everywhere: If schools from conferences such as the MAC are going to lose large sums of money on bowl trips, perhaps they should move to the Football Championship Subdivision, where they can play in a less-expensive playoff system and contend for championships.
Links:
Special Report: Price of Success
Special Report: College Football's Money Bowl
Special Report: Having a Party
Special Report: Bowl Calculators in Overdrive
Now, to get ready for that titanic bowl game in Shreveport between 6-6 Colorado and 6-6 Alabama. Because, it's not Pearl Harbor. It's Division I football.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
More Bowl Projections
Every week in college football brings the unexpected. Last week was no exception, as BCS #2 Oregon and BCS #4 Oklahoma were defeated, throwing the BCS into even more chaos. Here are this blog’s latest bowl projections.
This list projects LSU as the winner of the SEC championship game. It also projects Missouri to defeat Kansas this week, and to go on to defeat Oklahoma or Texas in the Big 12 championship game. Sorry, as I like the Fighting Manginos, and I love the Sooners, but Mizzou is playing more than well enough to beat both teams. Mizzou would use wins over those two teams to leap past West Virginia into a spot in the national championship game.
Hawaii is 15th in the BCS this week. Even with a win over Boise State, the Warriors probably will not get the votes or computer points they need to finish in the top 12 of the BCS. They really need Connecticut to beat West Virginia this week and win the Big East. A non-BCS conference champion can also qualify for the BCS if they finish in the top 16 and ahead of a qualifying conference champion.
Projections:
BCS NCG: LSU vs. Missouri
Rose: Arizona State vs. Ohio State
Orange: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Fiesta: Oregon vs. Kansas
Sugar: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech
Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida
Cotton: Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
Outback: Illinois vs. Auburn
Gator: Texas Tech vs. Clemson
Holiday: Texas vs. USC
Chick-Fil-A: Kentucky vs. Florida State
Alamo: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
Sun: Oregon State vs. Connecticut
Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Penn State
Liberty: UCF vs. Arkansas
Independence: Mississippi State vs. Nebraska
Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana
Motor City: Michigan State vs. Miami, Ohio
Meineke Car Care: Cincinnati vs. Wake Forest
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Purdue (Pac 10 without enough qualifying teams)
Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Houston
GMAC: Central Michigan vs. Tulsa
Poinsettia: Navy vs. Utah
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Iowa (ACC without enough qualifying teams)
Papajohn’s: Memphis vs. Ball State
New Orleans: East Carolina vs. Troy
Texas: South Florida vs. TCU (Big 12 without enough qualifying teams)
Emerald: California vs. N.C. State
International: Bowling Green vs. Rutgers
New Mexico: Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. South Carolina (C-USA without enough qualifying teams)
This list projects LSU as the winner of the SEC championship game. It also projects Missouri to defeat Kansas this week, and to go on to defeat Oklahoma or Texas in the Big 12 championship game. Sorry, as I like the Fighting Manginos, and I love the Sooners, but Mizzou is playing more than well enough to beat both teams. Mizzou would use wins over those two teams to leap past West Virginia into a spot in the national championship game.
Hawaii is 15th in the BCS this week. Even with a win over Boise State, the Warriors probably will not get the votes or computer points they need to finish in the top 12 of the BCS. They really need Connecticut to beat West Virginia this week and win the Big East. A non-BCS conference champion can also qualify for the BCS if they finish in the top 16 and ahead of a qualifying conference champion.
Projections:
BCS NCG: LSU vs. Missouri
Rose: Arizona State vs. Ohio State
Orange: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Fiesta: Oregon vs. Kansas
Sugar: Georgia vs. Virginia Tech
Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida
Cotton: Oklahoma vs. Tennessee
Outback: Illinois vs. Auburn
Gator: Texas Tech vs. Clemson
Holiday: Texas vs. USC
Chick-Fil-A: Kentucky vs. Florida State
Alamo: Texas A&M vs. Wisconsin
Sun: Oregon State vs. Connecticut
Champs Sports: Boston College vs. Penn State
Liberty: UCF vs. Arkansas
Independence: Mississippi State vs. Nebraska
Insight: Oklahoma State vs. Indiana
Motor City: Michigan State vs. Miami, Ohio
Meineke Car Care: Cincinnati vs. Wake Forest
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Purdue (Pac 10 without enough qualifying teams)
Armed Forces: Air Force vs. Houston
GMAC: Central Michigan vs. Tulsa
Poinsettia: Navy vs. Utah
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Iowa (ACC without enough qualifying teams)
Papajohn’s: Memphis vs. Ball State
New Orleans: East Carolina vs. Troy
Texas: South Florida vs. TCU (Big 12 without enough qualifying teams)
Emerald: California vs. N.C. State
International: Bowling Green vs. Rutgers
New Mexico: Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. South Carolina (C-USA without enough qualifying teams)
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Bowl Projections
At this time of year, there is a lot of interest in bowl projections. This is the first of a series of mid-season bowl projections. I am not connected with any administrators or guys in the bowl blazers. I’m just a guy with a computer, an internet connection, and a TV.
This is a wild and crazy season. This is perhaps my favorite college football season of all time due to the randomness and unpredictability. Anything can happen in the next three weeks, and probably will.
There will be a lot of horse trading among the bowls. There will be a lot of teams at 5-7, just missing on bowls. A team can go 6-6 and make it to a bowl only if its conference needs them to fill its bowl tie-ins. According to these projections, there will be two more spots available than eligible teams to fill them. On the other hand, the Big Ten will have three 6-6 teams. The Big Ten will give two teams to other bowls in order to make room for two of their 6-6 teams.
These projections are based on LSU and Oregon remaining in the #1 and #2 spots in the BCS rankings. They also take the following events into account:
Big 12: Missouri defeats Kansas (sorry, even though I love the Fighting Manginos), and loses to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Big Ten: Ohio State defeats Michigan for the conference title. Also, the conference gives Iowa to the Independence Bowl and Purdue to the Las Vegas Bowl. This creates room for in the Big Ten bowls for Northwestern (Motor City) and Michigan State (Insight).
SEC: LSU wins their remaining games, including the conference championship game. Tennessee wins out, earning the privilege of losing to LSU in the SECCG. Georgia also wins out, and earns a BCS bid due to its 10-2 record and high ranking.
ACC: Virginia defeats Virginia Tech to win its division. Clemson defeats Boston College to win its division. Virginia defeats Clemson in the ACC championship game. Virginia Tech remains high enough in the rankings to earn a BCS bid.
Pac 10: Oregon wins out, earning a spot in the BCS National Championship game. USC defeats Arizona State, earning a return trip to the Rose Bowl.
Big East: West Virginia wins out, earning the BCS spot.
Where’s Hawaii? I project for them to lose to Boise State. Boise will finish just below #12 in the BCS, and will not be ranked higher than a BCS conference champion, barely missing a BCS bowl.
Projections:
BCS NCG: LSU vs. Oregon
Rose: Ohio State vs. USC
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech
Orange: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Sugar: Georgia vs. Missouri
Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida
Cotton: Kansas vs. Tennessee
Outback: Illinois vs. Auburn
Gator: Texas vs. Clemson
Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech
Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Chick Fil A: Kentucky vs. Florida State
Sun: Cincinnati vs. California
Insight: Michigan State vs. Nebraska
Texas: Oklahoma State vs. South Florida
Champs Sports: Wisconsin vs. Mississippi State (ACC without enough eligible teams)
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Purdue (Pac 10 without enough eligible teams)
Independence: South Carolina vs. Iowa (Big 12 without enough eligible teams)
Motor City: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan
Music City: Alabama vs. Boston College
Liberty: Arkansas vs. UCF
Emerald: Oregon State vs. Georgia Tech
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Maryland
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut
International: Rutgers vs. Bowling Green
GMAC: Tulsa vs. Miami, O.
Armed Forces: Houston vs. Air Force
New Orleans: Troy vs. East Carolina
Papajohn’s: Memphis vs. TCU (Big East without enough eligible teams)
Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy
New Mexico: Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. Southern Miss
This is very much a jigsaw puzzle, and will definitely change. There is a lot of football left to be played in the next three weeks.
This is a wild and crazy season. This is perhaps my favorite college football season of all time due to the randomness and unpredictability. Anything can happen in the next three weeks, and probably will.
There will be a lot of horse trading among the bowls. There will be a lot of teams at 5-7, just missing on bowls. A team can go 6-6 and make it to a bowl only if its conference needs them to fill its bowl tie-ins. According to these projections, there will be two more spots available than eligible teams to fill them. On the other hand, the Big Ten will have three 6-6 teams. The Big Ten will give two teams to other bowls in order to make room for two of their 6-6 teams.
These projections are based on LSU and Oregon remaining in the #1 and #2 spots in the BCS rankings. They also take the following events into account:
Big 12: Missouri defeats Kansas (sorry, even though I love the Fighting Manginos), and loses to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Big Ten: Ohio State defeats Michigan for the conference title. Also, the conference gives Iowa to the Independence Bowl and Purdue to the Las Vegas Bowl. This creates room for in the Big Ten bowls for Northwestern (Motor City) and Michigan State (Insight).
SEC: LSU wins their remaining games, including the conference championship game. Tennessee wins out, earning the privilege of losing to LSU in the SECCG. Georgia also wins out, and earns a BCS bid due to its 10-2 record and high ranking.
ACC: Virginia defeats Virginia Tech to win its division. Clemson defeats Boston College to win its division. Virginia defeats Clemson in the ACC championship game. Virginia Tech remains high enough in the rankings to earn a BCS bid.
Pac 10: Oregon wins out, earning a spot in the BCS National Championship game. USC defeats Arizona State, earning a return trip to the Rose Bowl.
Big East: West Virginia wins out, earning the BCS spot.
Where’s Hawaii? I project for them to lose to Boise State. Boise will finish just below #12 in the BCS, and will not be ranked higher than a BCS conference champion, barely missing a BCS bowl.
Projections:
BCS NCG: LSU vs. Oregon
Rose: Ohio State vs. USC
Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Virginia Tech
Orange: Virginia vs. West Virginia
Sugar: Georgia vs. Missouri
Capital One: Michigan vs. Florida
Cotton: Kansas vs. Tennessee
Outback: Illinois vs. Auburn
Gator: Texas vs. Clemson
Holiday: Arizona State vs. Texas Tech
Alamo: Penn State vs. Texas A&M
Chick Fil A: Kentucky vs. Florida State
Sun: Cincinnati vs. California
Insight: Michigan State vs. Nebraska
Texas: Oklahoma State vs. South Florida
Champs Sports: Wisconsin vs. Mississippi State (ACC without enough eligible teams)
Las Vegas: BYU vs. Purdue (Pac 10 without enough eligible teams)
Independence: South Carolina vs. Iowa (Big 12 without enough eligible teams)
Motor City: Northwestern vs. Central Michigan
Music City: Alabama vs. Boston College
Liberty: Arkansas vs. UCF
Emerald: Oregon State vs. Georgia Tech
Humanitarian: Boise State vs. Maryland
Meineke Car Care: Wake Forest vs. Connecticut
International: Rutgers vs. Bowling Green
GMAC: Tulsa vs. Miami, O.
Armed Forces: Houston vs. Air Force
New Orleans: Troy vs. East Carolina
Papajohn’s: Memphis vs. TCU (Big East without enough eligible teams)
Poinsettia: Utah vs. Navy
New Mexico: Fresno State vs. New Mexico
Hawaii: Hawaii vs. Southern Miss
This is very much a jigsaw puzzle, and will definitely change. There is a lot of football left to be played in the next three weeks.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
On The Roady
The bowl game in Boise is already the laughing stock of the college football world. Events of this week did not help them.
The Boise bowl game signed a three-year naming rights deal with Roady's Truck Stops. The game will be called the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl.
Humanitarian is nice. It was the original title of the bowl game, taking its name from the Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise. But Roady's?
I have to admit, I had never heard of Roady's Truck Stops. According to their website, it is a chain of independent truck stops.
It's bad enough that teams have to go to the cold and snow of Boise to play in a bowl game on the blue turf. Now, they have to deal with the embarrassment of playing in the Truck Stop Bowl. This makes the Poulan Weed Eater Independence Bowl look high-class. The Weed Eater Bowl is still a laughing stock, though Weed Eater hasn't sponsored the bowl in several years.
A coach will get fired for taking his team to the Roady's Truck Stop bowl this year. Of course, Miami went to this bowl last year, and Larry Coker was fired.
Would you like regular, or diesel?
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Rating The Bowls
The division formerly known as 1-A has a quirky and antiquated post-season system, driven by tourist dollars, guys in loud-colored blazers, TV executives, and commissioners of power conferences. There has, in recent years, appeared a preponderance of bowl games. This year, there are 32 bowl games, including the BCS national championship game. As I've watched parts of them, I've often wondered: What's the use of all this? Wouldn't these cities be better off bidding on playoff games?
Before I go any further, I will make the following statement: As long as the bowl system is in place, any city/chamber of commerce/corporation/conference that can come up with the NCAA minimum of $750,000 per team should be allowed to have a bowl. If the folks in Shawnee, Oklahoma want to have a bowl game in Jim Thorpe Stadium (built in the WPA era, capacity 5,000), and they can come up with $1.5 million to pull it off, then more power to them. That's a bit extreme, but anyone that can do it should be able to have a bowl game in their city. With that being said, I have developed a rating system for bowls.
I rank bowls based on: payout, conference tie-in (prestige of conference and bowl's place in picking order), TV contract (network and time of game), location/stadium, and tradition. A newer, lower-paying bowl will obviously be rated much lower than bowls such as the Rose, Sugar and Orange. Each bowl will have a rating based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best.
I will rank the bowls for which I have already picked winners. I will also have bowl ratings with future installments of bowl picks.
Why rank bowls? To have fun with the warped system that we have. Each of these cities have their fine points, and some are better places to live than others. However, some bowls do nothing more than fill some hotel rooms and fill TV time.
Here are the ratings for bowls to date:
Poinsettia: San Diego is a great place, to which I have never been. From what I've heard, Qualcomm Stadium is beginning to fall apart, and the Chargers want a new stadium. This is a new bowl, the lower-paying of the two San Diego bowls, but a needed bowl for the Mountain West conference. They also have a deal for Navy to appear periodically. If there is a place that can handle two bowls, it's San Diego. Rating: 2.2
Las Vegas: Folks usually don't go to Vegas to catch college football. But, it's a nice diversion for traveling fans. This is the home of the Mountain West champion. The stadium is a little old, and is way off the Strip, in Henderson. Being close to Utah & BYU, it works for the Mountain West. Rating: 2.6
New Orleans: This bowl was created for the champion of the Sun Belt Conference. Conference USA provides a middle-rung team as the opponent. The Sun Belt has won this game twice in six years, but it gives their conference to shoot for. The Superdome is usually about a third full for this one. As long as the Sun Belt would rather aim for this game instead of the 1-AA playoffs, this game is fine. New Orleans doesn't need another bowl, but the Sun Belt does. Rating: 2
Papajohns.com: Birmingham got back into the bowl business this year. Legion Field, formerly known as the Football Capital of the South, is falling apart. Birmingham has hosted two other bowls: the Hall of Fame Bowl, and the All-American Bowl. They love football there, but there's a big difference between Alabama-Auburn and a couple of also-rans from the Big East and Conference USA. This is like having a bowl in Oklahoma City. A great place to live, but a questionable place for a bowl. Rating: 1.2
New Mexico: A brand new bowl, designed to give the Mountain West another bowl, and to promote the state of New Mexico. This year's title sponsor is the New Mexico Tourism Department. If it works for them, more power to them. Ultimately, though, another case of good place to live, questionable bowl destination. The MWC vs. WAC matchup isn't a lot to write home about, either. However, San Jose State enjoyed Albuquerque last week, a lot. Rating: 1.6
Armed Forces: Formerly known as the Fort Worth Bowl, this is played at TCU's aging Amon Carter Stadium. Fort Worth is a great place to live, and is underrated as a tourist attraction. However, the weather can be iffy, the MWC-CUSA matchup isn't the greatest, and one can only spend so much time in the Stockyards. This bowl has overcome it's birth pains, though, and is on the way to success. Rating: 1.6
Hawaii: This game was organized to give the University of Hawaii a place to go when bowl eligible. It is a roaring success when the Warriors are in it. It's also entertainment for Christmas Eve. Hawaii is always a good place to go, but you don't want to mess with the Warriors if you have to play them there. Rating: 2.4
Motor City: This bowl was created for the MAC champion. The bowl benefited from the construction of Ford Field, giving it a first-class venue. Problem is, outside the stadium, you're in Detroit in December. Brrr. Rating: 1.4
Emerald: San Francisco, with all its quirks, is a tourist attraction. This game is played in a baseball park, gets a low pick from the Pac 10 and ACC, and is a candidate for cold weather. However, they hit a home run this year with Florida State and UCLA. Rating: 2.4
Independence: You could say that if Shreveport can pull a bowl off, anyone can. This bowl was in Shreveport long before casinos were. They've struggled with sponsor names (Weed Eater), snow (the 1999 freak snow storm game between Mississippi State and Texas A&M), and the various other issues that a mid-tier bowl faces. Still, they press on. This is the little bowl that could. The Big XII and SEC like it. Rating: 1.8
Texas: This is the latest incarnation of the Houston Bowl, formerly known as the galleryfurniture.com bowl. The Houston Bowl needed help, as TCU and Iowa State have still not received total payment from last year's game. So, enter the Big XII, the Houston Texans, and the NFL Network. Those entities saved and restructured the game, believing that Houston was too large a city and Reliant too nice a stadium to not have a bowl game. Good luck. Rating: 1.6
Holiday: Easily the best of the pre-New Year's bowls. San Diego is a great place, and this bowl gets the second pick from the Pac 10 and the third pick from the Big XII. This has been a great game for just about all of its 30-year history, including several barnburners as home of the WAC champion. The only things this bowl doesn't have are a New Year's Day date, and a new Chargers stadium. Rating: 3.6
More bowl ratings to come, along with more bowl picks..
Before I go any further, I will make the following statement: As long as the bowl system is in place, any city/chamber of commerce/corporation/conference that can come up with the NCAA minimum of $750,000 per team should be allowed to have a bowl. If the folks in Shawnee, Oklahoma want to have a bowl game in Jim Thorpe Stadium (built in the WPA era, capacity 5,000), and they can come up with $1.5 million to pull it off, then more power to them. That's a bit extreme, but anyone that can do it should be able to have a bowl game in their city. With that being said, I have developed a rating system for bowls.
I rank bowls based on: payout, conference tie-in (prestige of conference and bowl's place in picking order), TV contract (network and time of game), location/stadium, and tradition. A newer, lower-paying bowl will obviously be rated much lower than bowls such as the Rose, Sugar and Orange. Each bowl will have a rating based on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best.
I will rank the bowls for which I have already picked winners. I will also have bowl ratings with future installments of bowl picks.
Why rank bowls? To have fun with the warped system that we have. Each of these cities have their fine points, and some are better places to live than others. However, some bowls do nothing more than fill some hotel rooms and fill TV time.
Here are the ratings for bowls to date:
Poinsettia: San Diego is a great place, to which I have never been. From what I've heard, Qualcomm Stadium is beginning to fall apart, and the Chargers want a new stadium. This is a new bowl, the lower-paying of the two San Diego bowls, but a needed bowl for the Mountain West conference. They also have a deal for Navy to appear periodically. If there is a place that can handle two bowls, it's San Diego. Rating: 2.2
Las Vegas: Folks usually don't go to Vegas to catch college football. But, it's a nice diversion for traveling fans. This is the home of the Mountain West champion. The stadium is a little old, and is way off the Strip, in Henderson. Being close to Utah & BYU, it works for the Mountain West. Rating: 2.6
New Orleans: This bowl was created for the champion of the Sun Belt Conference. Conference USA provides a middle-rung team as the opponent. The Sun Belt has won this game twice in six years, but it gives their conference to shoot for. The Superdome is usually about a third full for this one. As long as the Sun Belt would rather aim for this game instead of the 1-AA playoffs, this game is fine. New Orleans doesn't need another bowl, but the Sun Belt does. Rating: 2
Papajohns.com: Birmingham got back into the bowl business this year. Legion Field, formerly known as the Football Capital of the South, is falling apart. Birmingham has hosted two other bowls: the Hall of Fame Bowl, and the All-American Bowl. They love football there, but there's a big difference between Alabama-Auburn and a couple of also-rans from the Big East and Conference USA. This is like having a bowl in Oklahoma City. A great place to live, but a questionable place for a bowl. Rating: 1.2
New Mexico: A brand new bowl, designed to give the Mountain West another bowl, and to promote the state of New Mexico. This year's title sponsor is the New Mexico Tourism Department. If it works for them, more power to them. Ultimately, though, another case of good place to live, questionable bowl destination. The MWC vs. WAC matchup isn't a lot to write home about, either. However, San Jose State enjoyed Albuquerque last week, a lot. Rating: 1.6
Armed Forces: Formerly known as the Fort Worth Bowl, this is played at TCU's aging Amon Carter Stadium. Fort Worth is a great place to live, and is underrated as a tourist attraction. However, the weather can be iffy, the MWC-CUSA matchup isn't the greatest, and one can only spend so much time in the Stockyards. This bowl has overcome it's birth pains, though, and is on the way to success. Rating: 1.6
Hawaii: This game was organized to give the University of Hawaii a place to go when bowl eligible. It is a roaring success when the Warriors are in it. It's also entertainment for Christmas Eve. Hawaii is always a good place to go, but you don't want to mess with the Warriors if you have to play them there. Rating: 2.4
Motor City: This bowl was created for the MAC champion. The bowl benefited from the construction of Ford Field, giving it a first-class venue. Problem is, outside the stadium, you're in Detroit in December. Brrr. Rating: 1.4
Emerald: San Francisco, with all its quirks, is a tourist attraction. This game is played in a baseball park, gets a low pick from the Pac 10 and ACC, and is a candidate for cold weather. However, they hit a home run this year with Florida State and UCLA. Rating: 2.4
Independence: You could say that if Shreveport can pull a bowl off, anyone can. This bowl was in Shreveport long before casinos were. They've struggled with sponsor names (Weed Eater), snow (the 1999 freak snow storm game between Mississippi State and Texas A&M), and the various other issues that a mid-tier bowl faces. Still, they press on. This is the little bowl that could. The Big XII and SEC like it. Rating: 1.8
Texas: This is the latest incarnation of the Houston Bowl, formerly known as the galleryfurniture.com bowl. The Houston Bowl needed help, as TCU and Iowa State have still not received total payment from last year's game. So, enter the Big XII, the Houston Texans, and the NFL Network. Those entities saved and restructured the game, believing that Houston was too large a city and Reliant too nice a stadium to not have a bowl game. Good luck. Rating: 1.6
Holiday: Easily the best of the pre-New Year's bowls. San Diego is a great place, and this bowl gets the second pick from the Pac 10 and the third pick from the Big XII. This has been a great game for just about all of its 30-year history, including several barnburners as home of the WAC champion. The only things this bowl doesn't have are a New Year's Day date, and a new Chargers stadium. Rating: 3.6
More bowl ratings to come, along with more bowl picks..
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