No juicy controversies this year. Sorry. Nearly everyone will be where they should be when the bowl monsoon begins.
Oh, there’s the Big East conundrum. Connecticut, once 3-4, is in the Fiesta Bowl with an 8-4 record, which doesn’t have them happy at Michigan State or Boise State. But really, this is all disgustingly neat and orderly for those who prefer chaos and howling served with their bowl selections. Maybe next year.
TITLE GAME: New look with Auburn, Oregon in Glendale
FIESTA BOWL: Oklahoma faces newcomer Connecticut
ROSE BOWL: Unbeaten TCU takes on Wisconsin
ORANGE BOWL: Stanford faces off with Virginia Tech
SUGAR BOWL: Arkansas another SEC test for Ohio State
Ready for the deluge? There will be 35 postseason games spread over 15 states and the District of Columbia. From A, as in Albuquerque, where BYU and UTEP will meet in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 18. To Z, as in Zero, which is the chance the score will be low when Auburn and Oregon — averaging 92 points between them — play 23 days later for the national championship in Glendale, Ariz.
It’s overkill to whack the piñata that is college football’s Bowl Championship Series, but it’s hard not to, given this season’s BCS matchups.
While ratings for four BCS bowls went up last year — only the Boise State-TCU Fiesta Bowl had a drop — here’s why they seem destined to head south:
BOWL SCHEDULE: 2010-11 lineup for all 35 bowls games
•Too many Cinderellas: Big brands such as and Texas and Southern California— whose 2006 title game was the most-watched BCS game — and Florida and Alabama are not in the field. And TCU, Stanford, Arkansas and Virginia Tech — whose Orange Bowl game against Cincinnati two years ago was the lowest-rated BCS game ever — aren’t the kind of perennial powerhouses likely to attract casual fans. Neither are Oregon and Auburn, although their powerful offenses could produce a high-scoring title game. And after Boise State had officially become America’s Cinderella, it didn’t make the BCS.
•BCS goes cable-only: For the first time, BCS games will air on cable TV — and only cable — as ESPN inherits games from Fox and will no longer air BCS action on ABC. While broadcast networks reach about 14 million more U.S. TV households, whether events’ migrating to cable will likely see viewership drops is debatable. But the BCS was getting lavish hype from ESPN when Fox carried its bowls. Without Fox, it lost big platforms, such as weekly BCS standings being announced on Fox’s NFL studio shows, which get higher ratings than most college football games.
•Quirks: The BCS not only isn’t as good as a playoff, it also sometimes doesn’t make much sense. Its charming idiosyncrasies can undermine college football’s long-established traditions. This year, West Coast fans no doubt will be thrilled to see that — after Pac-10 winner Oregon made the title game — the traditional West Coast representative facing off against a Big Ten team will be …TCU? Talk about pulling the rug out from under the granddaddy of them all. And needlessly confusing fans about what it all means.
Spice rack: CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson sampled Auburn star Cam Newton’s Gatorade and filed this dispatch from the Southeastern Conference title game: “He’s calling it ‘Cammy Cam Juice’ … A little sweet for my taste.” Cammy Cam? Yummy yum!… NFL Network’s Michael Irvin on the Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning dealing with lineup changes because of injuries: “Even Wolfgang Puck doesn’t like this many appliances in his kitchen.”
Clip ‘n’ save: Fox’s Jimmy Johnson assumes Auburn’s Newton will go to the NFL — “he’s going to leave Dodge before the posse comes to town” — and figures he’ll be a top-10 draft pick. But Fox’s Terry Bradshaw says Newton shouldn’t go in the top 10 and needs work: “He stands with his feet together and uses his wrist for his motion. He can’t do that and be accurate in the NFL. He’s going to have to learn to use his legs.” …NBC’s Jimmy Roberts on Tiger Woods’ play Sunday: “He might be on the verge of being harder to look away from than he ever has been before.” … The idea that ESPN’s Jon Gruden was going to Miami (Fla.) was never a possibility, Fox’s Jay Glazer said Sunday: “He was never going to the University of Miami. I think he wanted it out there. … One place he’s linked to is the San Francisco 49ers.”
On tap: Coverage of baseball’s winter meetings, starting Monday in Orlando, includes expanded coverage on ESPN, which will have a set on-site and daily Hot Stove specials starting Monday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Meanwhile, MLB Network’s on-site coverage also includes Hot Stove specials, debuting Monday at 3 p.m. ET. Two-year-old MLBN is prompting ESPN to beef up its baseball coverage but each needs more work on avoiding clichés in show titles. … The NFL Network, says spokesman Dennis Johnson, will announce Monday that it will air the Jan. 22 East-West Shrine Game. NFLN’s other college game is also an all-star game: the Jan. 29 Senior Bowl.
Weekend box office: It was a hard-luck weekend for CBS as the four biggest draws in its AFC TV package — the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and New York Jets— went to NBC and ESPN prime time. And Auburn blowing out South Carolina drew a 6.3 overnight rating, translating to 6.3% of the 56 urban markets measured for overnights. That’s down 47% from Florida-Alabama in last year’s SEC title game and down 39% from those teams playing in the 2008 title game.
LeBron watch: LeBron James’ return to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Thursday night drew a 5.0 overnight rating on TNT, up 257% from the 1.4 for comparable coverage of the Boston Celtics-San Antonio Spurs last year, and higher than the 4.1 overnight for the Philadelphia Eagles-Houston Texans on NFL Network.
If there is something to complain about, try the goofball schedule. Remember when New Year’s Day was college football’s Mardi Gras? The national championship game is Jan. 10. By then, the Tigers and Ducks might need name tags for the casual observers. Cam Who?
By the way, there are seven bowls after Jan. 1. Does it seem odd to anyone else that Wisconsin and TCU will meet in the Rose Bowl eight days before Boston College plays Nevada in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl? Can the Valentine’s Day Bowl be far behind?
But we digress. There are a number of appealing twists and turns on the slate, starting with Oregon’s four-alarm fire offense and Auburn’s Cam Newton docudrama, which could win the Oscar and will win the Heisman.
An unusual season it is, when USC and Texas are not in bowls, Florida is down the food chain while No. 1 will be decided between Ducks who have never won the national title and Tigers who last won 53 years ago.
But there’s more. Consider the possibilities on the undercard.
Cinderella will ride in the Rose Parade. If TCU couldn’t play for the national title, Pasadena makes one fine consolation prize. And the Horned Frogs could strike the biggest blow yet for the non-BCS automatic qualifier world by beating Wisconsin. Not that they’ll be in the non-BCS automatic qualifier world much longer.
We have Ohio State’s defense against Arkansas’ passing game in the Sugar Bowl. Virginia Tech’s 11-game winning streak and Stanford’s feel-good story in the Orange. Connecticut, with a chance to uphold Big East dignity in the Fiesta. And Oklahoma, with a lot to lose.
We have Notre Dame and Miami, each having endured tough seasons, in the Sun Bowl. Remember their stormy relationship. But those stopped 20 years ago.
Michigan is in the Gator Bowl, where Rich Rodriguez will be hoping his Wolverines beat Mississippi State as a springboard into next season. Assuming he has a next season.
Alabama and Michigan State are in the Capital One Bowl, and if the Spartans want to make an argument they were the shafted team of the year, they’ll need to beat the Tide for anyone to listen.
Boise State and Utah will connect in Las Vegas. If anyone deserves sympathy, it’s the Broncos, who with one overtime defeat at Nevada, nosedived from BCS material to Dec. 22.
We might have Northwestern winning its first bowl since the Truman administration. If the Wildcats beat Texas Tech in the TicketCity Bowl, it’ll be their first postseason victory since 1949. But they’ll have to do it without their starting quarterback.
Ten SEC teams were invited — four will play Big Ten schools — so regrets to Vanderbilt and Mississippi. Meanwhile, three Big 10 teams stay home: Indiana, Purdue and Minnesota. Only Purdue did not fire its coach.
The Ohio version of Miami will be in the GoDaddy Bowl against Middle Tennessee, the RedHawks having the chance to win 10 games one year after they lost 11.
For those who prefer handoffs, we can recommend the Independence Bowl. Georgia Tech is No. 1 in the nation in rushing. Air Force is No. 2. They have run for 70 touchdowns between them, so passes will be optional.
An odd match, but it takes all kind to fill 35 games.
