Congrats, You've Been Invited to the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl

It doesn't matter what side of the fence you fall on, pro BCS or longing for the NCAA FBS to go to a playoff system, you can't argue that the point of college gameday is to represent your school and your conference come bowl season.  Whether you're Oregon, Auburn or TCU fighting for a bid for the National Championship; or a school like Northern Illinois trying to earn your conferences top bid, bowl season is a reward for giving your all throughout the regular season, well, at least it used to be.

Over the past two decades, the college bowl system has fallen victim to a constantly growing bottom line, a sponsorship buzzsaw.  Fans crave as much football as they can get and the NCAA is quick to oblige, creating a new bowl game any time there is a sponsor that is a big enough player waiting in the wings.  As it stands right now there are 35 bowl games, 70 teams that have the honor of playing December or January football.

But how much of an honor is it to make a bowl game when nearly 60 percent of the 119 teams playing receive an invitation? 

Back when I first became enamored with bowl season, it was necessary to win more games than you lost in order to become bowl eligible.  As the amount of Bowl games expanded, the requirements loosened as well.  It became a matter of simply having a .500 record to earn an invite.  Further expansion meant the NCAA would allow teams to begin counting games against non-FBS opponents towards your eligibility.

After the 2009 season ended, there were only 71 teams that were eligible to participate in 34 bowl games.  In other words, only 3 teams that earned a record of .500 or better did not get invited to a bowl game, one of which was Notre Dame who opted not to play in a bowl game at all. 

Now that the TicketCity Bowl is in the fold, the NCAA may actually have to allow a team with a losing record to play in a bowl game for only the fourth time ever, at least the previous 3 were because of mandatory tie-ins.  Funny to think that as little as 20 years ago, there were only 19 bowl games.  Now if this dilution of talent and competition isn't enough of a cause for concern, this same sponsorship expansion is ripping the soul from Bowl season as well.

Every Jan. 1, the Big Ten and SEC send their No. 2 teams to Orlando to compete in what used to be the Citrus Bowl.  Then Capital One stepped in as its most recent sponsor, shortly thereafter electing to remove the title of Citrus Bowl and call it the Capital One Bowl.  Even smaller bowls like the Motor City Bowl celebrate it's 10th year in existence by changing its name to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

There is no need for this to happen. The importance of a bowl game should be placed on the teams involved and the traditions they are continuing.  Go back to the days where the bowl itself takes center stage and not the company sponsoring it. Let the fans watch the Tangerine Bowl and not the Champs Sports Bowl.

If these sponsor's feel the need to be present in the name of the bowl game, one simple suggestion: The bowl game should be in front of the sponsor - like the Rose Bowl Presented by Vizio.  We may never be able to return to the competition level of yester year, but at least we can give the bowl system its integrity back.

Checking In on the Ole' Soap Box

If you have been in the Bleachers at all this college football season, it's safe to say that you've noticed I have a particular topic I'm fairly passionate about.  I have gotten up on the soap box and gone to bat more than a couple times for the Boise State football program, follow me on twitter if you want to see the entire Guiding Lights routine (@ToTheBleachers).

Now I know I've been away for a little bit and my blog has suffered, as has my ability to watch football on the weekends, so I figured I'd go ahead and check in on my favorite topic as sort of a easing back into the whole blogging thing.

In Idaho, the sky is falling and everything has gone to hell at Smurf Village.  The Boise State Broncos started the year ranked Number 3 in the AP Top 25 college football poll.  Since then, they have done nothing but been stellar.  Prior to today's match up with Hawaii, the Broncos boast a perfect 7-0 record and have climbed to the 2nd spot in the AP poll.

Led by Quarterback Kellen Moore, who has the nations best QB Rating at 188.3, the Bronco offense finds itself in the top 5 rankings for both Yards and Points per Game.  Boise State's average margin of victory in its 7 games this year, a whopping 36.3 points, a number that is limited by a 3 point season opening victory against then number 10 Va Tech.

The Bronco defensive unit has been even more impressive.  Led by a monstrous Defensive Line that has racked up a robust 24.0 sacks, the D has pitched two shut outs and held a third team to under 10 points.  In games against teams not named Va Tech and Oregon State, Boise is only allowing 8 points a game.

Despite these impressive numbers, the Broncos find themselves actually going in reverse when it comes to the BCS rankings.  When the end all be all here's your champion poll was released, Boise debuted at number 3 behind Oregon and Oklahoma.  The following Saturday, Boomer Sooner comes up short losing to Mizzou.  Thanks to a Tuesday night match-up with Louisiana Tech the Bronco's spent that Saturday watching Auburn earn an impressive win against LSU instead of playing.  Coincidentally, a day later, the Broncos watched the War Eagle leap frog Boise in the BCS.

The Smurf Turf was rocking that Tuesday as Kellen Moore throws for two touchdowns and actually catches a third en route to a 49-20 victory.  That mid week game, however, meant that Boise would again be dormant on college football Saturday.  Now, a sane man would not expect that a home victory over a 3-5 team would be enough for Boise to knock either Oregon or Auburn down a peg, but that same sane man wouldn't expect TCU's 48-6 victory over a 1 win UNLV team to be enough for the Horned Frogs to over take Boise either.

Unfortunately for the fans in Idaho, there's absolutely nothing the Broncos can do.  The debate throughout the preseason was can Boise do enough to earn a spot in final two.  There were a couple of things that needed to happen in order for Chris Peterson's team to get a Championship Bid.  First and foremost, win all the time and win big, check.  Then you'll need a little help along the way, in other words, someone has to beat Alabama or Ohio State.  Double check there, both South Carolina and Wisconsin gave Boise an early Christmas present in a pair of October wins.

Even though all of this has happened, Boise still finds itself on the outside looking in.  It's not the Bronco's fault that the Hokies laid an egg against James Madison and is only ranked 20th in the nation.  Boise also wasn't on the field two weeks ago when Oregon State lost in double over-time to Washington, a game they have yet to recover from in the rankings.

And while it appears the fates of two other teams is damning the Broncos, the Horned Frogs seemed to be unphased by it.  It's understood and agreed upon that after today, TCU will have played an opponent much better than Boise has.  But the simple fact of the matter remains, to date, the Broncos have played a schedule that is more difficult than the Horned Frogs.  TCU's biggest win of the year was a 9 point win against Oregon State, the same Beaver squad that Boise beat by 13 points two weeks later.

It's not even an issue anymore as to whether or not the pollsters want a non automatic qualifier in the championship game.  If there's one thing the BCS rankings have shown this year, it's that one big game makes all the difference.  In other words, should TCU beat Utah today, the Frog's will most certainly find themselves ranked in one of the top two spots.  Even more frustrating for Boise fans, should Utah beat TCU, Utah will probably find themselves moving into TCU's potentially vacant spot, if not the Number 2 spot in the BCS.

As we enter the final quarter of the college football season we're exactly where we started at.  If Boise has any shot of making the Championship, they need to win out and win big as well as finding a little help along the way.  About the best thing that can happen for the Broncos is for TCU to win tonight.  The Horned Frogs will have reached the apex of their BCS ranking and will require total destruction of San Diego State and New Mexico to maintain that ranking.

One could argue that a Utah win would do more for the Broncos, but they don't realize that the Utes still have three games, two of which against Notre Dame and BYU.  And if there's one thing thing the media likes to do, it's pay tribute to the tradition of big named schools, no matter how bad they are.

Cough, Cough, Notre Dame, Cough, Michigan, Cough, Cough

Boise will also need both Va Tech and Oregon State to win out.  The Hokies would find themselves ending up around number 15 in that scenario but Oregon State would be the key.  The Beavers final two games of the year are against Stanford and the Civil War against Oregon.  Consecutive wins against highly ranked teams will surely boost the Beaver's credibility, and, in turn, boost Boise's credibility, especially in the computer polls.

After all, the computers are the reason Boise is even in this position to begin with.  Wait a minute, maybe Skynet really does exist.

It's DejaVu All Over Again

They call him Shoelaces up in Ann Arbor. His game is shifty and sleek and if you listen to those who root for the maize and blue, Denard Robinson is the epitome of all things good in college football.

In two games as a starter for the University of Michigan this year, Robinson has thrown for 430 yards and 2 touchdowns while racking up a whopping 455 yards and 3 scores on the ground. His performance thus far has even drawn the praise of former Rich Rodriguez quarterback Pat White who has called Robinson a “Beast.”

Shoelaces is single-handedly resurrecting the Wolverine tradition and proving Rich Rod to be the genius he was hired to be. The more this young signal caller improves his quarterback rating, the more his legend and fan t-shirt tributes will grow.

Believe it or not, Robinson’s emergence as a star also coincides perfectly with Michigan’s return to the Top 25. A feat made even more impressive considering it was done in serendipitous fashion by beating Notre Dame in South Bend on national television.

Now, before we assume this story has the fairy-tale ending that sees everyone yelling “Go Blue” in Pasadena, let’ read the rest of this story, for some reason it sounds very  familiar.

There you go, if you look closer at the writing on the page, you’ll notice every time this story mentions Robinson, you see another name that has been scribbled out. The reason this story sounds so familiar is because it’s the exact same tale we watched unfold with former Wolverine golden boy, Tate Forcier.

In consecutive years, Michigan has opened the season with the same question marks surrounding the team and its coach. They have a new starting QB that is supposed to be a prototypical fit in the Rich Rod offense. Rodriguez is again mired in turmoil and his system has yet to stick with his players.

They opened the season at home with a very winnable game against an inferior opponent. For the second straight year, a win against the Fighting Irish all but guaranteed the U of M a spot in the AP rankings. Feel free to stop me if this is beginning to sound like a replay of last season.

Now, sitting at number 20 in the nation, Shoelaces will rack up another 1,000 all purpose yards while smacking around UMass and Bowling Green. Then, in his most impressive game of the year, Robinson will lead Michigan to a victory against the Big Ten’s perennial bottom feeder, Indiana.

By the time Michigan State rolls around, Robinson will have the Wolverines undefeated and pushing for a spot in the Top 10. But again, this is almost exactly what happened last year with Forcier under center.

This story is not intended to be a declaration that the Wolverines will finish the season below .500 and miss a bowl game for the third straight year but it’s also important to recognize the underlying factors in Robinson’s performance.

Credit is due to Michigan for beating UConn and Notre Dame and starting the season 2-0, but wins over these two programs is hardly something to boast. UConn is the third best team in a conference that has failed to achieve a single marquee win this season, unless you consider Syracuse beating Akron a big win.

As for Notre Dame, they may finally have a coach that will lead them back to respectability in a few years, but it’s a team that is both rebuilding and learning a new scheme that is hardly known for its defensive stoutness. Not to mention they are breaking in two new safeties, a new quarterback and three new starters on the offensive line.

It is also true that Robinson has been much more effective than Forcier in his ability to run the ball, but Robinson is also averaging 20 more rushing attempts per game compared to his predecessor. This may be due to the loss of Brandon Minor and the Wolverines inability to find a suitable number one back, but the reason Robinson is putting up the statistics two people would is because he’s performing the roles of two players each game.

This may be a fine strategy for the Wolverines to employ at the start of the season, but what happens when they get into the heart of the conference schedule. Five of the final seven teams Michigan faces this year will be in contention for a New Year’s Day bowl game and will bring a little more defensive ferocity than the Colonial Athletic Association can provide.

Robinson may prove me wrong and go on to be the second Rich Rod quarterback to fail miserably in the NFL, but without a few compliments in the offense to limit the hits Robinson has to take each game, one has to imagine his durability may become an issue. After all, isn’t that what happened with Tate Forcier last year?

Twas the Week of Kickoff 2010

Twas the first week of the NFL season,
 and fans throughout the league,

Are eagerly awaiting kickoff,
 while girlfriends force them to watch reruns of Glee;

We’ll spend Thursday night in NOLa,
where the Saints will hoist the crown,

And plan to make the Vikes,
 find an ambulance to carry ole’ man Favre out of town;

On Sunday we’ll be in Chicago,
where Lovie’s at risk of being fired,

Facing a Lions team that has a 20 game road losing streak,
they want to see expired;

In upstate New York,
the Bills will host the Dolphins,

Just a few days after the Big Tuna
decided he’d rather be golfin’;

Jason Campbell will be under center
 when the Raiders invade Tennessee,

Where V.Y. hopes to get the Heisman
they’re going to take from Reggie;

The Panthers play the Giants
 in a game the G-Men really need to win,

Because losing at New Meadowlands Stadium
 will be a 1.6 billion dollar sin;

Batman and Robin head to New England
 where the Pats want a freshly inked QB,

An extension that has Randy Moss crying,
when are you going to resign me?

The Falcons get their running game back
 with the return of Michael Turner,

Against the Steelers Dennis Dixon
 whose filling in for a suspended Roethlisberger;

The Broncos meet the Jaguars,
each team hoping to settle a score,

Over which of these two pretenders
wasted their first round draft pick more;

Cleveland and Tampa are in Florida
 squaring off at the New Sombrero,

To see which team has the advantage
 of paying a first round draft pick more dinero;

Houston’s secondary is suspect
and Peyton Manning should have a field day,

Even better for the Texans,
this is the only game Bob Sanders is guaranteed to play;

Arizona travels to St. Louis
 for the weekend’s first afternoon game,

Both teams wish they still had Kurt Warner,
who’s waiting on the hall of fame;

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers
 are in Philly for a fight,

Where Eagle fans are liquored up,
enjoying Adios to McNabb Night

Donovan’s now in Washington,
he’s Mike Shanahan’s new toy,

While all of Texas is shouting
“How Bout Them Cowboys;”

Pete Carroll’s coaching in Seattle;
 he left L.A. to get out of dodge,

And for some reason Mike Singletary
 is mooning co-eds on the USF quad;

The Chargers play the Chiefs
 in a divisional showdown on ESPN,
While Baltimore tries to wreck the party
 when they pay a visit to the Jets new den;

Rex Ryan doesn’t seemed to worried
now that Revis Island is back in sight,

Which leaves all football fans screaming,
THANK GOD IT’S MONDAY NIGHT.

Welcome to BIG TENish Country

After months of speculation the Big Ten has officially given us our first glimpse of what the new conference will look like.  Upon initial review there's nothing to be upset about despite how much the Michigan Wolverines fan base may moan and groan.

The conference will be separated into two six team divisions that break down like so:

          Division 1: Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa,
          Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota

          Division 2: Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin,
          Purdue, Indiana and Illinois

Alot of the worry around how the Big Ten decided to align itself into divisions was based on how much tradition the conference lost.  Unfortunately, there was no way to guarantee that all of the rivalries would be preserved. Under the circumstances though, the Big Ten did a stand up job. If you look at a list of the conferences rivalry games, listed below, you can't help but realize how well the conference did in keeping tradition alive.

          Illinois vs. Northwestern for the Land of Lincoln Trophy
          Illinois vs. Ohio State for the Illibuck
          Illinois vs. Purdue for the Purdue Cannon
          Indiana vs. Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket
          Indiana vs. Michigan State for the Old Brass Spittoon
          Iowa vs. Minnesota for the Floyd of Rosedale
          Iowa vs. Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy
          Michigan vs. Michigan State for the Paul Bunyan Trophy
          Michigan vs. Minnesota for the Little Brown Jug
          Michigan vs. Ohio State, no trophy
          Michigan State vs. Penn State for the Land Grant Trophy
          Minnesota vs. Wisconsin for the Paul Bunyan's Axe
          Ohio State vs. Penn State, no trophy

Of the 13 longstanding rivalries the Big Ten enjoys every year, 7 are preserved by the yearly divisional match-ups.  The Big Ten has taken another step to ensure 4 more rivalries by pairing each conference member with a parnter from the other division to form a guaranteed match-up every year. Those match-up's are as followed:

          Michigan vs. Ohio State, Illinois vs. Northwestern,
          Purdue vs. Iowa, Michigan State vs. Indiana,
          Penn State vs. Nebraska, Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

This means that only two standing rivalries are not guaranteed to happen every year, Michigan St. vs Penn St. and Iowa vs. Wisconsin.  Although attribution can not be provided as to why these match-ups were chosen as the sacrificial lambs, it doesn't take an expert to realize that tradition is the answer. 

We'll begin with Iowa vs. Wisconsin.  This has only been an official trophied rivalry since 2004, easily the least historically significant official rivalry.  After Iowa vs. Wisconsin, the two least historically significant rivalries are Penn St. vs. Ohio St. and Penn St. vs. Michigan St.  The more marketable match-up with the Buckeyes is preserved by way of realignment which leaves Penn St. match-up against the Spartans on the chopping block.

What this realignment also does is create a few new rivalries as well.   Nebraska vs. Michigan and Iowa instantly becomes a very marketable rivalry while the Huskers cross division game against Penn St. allows for a very marketable rivalry as well.  So by my count the Big Ten sacrificed two of its shortest tenured match-ups in favor of three instantly marketable games the conference can build on.

The most important detail to remember here is the importance of the Big Ten Championship game in the overall scheme of things.  The conference's cash cow has always been U of M vs. OSU and splitting the two teams into different divisions creates the possibility that fans might be able to see this game twice a year.  This also gives the Wolverines a second chance at winning the Big Ten despite constantly losing to the Buckeyes year in and year out.  At the end of the day, the Big Ten made itself stronger by doing what many considered unthinkable in separating the Wolverine's and Buckeye's.