The new Star Wars is opening, but it’s no match for the slate of six bowl games that kick off bowl season this weekend.
Rather than battle all the costumed Star Wars fans for a seat in the theater, sit home this weekend and take in the bowl games.
Every bowl game is on television — or your tablet or smartphone — so you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to enjoy all 126+ hours of bowl game programming. In fact, you barely even have to change channels.
I remember returning from the 1983 Aloha Bowl — then played on Christmas Day — and being home to watch the New Year’s Day Games. My brother wired the cable and wheeled in a second television to my dad’s den so he could watch two bowl games at once. Who knew it was the precursor to the second screen technology of today?
Now thanks to ESPN televising 37 of the 40 bowl games there are almost no conflicts where several bowl games are on at once. The exception is Jan. 1 but you can watch the Fiesta Bowl on your television, the Outback Bowl on your smartphone, and the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on your tablet.
Speaking of ESPN, do you remember when they used to promote Capital One Bowl Week? Bowl season now stretches from Dec. 19 through the playoff finals on Jan. 11 — over three weeks.
The number of bowls now leads to the criticism that there are too many bowls. You know one group that doesn’t think there are too many bowl games? Coaches. The huge slate of bowl games means lots of bowl bonuses being paid.
It makes for a confusing and large buffet of bowl games. Only the most intense fan can keep it all straight so I offer up all the info you need to get through the games. Just keep these notes handy to guide you through the next three weeks.
Yes, the bar has been lowered: Just a few years ago the NCAA requires teams to have a .500 record to go to a bowl game. This year 15 teams will have a 6-6 or 5-7 record and be playing in bowl games—so they can fill all the slots. This is college football’s equivalent of youth sports–everyone gets a trophy.
What do I pack this year?: Depends on where you’re going. Western Michigan played in Boise, Idaho in December last year. This year, they play in the Bahamas. Last year frostbite, this year sun burn.
There’s no place like home for the holidays: These teams are playing on their home field: Navy hosts Pitt and New Mexico hosts Arizona.
May as well be a home game: West Virginia plays Arizona State in Phoenix (ASU’s campus neighbors Phoenix)
Take the bus: Louisiana Tech plays in New Orleans, Central Michigan plays in Detroit, Auburn plays in Birmingham, USC plays in San Diego, and Florida plays in Orlando.
You couldn’t bus to these games even if you wanted to: No roads lead to The Bahamas Bowl or The Hawaii Bowl.
Take me out to the… ball park?: Bowl games are played in the following baseball stadiums — Marlins Park, Yankee Stadium, Chase Field, and Tropicana Field.
Hey, neighbor. What happens in Vegas…: Utah and BYU are just miles apart. They will play in Las Vegas.
Dude, where’s my coach?: Georgia is one of several schools that will be coaching with Interim Head Coaches because their coach was either fired or left.
You can’t say that again: Try saying either of these two bowls’ names ten times fast — The Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl and The San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl.
The opposite end of the spectrum: The Holiday Bowl — plain and simple no corporate name attached and a great trip to San Diego.
The best destination for a bowl addict: Orlando. There are not just one or two but THREE bowl games played in the Citrus Bowl Stadium. Thankfully they have an artificial surface,because as all Penn State fans know the old grass field didn’t hold up too well in the Capital One Bowl win over LSU just six years ago.
If you’re a bowl game addict and have nothing but time: You can go to eight bowls in two weeks without ever having to leave the state of Florida:
12/19 The Cure Bowl—Orlando: San Jose State vs Georgia State
12/21 The Miami Beach Bowl—Miami: Western Kentucky vs South Florida
12/22 The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl—Boca Raton: Toledo vs Temple
12/26 The St Petersburg Bowl—St Petersburg: UConn vs Marshall
12/29 The Russell Athletic Bowl—Orlando: UNC vs Baylor
12/31 The Orange Bowl—Miami Gardens: Oklahoma vs Clemson
1/1 The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl—Orlando: Michigan vs Florida
1/2 The Taxslayer Bowl—Jacksonville: Penn State vs Georgia
And a fond farewell: To Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer who will be retiring after his final game in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 26. When he walks off that field you are witnessing the end of an era.
That covers all you need to know about Bowl season in one short column. Enjoy the Holidays and the Bowl Season.
