It is college bowl season, which means pageantry, traditions, occasionally empty upper decks, and, best of all, a rich tapestry of monikers affixed to the games themselves. Let's watch the parade of college bowl names, and see the winners of the major awards. In the tradition of the "Poulan Weed Eater Independence Bowl" and "The IBM OS2 Fiesta Bowl" (cool, I still use OS2 as my OS, too), bowl names can be as entertaining as the games themselves. Here are the winners, as they parade past the Norton Simon Museum:
Winner of the "Sounds Like a Recessive Genetic Condition Award" goes to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Winner of "Why Do We Need a 'Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl' With All This Food Around Trophy," narrowly beating out the Little Caesars Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, goes to the Beef O'Brady's Bowl!
Winner of the "Could Be An Abbott and Costello Routine Trophy" goes to the TicketCity Bowl, which will be played in the Cotton Bowl, while the Cotton Bowl game will be played at Cowboys Stadium (e.g., "So you are headed to the Cotton Bowl?" "Yes, to see TicketCity Bowl" "I thought you needed to go to the Cotton Bowl".....)
Winner of "Another Game People Will Only Watch For the Commercials Award" goes to the GODADDY.com Bowl
Winner of "Someday Archeologists Will Build Definitive Hypotheses Based on Its Name Award" goes to the Outback Bowl, which in the future will be discovered by archeologists who will postulate that Tampa Bay was inhabited by Australians who held an annual Australian Rules Football game. Certainly the local findings of white belts and shoes indicates dapperly dressed officials.
Winner of the "Clara Peller Where's the Beef? Trophy" goes to the Military Bowl, featuring East Carolina and Maryland. Reminds me of a joke my grandmother would tell over and over. Customer says, "Waiter, there is no chicken in the chicken soup!" and the waiter replies, "Well, there is no horse in the horseradish, either." Didn't say she was a funny grandmother. Maybe she would have done better with some topical, "There is no military in the Military Bowl" material.
Winner of the "I Don't Care, I Still Buy American Trophy" is a tie among the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Meineke Car Care Bowl, and the Maaco Bowl.
Winner of "Less Is, Well, Less Minimalist Award" goes to the Texas Bowl, narrowly beating out the New Mexico Bowl. When I was a kid during the non-sponsor days, I thought the Houston's Bluebonnet Bowl was named for a margarine, because I was not familiar with the state flower Texas Bluebonnet. Now that everything is sponsored, Houston goes with Texas Bowl. Come on, can't we get the margarine maker and the Houston bowl organizers together to give this bowl a proper name with an historical nod? And I once attended the Zia Bowl in 1980 in the same stadium as today's New Mexico Bowl is played. A guy in the stands had a made for TV sign reading, "What the Hell is a Zia?!" Bring back the Zia! We are missing out on some great LOL-worthy signage Albuquerque-ans!
Winner of the "Do the brick and mortar schools realize they are giving airtime to online alternatives? Trophy" goes to the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
And finally, the "Sweepstakes Trophy, For The Year's Best Bowl Name" goes to.....the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl!!! The AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl scored high points in the "Sounds like an electric toothbrush" category and "Might as well be called the Placebo Bowl" scale for this bowl named for a multivitamin.
Close runner up for this prestigious award was BBVA Compass Bowl which did well in the "A bank that sounds like a GPS device" scoring, and third place goes to the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl. The aforementioned Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl also had a solid showing.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Final Week Before the BCS Bowls!
We are down to the last few days before my college football tournament begins to accumulate results. The brackets are set, and, using the super secret formula that I found buried beneath Colonel Sanders porch (by the way, in Kentucky, are KFC's only known as "FC"?), I will use the actual bowl results to play out my tournament. I can't wait!
As we proceed through the on-going bowl season, let's try to get a handle on this season's tournament. Compared to other seasons, I feel like this season does not have a preconceived form that will play out, except Oklahoma should beat Connecticut in the first round. Why the uncertainty?
A) The underachieving experienced programs
In the five seasons since my tourney went to a ten team playoff from eight, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech have a combined eleven appearances. So, go with the vets, right? Well, of the eight previous appearances during that span leading up to this season, they have a grand total of one semi-final appearance, and that was in the 2008-2009 season when Oklahoma eked out a 27-24 Fiesta Bowl win over Penn State. Perhaps Ohio State is on the way up, beating Georgia Tech last season in the first round before their loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but their Rose Bowl flame outs to Boise State and West Virginia still leave a bad taste in Columbus mouths. Will these teams step up or retreat to recent form?
B) They would rather forget last season's playoffs
TCU made their first tournament appearance last season, and Oregon returned after a period of USC Pac-10 domination. But, ugh, the hangover from their last appearance still hangs over the Horned Frogs and Ducks. TCU looked a bit stagestruck on the Rose Bowl turf last season, being easily handled by Florida 29-10. The Gators went on to also easily whip Alabama and Boise State on their path to the national title, but TCU made enough mistakes to take their fair share of responsibility.
Meanwhile, Oregon was seen last season as seventh seed with upside. All they had to do was beat Iowa in the first round in Seattle, and then stay in Pac-10 Fiesta country and beat a Texas team that looked vulnerable against Nebraska in the Big XII championship, then move on to the semis and win a rematch against Boise State, who would get past fading Cincinnati, and voila, the Ducks were in back in Pac-10 country in Pasadena for the championship game. But, oops, the Ducks lost to Iowa 24-17 to never get out of the Pacific Northwest. The only part that played out was Boise beating the Bearcats.
So will TCU and Oregon use last season as a springboard, or will the diving board break in two under the weight of last season's disappointments.
C) Being in the top two isn't so easy
Auburn and Oregon will be pretty big favorites to win their BCS Bowl quarterfinals, but these games will not be pre-coronation walkovers. Why? Oklahoma and Arkansas. If either the Tigers or Ducks show a bit of rust, the Sooners and the Razorbacks have the talent to take advantage. The 11-2 Sooners are the only team in the tournament with a Sagarin single digit ranking of strength of schedule (#8) and Arkansas carriers the highly successful SEC banner into the tourney. Plus, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino's Louisville team advanced to the semis with a 20-18 Orange Bowl win over Michigan in 2006-2007. So life won't be easy for the top two seeds with these opponents. If Virginia Tech beats Arkansas in the First Round to gain a match-up against Auburn, the Hokies don't appear to have the stuff to beat the top seed. If Connecticut pulls off the upset over Oklahoma in their First Round game, they will be no match in a BCS Bowl quarterfinal, although they will get a nice trip out of the deal.
D) Are conference histories a safe bet?
As Tarzan would say, "SEC good, Big Ten bad." Of the four previous seasons of a ten team tournament, naturally, there have been 16 teams in the semi-finals. Seven of those 16 have been SEC teams. So, what's the rub? Well, Auburn and Arkansas haven't been one of those teams. During the same period, the Big Ten has yet to make the semis. But Wisconsin, at least during the Alvarez era, tended to play well on the big stage compared to their Big Ten peers.
E) Distraction or motivation?
You've got Heisman winner Cam Newton playing under a cloud of controversy of allegations of his pops shopping him around Smokey Robinson, let's call it Dad-gate. And then the initial reports of Ohio State trading autographs for tattoos (let's call it Ink-gate) that was followed up by big suspensions for next year for selling memorabilia for cash (eBay-gate). So will these players rise up and play it big for what may be the finale of their careers, or will the scrutiny of these problems weigh on their shoulders, and they will play like they are saving themselves for their NFL marriage?
So there seems like little is certain, except Oklahoma will beat UConn senseless. But I am going to say a team to watch to win it all is....Stanford. They have motivation, because their coach may leave to head to his Ann Arbor alam mater, but without the gall to just leave his team early when they get their shot at a big bowl (hi Brian Kelly!). They have geography, playing in California in the Rose Bowl, and if they advance, a win in the St Pete semi-finals will put them right back in Pac-10 country in Arizona.
And if you like a darker dark horse, how 'bout seventh seed Oklahoma. Their First Round game versus UConn might serve as a warm-up, and put them on a path to take on a rusty team.
So when all seems screwy and confusing, what picks to make for the First Round and BCS Bowl quarterfinals? All of the better seeds seem vulnerable, so I say they all win....win! So Oklahoma and Arkansas will win the First Round games easily, Auburn will survive a close game with Oklahoma, Oregon will handle Arkansas by 10, TCU will outlast Ohio State, and Stanford will send the Badgers home.
As we proceed through the on-going bowl season, let's try to get a handle on this season's tournament. Compared to other seasons, I feel like this season does not have a preconceived form that will play out, except Oklahoma should beat Connecticut in the first round. Why the uncertainty?
A) The underachieving experienced programs
In the five seasons since my tourney went to a ten team playoff from eight, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Virginia Tech have a combined eleven appearances. So, go with the vets, right? Well, of the eight previous appearances during that span leading up to this season, they have a grand total of one semi-final appearance, and that was in the 2008-2009 season when Oklahoma eked out a 27-24 Fiesta Bowl win over Penn State. Perhaps Ohio State is on the way up, beating Georgia Tech last season in the first round before their loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, but their Rose Bowl flame outs to Boise State and West Virginia still leave a bad taste in Columbus mouths. Will these teams step up or retreat to recent form?
B) They would rather forget last season's playoffs
TCU made their first tournament appearance last season, and Oregon returned after a period of USC Pac-10 domination. But, ugh, the hangover from their last appearance still hangs over the Horned Frogs and Ducks. TCU looked a bit stagestruck on the Rose Bowl turf last season, being easily handled by Florida 29-10. The Gators went on to also easily whip Alabama and Boise State on their path to the national title, but TCU made enough mistakes to take their fair share of responsibility.
Meanwhile, Oregon was seen last season as seventh seed with upside. All they had to do was beat Iowa in the first round in Seattle, and then stay in Pac-10 Fiesta country and beat a Texas team that looked vulnerable against Nebraska in the Big XII championship, then move on to the semis and win a rematch against Boise State, who would get past fading Cincinnati, and voila, the Ducks were in back in Pac-10 country in Pasadena for the championship game. But, oops, the Ducks lost to Iowa 24-17 to never get out of the Pacific Northwest. The only part that played out was Boise beating the Bearcats.
So will TCU and Oregon use last season as a springboard, or will the diving board break in two under the weight of last season's disappointments.
C) Being in the top two isn't so easy
Auburn and Oregon will be pretty big favorites to win their BCS Bowl quarterfinals, but these games will not be pre-coronation walkovers. Why? Oklahoma and Arkansas. If either the Tigers or Ducks show a bit of rust, the Sooners and the Razorbacks have the talent to take advantage. The 11-2 Sooners are the only team in the tournament with a Sagarin single digit ranking of strength of schedule (#8) and Arkansas carriers the highly successful SEC banner into the tourney. Plus, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino's Louisville team advanced to the semis with a 20-18 Orange Bowl win over Michigan in 2006-2007. So life won't be easy for the top two seeds with these opponents. If Virginia Tech beats Arkansas in the First Round to gain a match-up against Auburn, the Hokies don't appear to have the stuff to beat the top seed. If Connecticut pulls off the upset over Oklahoma in their First Round game, they will be no match in a BCS Bowl quarterfinal, although they will get a nice trip out of the deal.
D) Are conference histories a safe bet?
As Tarzan would say, "SEC good, Big Ten bad." Of the four previous seasons of a ten team tournament, naturally, there have been 16 teams in the semi-finals. Seven of those 16 have been SEC teams. So, what's the rub? Well, Auburn and Arkansas haven't been one of those teams. During the same period, the Big Ten has yet to make the semis. But Wisconsin, at least during the Alvarez era, tended to play well on the big stage compared to their Big Ten peers.
E) Distraction or motivation?
You've got Heisman winner Cam Newton playing under a cloud of controversy of allegations of his pops shopping him around Smokey Robinson, let's call it Dad-gate. And then the initial reports of Ohio State trading autographs for tattoos (let's call it Ink-gate) that was followed up by big suspensions for next year for selling memorabilia for cash (eBay-gate). So will these players rise up and play it big for what may be the finale of their careers, or will the scrutiny of these problems weigh on their shoulders, and they will play like they are saving themselves for their NFL marriage?
So there seems like little is certain, except Oklahoma will beat UConn senseless. But I am going to say a team to watch to win it all is....Stanford. They have motivation, because their coach may leave to head to his Ann Arbor alam mater, but without the gall to just leave his team early when they get their shot at a big bowl (hi Brian Kelly!). They have geography, playing in California in the Rose Bowl, and if they advance, a win in the St Pete semi-finals will put them right back in Pac-10 country in Arizona.
And if you like a darker dark horse, how 'bout seventh seed Oklahoma. Their First Round game versus UConn might serve as a warm-up, and put them on a path to take on a rusty team.
So when all seems screwy and confusing, what picks to make for the First Round and BCS Bowl quarterfinals? All of the better seeds seem vulnerable, so I say they all win....win! So Oklahoma and Arkansas will win the First Round games easily, Auburn will survive a close game with Oklahoma, Oregon will handle Arkansas by 10, TCU will outlast Ohio State, and Stanford will send the Badgers home.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sports Illustrated Makes Predictions for My Tournament
(actually, CNNSI made picks for the real bowl games, and I transformed them into predictions for my playoffs)
As part of Stewart Mandel's predictions of all of the bowl games this season, here are his predictions for the tournament's first round and quarterfinals:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 38
10 Connecticut 10
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 25
9 Virginia Tech 22
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 48
7 Oklahoma 39
Rose:
4 Stanford 34
5 Wisconsin 23
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 33
8 Arkansas 27
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 34
6 Ohio State 35
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Auburn vs. Stanford
Oregon vs. Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
As part of Stewart Mandel's predictions of all of the bowl games this season, here are his predictions for the tournament's first round and quarterfinals:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 38
10 Connecticut 10
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 25
9 Virginia Tech 22
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 48
7 Oklahoma 39
Rose:
4 Stanford 34
5 Wisconsin 23
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 33
8 Arkansas 27
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 34
6 Ohio State 35
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Auburn vs. Stanford
Oregon vs. Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The 2010-2011 BCS College Football Tournament
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX: #7 Oklahoma (Big XII champ) vs #10 Connecticut (Big East champ)
In Charlotte: #8 Arkansas (at-large) vs #9 Virginia Tech (ACC champ)
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: #1 Auburn (SEC champ) vs Virginia Tech or the Oklahoma/Connecticut winner
Rose: #4 Stanford (at-large) vs #5 Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
Fiesta: #2 Oregon (Pac-10 champ) vs Arkansas or Oklahoma/Connecticut winner
Orange: #3 Texas Christian (non-BCS conference automatic) vs #6 Ohio State (at-large)
Note: Conditional match-ups in BCS round due to preventing rematch of Auburn-Arkansas regular season game
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Week by week seedings:
In Arlington, TX: #7 Oklahoma (Big XII champ) vs #10 Connecticut (Big East champ)
In Charlotte: #8 Arkansas (at-large) vs #9 Virginia Tech (ACC champ)
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: #1 Auburn (SEC champ) vs Virginia Tech or the Oklahoma/Connecticut winner
Rose: #4 Stanford (at-large) vs #5 Wisconsin (Big Ten champ)
Fiesta: #2 Oregon (Pac-10 champ) vs Arkansas or Oklahoma/Connecticut winner
Orange: #3 Texas Christian (non-BCS conference automatic) vs #6 Ohio State (at-large)
Note: Conditional match-ups in BCS round due to preventing rematch of Auburn-Arkansas regular season game
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Week by week seedings:
| Week | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Final |
| Auburn | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| TCU | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Stanford | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Ohio State | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6 | 6 |
| Oklahoma | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 | 7 |
| Arkansas | n/a | n/a | n/a | 7 | 8 |
| Virginia Tech | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Connecticut | n/a | n/a | n/a | 10 | 10 |
| Boise State | 4 | 4 | 4 | n/a | n/a |
| LSU | 5 | 5 | 5 | n/a | n/a |
| Oklahoma St | n/a | n/a | 8 | n/a | n/a |
| Pittsburgh | 10 | 10 | 10 | n/a | n/a |
| Nebraska | 8 | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Utah | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Alabama | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Michigan State | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Missouri | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Florida State | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| West Virginia | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Miami | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Florida | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Texas | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Week | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Auburn | 8 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Oregon | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| TCU | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Stanford | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Wisconsin | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 |
| Ohio State | 6 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Oklahoma | 3 | 4 | 1 | n/a | n/a |
| Arkansas | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Virginia Tech | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 |
| Connecticut | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Boise State | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| LSU | 7 | 7 | 6 | n/a | n/a |
| Oklahoma St | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Pittsburgh | n/a | n/a | n/a | 10 | 10 |
| Nebraska | n/a | 6 | n/a | n/a | 7 |
| Utah | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 | 5 |
| Alabama | 1 | n/a | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Michigan State | n/a | n/a | 7 | 5 | n/a |
| Missouri | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6 | n/a |
| Florida State | n/a | 9 | 9 | 9 | n/a |
| West Virginia | 10 | 10 | 10 | n/a | n/a |
| Miami | 9 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Florida | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Texas | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Week | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Auburn | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Oregon | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| TCU | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 4 |
| Stanford | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Wisconsin | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Ohio State | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Oklahoma | 7 | n/a | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Arkansas | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Virginia Tech | 8 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Connecticut | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Boise State | 5 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 2 |
| LSU | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 |
| Oklahoma St | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Pittsburgh | 10 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Nebraska | n/a | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Utah | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Alabama | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Michigan State | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Missouri | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Florida State | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| West Virginia | n/a | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Miami | n/a | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Florida | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| Texas | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | n/a |
Saturday, December 4, 2010
"Welcome to the BCS College Football Tournament Selection Show"
And now live from the ESPN studios, it's the BCS College Football Tournament Selection Show, with Reece Davis, Lou Holtz, and Mark May:
Reece, "Well, we started this weekend with sixteen teams with a chance to play in the 2010-2011 BCS College Football Tournament, and we will find out in moments which ten made the field, and who and where they will play. Coach Holtz, the big game that would have shook things up yesterday was Auburn against South Carolina in the SEC championship game, but Auburn quickly put an end to the drama."
Lou, "Yes, my old Arkansas team was hoping SO much for an Auburn win, because my other old team, South Carolina, could have made the tourney with a win, and then, Auburn probably would have taken Arkansas' at-large spot. But Auburn was ready, and I think the Razorbacks are going to be in the tournament this year; congratulations to Bobby Petrino on a great season! My old friends at the University of Arkansas will be celebrating an opportunity to play in the post-season tournament"
Mark, "But coach, Arkansas had a great season, but Michigan State is Big Ten co-champion with one loss, they really should be in the tournament over the Razorbacks. But let's give credit to Cam Newton and Auburn for a dominating performance. Auburn will probably be the number one seed, and with the allegations over Cam Newton's eligibility behind him, I think the Tigers are poised to run to the national title in Glendale this January."
Lou, "Mark, come on, its your Big East conference, you played at Pitt, that is taking Michigan State's slot, not Arkansas. The Big East just did not deserve a chance to be in the tournament this year."
Reece, "Well, certainly the question of whether the Big East has deserved to be in the tournament has been all over talk radio and the internet for months, but I think when all is said and done, Michigan State's decisive loss at Iowa, 37-6, in a season where Iowa finished 7 and 5, put in people's minds that they were a very good team, but just not a threat to win the national championship this season. And the fact that they needed overtime to win over your other school, coach, Notre Dame, probably also solidified this perception."
Lou, "Well, I think the tournament needs to go to twelve or sixteen teams, there are so many good teams in this country, a ten team tournament just is not enough."
Mark, "Coach, I think the tournament committee will say, the ten team tournament maintains the week to week importance of games that we had during the previous bowl era. And the Big East championship went down the the last minute of of the last game of the last night of the regular season, providing a lot of drama, and both the conference, and the University of Connecticut, deserve to be part of the tournament."
Reece, "So let's recap yesterday's action. We started with sixteen teams with a shot at the tournament, and we started to shave that down right away.
"Early in the day, West Virginia easily handed Rutgers, despite some early turnovers, winning 35 to 14, keeping their Big East dream alive, and eliminated pre-season conference favorite Pittsburgh, who did what they need to do, and beat Cincinnati 28 to 10. But the Panthers were eliminated, sorry Mark, and we were down to 15 teams."
"Then the SEC championship, a huge win for the Auburn Tigers. Auburn takes the SEC automatic bid, and South Carolina, sorry coach, is eliminated, and we were down to fourteen teams. Of course Oregon was already in the tournament, but winning the Civil War over in-state rival Oregon State keeps the Ducks in line for a top two seed in the tournament."
"In the ACC championship game, Florida State was game, but Virginia Tech just had too many big plays, and won pretty easily. The Hokies make it back to the tournament after losing their first two games of the season. The Seminoles appear to be on their way back to prominence, but they are eliminated and we are down to thirteen teams that have a chance to be in the tournament."
"So things have gone pretty much to form up to this point in the games of Saturday. But things heat up in Tampa, as late in the game South Florida ties it up against Connecticut. The Huskies respond with a 52-yard field goal with 17 seconds to play, and hold onto the victory. UConn will make the tournament for the first time, and West Virginia is eliminated, and we are down to twelve teams in the race for Glendale."
"The night ends with the Big XII championship. Nebraska lost on a last second field goal last year to Texas, and missed their chance for a tournament return, but the Huskers hoped to close out their Big XII football era with a conference championship. Things looked good early for Nebraska, but Oklahoma stormed back, and held onto to win another conference championship, eliminating Nebraska, leaving eleven teams that are left for the ten team tournament."
"So here are the teams that are left, six conference champions: Auburn, Oregon, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech, and Connecticut. And there is one likely automatic bid to a non-BCS conference, that being undefeated Texas Christian. That leaves three at-large births, with Stanford, Ohio State, Arkansas, and Michigan State vying for those spots. Who will be in and who is out, we are about to find out."
Reece continues, "And now, it is time to learn the which ten teams made the 2010-2011 BCS college football tournament, so we go to Brent Musberger in Glendale Arizona. Brent..."
Brent, "You are looking...LIVE at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale Arizona. Ten teams will play to win here, and take home win the BCS championship trophy. Let's go the tourney Commissioner Nelson, who will reveal this year's tournament. Commissioner..."
Commissioner, "Thank you Brent. It is my pleasure to announce the teams that will be playing in the 2010-2011 BCS college football tournament."
"In the first round, in Arlington, Texas, the seventh seed and champion of the Big XII conference, the Sooners of the University of Oklahoma, will take on the tenth seed, and champion of the Big East conference, the University of Connecticut Huskies."
"The other first round game will be played in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the eighth seed, Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas, at-large from the Southeastern Conference, will play the ninth seeded Virginia Tech University Hokies, champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference."
"So let's move onto the BCS bowl quarterfinals. If Virginia Tech wins their first round game, they will move on to the Sugar Bowl, to play the top seed, the Auburn University Tigers, champions of the Southeastern Conference. If Arkansas wins, then the Sugar Bowl opponent for Auburn will be the winner of Oklahoma and Connecticut."
"The winner of the Sugar Bowl, will take on the winner of the Rose Bowl, which will feature the fourth seed, an at-large team from the Pacific Ten conference, the Cardinal of Stanford University, who will take on the champion of the Big Ten conference, the fifth seeded University of Wisconsin Badgers."
"If Arkansas is victorious in their first round game, they will move on to the Fiesta Bowl, to play the number two seed, and champion of the Pacific Ten conference, the Ducks of the University of Oregon. If Virginia Tech wins, then the Fiesta Bowl opponent for Oregon will be the winner of the Oklahoma and Connecticut match-up."
"The Fiesta Bowl winner will take on the winner of the remaining quarterfinal game, the Orange Bowl, which will feature the third seed, automatic qualifier from the Mountain West Conference, the Horned Frogs from Texas Christian University, who will play the sixth seed, and at-large qualifier from the Big Ten conference, the Buckeyes of the Ohio State University."
"The winners of the BCS quarterfinals will meet in St Petersburg, Florida for Football's Final Four, and the winner of the semi-finals will play for the BCS championship, right here, in Glendale Arizona."
Brent, "Thank you Commissioner, it shapes up to be yet another exciting tournament. Of course, Michigan State fans are going to be very disappointed that their team did not make the tournament."
Commissioner, "Brent, we know there will be disappointment in East Lansing and the great fans of Michigan State across the country. But this was a unique season with three 11-1 teams from the same conference, and the perception was that Wisconsin and Ohio State finished stronger down the stretch, and I am certain they will prove to be tough foes, representing ALL of the Big Ten very well."
Brent, "Thank you Commissioner, and now back to Reece."
Reece, "Thank you Brent and thank you Commissioner. Well, as we expected Michigan State is out, Arkansas grabbed the last at-large slot. And looking at the BCS final results, it was the computer rankings that did in the Spartans. They finished eleventh in the consensus of the computer rankings, and Arkansas finished sixth. Coach, what about the pairings do you notice at first look."
Lou, "Well, Oklahoma jumped in the last weekend to seventh seed, so rather than taking on Virginia Tech in the first round, they get to play Connecticut, so that is a big change for them. I think Arkansas-Virginia Tech is going to be a heck of a first round game. Whoever wins that game will be a tough opponent for Auburn or Oregon."
Reece, "As coach mentioned, the rules stipulate avoiding re-matches from the regular season in the first round or BCS Bowls, so if Arkansas wins, they cannot play Auburn again, and they would play Oregon. Mark, as coach said, Oklahoma moving up to seventh appears huge, not only to play in Dallas again, where they have spent more time than Larry Hagman, but also to be big favorites over Connecticut."
Mark, "Yes, and coach Bob Stoops, if he feels his team will not take Connecticut seriously only has to say two words; Boise State. The Broncos shocked the Sooners the last time they played in a first round game, so I think they will be prepared. Another part of the brackets I noticed is that the Rose Bowl had the rights to the Oregon game, but passed to select the Wisconsin-Stanford match-up. Remember, the Rose Bowl also passed on number two seed Ohio State in 2003 for their game against Florida State so they could select a game between two at-large teams, USC and Iowa, also in the 4/5 seed slot. USC won easily, and Stanford will hope to do the same."
Reece, "Looking at the teams in the brackets, only three were in the tournament last season, TCU, Oregon, and Ohio State. None of last year's Final Four, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Boise State made it back this season. Of the pre-season rankings, five of the teams did make it: Oregon, TCU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech. The five that did not: Alabama, Texas, Boise State, Pittsburgh, and Florida, so some overlap there."
Reece, "Coach, let's look at the teams have have made the tournament during the ten-team era over the past five seasons"
Lou, "Well, you'll see Ohio State and Oklahoma at the top, four times in the tournament over the past five years. I know some times people criticize coach Tressel and coach Stoops, but hey, this is incredible, and really tough to do now in college football."
| Ohio State | 4 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 |
| Oklahoma | 4 | 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 |
| Florida | 3 | 2006, 2008, 2009 |
| USC | 3 | 2006, 2007, 2008 |
| Virginia Tech | 3 | 2007, 2008, 2010 |
| Alabama | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| Boise State | 2 | 2006, 2009 |
| Cincinnati | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| LSU | 2 | 2006, 2007 |
| Oregon | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
| TCU | 2 | 2009, 2010 |
| Texas | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | 2006, 2010 |
| Arkansas | 1 | 2010 |
| Auburn | 1 | 2010 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 2010 |
| Georgia | 1 | 2007 |
| Georgia Tech | 1 | 2009 |
| Hawaii | 1 | 2007 |
| Iowa | 1 | 2009 |
| Kansas | 1 | 2007 |
| Louisville | 1 | 2006 |
| Michigan | 1 | 2006 |
| Missouri | 1 | 2007 |
| Penn State | 1 | 2008 |
| Stanford | 1 | 2010 |
| Texas Tech | 1 | 2008 |
| Utah | 1 | 2008 |
| Wake Forest | 1 | 2006 |
| West Virginia | 1 | 2007 |
Reece, "And one consequence of going to ten teams was the advent of the first round games, which cities love to get, and has really taken the tournament across the country. You can see over the last five seasons, Charlotte now has had three first round games, with Wake Forest-Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech-Texas Tech, and this season, because Virginia Tech had a geographic advantage over Arkansas since the Hokies are automatic qualifiers whereas the Razorbacks are an at-large team, Charlotte gets to see Tech one more time this season."
First Round Games Hosted in the Ten Team Era:
| Charlotte | 3 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 |
| Boise | 1 |
| San Diego | 1 |
| Seattle | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 |
Reece, "Well, that's it for an exciting regular season of college football. But all of the exciting results of the tournament, game by game, up to the championship will be right here, and also on mycollegefootballtourney.blogspot.com. For Lou Holtz and Mark May, good night everybody!"
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