Video: Don’t go judging Landry Jones just yet
Chat with Berry Tramel at 11 a.m.
Going for two: Hope Stoops was shooting straight
Bob Stoops said he planned to go for two points had OU scored a late touchdown against Nebraska. I hope he’s shooting straight, because that clearly was the right call.
Media and fans don’t really know much about the inner-workings of football. How offenses really attack and how defenses scheme to stop them. Don’t really know why some things work and some things don’t.
But two things we know maybe better than coaches: time management and two-point conversion decisions. The reason is clear. Time management and scoreboard variables are mostly simple concepts that anyone with good understanding of math and an eye on the game can understand. The only stumbling blocks are when your mind is cluttered with other matters, which a football coach’s often is.
Sitting in the stands, or the pressbox, or on the couch, we aren’t bound by other matters. It comes pretty naturally to most football fans when to go for two mathematically or when to use timeouts in the fourth quarter.
But sometimes, a 2-point conversion is a judgment call, depending on events in a game, and no event ever called for a 2-point conversion moreso than OU-Nebraska.
The Sooners trailed 10-3 and had repeated fourth-quarter possessions in Husker territory. The situation cried out for a two-point conversion, had Oklahoma scored a touchdown.
For this reason. Overtime offense consists of two missions: 1) Ability to score when set up at the opponents’ 25-yard line; 2) ability to kick field goals, if the first mission fails.
Against Nebraska, OU had an historically bad night at both. The Sooners basically spent all night getting near the 25-yard line and going no farther. OU had 11 possessions in Husker territory, yet crossed the 20-yard line only once and never crossed the 10. The Sooners had four field goal tries; they made one, from 28 yards, missing three from the 40s.
Meanwhile, Nebraska had no chance of scoring a touchdown but was 1-of-2 on field goals. The Huskers made from 28 yards and missed from 43 yards, which is driving down Tress Way Boulevard, but had yet to establish the futility of the Sooners’ on field goals.
So the correct call was clear. OU’s best chance was to win the game in regulation. One shot from the 3-yard line.
“I had already talked to the coaches about it,” Stoops said. “The way both of our defenses were playing, you would think that we would force a bunch of field goals. And at that point, probably justifiably, I didn’t feel great about getting into a field-goal kicking contest.”
That was solid reasoning. I hope that’s what was going through Stoops’ head on Saturday night and not something that popped in two days later. Lots of coaches are on auto pilot when it comes to conversions. They attempt to deflect responsibility from themselves, when in fact often a 2-point conversion decision is their best chance.
OU’s offense predictable? Think again
Another OU loss — especially a fourth loss in the season — always urges fans to search for reasons why. Some of their findings are solid. Recruiting mistakes. Lack of big-play ability, or at least acumen. Bad luck.
But the most common refrain on any OU defeat in which the score is somewhere south of 45-35, is that the play-calling is too predictable. They said it about Mark Mangino’s offense. They said it about Chuck Long’s. They say it about Kevin Wilson’s.
And they always are wrong. Always. We can say that OU passed too much, and we might be right. We can say that OU ran too much, and we might be right. But anyone who says they can predict what OU is going to do is flat out lying.
We hear it after every defeat, and the example always given is first downs. Usually that they always know when a first-down run is coming. Which is nonsense.
Obviously, in obvious passing situations, you can tell a pass is coming. Obviously, with an empty backfield, you know a pass is coming. But no one knows when a run is coming, especially on first down.
This is always one of my favorite research projects. Go back and study OU’s first-down plays in a game. And it’s always balanced. It is not predictable.
Against Nebraska, OU ran 38 first-down plays (which is a remarkable number in itself). Most of those plays were out of the shotgun, which was OU’s formation most of the game. Of those 38 first-down plays, OU ran 16 times and passed 22.
Some will say that late in the game, OU had to pass on first down, and I’ll grant you that. So toss out OU’s final two possessions, which came in the final six minutes. The Sooners had 33 first-down plays. They ran 16 times and passed 17 times.
The idea that OU is too predictable is just silly.
If you want to bust Kevin Wilson for his game plans, fine. They are not above critique. If you want to bust Wilson for his lack of offensive line development, I say go for it. That’s the No. 1 problem, outside of injuries, for this Sooner squad. If you want to bust Wilson because this offense, unlike others in OU’s recent history, failed to show improvement when November arrived, OK. That’s a valid discussion.
But don’t go telling people that OU’s offense is predictable, that you know what’s coming, that the Sooners always are running on first down. Because they aren’t.
5-4: Sooners & Thunder?
If back in August I had told you that come the nights of Nov. 15 or 16, the Oklahoma football team and the NBA Thunder would have the same record, you would think, wow, the Thunder is the talk of the league.
But it’s a possibility, without every NBA writer trekking to the Ford Center to discover Scott Brooks’ magic touch.
Come Saturday night, if the Thunder-Spurs play fast and OU-A&M stretch out their game, both the Sooners and the Boomers could have nine decisions under their belt. And both could be 5-4.
OU already is at the mediocre spot, after the 10-3 loss to Nebraska on Saturday night.
The Thunder is at 3-3, with a road trip against the Kings and Clippers coming this week, then a Friday night game at San Antonio. I think the Thunder is much better, but I’m not predicting a victory over the Spurs. That means a California sweep at Arco Arena and the Staples Center, which is possible. The Kings and Clippers are off to struggling starts, which.
If the Thunder can sweep in California and get to 5-3, they would fall to 5-4 with a loss in San Antone. Who could ever have imagined that would match the Sooners’?
Even if OU beats A&M to get to 6-4, the Thunder hosts the Clippers on Sunday night and could match that record.
Before the OU season, I said the Sooners had seven losable games: BYU, Miami, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas Tech and OSU, and I considered Bedlam the easiest of those, since it was at Owen Field. The others were away from home. I didn’t mean OU could go 5-7, but I also didn’t think there was any way the Sooners could lose the majority of those losable games. They already have, and only the most optimistic among us believe the Sooners can escape disaster in Lubbock, the site of many OU downfalls.
After Sunday, the Sooners and Thunder don’t have the chance at the same record. The Thunder starts playing too many games. Alas, the Sooners’ season is about over. Unlike after the early losses to BYU and Miami, OU has no recourse to salvage its season.
OU game plan misfired vs. Nebraska
Remember after the Miami game, how disgusted OU fans were that Kevin Wilson employed such a conservative game plan? That he didn’t open up the playbook and let Landry Jones fire the ball all over the field?
Now you know why. That’s exactly what Jones did Saturday night in Lincoln, and you know the result. Nebraska beat the Sooners 10-3. OU called 60 pass plays and scored only a lone field goal.
This game produced amazing statistical results. The Sooners reached NU territory 11 of its 16 possessions but penetrated the Husker 20-yard line only once and never got inside the 10.
OU ran 47 of its 87 plays in Nebraska territory, yet the Sooners never really came close to scoring a touchdown. No near-miss. No almosts. No what-ifs. The Huskers built a fortress at the 20-yard line and defended it well. Truth is, the Sooners could have played another four quarters and might not have scored a touchdown. Might not have kicked a field goal, either, from longer than 39 yards.
Which gets us back to the game plan. Nebraska’s only touchdown came on a 1-yard scoring drive, following an interception. The Huskers’ field goal came on a 33-yard drive to the OU 11-yard line after an interception, with the help of a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Frank Alexander. Nebraska, too, could have spent all night trying to score a TD, to no avail, without the help of turnovers.
So think about this. What if OU hadn’t passed all night. What if OU had just run the ball all game long. Draws, counters, power, that crossbuck stuff with DeMarco Murray in motion and Chris Brown knifing up the middle. Try to make first downs on the ground, and if not, punt.
It’s kooky, I know. But think about it. How many points would OU have scored? At the worst, three points less than it actually did. How many points would Nebraska have scored? Harder to say, but it’s not a bad guess to say perhaps 10 fewer.
This was a game destined not to be won, but destined to be lost. Whichever team made critical mistakes and let the opponent have easy points in a game when the defenses were not going to allow much of anything. OU made those mistakes, Nebraska didn’t.
Go back to the Miami game. Landry Jones actually played a decent game. But Miami got a gift touchdown when the Hurricane pass rush popped Landry for a sack, causing a fumble at the OU 11-yard line. Final score: Miami 21, OU 20.
Miami gave OU no free points. OU gave Miami seven free points. Saturday night, OU gave Nebraska seven free points and you could argue that it was 10, courtesy of those two interceptions (Jones threw a school record five in all).
This was the perfect example of why coaches sometimes go conservative and why other coaches sometimes should.
Nebraska might have won a punting war with the Sooners, anyway. The Huskers have the better field-goal kicker, obviously, and this might have been a 3-0 final if the Sooners had done what the Huskers did, which was commit to no mistakes on offense and be completely content to punt. Nebraska punted 11 times, which is not a record but is an absurdly high amount in 21st-century football.
I’m not really serious about putting the passing game completely in the can. But I am serious about OU adopting a game plan, at least against these Huskers, in which the Sooners are bound and determined not to commit a turnover and feel perfectly satisfied to punt. That was OU’s best chance to win.
Emails in on OU-Nebraska series
The new emails are in, and lots of talk about OU-Nebraska and my desire for them to play every year.
Michael: “The crossover rival is an interesting idea. Here are two proposals which take that concept one step further by also realigning the two Big 12 divisions, hopefully providing more balance overall for the conference. Proposal one: trade Mizzou and Colorado for A&M and Tech). Then the crossover games would be Oklahoma-Nebraska, A&M-Texas, Mizzou-Kansas, Baylor-Tech, OSU-Kansas State, Colorado-Iowa State. Proposal two: trade Mizzou and Colorado for OU and OSU). Then you would have Texas-OU, Tech-OSU, Colorado-Nebraska, Mizzou-Kansas, A&M-KSU, Baylor-Iowa State. Personally, I prefer the second proposal. It keeps the Texas schools together in one division and reunites OU-Nebraska, while putting OU and OSU on the other side of the line helps to balance the overall strength of each division. The only downside is the potential for an OU-UT rematch every season in the Big 12 Championship game, which is not necessarily a bad thing (for the networks).”
This is certainly a thinker. The whole concept is this: Does the Big 12 have to be split along geographic lines? I think the answer is probably yes. The ACC is divided haphazardly, with no regard to geography, and it’s a mess, from an outsider’s perspective. But it’s fun to discuss. I don’t like being trapped by conventionalism.
Holland: “I’m at work on a slow day and thinking about realignments in the Big 12. The realignment would be to balance the divisions, while also preserving some traditional rivalry games. Each division would have four Big Eight teams and two SWC teams. So, here goes. Division I: Nebraska, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Baylor. Division II:
Colorado, Iowa State, Missouri, Kansas and Texas A&M. In addition, like the SEC and ACC, each team would play a yearly cross-divisional rivalry game while playing five divisional games and three out-of-division games, so in a given year each conference team would play nine conference games, which would eliminate some of the horrible out-of-conference scheduling. This would balance out the divisions because OU and Texas are separated. If Snyder gets KSU rolling like they once were, which will be a tall task, one could argue Division I is a little tougher, but the same can be said for Division II if Sherman gets A&M going again. For the most part, the divisions would be more balanced than now. The cross-divisional games would be OU-Texas, Kansas-KSU, Nebraska-Missouri, Tech-A&M, OSU-Colorado, ISU-Baylor. This would preserve the following rivalries: OU-Nebraska, Texas-A&M, Kansas-Missouri, OU-Texas, KU-KSU, Tech-A&M, OU-OSU, Nebraska-Missouri, Nebraska-KSU. And this would mean OU-Texas could meet again for the Big 12 title, whereas now that isn’t possible. Think about how much better the championship games would have been in recent years had these two met again.”
I love this. I love it when people start thinking in new and different ways. Now, I think this realignment is mostly silly; no way can you split up the four Texas schools, just so OU and Nebraska can satisfy a mutual admiration society. But it’s thinking outside the box, and we need more of that.
Bob: “I have little interest in playing them every year. I like the way it is now with them. We don’t need it, in my opinion.”
Need it? No. OU-Nebraska isn’t needed. College football and the Sooners can live without it. But this series isn’t about need. It’s about enjoyment. It’s about something special. It’s about something extraordinary.
David: “Love the OU-Nebraska stuff. When the Big 12 killed the regular OU-Nebraska series, I remember talking with a friend who said that it was OK because we still had OU-Texas as a rivalry game. I responded that I felt like a kid being told that Christmas would now come only two years out of four, and that I shouldn’t worry about it because I would still get presents on my birthday every year. You know of the kid who would be won over by that argument? It seems to me that the big drawback to the conference schedule-makers of creating a permanent crossover game is how to set up a systematic way of scheduling the other two crossover games amongst five other inter-division schools. There’s no good way to do it. The thing is, the SEC has already answered that with something you didn’t mention — in the SEC each school was, in fact, set up to have TWO non-rotating opponents from the other division. Each school then had four non-permanent rivals, whom they would each play twice over an 8-year rotation. Problem solved! The great thing about this is that you can use the second ‘permanent’ or non-rotating rivalry to even out the other. OU could have Nebraska as a permanent rival and even things out by having Iowa State as its other non-rotating rival, for example. This would also even out for Iowa State having Baylor as its other ‘permanent’ rival under the scenario you suggested. Over the years, the second non-rotating rival could be changed to maintain balance, if necessary. There can be flexibility. Cheers to your suggestion to have Oklahoma-Nebraska restored to the annual rite that OU-Texas has remained. Cheers to having both Christmas AND a birthday every year!”
That original SEC model has its drawbacks, too. For instance, if OU played NU and ISU every year, that means it would play Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Kansas State twice every eight years, which is a whole new can of worms.
Larry, our resident Tech fan: “I’m not much for special accommodations for self-anointed quality. There’s quite enough kowtowing going on in college football already. But I do understand the nostalgia surrounding this rivalry. Let’s face it: unlike the SWC, which was represented in the Cotton Bowl by seven of its nine members during the last 20 years of its existence, the Big Eight was less of a conference than it was simply a game played in November to see who went to the Orange Bowl, with a potential national championship on the line. But couldn’t you accomplish your objective by simply swapping the state of Oklahoma for the state of Kansas? It wouldn’t make much geographic sense, but it would preserve both in-state rivalries while at the same time helping to correct the imbalance of power between the north and the south. Why drastically impact every team in the league just so Oklahoma and Nebraska can resume their annual mutual hiney-rubbing society meetings? If OSU, KSU and KU were to object, just throw them out of the conference. That would solve the problem too. Nine remaining members would then all play one another every year. Most every Sooner I talk football with seem to operate under the impression that throwing schools out of conferences is done all the time, and great fun at that. I don’t know about the done-all-the-time part, but they might just be onto something. If vassals put up a squawk, well off with their heads. What’s the point of being aristocratic if you can’t at least threaten from time to time to cut off a vassal’s head if he don’t do right?”
Can’t swap the Oklahoma and Kansas schools. Then OU-Texas and KU-Missouri aren’t annual series.
Paul: “Your article on the NU-OU rivalry was right on. I grew up in Nebraska and have been a Cornhuskers fan my whole life. Right now, I’m an Air Force master sergeant serving at Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport, so I’ll be watching the game early Sunday morning on the Armed Forces Television Network. I’m old enough to remember (barely) the Game of the Century, Thanksgiving Day in 1971. I was in the NU student section (though I wasn’t a student there) in 1982. Great times! I was also there two years later when the Sooners broke our hearts, 17-7. I get your take on the lovefest and I think that’s really what makes this rivalry unique and special. Both programs are secure enough in their collective manhood to not belittle their opponents. The schools have staged some of the greatest games in college football history. The hitting was fierce, the blood flowed, the games were incredible, but there was always great respect between the players, coaches and fans. We liked each other. Nebraskans rooted for OU in its bowl and other non-conference games and I’m sure OU fans did the same for NU. Certainly, OU-Texas has a great history, but so has OU-NU. As you mentioned, that was a time (the mid ’90s) when Nebraska was very good and Oklahoma wasn’t, so I’m sure a lot of OU fans shared that writer’s opinion. On a related note, it’s kind of sad; with the exception of the 2000 and ’01 seasons, the two programs haven’t been great at the same time since 1987. But I think (I hope) that’s about to change. That’s why now would be a great time to change scheduling format and adopt the SEC model you proposed. NU-OU should be played every year. I’d even be in favor of dropping the Big 12 championship game (it’s become a farce) and follow the Pac-10′s lead and schedule nine conference games a year for each school.”
I don’t think the Big 12 title game is going anywhere. Too much money. But Paul’s best phrase was this: Great times! Here’s a guy stationed in Iraq, and memories of OU-Nebraska is helping him get through some of the down time. That’s priceless.
Rob: “I’ve been blaming Donnie Duncan for years for allowing the discontinuation of this historic series. I was fortunate enough to attend the 1976 game in Lincoln and recall the respect and courtesy extended to us before and after the game was unlike anything I have experienced except at College Station (much different than the attitude at the annual Red River rivalry) . The crossover solution you offer seems plausible to me. In addition to the points you raised, it also cost each team an annual Thanksgiving Day game and the accompanying national exposure, which is invaluable to recruiting efforts.”
For the record, the Thanksgiving element of OU-Nebraska is a little bit of a wives tale. In the ’70s and ’80s, OU and Nebraska played on Thanksgiving weekend just nine times. But people remember it as a Thanksgiving tradition, primarily because of 1971.
Don: “You’re right on about the OU-Nebraska game. As you point out, it always seems to bring something that’s sadly missing in our society today. When my daughter was at OU (too many years ago now), we had seats in the north end zone. After one game and while having dinner, we met some folks who had actually been wearing cornheads not far from us at the game. As I recall, we lost by 13 points, that was in the Gibbs era. Anyway, we visited with them and talked about how visitors were probably treated, especially after their team had won. They related how they always loved to come to Norman because everyone treated them so well, win or lose. They said their worst experience was always Colorado.”
My dad talked about Nebraska fans when I was a little kid, how much he enjoyed doing business with them when the Huskers came to town. This is at least a 40-year love affair.
Jeff: “I couldn’t agree more! Thank you, and I assure you the VAST majority of Nebraska fans concur. I am a die-hard Husker fan, but my second favorite football program is Oklahoma. I was able to get a sideline pass to the NU-OU game in Norman the last year Oklahoma won the national championship! It was a great experience. Oklahoma defeated Nebraska. Still a great time. I was also at a Nebraska-Oklahoma game in Norman when I was a college student and sat at the 45-yard line deep in the middle of OU fans. I was treated very well, and on that day Nebraska won in Norman. There is no rivalry that matches OU-NU. None. I hope this is something you and your fellow Oklahoma sports writers will continue to press and encourage the powers that be to get it done.”
I’ve always thought Nebraska fans loved the series more than Oklahoma fans, though I don’t really know why. Maybe because the Huskers don’t have a natural rival, while OU has Texas and Bedlam.
Some general Sooner football stuff. Shlomo: “Which D is going to show up against Nebraska? I suppose Bill Snyder had something to do with last week’s meltdown, but still there needs to be more consistency. To be fair, Texas and Kansas, back to back, creates the inevitable letdown. But OU has had triple back to backs, more than once during championship years, and the letdown never came. Also, our return game/kickoff coverage needs a tuneup.”
Those triple back to backs didn’t come in the 21st century. I wouldn’t be too down on the defense. They played well most of the game, and like you said, Snyder knows what he’s doing. K-State scored 24 and 31 on OU’s 2000 defense, 37 on OU’s 2001 defense and 35 on OU’s 2003 defense.
Greg: “Saturday in Norman, we saw the coming out of Landry Jones, to the point he is where Bradford was the last week of the 2007 season at home game with OSU. Miller and Tennell finally arrived under pressure to complement Broyles. For once, our defense was pressed, the offense kept being pressured to the max by a good team breathing down our necks and our offense delivered. Yes, I would like to see us play Texas NOW. As for Nebraska, short of the weather being below 40 degrees, they will get smoked, likely in the first quarter 14 or 21 points. Their offense is pure, unadulterated crap. They could hold teams to no more than 19 points a game and be a .500 team. I saw the ISU game on ESPN game plan. If there was a team worse in the red zone than OU, it was Nebraska, and their problems are not fixed by experience. They lack talent. KSU will smoke them.”
Maybe so. But let’s not get too carried away with Landry Jones is Sam Bradford II. Bradford in 2007 was a heck of a rookie quarterback. Jones isn’t there yet.
Terry: “I thought I saw a glimpse of Sooner Magic following the 1st-and-45. Was it just me, or did you see it too? If any current player has some of the magic in him, it would be Ryan Broyles. I hate to think where OU would be without him.”
I think our standards have lowered if we’ve started putting that situation into the realm of Sooner Magic. It was a nice recovery. A remarkable recovery. But Sooner Magic pulled victory from certain defeat. Nebraska 1976, 1980, 1986. OSU 1983. TCU 1998. Texas 1996. This wasn’t that.
Jerry: “It looked like Snyder outcoached our entire coaching staff the second half! How about all those empty seats? People were trying to sell all kind of tickets outside and nobody wanted them. Why can’t the coaches make up their minds on their play calling; we had to call timeout each time this happens.”
Snyder is a pretty good coach. He’s outcoached Stoops before and will do it again. Stoops and most everyone else he comes across. Of course, if he outcoached the Sooners in the first half, you’d have to say they outcoached him in the first half. The market for seats is soft.
Now, on to the Thunder. Kelly: “I enjoy reading your articles about the Thunder, but can you please resist the urge to call them the Boomers and leave that nickname to the little league players? I am a huge Thunder fan and love watching the guys play, but the Boomer name is just getting annoying, not only to me, but to other readers as well.”
I sort of like it. When you go and give yourself a singular nickname, you’re inviting an occasional alternative. Just like Yankees and Bombers, Pirates and Bucs, etc.
Herb: “From what you can see, is Kevin Durant in a shooting slump or do you see something in his shot, shot selection or set up that is causing his problems? Thus far, just an average Kevin Durant shooting night has this team at 4-0 right now.
Against the Lakers, I didn’t think shooting was Durant’s problem. I think it was more drive and emotion. He seemed sort of despondent at times on the court. Like he wasn’t part of the offense. That’s a lot more alarming than just missing shots, like he did against Portland.
Sandi: “Ward, you were a little hard on the Beaver. Berry, you were a little hard on our Thunder. I was so pumped at the end of the third quarter, I didn’t care if we lost by 15 points. We are one of the youngest teams in the league and they put on an awesome performance against the Lakers. Our team played like a pro team . I believe we are going to the playoffs. We got game!”
Settle down, June. The Thunder played an interesting game against the Lakers, but they’re not going to the playoffs. That Laker game was the kind of game the Thunder has to start winning to make the playoffs, not just play tough.
Mildred: “Kevin Durant was seen on TV Saturday night supporting Texas. He needs to realize his fan base is Oklahoma. Texas could care less about his basketball career. He probably went out after the game, stayed up all night and played like it last night. We need him to play to
his talent.”
You know what? I think we all ought to get off Durant’s back on this Longhorn thing. He loves his school. Who doesn’t admire that? If Adrian Peterson was with the Dallas Cowboys, would we expect him to tone down his Sooner loyalties? That’s nonsense.
Justin: “Any chance Durant partied a bit hard Saturday with the Longhorn contingent?”
I doubt it. NBA players by nature are night owls. I don’t think the late night at Stillwater caused Durant to go 3-for-21.
Michael: “As fan of Kyle Weaver, why is he not getting any playing time? Is he hurt? As a fan here in Rockford, Ill., it seems he has more upside than Kevin Ollie.”
I think the Thunder has risen above Weaver’s talents. Weaver is no point guard, so it’s a Sefalosha/James Harden issue. Weaver is clearly No. 3 on that list.
Bill wrote about Dez Bryant’s appeal denied: “I agree with Dez’s high school coach that he was made an example of. Having taught in the Texas public schools for many years, I can recognize the spoiled jock so easily. All of his life, people fawned over him, I’m sure, and he got the big head. Meeting with Sanders and lying about it reflects an incredible ego. But it’s good to see the other guys get a chance to catch the ball. Once again a high school kid has used a college as a platform to a pro career. It looks like OSU is snakebit. I like it when they sign the blue chippers, but they seldom pan out. Screw Dez. Let’s just forget about him. It’s the worst possible punishment for a prima donna. They’ll finish with 8 or nine wins and a decent bowl win.”
I don’t like that. I don’t like that “screw Dez.” Dez was punished severely and has made some bad decisions, both before and after. He has no business going to Tampa and leaving school. Dez needs the structure Stillwater could provide, at least until January. I think he’s playing with fire these next two months. But screw Dez? I don’t think so.
New Big 12 bowl agreements: Good & bad
Big 12 football is headed to the East Coast for bowl games in the upcoming years. But not the Florida coasts.
That’s the downside to the new Big 12 bowl alliances, which include no Florida games. The Big 12 is concluding a Gator Bowl contract in which it sent a team to Jacksonville twice in a four-year period. Nebraska and Texas Tech have played in the Gator in recent years, which means no Gator appearance this season. Or in upcoming years.
The good news? Better tourist destinations and more money. For example, the Holiday Bowl has slipped from No. 3 to No. 5 in the Big 12 pecking order, thanks to increased commitments from the Alamo and the Insight bowls. Plus an annual trip to New York City for the New York Yankees Bowl, which sounds goofy but will be a fantastic trip for whichever team lands in the Bronx game. And in 2013 a trip to the EagleBank Bowl in Washington, D.C., which isn’t exotic but will be educational. Oh the horror.
Anyway, a review of the Big 12 schedule starting in 2010.
Fiesta: Big 12 champ, barring BCS implications. No change. A fabulous bowl and a fabulous organization and a great destination.
Cotton: No. 2 Big 12 vs. No. 2/3 SEC. Frankly, the change to the JerryWorld makes for a better playing experience, and the Cotton organizers are first class, but Dallas is not a great trip for teams or fans. Ideally, the Cotton would be the No. 3 bowl, with the No. 2 team headed for one of the big Florida consolation bowls, Outback or Capital One.
Alamo: No. 3 Big 12. The Alamo moved up from No. 4 and gets a new partner, the No. 2 Pac-10 team instead of the No. 4 Big Ten. That’s a big upgrade in competition, but a loss in sizzle. Michigan or Penn State or Ohio State always was a possibility for San Antonio. By the way, the city is a great tourist destination.
Insight: No. 4 Big 12. Strange, but the little brother of the Fiesta jumped the Holiday Bowl. The Insight is played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, which is not as cool as University of Phoenix Stadium. But the Insight offers the No. 4 Big Ten, replacing the old slot of the Alamo.
Holiday: Big 12 No. 5 vs. Pac-10 No. 3. Strange for a bowl in San Diego to drop like this, from Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac-10 No. 2. Not a great organizational bowl, but a wonderful city.
Texas: Big 12 No. 6 vs. Big Ten No. 6. Houston is a bad destination. Lots of traffic, no redeeming qualities for tourists. But finish sixth in the pecking order, and you take what you can get.
New York Yankees: Big 12 No. 7 vs. Big East. Sounds silly, playing in a baseball park, but it is the new Yankee Stadium, and it is New York City over the holidays. It will be expensive as heck, but it will be the trip of a lifetime for players and fans. Are you kidding me? Players with free time from 8 p.m. to midnight, 3-4 days in a row, and you’re in Manhattan? What could possibly be better than that?
Dallas Football Classic: Big 12 No. 8 vs. Big Ten No. 6, in 2010 and 2012. Played in the old Cotton Bowl. A landing spot for a 6-6 team.
EagleBank Bowl: Big 12 No. 8 vs. ACC or Army or Navy, in 2013. Played in old RFK Stadium, which is totally cool. Can’t say there’s nothing to do.
So, what to make of the new bowl lineup? Like I said, no Florida bowl is a huge gap. And no ACC matchup, which is regretful. Two Pac-10′s, two Big Tens, one SEC, one Big East. One of the charms of bowl games is matchups we rarely get otherwise. No ACC tie-in is a glaring omission.
Destination wise, the Big 12 is solid. Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, New York. They more than offset Dallas and Houston.
Financial wise, it’s a little harder on fans. Phoenix, San Diego and New York are hard to get to — at least inexpensively — that time of the year. Dallas, San Antonio and Houston are easy bowl trips, but the others require a great deal of planning or expense.
Chat with Berry Tramel at 11 a.m.
Stop by at 11 a.m. today and ask Berry a few questions in today’s Power Lunch.
College Football Week 9: An RV Gridiron Tour
I met Carl Pangia in a barbeque restaurant in Memphis last March during the NCAA basketball tournament. We got to talking, and I discovered he’s a relative of Billy Parese, who played baseball at OU in the 1960s and whose son was a pitching star at Owasso High School several years ago. Carl also is a big Jack Mildren fan.
Anyway, Carl is a college football nut who emails me from time to time. He’s spending this season in an RV, traveling from venue to venue, seeing big games and checking out campuses and traditions. I asked him to share some of his experiences.
Sept. 6: Colorado State at Colorado
CU had the prettiest and most spoiled coeds. Beautiful campus but very difficult to tailgate with a large RV, so I drove the Jeep. Beer was all around. Had good BBQ outside the stadium. Folsom Field was very impressive. A classic. Loved Ralphie. Best mascot and liked their tradition of band playing inside and coming out to field.
Coach and QB son must go! CU not well-prepared for game. Fans were really up throughout even while losing. Disappointed that they did not have a Hall of Fame or exhibits for all the great players. Also, they had the best game program.
Sept. 26: Iowa at Penn State
Got worried about outcome while driving through Kansas listening to Iowa sports talk that if Iowa won, it would not be an upset. They were better in special teams and line play. As week went on, got even more worried. Even PSU’ers weren’t as certain as week went on. Penn State does not have dominant o-line or receivers.
Nittany Stadium was awesome! The largest now that the Big House is under-going renovation. One can see the stadium lit up from the I-80 over 20 miles away. Over-powering, like a city in it self. I must be honest. This is probably my all-time favorite football school. I did like Army ball in the ’40s and ’50s with those Heisman winners being from the East. But Penn State was our team since Joe Pa took over in 1966, when I graduated from high school.
Penn State has the best hall of fame and museum (however, they did charge $5admission). Went to classic icons for dinner. Penn Stater Inn and Nittany Lion Inn. Both what you would expect. Rich with tradition. Will actually attend three 3 Penn State games this year. At Michigan and home on Nov. 7 vs. Ohio State.
Penn State was most orchestrated school by far. The days were all planned out and communicated well, except for that damn rain. Day of game, poured all day. A miserable, cold, wet game played at 8 p.m.
Saw the ESPN GameDay crew and talked with one of my faves, Franco Harris. He is huge. Never thought he was that big even playing for the Steelers. A real gentleman who sat through the rain signing autographs for all in line. Had an extra ticket that I could not sell and offered it to him but he had box (dry!) seats. He was no fool.
Friday night, attended pep rally at the old gym. Joe Pa led captains and the rest of the team into the gym. Joe Pa gave great speech. Then on Saturday the day was totally planned - bands, parties and even their Bryce-Jordan Center Fieldhouse. Very impressive, tied with Texas Tech’s United Spirit Arena. Joe Pa did visit Paternoville on Friday, an encampment of students who were there from Monday for best seats.
Everything again orchestrated to the minute. Blue Band marching to stadium, Team arriving by buses. Four exactly at 6:20 p.m.
Took forever to get into upper decks of stadium; 110,000 fans. They stood all of first quarter and pretty much all game. Everyone totally into it and their team. I was concerned about Iowa. I went to Michigan State and know Big 10 ball. (Kirk) Ferentz is a great coach and Western Pennsylvania product who attended my undergrad school, UConn, as a linebacker because Joe would not recruit a “slow, small white kid,” per Ferentz’s bio. My opinion is that Ferentz should replace Joe Pa when it is time.
I bought a BBQ sandwich (not as good as CU) outside stadium and they would not even let me bring it in. I had to sneak game program under my rain gear, and they still stopped me.
The stadium is just overwhelming. Massive steel, concrete structure all aglow like a spaceship in the rolling hills. A city all onto itself.
Stopped by the creamery. All the land-grant schools— even UConn and Michigan State - have ag programs and best ice cream in the world. I had the Peachy Paterno and yes it was outstanding. Very rich and creamy and huge strawberries everyday I was there.
Iowa slow and steady shut them down. Safety, blocked punt TD recovery and field goal. Game over. No big stars for Hawkeyes, just the QB who made no errors. Iowa defense outplayed and outscored Penn State’s offense. A miserable game. My team, first time in person and they got clabbered badly.
To end the fiasco, I got into a fender -bender in the rain leaving the stadium and waited 21/2 hours for police to take report. Got to Connecticut to see my dad at 6 a.m. after getting lost in the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, just like the Lions.
One thing I must add. Joe Pa said he does not understand this phenomena of 60-year-old men walking around with WHITEOUT t-shirts on. I resented that because I am 60 years old exactly and am not old. And look pretty damn good. He did look great in person, a little limp in his walk but had more black hair then I did.
Oct. 3: USC at California
Worst stadium by far. A long and trying walk for all from the BART station. Best thing about attending Berkeley game? Arriving by BART. No toilets, just port-a-potties! No box or penthouses. Only thing was it did not pour rain like it did two years ago, but outcome was the same.
USC overwhelmed the Bears in a slaughter. Cal QB as bad as CU QB. Jahvid Best totally contained at line of scrimmage. There goes his Heisman hopes after two consecutive bad games with Oregon and USC. No passing attack, no running game.
Well, with third down 20 seconds before halftime, Cal on USC goal line, Jeff Tedford throws in towel. He goes for the field goal. Moans all over. He gave up and did not want to be shut out! He is too conservative a coach and has not developed a QB at CAL for years. Nate Longshore from two years ago a bust. I predict he is gone after this season.
Cal has had great athletes, going back to Chuck Muncie and my days with great quarterbacks Joe Kapp and Joe Roth, Aaron Rodgers, etc. They deserve much better. An expansion is on for the stadium, so better days will come.
Did not have time to see any memorabilia or training facilities. Don’t know about Hall of Fame, museums, etc. Do know it is the prize university in the West. Gorgeous campus. Just a classic. And I went to UDub (Washington) for grad school, which is more beautiful because of setting on Lake Washington.
Believe it or not, UConn in Storrs is beautiful and right up there with the others.
USC had best looking cheerleaders bar none! And Traveler is superb until I saw the Red Raider horse.
USC’s frosh QB is great, throws it like a pro. He really is that good. Unbelievable passing ability.
Cal gals were very pretty and eclectic. There was no food to be had at Cal. Fans were very knowledgeable and we sat pretty much all game, maybe because Cal showed nothing on offense. Some very loyal fans and many older, very wealthy alumni from Bay area in attendance.
Oct. 8: Nebraska at Missouri
Missouri has great stadium, sports complex, facilities, museums, Hall of Fame and coach in Gary Pinkel. He has done wonders for team, facilities and university.
I really like Mizzou. They have great tradition with Johnny Roland, Roger Wherli and Dan Devine, who later became Notre Dame coach. Great basketball arena and coach (Norm) Stewart and memorabilia for all sports.
The only problem is that all my favorite teams over 45-50 years are losing their games! And Mizzou was no different. Why the heck does it have to rain on me so much!
The only problem here is, you go to one game and it is an all day affair and you miss 20 others for the weekend.
Oct. 10: Penn State at Michigan
Big House awesome. Most tradition and tailgating so far. Very rich and many alumni means more money. Expanding stadium to over 110,000. Neither team that good! Daryl Clark got too big and bulky and can’t move. Thought this was the year for Penn State and OU. I was wrong!
Oct. 17: Oklahoma-Texas:
Colt McCoy was not that good. He made game-saving tackle of his own interception. Neither team looked that good - very bad officiating. Should have called roughing on UT on body shoulder slam on Bradford, sending him out of game! Also no face-mask call on Jordan Shipley punt return. All calls against OU. Pro UT refs.
OU big disappointment with or without Sam. Could not tell difference between him and backup. OU should have scored TD, not field goal, on first possession. Stoops got outcoached last three-fourths of game. UT not that impressive.
OU still almost wins game if DB (Brian Jackson) returns interception for TD. Spread was 3.5, a suckers bet on UT.
Just too much going on with State Fair,etc.
Will not go to Kansas-Texas in Austin because the UT fans are very obnoxious. Did not like some of the booing at game.
Oct. 31: Kansas State at Oklahoma
Hey, they got a street named after you in Norman! (Berry Road). I saw everybody at OU, including Barry Switzer and his custom home (from outside). Saw Bob Stoops, Sherri Coale and the girls basketball team and got autographs. Plus talked with president David Boren and media relations pics with Billy (I assume Sims).
I stayed at OU RV village and had great meal at Legends. Had the salmon and horseradish; excellent and plentiful. Had dinner with guy and girlfriend from Norman who now lives in OKC, and he knows Steve Owens very well and says he is the nicest guy, signs autographs plus talks withh all fans. Had great pizza at NY Pizza and Toto’s Italian place. Was treated royally by OU RV village. First night, Thursday, only a few of us and they let me have full-hookups. Walked through Lloyd Noble and they let me go through and see everything even with my little dog, all 11 pounds of her. They were great to me.
Then on Friday finally made Barry Switzer Center and saw Billy’s (Parese) name as letterman 1964 and of course Jack with Greg Pruitt and all their accolades. Many discrepancies, like Jack is not pictured as a graduate in OU 1972 yearbook. You know why not? It does not mention coaches between Bud ’63 until Barry ’1973. No mention of Chuck Fairbanks. Why not?
Liked everything about OU except still not as orchestrated as Penn State and probably Michigan. They have many traditions and alumni. OU facility, best multi-media scoreboard, head and shoulders over all others because always showing other game scores and two very large screens. Also, Switzer Center is free and Joe Pa’s cost a donation of 5 bucks. Barry’s was strictly football, but Penn State is all-sports museum. Overall, OUhands down best Hall of Fame and sports history, because five Heismans, plus statues in park plus outside letterman and all-American plaques. Best of anyone’s. And the more I think about it, best football tradition and results. Although Michigan and Penn State have best festivities and overall best stadiums.
Boy was I wrong on OU. Nowhere near as good as I thought nor. Too many holes to fill in skilled positions. No receivers or good o-line. Can Stoops recruit? I am doubting it. What do you think besides injuries to tight end and Sam B.? I don’t think that would have been enough. What is wrong with OU football? His coaching staff? Him?
Bill Snyder has done a great job - Big 12 coach of year - but they sucked vs. Texas Tech. Really surprised how well Kansas State is doing and how bad Missouri is doing.
I checked out OSU on the way out Sunday. Ready for a whole week there soon. Well, I’m at State College ready for Ohio State. So far the Big 10 has richer traditions and much more rich alumni and more of them than Big 12. However, Big 12 football is stronger and should be in BCS game unless UT screws up.
TEN BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE WEEK
10. Case Keenum: Houston’s loss at UTEP knocked the Cougars out of BCS contention and Keenum out of Heisman Trophy talk. But maybe Keenum needs to go back in. In a 50-43 victory over Southern Miss, Keenum completed 44 of 54 passes for 559 yards and five touchdowns.
9. Jerrel Jernigan, Troy: The smallish junior had been solid but not spectacular this season; no 100-yard games, 27 catches all season. But in a 42-21 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, Jernigan had 13 catches for 203 yards, including a 41-yard TD catch, as the Trojans virtually sealed the Sun Belt championship and New Orleans Bowl bid.
8. Florida State defense: The Seminoles beat North Carolina State, but needed a late touchdown to win 45-42 and allowed 538 total yards. So why the joy? Mickey Andrews announced he would retire as defensive coordinator after this season, in which Florida State has allowed 38 to Miami, 28 to BYU and Boston College, 49 to Georgia Tech and 20 to North Carolina.
7, Jerrod Johnson: The Texas A&M junior laid claim to be the Big 12′s best quarterback in 2010 with another solid game - 23 of 28 passing for 234 yards and three TDs in a 35-10 rout of Iowa State. Johnson now has 20 TD passes and three interceptions, and with Colt McCoy, Todd Reesing and Zac Robinson gone next year, Johnson might be the league’s best.
6. Anthony Dixon, Mississippi State: Already the Bulldogs’ career rushing leader, Dixon broke the single-game record, too, with 252 yards on 33 carries as Mississippi State kept alive its bowl hopes with a 31-24 upset of Kentucky. Mississippi State, 4-5, will need more upsets to go bowling, but the Bulldogs have made obvious improvements under first-year coach Dan Mullen.
5. Butch Davis: With a 16-16 record in almost three full seasons, the North Carolina coach was in need of a marquee victory. He got it with a 20-17 upset at Virginia Tech that put the Tar Heels (5-3) in solid bowl position.
4. Bernard Pierce: Few teams outrush Navy, but Temple did it in a 27-24 victory, and Pierce was the reason why. Pierce gave Temple its first lead with a 68-yard TD run and its last lead with a 41-yard run 2:41 from the end. Pierce, a freshman, gained 267 yards on 29 carries, becoming the first Own since Paul Palmer in 1986 to rush for at least 200 yards in consecutive games.
3. Greg Schiano: Once a hot coaching prospect, the Rutgers man could get that way again after a 28-24 win at Connecticut. Rutgers is 6-2 and could win at out - home games against South Florida and West Virginia, road games at Syracuse and Louisville.
2. Duke: Don’t look now, but the Blue Devils have the best chance to beat out Georgia Tech for the ACC’s Coastal Division title. Duke won 28-17 at Virginia to go 3-1 in the ACC. Coastal leading Georgia Tech is 5-1, but the Yellowjackets play at Duke on Nov. 14.
1. Pac-10 parity: One of college football’s longest-standing walls - USC’s domination of the Pac-10 - is about to crumble. Oregon’s 47-20 thumping of the Trojans likely will end USC’s seven straight seasons of winning the league. The Ducks have a two-game lead on SC and get arch-rival Oregon State at home.
DIVISIONS, DIVISIONS
We have a fantastic competition taking place in college football 2009. The ACC Atlantic and the Big 12 North are staging a battle royale to determine the worst division in the sport.
Not since baseball’s 1973 National League East have we seen such an awful division. The ’73 Mets won the NL East with an 82-79 record; no one else in the six-team division had a winning record. Four teams in the NL West won at least 82 games.
First, a refresher on the teams that make up the ACC Atlantic, since you can’t go by geography. Boston College and Clemson lead the division at 3-2, followed by Florida State (2-3), Wake Forest (2-3), Maryland (1-3) and North Carolina State (0-4).
The Big 12 North, you know about. Kansas State (3-2), Nebraska (2-2), Iowa State (2-3), Kansas (1-3), Missouri (1-3) and Colorado (1-3).
Let’s compare the divisions.
Parity: The Big 12 North has more, since every team still has a shot, which is not a good thing when you’re trying to not be the worst division. Those three teams in last place are only 11/2 games behind in the standings. Meanwhile, NC State is 21/2 out of the lead. So give one point to the ACC Atlantic.
Records: The ACC Atlantic is 2-7 in crossover games; the Big 12 North is 3-9. Slight edge to the Big 12 North, so give another point to the ACC Atlantic.
Dangerous teams: Clemson actually is showing signs of life. The Tigers upset Miami two weeks ago and might make a decent opponent for someone in the ACC title game. No Big 12 North team shows life. Point to the Big 12 North.
Impressive wins: It’s crazy, but the ACC Atlantic actually has some notable victories out of conference. Florida State won at BYU. North Carolina gave Pitt its only loss. Wake Forest beat Stanford. Boston College beat Central Michigan, when everyone thought the Chippewas were capable of an upset. The Big 12 North counters with Kansas’ rout of Duke and Missouri’s neutral-field victory over Illinois back when we didn’t know that the Illini stunk. Point to the Big 12 North.
Bad losses: Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee State (and needed overtime to beat James Madison). But Kansas State lost to Louisiana-Lafayette and Colorado got whacked at Toledo. Point to the Big 12 North.
Chances of embarrassing finish: Clemson has a shot at going 6-2 in the ACC Atlantic. The Tigers finish with Florida State, at North Carolina State, Virginia. And if Florida State beats Clemson, the Seminoles could finish 5-3 (at Wake Forest, Maryland). No way will a Big 12 North team finish 6-2; 5-3 might be asking a lot. In fact, Kansas State is 3-2 and finishes with home games against Missouri and Kansas, plus a road game at Nebraska. It’s not hard to see the ‘Cats going 1-2 in that stretch. Nebraska hosts OU this Saturday and then goes to Kansas. Kansas and Missouri play on a neutral field. Well, you get the point. The Big 12 North champ very well could finish 4-4. Point to the Big 12 North.
Add it up, and the Big 12 North wins 4-2. The Big 12 North is the worst division in college football. History.
REALITY RANKINGS
The top 10 based not on what we think teams will do, but what they have done, along with their toughest game remaining:
1. Iowa: at Ohio State, Nov. 14
2. Florida: SEC title game, Dec. 5
3. Cincinnati: at Pittsburgh, Dec. 5
4. Texas: at Texas A&M, Nov. 26
5. Alabama: SEC title game, Dec. 5
6. Georgia Tech: ACC title game, Dec. 5
7. Boise State: Idaho, Nov. 14
8. Oregon: at Arizona, Nov. 21
9. TCU: Utah, Nov. 14
10. Southern Cal: Arizona, Dec. 5
TEN BIGGEST LOSERS OF THE WEEK:
10. Bill Stewart: Nicest guy in the world, but the West Virginia coach might not be cut out for the job. His Mountaineers lost 30-19 at South Florida, falling to 6-2 with a finishing schedule of Louisville, at Cincinnati, Pitt, at Rutgers.
9. Tulsa: The Golden Hurricane has played in bowl games five of the last six years, but that stretch might end after a 27-13 home loss to SMU. On the same field where Tulsa played Boise State to a virtual standstill, TU was dominated by the Mustangs and fell to 4-4.
8. Michigan State: The Spartans lost 42-34 at Minnesota to fall to 4-5. All five losses have been one-possession games. Michigan State’s five defeats have been by a total of 25 points.
7. Ole Miss: The Rebels were preseason top 10 but are 5-3 after a 33-20 loss at Auburn. Ole Miss’ wins are over Memphis, Southeastern Louisiana, Vanderbilt, Alabama-Birmingham and Arkansas.
6. Urban Meyer: The Florida coach suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes for one half of the upcoming game against Vanderbilt after Spikes tried to gouge the eyes of Georgia’s Waushan Ealey. After much criticism, Spikes announced he would suspend himself for the entire game. Good to know that someone is the adult.
5. New Mexico: A miserable season continued for the Lobos, who lost 23-20 to San Diego State, falling to 0-8 in a year in which first-year coach Mike Locksley’s status is uncertain because of allegations he assaulted an assistant coach.
4. Michigan: The hits just keep coming for the beleaguered Wolverines, who now are 8-13 under coach Rich Rodriguez. Michigan lost 38-13 to lowly Illinois, and while Michigan, 5-4, might still make a bowl, it’s obvious improvement in Ann Arbor is very small.
3. Boise State: The Broncos did their usual taking-care-of-business with a 45-7 rout at San Jose State and seem on the verge of a third undefeated regular season in the last four years. But Boise State was passed in the BCS rankings by TCU, and if the Horned Frogs beat Utah on Nov. 14, it seems likely that TCU will get the mid-major BCS spot that Boise State covets.
2. Big Ten officiating: Everyone is eat up with the SEC crews, but the replay calls in the Iowa-Indiana game were atrocious, especially an overruled Indiana touchdown that was pivotal in allowing Iowa to rally for a 42-24 victory. Officials on the field ruled Terrance Turner’s touchdown catch good, and replays seemed to show the call was correct. But it was overturned, then IU missed a field goal that would have extended its 24-14 lead late in the third quarter.
1. Tradition: Georgia wore black helmets for the first time ever and Tennessee wore black jerseys for the first time in at least 87 years. The motivational effects were mixed. Georgia lost 41-17 to Florida, but Tennessee routed South Carolina 31-13. But the wardrobe changes failed the aesthetic look. Tennessee’s white helmet, black shirt, pale orange pants rivals Wyoming as the worst look in college football. And Georgia sacrificed one of the nation’s most regal helmets for no good reason.
BOWL PROJECTIONS
New Mexico Bowl, Dec. 19, Albuquerque, N.M.
Air Force vs. Fresno State
St. Pete Bowl, Dec. 19, St. Petersburg, Fla.
South Florida vs. East Carolina
New Orleans Bowl, Dec. 20, New Orleans
Marshall vs. Troy
Las Vegas Bowl, Dec. 22, Las Vegas
Utah vs. Stanford
Poinsettia Bowl, Dec. 23, San Diego
BYU vs. Oregon State
Hawaii Bowl, Dec. 24, Honolulu
SMU vs. Boise State
Emerald Bowl, Dec. 26, San Francisco
Nevada vs. UCLA
Motor City Bowl, Dec. 26, Detroit
Northwestern vs. Ohio
Meineke Bowl, Dec. 26, Charlotte, N.C.
Boston College vs. Pittsburgh
Music City Bowl, Dec. 27, Nashville, Tenn.
Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina
Independence Bowl, Dec. 28, Shreveport, La.
Kansas State vs. Kentucky
Champs Sports Bowl, Dec. 29, Orlando, Fla.
North Carolina vs. Michigan
EagleBank Bowl, Dec. 30, Washington, D.C.
Duke vs. Navy
Holiday Bowl, Dec. 30, San Diego
Oklahoma vs. California
Humanitarian Bowl, Dec. 30, Boise, Idaho
Kent State vs. Idaho
Texas Bowl, Dec. 30, Houston
Texas A&M vs. Northern Illinois
Armed Forces Bowl, Dec. 30, Fort Worth, Texas
Kansas vs. UTEP
Sun Bowl, Dec. 31, El Paso, Texas
Nebraska vs. Arizona
Insight Bowl, Dec. 31, Tempe, Ariz.
Michigan State vs. Missouri
Chick-fil-A Bowl, Dec. 31, Atlanta
Clemson vs. Auburn
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla.
Ohio State vs. Tennessee
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1, Orlando, Fla.
Wisconsin vs. Ole Miss
Gator Bowl, Jan. 1, Jacksonville, Fla.
Miami vs. Notre Dame
Rose Bowl, Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif.
Iowa vs. Oregon
Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1, New Orleans
Alabama vs. TCU
Cotton Bowl, Jan. 2, Arlington, Texas
LSU vs. Oklahoma State)
Liberty Bowl, Jan. 2, Memphis, Tenn.
Houston vs. vs. Georgia
International Bowl, Jan. 2, Toronto
Rutgers vs. Temple
PapaJohns.com Bowl, Jan. 2, Birmingham, Ala.
West Virginia vs. Arkansas
Alamo Bowl, Jan. 2, San Antonio
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 4, Glendale, Ariz.
Southern Cal vs. Cincinnati
Orange Bowl, Jan. 5, Miami Gardens, Fla.
Georgia Tech. vs. Penn State
GMAC Bowl, Jan. 6, Mobile, Ala.
Southern Miss vs. Central Michigan
Big Bowl, Jan. 7, Pasadena, Calif.
Texas vs. Florida
