News / Sports
College Football Bowl Schedule: From the Poinsettia Bowl to the BCS Championship Game.
The college football bowl schedule is set and another year without a playoff system has sparked controversy once again. Whether it’s the issue of the Michigan Wolverines being snubbed from the BCS Championship game on January 8 or the absence of the Wisconsin Badgers from a BCS Bowl game there is no shortage of disappointments in this year’s selections.
Be that as it may, the system that is in place has drawn up some very intriguing battles between teams with storied programs, and surprise programs. Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Michigan have all been placed in a BCS Bowl while Wake Forest, Louisville, and Boise State attempt to establish themselves as legitimate contenders in years to come.
Every heart inside a Wolverine fan sunk when it was announced that Ohio State would face off against the University of Florida in the BCS Championship game on January 8. While everybody knew that the Buckeyes had earned their spot Florida seemed to sneak in as a result of Michigan’s three point loss to Ohio State earlier in the year. Of course Florida did have the toughest schedule in the nation, and they did win, what many consider, the most complete conference in college football. That being said, they didn’t win pretty.
So Florida’s spot in the BCS Championship sent Michigan to the Rose Bowl to meet the USC Trojans ON January 1. Up until Saturday USC was heading to Glendale to face Ohio State but a 13-9 loss to UCLA ended their dreams of a BCS Championship and sent them to Pasadena instead. This game might be a better match up than what will unfold in Glendale.
Notre Dame, backed by a fan base that brings money, heads to the January 3 Sugar Bowl to face the LSU Tigers. Many people felt LSU might have been the best team in the SEC at the end of the year but their two conference losses couldn’t put them in the SEC Championship to take on Florida. Both Irish losses were rather convincing and some people question whether or not they belong in a BCS Bowl. LSU on the other hand has convinced just about everybody that they are the best two loss team in the country.
The Orange bowl will bring two new faces to the BCS mix. Louisville and Wake Forest will head to South Florida to play the January 2 game. Louisville snuck into a BCS Bowl with a Big East title after Rutgers fell on Saturday. Wake Forest kicked their way to an ACC crown, beating Georgia Tech in the Championship game.
Boise State feels they have something to prove after being sent to the Fiesta Bowl on January 1 to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. The Broncos completed a perfect season and still took shots from the critics. They will have to play well for small conference schools to gain stature in the polls next year. Oklahoma earned their bid to the Fiesta Bowl with a Big 12 Championship victory over Nebraska.
The rest of the Bowl Schedule
1/7: GMAC — Ohio (9-4) vs. Southern Mississippi (8-5)
1/6: International — Cincinnati (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)
1/1: Capital One — No. 12 Arkansas (10-3) vs. No. 6 Wisconsin (11-1)
1/1: Gator — No. 13 West Virginia (10-2) vs. Georgia Tech (9-4)
1/1: Cotton — No. 10 Auburn (10-2) vs. No. 22 Nebraska (9-4)
1/1: Outback — No. 17 Tennessee (9-3) vs. Penn State (8-4)
12/31: MPC Computers — Miami, Fla. (6-6) vs. Nevada (8-4)
12/30: Chick-fil-A — Georgia (8-4) vs. No. 14 Virginia Tech (10-2)
12/30: Alamo — No. 18 Texas (9-3) vs. Iowa (6-6)
12/30: Meineke Car Care — Navy (9-3) vs. No. 23 Boston College (9-3)
12/29: Champs Sports — Purdue (8-5) vs. Maryland (8-4)
12/29: Insight — Texas Tech (7-5) vs. Minnesota (6-6)
12/29: Liberty — Houston (10-3) vs. South Carolina (7-5)
12/29: Sun — No. 24 Oregon State (9-4) vs. Missouri (8-4)
12/29: Music City — Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)
12/28: Holiday — No. 20 California (9-3) vs. No. 21 Texas A&M (9-3)
12/28: Texas — No. 16 Rutgers (10-2) vs. Kansas State (7-5)
12/28: Independence — Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6)
12/27: Emerald — Florida State (6-6) vs. UCLA (7-5)
12/26: Motor City — Middle Tennessee (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (9-4)
12/24: Hawaii — Arizona State (7-5) vs. Hawaii (10-3)
12/23: Armed Forces — Tulsa (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)
12/23: PapaJohns.com — South Florida (8-4) vs. East Carolina (7-5)
12/23: New Mexico — New Mexico (6-6) vs. San Jose State (8-4)
12/22: New Orleans — Rice (7-5) vs. Troy (7-5)
12/21: Las Vegas — No. 19 BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon (7-5)
12/19: Poinsettia — Northern Illinois (7-5) vs. No. 25 TCU (10-2)
