Jim Masilak, Commercial Appeal: Think ESPN doesn't have any influence on postseason selections? Tell that to Memphis (registration).
Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Cheer up, Boston College fans. Boise isn't Siberia. There isn't a football stadium with blue turf in Siberia (subscription, so story is in comments).
Steve Conroy, Boston Herald: OK, the system is flawed and Boston College is going to Boise. Just another of life's tough lessons, right?
Suzanne Halliburton, Austin American-Statesman: Is Texas scared of USC? Maybe USC should be scared of Texas (registration).
Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle: Vince Young is making a last-minute push to win over Heisman voters.
Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: The Texas 1-2 step. The Longhorns have precedent when Nos. 1 and 2 collide.
Doug Segrest, Birmingham News: Most everybody got what they wanted as the regular season came to a close.
1 comment:
THE HLIST WHAT?
Mike Hlas
Cedar Rapids Gazette
FIRST DOWNS
1. Tangoing in Tampa: The Outback Bowl is giddy to have a second Iowa-Florida game in three years. Reason #1: The game sold out Monday. Reason #2: They don’t need a Reason #2. Outback Bowl president Jim McVay said his bowl had no concerns about a rematch from two years ago, when Iowa won, 37-17. "We think that makes for a more compelling storyline," McVay said. "You think those juniors and seniors at Florida don’t want a piece of Iowa?" The King of Hype, this guy ain’t.
2. Alamo Fortified: The Alamo Bowl has a marquee pairing in Michigan-Nebraska.
"Two classic traditional football teams, two of the winningest football programs in the history of college football colliding in Texas — it couldn’t be better." said Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan.
OK, maybe Michigan may disagree as its streak of nine straight January bowls ends, and it knows that Wisconsin and Iowa got taken ahead of it for Florida bowls. This year, the Wolverines really are Blue.
3. Fun in Sun: The over/under number for points in the UCLA-Northwestern Sun Bowl may be around 100.
Two fine offenses. Two bad defenses.
"We’re expecting a lot of points," said Bernie Olivas, executive director of the Sun Bowl. "I don’t know if CBS is going to like the fact that we’re probably going to go into their nightly news . . . if they’re putting up a lot of points I don’t think they’ll mind, and I know El Paso won’t mind either."
4. Sage is the Rage: Former Iowa State quarterback Sage Rosenfels of Maquoketa had the best day of his five-year NFL career Sunday afternoon, helping the Miami Dolphins erase a 23-3 fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Buffalo Bills, 24-23.
Rosenfels’ 4-yard pass to Chris Chambers with six seconds left capped the Dolphins’ third touchdown drive of the quarter.
"I was overjoyed," Rosenfels said. "Overjoyed, overjoyed. It was so fulfilling. The last time I felt that happy was 15 months ago, when my daughter was born. It was that kind of thrilling.
"Five years. Five years waiting for that to happen."
FUMBLES
1. Sour Notes: Minnesota is headed for its third Music City Bowl in four years. The Florida Bowls and the Alamo Bowl remain out of reach for Glen Mason’s program.
On those two previous trips to the Music City, Mason was presented with an acoustic guitar. He doesn’t play them. He doesn’t know how.
"Maybe when you go back the third time they give you a piano," he said. "Not that I can play a piano, either."
2. "Champs?": The Champs Sports Bowl of Orlando has paired Clemson with Colorado. That’s the Colorado team on a 3-game losing streak, having followed a 30-3 home loss to Nebraska with a 70-3 cave-in against Texas in the Big 12’s title game.
"We really think they are a fine football team that will bounce back and play well in the bowl game," said Champs Sports executive director Tom Mickle.
Those bowl guys are great kidders.
The Big 12 is committed to 12,000 tickets for the game. "If we can get a few thousand people from Colorado, we’ll do well," Mickle said.
The Hlist thinks the bowl should be more worried about Colorado’s team showing up.
3. Ducks Out of BCS Water: If Oregon only had fans from beyond, well, Oregon.
The 10-1 Ducks were passed over for a Fiesta Bowl berth. Instead, 9-2 Ohio State will meet 9-2 Notre Dame.
"I think disappointed is more the word than surprised," said Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti. "I didn’t really understand the Notre Dame deal.
"I’ve never been a student of the BCS, and I’ll probably never study it again."
It’s called TV ratings, Coach. It’s not all that complicated.
4. Bowls of Pain: Late in Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball win over Virginia Sunday night, the public-address announcer told Tech fans their football team would play in the Emerald Bowl.
The fans booed. Loudly. It’s a long haul from Atlanta to San Francisco, especially for a game against Utah.
Another ACC team, 8-3 Boston College, feels worse. The Eagles must fly to Idaho to play Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl.
"Historically, there always has been some hesitation about (coming to) Boise because of the misperception that it’s Siberia," said Gary Beck, the MPC Bowl’s executive director.
Boise isn’t Siberia. There isn’t a football stadium with blue turf in Siberia.
After Boston College played its final regular-season game, its players said they wanted to go to a bowl that was someplace warm.
"We were talking about that and we joked that we’re pretty sure all the (Boise) hotels have central heating," joked Eagles defensive end Mathias Kiwunka Sunday.
FROM THE PAPERS
"Brett Favre isn’t old, he’s goofy.
"Yes, even goofier than when he used to unload those forced passes, the strange ones, the underhanded, backhanded or left-handed ones.
"Favre is still throwing them. They just don’t look as inspired. They seem, I don’t know, what’s the word . . . ?
"Goofy." — Mike Imrem, of suburban Chicago’s Daily Herald after Favre’s Green Bay Packers fell to 2-10 with a 19-7 loss to the Chicago Bears.
FINAL WORD
"You want to go to the bowl. You want to play. You want to be on national TV. We’re doing all that. But the ultimate goal is the (player) gifts." — senior offensive tackle Na’Shan Goddard, whose South Carolina team is Independence Bowl-bound.
Mike.Hlas@gazettecommunications.com
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