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Adamson: Bowl gurus have ruined New Year's tradition

Scott Adamson Scripps Howard News Service

Last updated Thursday, January 5, 2012 - 8:54pm

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the college football season ended on New Year's Day -- or at least during the New Year's Day holiday.

When Jan. 1 fell on a Sunday, as it did this year, the big games were contested on Monday, but it was still an off day for most folks.

The Orange Bowl was usually the last bowl game of the season, and once the whistle blew on that one, the only college contests that remained were of the all-star variety.

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(Alan Diaz/The Associated Press)
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, left, and West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen, shake hands in front of the Orange Bowl trophy at an NCAA college football news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.

BCS era has taken some of bloom off the Orange Bowl

Craig Davis Sun Sentinel

Last updated Tuesday, January 3, 2012 - 8:23pm

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The grand old game now known as the Orange Bowl has taken on the look of an aging theater: More glamour in the yellowed photos in the lobby from past shows than in the names lately gracing the marquee.

Even fans of Clemson and West Virginia aren't rushing to see the match-up the Orange Bowl will serve Wednesday night at Sun Life Stadium. Both schools are coming up well short of selling out their allotments of 17,500 tickets.

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Georgia Tech, Utah square off in Sun Bowl

The Associated Press The Associated Press

Last updated Friday, December 30, 2011 - 7:02pm

EL PASO, Texas -- At least Kyle Whittingham has some experience in preparing for challenging offenses.

The Utah coach who sees the Air Force option every season has spent the past few weeks trying to figure out schemes to slow down Georgia Tech, which comes into Saturday's Sun Bowl with the nation's third-ranked rushing attack.

"They have one of the best rushing offenses in the country, so we definitely have our work cut out for us," he said. "They have a lot of great players; the quarterback is really the catalyst for what they're doing. He leads the team in rushing, and is very efficient when he throws the ball as well. They have a big time receiver who's catching 30 yards a catch. I've never seen such a thing."

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Utah must stop triple-option in Sun Bowl

The Associated Press The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - 1:44am

EL PASO, Texas -- Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham faces a difficult challenge in Saturday's Sun Bowl as the Utes must find a way to stop Georgia Tech's triple-option offense.

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Tis the season: A guide to the 35 bowl games

John Marshall The Associated Press

Last updated Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - 3:32pm

Like it or not, the BCS championship game will be a rematch between LSU and Alabama.

Oklahoma State complained it should have had a shot at the top-ranked Tigers, BCS bashers had more fodder for the we-need-a-playoff debate and many fans scrunched up their noses at the thought of another field goal-kicking contest like the previous incarnation of the Game of the Century.

The good news, particularly if you're in the no-rematch camp, is that there are 34 other bowl games with some great players, great matchups and even some interesting nicknames, starting with that rascally Honey Badger in the Bayou.

Here's a rundown of some of the things to look for over the next month or so:

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Many schools only break even with bowl money

Mike Jensen The Philadelphia Inquirer

Last updated Tuesday, December 13, 2011 - 2:32pm

PHILADELPHIA -- You know college football's bowl system is hopelessly broken as a financial model -- not just as a method of determining a national champion -- when a school loses far more money going to the Fiesta Bowl, which paid out $18 million per team, than it did the year before playing in the PapaJohns.com Bowl, which paid out $300,000.

That's how it played out for Connecticut last season. The Huskies will probably make out even better this year not going to a bowl at all.

So understand: Bowl payout figures are worthless. The larger the bowl game and its payout, the more likely a school will lose money. The bowl payouts don't mention that a bowl may require schools to buy thousands of tickets at top-dollar prices. Factor in that bowl payouts are split up among conference teams and you see how Connecticut could have lost over $1.7 million on last season's Fiesta Bowl.

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BYU formally accepts Armed Forces bowl bid

Staff The Associated Press

Last updated Saturday, November 19, 2011 - 5:12pm

FORT WORTH, Texas -- BYU has formally accepted its invitation to play in the Armed Forces Bowl.

The Cougars, playing an independent schedule this year, had been granted a provisional invitation in April. BYU was 7-3 and already bowl eligible going into its home game Saturday night against New Mexico State.

BYU will play a Conference USA team in the Dec. 30 Armed Forces Bowl that will be played on the SMU campus.

It will be the Cougars' seventh consecutive bowl appearance under coach Bronco Mendenhall.

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