2009 - 2010 College Football Bowl Schedule

 

Going to a bowl is a big deal in college football. It means a team has finished its season at .500 or better, and the bowl game is the sweet payoff for winning at least six regular-season games. In going to a bowl, teams get a nice week (usually somewhere warm) and a chunk of cash.

But what if bowls aren't the cash cows they're supposed to be?

Turns out some schools lose boatloads of money during bowl season, the San Diego Tribune reports.

The biggest loss of money comes when schools purchase tickets in bulk for an upcoming bowl, only to find limited fan interest in attending. The bulk ticket purchases by schools are guaranteed when the deal to include a school in a specific bowl game is made.

Ohio State University and the Big Ten lost $1 million in failed ticket sales for last year's Fiesta Bowl. Western Michigan University lost more than $400,000 last year when the team sold only 548 of its already purchased 11,000 tickets to the Texas Bowl. In all, the Tribune found that schools and conferences lost $15.53 million because of the ticket guarantees last year.

So much for the lucrative bowl deals, right?

Experts say that many bowls wouldn't even exist if it weren't for the ticket-buy guarantees. And we wonder why the Knight Commission says the current costs of college athletics are unsustainable.

 

Alabama Extends Winter Break for Bowl Games

The usual excuse for not having a playoff system in college football is that it would extend the season. That would force student-athletes to miss class for more than just one game after Christmas, which wouldn't be fair to the academic side of the "student-athlete" label.

So much for that argument.

The University of Alabama has extended its winter break so that students can support the Alabama football team in the national championship on January 7, the Crimson White reports. That means a delayed spring semester for students. Students will have to do additional work to make it up once school starts again.

Alabama will play for its first national football championship since 1992, when it was voted the national champion in both major football polls.

BCS Standings 2009

RK	Team	W-L	Avg
1	Alabama	13-0	.998
2	Texas	13-0	.943
3	Cincinnati	12-0	.888
4	TCU	12-0	.884
5	Florida	12-1	.864
6	Boise State	13-0	.811
7	Oregon	10-2	.757
8	Ohio State	10-2	.657
9	Georgia Tech	11-2	.618
11	Virginia Tech	9-3	.568
12	LSU	9-3	.537
13	Penn State	10-2	.532
14	Brigham Young	10-2	.453
15	Miami (FL)	9-3	.442
16	West Virginia	9-3	.336
17	Pittsburgh	9-3	.314
18	Oregon State	8-4	.288
19	Oklahoma State	9-3	.263
20	Arizona	8-4	.225
21	Stanford	8-4	.180
22	Nebraska	9-4	.165
23	Utah	9-3	.124
24	USC	8-4	.121
25	Wisconsin	9-3	.120

 

 

Big Ten Might Add Another Team. Who Could It Be?
Jeff Greer

We've traveled down this road before, but here we go again. The Big Ten wants to expand to 12 teams, and it will explore its options over the next 12 to 18 months

It's BCS bowl time. Here's how some football student-athletes are making waves in the classroom
Jeff Greer

For many of the student-athletes on the 68 teams playing in bowl games this year, the middle of December is a time for studying, writing papers, taking exams, and more studying. And despite what gets covered in the media, there are actually scores of big-time college football players who are making big splashes in the classrooms at their universities.

Tiger's Woeful Tales: Tiger Woods Scandal
Clarence Page

The accident occurred as the tabloid and celebrity media were reporting the first of what has become more than a dozen reported mistresses with whom Woods has allegedly had relations during his marriage. Comedians are having a field day. On a Top Ten list of ways Woods could improve his image, David Letterman suggested, 'Release list of women he did not have sex with.'

What Was Tiger Thinking?: Tiger Woods Scandal
Carl Hiaasen

Rejected first draft of a statement by Tiger Woods prepared for his Web site.

Wofford Terriers Coach Mike Ayers Helps His Players Win On and Off the Field
Alex Kingsbury

Sports coaches, particularly in football, hold a unique place in society. They become surrogate fathers, teachers, and role models. Hollywood often caricatures them as the demideities of small-town America. Mike Ayers is better than the average coach. He's led the Wofford team for the past 21 seasons.

UNC Basketball Coach Roy Williams Be Led By Your Dreams
Roy Williams

One thing that makes college basketball so enjoyable, yet at the same time so challenging, is that each year the team is different. There are new players, and you may ask the student-athletes who return from the previous season to play new roles. Team chemistry changes, and the attitudes and relationships that ebb and flow from wins and losses always take on a new life. The constant is a need for outstanding leadership

Tiger Woods
(c) M. Ryder

Be Grateful for Tiger Woods Affair -- It Reminds Us He's Human
John A. Farrell

Is Tiger conceited? Yup. But no more so than any other preternatural talent I have met in a career of chronicling athletes, actors, politicians, and other public figures. Fame has a terrifyingly corrosive effect on the soul.

Tiger's Troubles: Tiger Woods Scandal
Reader Comments

Hero worship is the problem, not the heroes. As a human being, chances are Tiger Woods is no better than whoever is sitting in the next room right now. If Tiger goes on to break every record in the book of golf, that's one thing. The mistake is thinking that excellence in any field, reveals anything about one's character

(c) 2009 U.S. News & World Report