2011-12 FBS Bowl Schedule

As much as I do not like college football's ridiculous BCS system, or how some teams like Western Kentucky were not invited to a bowl game despite being eligible and as much as this whole thing is corruption and picking teams that best fill hotel rooms and the dollar pockets of rich executives, I still watch these bowl games with enjoyment anyway.  I have no will power to create meaningful change as I won't be negatively impacting their ratings.  So anyway, here is your schedule (complete with announcers already) for the Bowl games.  Enjoy! (all times ET)

December 17
New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, NM):  Wyoming vs. Temple  2:00 (ESPN - Clay Matvick and Brian Griese, SR: Jessica Mendoza)
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, ID):  Utah State vs. Ohio  5:30 (ESPN - Dave Flemming and Mike Bellotti, SR: Heather Cox)
New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, LA):  Louisiana-Lafayette vs. San Diego State  9:00 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)

December 20
Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl (St. Petersburg, FL):  Florida International vs. Marshall  8:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Danny Kanell, SR: Jeannine Edwards)

December 21
Poinsettia Bowl (San Diego, CA):  TCU vs. Louisiana Tech  8:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore, Mark May, and Lou Holtz, SR: Samantha Steele)

December 22
Maaco Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas, NV):  Boise State vs. Arizona State  8:00 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Tom Rinaldi)

December 24
Hawaii Bowl (Honolulu, HI):  Southern Mississippi vs. Nevada  8:00 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jessica Mendoza)

December 26
Independence Bowl (Shreveport, LA):  Missouri vs. North Carolina  5:00 (ESPN2 - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)

December 27
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Detroit, MI):  Purdue vs. Western Michigan  4:30 (ESPN - Beth Mowins and Mike Bellotti, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Belk Bowl (Charlotte, NC):  North Carolina State vs. Louisville  8:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Shannon Spake)

December 28
Military Bowl (Washington, D.C.):  Air Force vs. Toledo  4:30 (ESPN - Pam Ward and Dan Hawkins, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Holiday Bowl (San Diego, CA):  Texas vs. California  8:00 (ESPN - Rece Davis and Jesse Palmer, SR: Jenn Brown)

December 29
Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando, FL):  Florida State vs. Notre Dame  5:30 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Holly Rowe)
Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, TX):  Baylor vs. Washington  9:00 (ESPN - Dave Pasch and Chris Spielman, SR: Quint Kessenich)

December 30
Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas, TX):  BYU vs. Tulsa  12:00 (ESPN - Dave Neal and Andre Ware, SR: Cara Capuano)
Pinstripe Bowl (New York City, NY):  Rutgers vs. Iowa State  3:20 (ESPN - Chris Fowler and Jesse Palmer, SR: Tom Rinaldi)
Music City Bowl (Nashville, TN):  Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State  6:40 (ESPN - Mark Jones and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ):  Oklahoma vs. Iowa  10:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)

December 31
Meineke Car Care Bowl Of Texas (Houston, TX):  Texas A&M vs. Northwestern  12:00 (ESPN - Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese, SR: Eamon McAnaney)
Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX):  Georgia Tech vs. Utah  2:00 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN):  Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati  3:30 (ABC - Dave Lamont and Ray Bentley, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (San Francisco, CA):  UCLA vs. Illinois  3:30 (ESPN - Carter Blackburn and Brock Huard, SR: Shelley Smith)
Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA):  Virginia vs. Auburn  7:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)

January 2
TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX):  Penn State vs. Houston  12:00 (ESPNU - Clay Matvick and Danny Kanell, SR: Allison Williams)
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL):  Georgia vs. Michigan State  1:00 (ABC - Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL):  Ohio State vs. Florida  1:00 (ESPN2 - Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Capital One Bowl (Orlando, FL):  Nebraska vs. South Carolina  1:00 (ESPN - Joe Tessitore and Rod Gilmore, SR: Quint Kessenich)
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA):  Oregon vs. Wisconsin  5:00 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews)
Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, AZ):  Oklahoma State vs. Stanford  8:30 (ESPN - Sean McDonough and Matt Millen, SR: Heather Cox)

January 3
Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, LA):  Michigan vs. Virginia Tech  8:30 (ESPN - Brad Nessler and Todd Blackledge, SR: Holly Rowe)

January 4
Orange Bowl (Miami, FL):  Clemson vs. West Virginia  8:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden, SR: Lisa Salters)

January 6
Cotton Bowl (Arlington, TX):  Kansas State vs. Arkansas  8:00 (Fox - Gus Johnson and Charles Davis, SA: Tim Brewster)

January 7
BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, AL):  Pittsburgh vs. SMU  1:00 (ESPN - Mike Gleason and John Congemi, SR: Eamon McAnaney)

January 8
GoDaddy.com Bowl (Mobile, AL):  Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State  9:00 (ESPN - Rob Stone and Danny Kanell, SR: Cara Capuano)

January 9
BCS Championship Game (New Orleans, LA):  LSU vs. Alabama  8:30 (ESPN - Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, SR: Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi)

Penn State 14, Temple 10

That was quite possibly the ugliest football game I have ever watched. I have no recollection of Iowa 6, Penn State 4, but I figure in a few hours and possibly aided by a few drinks, I won't have any recollection of this either. The invention of Brain Bleach can't come soon enough.

NCAA Tournament 3rd Round Saturday Live Blog

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Juan Fernandez Beats Penn State At The Buzzer

What many expected to be the most boring game of the day may have had the best finish of a day filled with them. Granted, this will likely be the forgotten buzzer beater of a Day 1 of the NCAA tournament filled with them, but Battle's shot with too much time left to tie and Fernandez's game-winner for the Owls were both incredible shots.



A big congrats to Fran Dunphy, who won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in 17 years. Very few people have contributed to Philadelphia and Big 5 college basketball the way Dunphy has over the past 21 years and it is great that the current coach of the Owls finally got his moment in the sun. In spite of a disappearing act from Lavoy Allen, Juan Fernandez picked up the slack on the offensive side of the court, with it ultimately culminating in a great 2011 NCAA Tournament moment that will be hard to top as we progress.

2011 NCAA Tournament 1st And 2nd Round Schedule

Tomorrow night, the 2011 NCAA Tournament will finally begin with the First Four in Dayton, Ohio. Despite many questionable seeding decisions, one thing remains constant: the NCAA Tournament is without a doubt one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. And starting this year, every game will be available to watch on national TV thanks to CBS's new partnership with Turner. The start times are a bit more staggered now, but in order to make this schedule as easy as possible to read, I have still divided up each day into four windows as, after all, only one game can be played in a given venue at one. In an effort to somewhat mitigate the "what channel is this game on?" questions (myself included), this schedule will be posted at the top of the blog along with the Philly Sports Schedule, UEFA Champions League schedule, Commenting Guidelines, About Me, etc. Feel free to refer to this throughout the week and hopefully this guide is easy to read as I hope it will be.

1st Round

Tuesday, March 15

Dayton: #16 UNC Asheville vs. Arkansas-Little Rock 6:40 (truTV - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Dayton: #12 Alabama-Birmingham vs. #12 Clemson approx. 9:10 (truTV - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)

Wednesday, March 16

Dayton: #16 Texas-San Antonio vs. #16 Alabama State 6:40 (truTV - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)
Dayton: #11 Southern California vs. #11 Virginia Commonwealth approx. 9:10 (truTV - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)

2nd Round

Thursday, March 17

Window #1

Tampa: #5 West Virginia vs. #12 UAB/Clemson 12:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: David Aldridge)
Washington D.C.: #8 Butler vs. #9 Old Dominion 12:40 (truTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Denver: #4 Louisville vs. #13 Morehead State 1:40 (TBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Lesley Visser)
Tucson: #7 Temple vs. #10 Penn State 2:10 (TNT - Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, and Reggie Miller, SR: Sam Ryan)

Window #2

Tampa: #4 Kentucky vs. #13 Princeton approx. 2:45 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: David Aldridge)
Washington D.C.: #1 Pittsburgh vs. #16 UNC-Asheville/Arkansas-Little Rock approx. 3:10 (truTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Denver: #5 Vanderbilt vs. #12 Richmond approx. 4:10 (TBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Lesley Visser)
Tucson: #2 San Diego State vs. #15 Northern Colorado approx. 4:40 (TNT - Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, and Reggie Miller, SR: Sam Ryan)

Window #3

Tampa: #2 Florida vs. #15 UC Santa Barbara 6:50 (TBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: David Aldridge)
Denver: #3 Brigham Young vs. #14 Wofford 7:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Lesley Visser)
Washington D.C.: #3 Connecticut vs. #14 Bucknell 7:20 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Tucson #4 Wisconsin vs. #13 Belmont 7:27 (truTV - Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, and Reggie Miller, SR: Sam Ryan)

Window #4

Tampa: #7 UCLA vs. #10 Michigan State approx. 9:20 (TBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: David Aldridge)
Denver: #6 Saint John's vs. #11 Gonzaga approx. 9:45 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Lesley Visser)
Washington D.C.: #6 Cincinnati vs. #11 Missouri approx. 9:50 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Tucson: #5 Kansas State vs. #12 Utah State approx. 9:57 (truTV - Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, and Reggie Miller, SR: Sam Ryan)

Friday, March 18

Window #1

Tulsa: #4 Texas vs. #13 Oakland 12:15 (CBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Charlotte: #8 Michigan vs. #9 Tennessee 12:40 (truTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Chicago: #2 Notre Dame vs. #15 Akron 1:40 (TBS - Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Cleveland: #8 George Mason vs. #9 Villanova 2:10 (TNT - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)

Window #2

Tulsa: #5 Arizona vs. #12 Memphis approx. 2:45 (CBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Charlotte: #1 Duke vs. #16 Hampton approx. 3:10 (truTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Chicago: #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Florida State approx. 4:10 (TBS - Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Cleveland: #1 Ohio State vs. #16 Texas-San Antonio/Alabama State approx. 4:40 (TNT - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)

Window #3

Tulsa: #1 Kansas vs. #16 Boston 6:50 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Charlotte: #2 North Carolina vs. #15 Long Island 7:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Chicago: #3 Purdue vs. #14 Saint Peter's 7:20 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Cleveland: #6 Xavier vs. #11 Marquette 7:27 (truTV - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)

Window #4

Tulsa: #8 UNLV vs. #9 Illinois approx. 9:20 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Charlotte: #7 Washington vs. #10 Georgia approx. 9:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Chicago: #6 Georgetown vs. #11 Southern California/Virginia Commonwealth approx. 9:50 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Bob Wenzel, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Cleveland: #3 Syracuse vs. #14 Indiana State approx. 9:57 (truTV - Gus Johnson and Len Elmore, SR: Marty Snider)

For The Philadelphia Market, This March Madness Could Be Epic

Now that the Eagles are done, I need to find other things to blog about other than the Flyers. Which is why I am very thankful for college basketball. This has the potential to be a very big year for Philadelphia schools, in addition to Penn State. The first couple days of March Madness are much more fun when there are multiple local teams that I can support and root for. And that may very well be the case this year. Here's a team by team look at the Big 5 schools thus far and some others in the area.

Villanova: Even though I like quite a few, Villanova is my favorite college basketball team, and this year they could very well be in the running for a spot in the Final Four. While they are just entering the heart of their Big East schedule now, they are playing very good basketball and in their last game had a very impressive showing against a good Louisville squad. With 1st and 2nd round games in Washington D.C. and Sweet 16 and Elite games in Newark, New Jersey, Villanova could find themselves surrounded by a lot of their own supporters should they perform good enough for the NCAA to reward them with these close cities.

Temple: Even though Temple is not my #1 favorite, they are #2, in large part because of the multiple family ties I have to that school. Add to that the fact that Fran Dunphy is their coach, and you have a winning combination. Oh, and that team is real good as well. Juan Fernandez and Lavoy Allen are beasts. Temple is currently ranked in the Top 25 and could conceivably earn a Top 4 seed if they continue to play well in the A-10.

Penn State: I pick on Penn State basketball a lot. They are an easy target, especially for someone who has spent his college basketball watching life a Villanova fan. But they are not that bad this year. In fact, they defeated Michigan State and Illinois in consecutive games, the first time they beat ranked teams back-to-back since the 1950s. They may get knocked down back to earth a little bit when they play Ohio State on Saturday. Sure they lost to Maine earlier this year, but if they can continue to win games in the Big 10 and maybe win some games in the Big 10 tournament, and Penn State may finally crack the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.

Drexel: Drexel comes from the same conference similar to George Mason. And despite having six teams in the RPI top 100 and five in the RPI top 75, the CAA does not have the respect that a similar conference, the A-10 does. And Drexel may find themselves as a much talked about bubble team if they do not win the CAA tournament. This is a team that has a good non-conference schedule and has beaten Louisville this year. Of all the teams here, Drexel may be the most interesting team to follow. Drexel is a very good engineering school in Philadelphia not really known for its athletics. Even if Drexel gets in and ends up a 16 seed and loses 103-51 to Duke, just getting there would be a huge accomplishment.

Bucknell: The engineering school known for it's NCAA tournament has a decent out of conference record and could threaten for the Patriot League title. It goes without say that this conference won't get any at larges.

Lehigh: They won the Patriot League title last year.....

Lafayette: Lost the Patriot League championship last year to their bitter rivals, the aforementioned Lehigh. This team is a no-hoper unless they make an improbable run at the Patriot League tournament.

Saint Joseph's: My how this team has fallen since the days of Jameer Nelson. 5-11 overall, 0-2 in the A-10. Barring a miraculous tournament victory, you can count out the Hawks this year.

La Salle: A slightly better team than St. Joe's, but again, a team that probably has no chance at an at-large bid. Once again, the only hope here is an NCAA Tournament bid.

Pennsylvania: When Fran Dunphy left, so did Penn's NCAA tournament appearances. Coincidence? I think not.

Right now if I were to make a prediction, I would say that Villanova, Temple, and Penn State get in the tournament, with everyone else on the outside. I think Drexel will end up just short because the NCAA does not like the CAA, and there is too much competition in that conference to beleive that Drexel will win it.

An Epic Win Streak Will Face A Tough Test Tonight

On Saturday night, December 11, near the hour of 10:00, St. Joe's lost to Creighton. Why is that event in any way remarkable? It's the last time a Philadelphia team lost when facing a team outside of Philadelphia (that footnote is needed because on Sunday Villanova faced La Salle; that game is not counted in the series of events I am about to present.) Since that seemingly unremarkable moment, no Philadelphia sports team has lost. Professional, college, it does not matter. The city of Philadelphia is currently riding an 8-game win streak. Since Saint Joseph's lost to Creighton on December 11, all Philadelphia sports teams, including college basketball and college football, are a remarkable 8-0 in actual games with 1 epic Cliff Lee deal to boot. Here is a break down of what has happened since then, and what the future may hold tonight.

Sunday, December 12
Sixers 88, Hornets 70
Villanova 84, La Salle 81 (a win for the team I support, though it does not count toward the streak as both teams are Philadelphia schools)
Temple 82, Akron 47
Eagles 30, Cowboys 27

Monday, December 13, minutes before the stroke of midnight
Clifton Phifer Lee

Tuesday, December 14
Flyers 3, Penguins 2
Sixers 82, Nets 77
Drexel 52, Louisville 46

Wednesday, December 15
Sixers 105, Clippers 91
Flyers 5, Canadiens 3

There were no games or big acquisitions on Thursday, but this epic streak will face one hell of a test tonight. Three teams are in action, and two of them are facing extremely tough competition. Here is tonight's schedule.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. 76ERS 7:00
Bucknell vs. LA SALLE 7:00
FCS Semifinals: VILLANOVA vs. Eastern Washington 8:00

If all 3 prevail, the Sixers will have beaten one of the best in basketball, La Salle will have added a win heading into A-10 conference play, and Villanova will be playing for a Division I football championship.

(Hat tip to Philadelphia Sports Daily.)