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The Hero Makers
Published: 12/12/2011 4:51 PM
Last Modified: 12/12/2011 4:51 PM

Boise State was a punchline before it played OU, a punching bag that had to paint its field blue to get noticed by more than the birds.

After beating the Sooners, Boise became a symbol for a little guys with the urge.

When puny West Virginia upset OU, it got its interim coach a full-time job. The guy didn't keep it long. But the victory got the gig for him.

And the Baylor quarterback won the Heisman, thanks to his "trophy moment" against OU, repeatedly torching the Sooner secondary lost in space.

Beat OU, go to the bank.

Which brings up Iowa in the Humiliation Bowl, a second-level game in a city unfit for high quality tourism. Even one of the bowl people said a chief attraction for Phoenix was its "diverse culture."

The Lack of Insight Bowl is the worst of them all, with OU being a 14-point favorite over hapless Iowa, a lethargic Big Ten team that seems to be operating in slow motion.

A win probably gets the overrated Iowa coach a decade long extension.


Reader Comments 20 Total
Tulsan in Exile (last year)
Even assuming OU's usual lack of serious preparation for bowl games, it is hard to see them losing this one. Iowa is really slllllllllooooooow. Short of a half-dozen key players getting suspended for vandalizing a bowling alley, OU ought to cruise. This will prove nothing, but in Stoopsville, they will be singing "Happy days are here again!" I see a big pay raise coming...
Infectious Greed (last year)
Keys to the game: Keep Sooner Defensive Linemen away from Burlington Coat factory
norsemustang (last year)
Stoops will probably have to wait another year for a salary increase. Don't think the Check Your Bed For Scorpions Bowl can fund it this year.
Matt in BA (last year)
Hey pick, this isn't a BCS bowl, I doubt Iowa will give the coach any extension. They are probably wondering how they got bowl eligible.
Danomite Dandy Dan (last year)
I'm wishing my Sooners weren't bowl eligible.
Barney Doyle (last year)
Picker, tell me the truth. Other than money, is there any reason for all of these loser bowls? I mean, the season is over for all but two teams.
                    
PostThis (last year)
Extra practice sessions for the coaches and the players want to play in another game.
Chainsaw (last year)
Blue grass makes me nauseous.
                    
PostThis (last year)
There should be an NCAA rule that fields have to be green.
norsemustang (last year)
Seasons like this make me wonder if winning a bowl game is ever a bad thing.
redriverndn (last year)
Seemingly meaningless bowl are goldmines for the organizers & that's why they are crucial to pocketbooks of ugly-jacketed rich guys & AD's from coast-to-coast....

Unsold tickets in allotments that are guaranteed by the attending schools is easy money.... 20,000 ticket guarantee @ $100 a pop but only 3,000 are sold, no problem, the schools pays, the organizers skip to the bank & the AD gets his "swag bag" full of holiday cheer & as they wait for the cash to come in, it's a morning tee time, afternoon spa time, & evening make it rain time at the "gentlemens club" day after day.... TV kicks in with their cash & all are happy.... No losers nowhere, it's all tax-free....

In Phoenix, world class golf courses & top quality gentlemans clubs everywhere....

The game ???? Yes, it's all about the game....
                    
Pete51 (last year)
No losers, except the students and taxpayers that have to subsidize the football programs loss on the bowl game.
colhi64 (last year)
If Finch is out, Stoops may have to dust off his old running shoes...
The quip about trashing a bowling alley seems to have been prophetic....
The Picker (last year)
Barney, money and payola, that's what these rotten bowls are all about.

Post, that extra practice stuff is pretty much coach speak. Having had a year to practice hasn't helped some characters much.

Greed, your key to the game is right on the mark.
Maybe they'll get their coats in the swag bag this time. Imagine what the goodies are for the Lack of Insight Bowl, school supplies, etc.
norsemustang (last year)
It's usually a bad omen for the Sooners when Warden Stoops suspends a player for a bowl game.
hootie (last year)
Playing Iowa is ALMOST as bad as playing UCON!!
Chelsea Lee (last year)
I see the TW is trying to generate interest in the Farsighted Bowl with an article on one of the Iowa Cornheads this morning. No dice. Not buying what they are selling.
The Picker (last year)
Chelsea, come on, with 70 or 80 lucky bounces, Iowa could have been a contender.
green cardigan (last year)
i am smarter than the average sweater.
Glenn616 (last year)
Hootie, playing Iowa is even worse than playing UCONN, and that's saying a lot.
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Out Pick The Picker

The Picker began entertaining – and infuriating – sports fans in 1993. Each week during football season, he writes about his picks of college and NFL games in his Thursday Sports column. He's never afraid of sharing his opinions about the game and the personalities who play it. Readers have a chance to go against him each season in the Outpick the Picker contest. He welcomes the competition.

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