This year, they ought to rename it the Siesta Bowl
Published: 12/16/2010 11:48 AM
Last Modified: 12/16/2010 11:48 AM
Thank goodness for Kevin Wilson.
If he doesn't take the Indiana job, Bob Stoops doesn't hand Josh Heupel the keys to Oklahoma's offense for the Fiesta Bowl. And if that doesn't happen, there isn't a single reason to really dig into the Sooners-Huskies New Year's night game.
As it is, this is the least appealing OU bowl game since the 2005 Holiday. (The '09 Sun had Toby Gerhart at least.)
Or at least that was my read on it before scanning some bowl rankings. Maybe I was giving the 2011 Fiesta Bowl -- a.k.a. "Desert Snore" – a raw deal.
Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com ranks it No. 9 out of the 35 bowls. That's pretty strong, really.
Stewart Mandel of SI.com ranks it No. 11, writing: "So you figure the overmatched Huskies don't have a chance, right? Then either you've forgotten the Sooners' recent history against Fiesta Bowl underdogs or you've just seen UConn's offensive stats."
Actually, I've just seen UConn's stats. They average 145 passing yards per game. I know Jordan Todman is a really good running back. He'll get some numbers against the Sooners, just as Gerhart did in last year's Sun Bowl.
Short of 200, however, he doesn't give the Huskies the chance that Stanford had in El Paso.
Speaking of Todman, Pete Fiutak of CollegeFootballNews.com says he "might be the best running back in the country. There's a chance that he controls the game and the Huskies make this a shocker."
So why does Fiutak rank the Fiesta 16th of the 35 bowls? Michigan drubbed UConn 30-10.
"It might have been the opening game of the year," Fiutak writes, "but if the Huskies couldn't move the ball on Michigan, and if the offense is 96th in the nation… If OU gets up early, this won't be pretty."
Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News joins Mandel in ranking the Fiesta 11th. He also points out that Fiesta CEO John Junker "made 592,418 in 2008-09."
Which should prompt all of us to ask: How in the *@#! does a man whose job consists of flying to college football games to glad hand coaches and athletic directors pull that kind of coin?
My favorite Fiesta ranking is Mike Huguenin's on Rivals.com. He slots it at No. 21 and fires this shot: "The Sooners have stubbed their toe against perceived 'lesser' opponents in this bowl before. But stubbing your toe is one thing; lopping off your own foot is another."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
