Independence Bowl Open Thread
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Here, we have The Bowl That No One Wants To Watch, with teams only in the game because the Big XII and SEC didn't have enough bowl eligible teams to send a 6-6 joke each to Shreveport. Oof.
Game: PetroSun Independence Bowl
Teams: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (7-5) vs. Northern Illinois Huskies (6-6)
Location: Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Start Time: 8:15 PM EST
Network and Announcers: Pam Ward and Ray Bentley, ESPN. (Well, maybe we'll get some hidden gems of errata.)
Favorite: NIU (-1)
S2N's Pick: La Tech, for the hell of it.
Labels: Bowl Games, Bowl Season, College Football, ESPN College Football, Independence Bowl, Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, Northern Illinois
7 Comments:
Why would Northern Illinois be favored over anyone?
More annoying:
1. "Get in the hole!" after every golf shot
-or-
2. "Block that kick!" during every punt or field goal in college football
Bentley, after an NIU INT: "You have to just eat that ball, even if you're not hungry."
No one cared, and so this game will fold like a cheap Army surplus pup tent next year, mainly because organizers went for a home team instead of Boise State.
Well, I don't think the game is in that much trouble. While the ratings probably weren't that great (but when it's up against pro football, the ratings weren't going to be that great anyhow), the attendance at the game was almost 42,000, which is not much worse than what they usually draw. I don't know how much time the LA Tech fans spent in Shreveport (the ultimate goal of bowl organizers), but I'd be shocked if it ends up in trouble like the Silicon Valley Classic, where a rainstorm and other things caused only 5,000 people to be at their last game. They've been around since '76; I think they'll be fine.
Hey what were the two terrible comments that Pam Ward made? I remember one was after a muffed punt, "He dove on the muff!" and there was another bad sexual reference. Does anyone remember?
I'm recording this game on my DVR and will watch it tomorrow (just to make sure Pam and Ray get their fair shot). I'll take note of any gems and either post them here or email them to AA, depending on what time I finish.