Notes From The Bowl Season

Image via WikipediaThe 35th and final bowl game of the college football season ended Monday night with Auburn defeating Oregon 22-19 in the closing seconds to take home the BCS National Championship at Glendale, Arizona.  It was a great game for those of us with cable and satellite, while those of you without either were probably stuck with "The Bachelor" or "How I Met Your Mother".  The game was also one more example of how the best talent in college football has migrated to the South, with Auburn being the fifth consecutive SEC school to win a national title.  Oh, and they also happened to have this year's Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Cam Newton.  How he won it is another story.

The Big Ten Plus Two did not fare well during bowl season, with only Iowa, Illinois and Ohio State winning their games.  Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Northwestern went 0-for-New Year's Day.  Nebraska prepared for its entry into the conference by losing the Holiday Bowl to Washington.  So the Cornhuskers should fit right in.

Ron Franklin, who had been calling college sports on ESPN for over two decades, was let go by the network.  He was pulled from the radio broadcast of the Fiesta Bowl for making condescending comments to a female sideline reporter.  This type of attitude is not unusual among those who work for the "Worldwide Leader In Sports".  Remember when Tony Kornheiser of "Pardon the Interruption" was suspended for remarks he made on his radio show about Hannah Storm's attire?  This would all be so much more believable if ESPN's coverage of women's sports weren't relegated to ESPN 2 or ESPNU instead of its main channel.  As for the use of sideline reporters, it was a pretty good idea while it lasted.  Now it's just an excuse for networks to put a pretty face on to impart what little information they could give beyond coaches' cliches and other restrictions.