2016: The Year We Never Thought We'd See

English: at the 2009 NLCS. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These are some of the things in sports we never thought we'd see in 2016:

The Chicago Cubs won the World Series.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA title, the city's first sports championship since 1964.

The Golden State Warriors winning 73 regular season games.

The United States, in an era when European golfers are the best in the world, wins the Ryder Cup.

Tiger Woods competing in all four rounds of a golf tournament.

Golf in the Olympics.

Michael Phelps continues to win medals.  Ryan Lochte behaves like an idiot.

The NFL loses TV viewers.

Peyton Manning and Kobe Bryant call it quits.


No Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Las Vegas is awarded an NHL franchise.

The Rams move back to Los Angeles.

Players taking a stand on social issues.  Or, in some cases, taking a knee.

Vin Scully calling his last Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game.

Breanna Stewart never losing a game in her college basketball career.

Muhammad Ali, Pat Summitt, Dennis Green, Arnold Palmer, Craig Sager, Gordie Howe, Ralph Branca, Nate Thurmond, Buddy Ryan, Kimbo Slice, Rick MacLeish, Bud Collins, Andy Bathgate, Bill Johnson, Ted Marchibroda, Monte Irvin and others took their last bows.

What will we see next year?

The 2016-17 Owljock Bowl Board

Host of American Idol, and numerous other radio and television programs, Ryan Seacrest. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome to this year's edition of the Bowl Board, whether anyone asked for it or not.  A few things before we get started:

• The College Football Playoff's top four are Alabama, Clemson, Washington and Ohio State.  The first three are all worthy, but what are the Buckeyes doing here?  In a season when the Big Ten Conference was the most competitive in the country, it's representative for the national championship is a team that didn't even participate in the conference's title game.  Did the CFP committee choose Ohio State because, well, they're Ohio State?
• Penn State won the Big Ten playoff over Wisconsin, and is going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2009.  This might mark a return to football glory since the Joe Paterno days, but the painful legacy that's left for the victims of the Jerry Sandusky scandal must not be pushed aside.
• The tradition of having the CFP semifinals on New Year's Eve ends this year.  Starting next year, the games will be played on the Saturday before New Year's Day in most cases.  Judging from the TV ratings, America will no longer have to choose between football and Ryan Seacrest ringing in the New Year.
• The NCAA has sanctioned 41 bowls, which is the same as last year.  None have been added because the NCAA has decided to hit pause on approving any new games for awhile.  Which means that the Podunk Bowl presented by Widget Industries will have to wait.

The Bowl Board goes like this:  We name the bowl, where it's played, who's in it, where you can watch it, and a brief description of the game's sponsor and what they do (when appropriate).  And here it is.

Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl:  North Carolina Central vs. Grambling  (Atlanta, GA 12/17)  ABC

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  New Mexico vs. Texas-San Antonio  (Albuquerque, NM  12/17)   ESPN
Active wear manufacturer.

Las Vegas Bowl Presented by GEICO:  Houston vs. San Diego State  (Las Vegas, NV 12/17)  ABC
An auto insurance company you might have heard of.

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  Appalacian State vs. Toledo  (Montgomery, AL  12/17)  ESPN
Media company.

AutoNation Cure Bowl:  Central Florida vs. Arkansas State  (Orlando, FL  12/17)  CBS Sports Network
Automotive retailer.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Southern Mississippi vs. Louisiana-Lafayette  (New Orleans, LA  12/17)  ESPN
Shipping firm.

Miami Beach Bowl:  Central Michigan vs. Tulsa  (Miami, FL  12/19)  ESPN

Boca Raton Bowl:  Memphis vs. Western Kentucky  (Boca Raton, FL  12/20)  ESPN

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  Brigham Young vs. Wyoming  (San Diego, CA  12/21)  ESPN
Financial services.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Idaho vs. Colorado State  (Boise, ID  12/22)  ESPN

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl:  Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion  (Nassau, Bahamas  12/23)  ESPN
Chicken and seafood restaurant chain.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  Louisiana Tech vs. Navy  (Fort Worth, TX  12/23)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Dollar General Bowl:  Ohio vs. Troy  (Mobile, AL  12/23)  ESPN
Retail chain.  Formerly GoDaddy Bowl.

Hawaii Bowl:  Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN

St. Petersburg Bowl:  Miami (Ohio) vs. Mississippi State  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/26)  ESPN

Quick Lane Bowl:  Maryland vs. Boston College  (Detroit, MI  12/26)  ESPN
Auto care shops.

Camping World Independence Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Vanderbilt  (Shreveport, LA  12/26)  ESPN2
Camping and RV supplies.

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Army vs. North Texas  (Dallas, TX  12/27)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrup Grumman:  Temple vs. Wake Forest  (Annapolis, MD  12/27)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

National Funding Holiday Bowl:  Minnesota vs. Washington State  (San Diego, CA  12/27)  ESPN
Financial services, including small business loans.

Motel 6 Cactus Bowl:  Boise State vs. Baylor  (Phoenix, AZ  12/27)  ESPN
Overnight lodging chain.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern  (Bronx, NY  12/28)  ESPN
Sports apparel.

Russell Athletic Bowl:  West Virginia vs. Miami  (Orlando, FL  12/28)  ESPN
Action wear.

Foster Farms Bowl:  Indiana vs. Utah  (Santa Clara, CA  12/28)  Fox
West Coast-based poultry firm.

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl:  Texas A&M vs. Kansas State  (Houston, TX  12/28)  ESPN
Nutritional supplements.

Birmingham Bowl:  South Florida vs. South Carolina  (Birmingham, AL  12/29)  ESPN

Belk Bowl:  Arkansas vs. Virginia Tech  (Charlotte, NC  12/29)  ESPN
Southeast-based department store chain.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oklahoma State vs. Colorado  (San Antonio, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Energy company.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:  Georgia vs. Texas Christian  (Memphis, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Auto parts retail chain.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Stanford vs. North Carolina  (El Paso, TX  12/30)  CBS
Auto manufacturer.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Nebraska vs. Tennessee  (Nashville, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl:  South Alabama vs. Air Force  (Tucson, AZ  12/30)  Campus Insiders/American Sports Network
Arizona-based mortgage lender.

Capital One Orange Bowl:  Michigan vs. Florida State  (Miami Gardens, FL  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl:  LSU vs. Louisville  (Orlando, FL  12/31)  ABC
Chicken wing restaurant chain.

TaxSlayer Bowl:  Georgia Tech vs. Kentucky  (Jacksonville, FL  12/31)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (CFP semifinal):  Washington vs. Alabama  (Atlanta, GA  12/31)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl (CFP semifinal):  Ohio State vs. Clemson  (Glendale, AZ  12/31)  ESPN
Videogame consoles.

Outback Bowl:  Florida vs. Iowa  (Tampa, FL  1/2/2017)  ABC
Steak restaurant chain.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:  Western Michigan vs. Wisconsin  (Arlington, TX  1/2/17)  ESPN
Tires and blimps.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual:  USC vs. Penn State  (Pasadena, CA  1/2/17)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Auburn vs. Oklahoma  (New Orleans, LA  1/2/17)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

College Football Playoff National Championship:  Winners of Peach and Fiesta Bowls  (Tampa, FL  1/9)  ESPN