The 2014 Owljock Bowl Guide

English: The Rose Bowl stadium before the 2009 Rose Bowl game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Once more, what has become an annual tradition (just like, say, fruitcake), we bring you our list of college football bowl games you can watch or ignore at your peril this holiday season.

Nearly 40 games will be played between December 20 and January 12, 2015, spanning the North American continent from Hawaii to the Bahamas (both of which are on islands).  Four of them are new this year, and there are several that have added, changed or dropped sponsors.

This is the first season of the College Football Playoff, which replaces the late and unlamented Bowl Championship Series.  The format for the playoff is for a committee to choose four schools with winning football records, shoehorn them into two existing bowls on New Year's Day, then have the winners duke it out in a new championship game a week later at a neutral site.

The four CFP schools, by order of ranking, are:  Alabama, Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State.  But even this system isn't perfect.  Institutions of higher learning such as Baylor, Texas Christian and Mississippi State started hollering about being left out of the CFP.  So naturally college football pundits are wondering how long it will be before the playoff resembles the NCAA Men's basketball tournament.

With that, here's this year's Bowl Guide.  It contains the name of the bowl, where it is, matchups, who televises them, and a brief description of what the title sponsor sells or represents.  Good luck to all the teams, and good luck to you for figuring all this out.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Nevada vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (New Orleans, LA 12/20)  ESPN  
Shipping firm.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  Utah State vs. Texas-El Paso  (Albuquerque, NM  12/20)  ESPN
Active wear.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl:  Utah vs. Colorado State  (Las Vegas, NV  12/20)  ABC
Auto products.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Western Michigan vs. Air Force  (Boise, ID  12/20)  ESPN

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl:  South Alabama vs. Bowling Green (Montgomery, AL  12/20)  ESPN
Broadcasting company.  First season.

Miami Beach Bowl:  BYU vs. Memphis  (Miami, FL  12/22)  ESPN
First season.  Played at Marlins Park, home of baseball's Miami Marlins.

Boca Raton Bowl:  Marshall vs. Northern Illinois  (Boca Raton, FL  12/23)  ESPN
First season.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  Navy vs. San Diego State  (San Diego, CA  12/23)  ESPN
Financial services.

Popeyes Bahamas Bowl:  Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky  (Nassau, Bahamas  12/24)
ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.  First season.

Hawaii Bowl:  Fresno State vs. Rice  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN

Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech  (Dallas, TX  12/26)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.  Played at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

Quick Lane Bowl:  Rutgers vs. North Carolina  (Detroit, MI  12/26)  ESPN
Auto care shops.  Formerly Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl.

Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl:  North Carolina State vs. Central Florida  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/26)  ESPN
Digital currency.

Military Bowl Presented by Northrop Grumman:  Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech  (Annapolis, MD  12/27)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Arizona State vs. Duke  (El Paso, TX  12/27)  CBS
Automobile manufacturer.

Duck Commander Independence Bowl:  Miami vs. South Carolina  (Shreveport, LA  12/27)  ABC
Duck call manufacturer, owned by the guys from TV's "Duck Dynasty".

New Era Pinstripe Bowl:  Boston College vs. Penn State  (Bronx, NY  12/27)  ESPN
Sports apparel.  Played at Yankee Stadium.

National University Holiday Bowl:  Nebraska vs. USC  (San Diego, CA  12/27)  ESPN
Private, online college.

Auto Zone Liberty Bowl:  Texas A&M vs. West Virginia  (Memphis, TN  12/29)  ESPN
Auto parts stores.

Russell Athletic Bowl:  Oklahoma vs. Clemson  (Orlando, FL  12/29)  ESPN
Active wear.

AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl:  Arkansas vs. Texas  (Houston, TX  12/29)  ESPN
Nutritional supplements.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Notre Dame vs. Louisiana State  (Nashville, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Belk Bowl:  Georgia vs. Louisville  (Charlotte, NC  12/30)  ESPN
Department stores based in the South.

Foster Farms Bowl:  Maryland vs. Stanford  (Santa Clara, CA  12/30)  ESPN
West Coast-based poultry firm.  Formerly Fight Hunger Bowl.

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  Mississippi vs. Texas Christian  (Atlanta, GA  12/31)  ESPN
Chicken restaurant chain.

Vizio Fiesta Bowl:  Boise State vs. Arizona  (Glendale, AZ  12/31)  ESPN
Consumer electronics.

Capital One Orange Bowl:  Mississippi State vs. Georgia Tech  (Miami Gardens, FL  12/31)  ESPN
Financial services.

Outback Bowl:  Auburn vs. Wisconsin  (Tampa, FL  1/1/15)  ESPN2
Steak restaurant chain.

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic:  Michigan State vs. Baylor  (Arlington, TX  1/1/15)  ESPN
Tires and blimps.

Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl:  Missouri vs. Minnesota  (Orlando, FL  1/1/15)  ABC
Chicken wing restaurant chain.  Formerly Capital One Bowl.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual (CFP Semifinal):  Oregon vs. Florida State  (Pasadena, CA  1/1/15)  ESPN
Financial services.

Allstate Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal):  Alabama vs. Ohio State  (New Orleans, LA  1/1/15)  ESPN
Insurance and financial services.

Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl:  Houston vs. Pittsburgh  (Fort Worth, TX  1/2)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Taxslayer Bowl:  Iowa vs. Tennessee  (Jacksonville, FL  1/2)  ESPN
Online tax preparation.  Formerly Gator Bowl.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Kansas State vs. UCLA  (San Antonio, TX  1/2)  ESPN
Energy company.

TicketCity Cactus Bowl:  Washington vs. Oklahoma State  (Tempe, AZ  1/2)  ESPN
Ticket reseller.  Formerly Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

Birmingham Bowl:  East Carolina vs. Florida  (Birmingham, AL  1/3)  ESPN or ESPN2
Formerly BBVA Compass Bowl.

GoDaddy Bowl:  Toledo vs. Arkansas State  (Mobile, AL  1/4)  ESPN
Domain names.

College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.  (Arlington, TX  1/12)
ESPN
Communications giant.  Teams to be determined.

Gopher Football '14: Almost Golden

Goldy Gopher, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities mascot. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The University of Minnesota football program has been mediocre for so long that its remaining fans are the ones who know where to find the games on TV on Saturdays.  It's where the cartoons used to be.

Well, thanks to the kind of season the team has had, an 8-4 record that included five BIG Conference (our name for the ever-expanding Big Ten conference, which just added two schools this year), a lot more folks are waking up to the fact that coach Jerry Kill in his fourth year has finally fielded a competitive team.

The gophers finished 5-3 in the BIG's West division, tied for second with Nebraska.  They would have won the division outright had they beaten Wisconsin, but too little passing and too much Melvin Gordon (a Heisman Trophy candidate who ran for 151 yards) gave the Badgers a 34-24 win at Madison in the season-ender.

Signature road wins at Michigan and Nebraska (who were admittedly having down years) and competitive losses--meaning they didn't lay down and die--versus Ohio State and Wisconsin, plus bad losses at Texas Christian and Illinois typified the Gophers' progress on the field.  Kill's defense was the key to many of their victories, but the offense led by quarterback Mitch Leidner and backs David Cobb and Maxx Williams helped themselves out a lot.

Realistically, it's going to be tough to convince anyone outside of Minnesota that the Gophers really have turned the corner.  It's been since 1962 that they've played in a New Year's Day bowl game, something they have a better-than-average chance of doing this year.  But when the Gophers are suddenly contenders and Ohio State is the BIG's only hope of getting into the new College Football Playoff, you know the conference is having a bad year.

Another byproduct of decades of mediocre football is the effect on recruiting.  The University of Minnesota is not considered a destination school like Notre Dame, USC, Alabama or Ohio State.  That's why they don't get the blue-chip athletes to play for Goldy Gopher, even if they're from Minnesota.  And they don't have the massive practice facilities that other schools do.  The U's board of regents must have figured:  We gave you a new stadium.  What more do you want from us?  We have enough problems getting funding from the state.

Then there's Jerry Kill, whose success has led to the inevitable rumors of him taking off for a better job somewhere else.  Though he keeps denying it, Kill could very well be the next Lou Holtz, who hightailed it for Notre Dame after bringing the Gophers a little success in the mid-1980s.  Kill could take his entire staff, most of whom have been with him for decades, to his new school.  And the Gophers would have to start all over again.

So enjoy this respite from mediocrity, Gophers fans.  Sooner or later, there won't be a reason to set the alarm for Saturdays at 11 a.m.   You can watch videos of cartoons with your kids.

Vikings '14: Waiting for Adrian Peterson

Peterson splitting defenders in the 2008 Pro Bowl. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Vikings are struggling to move forward under new coach Mike Zimmer, with a rookie quarterback and the enforced absence of their greatest offensive threat.  They are 4-5, which is good enough for third place in the NFC North.  But none of those four wins have been against divisional opponents.

The big question is what the Vikings should do about Adrian Peterson, who until recently was the face of the franchise.  He has been off the field and into a media firestorm over his legal troubles involving being accused of taking a wooden switch to his young son's behind, along with the revelation that he's been a prolific father.  Now Peterson has pled no contest to reckless assault charges, thus eliminating the need for a trial, and is free to go back to playing football.  The NFL, which is having enough problems with other alleged domestic abusers, hasn't said yes or no to Peterson's reinstatement pending a hearing.  The Vikings are even less certain.

Depending on what the NFL does with Peterson--reinstate him after what amounts to a half-season suspension, or have him sit out a few more games--the Vikings have a decision to make.  Do they want Peterson back, knowing they're going to take another PR hit because of the way they mishandled his status the first time?  Do they need him back, given that there's a small chance the team could make the playoffs?  Or do they simply let Peterson twist in the wind until they find a way to get rid of him?

Otherwise, how are things?  Quarterback of the Future Teddy Bridgewater became Quarterback of the Present two weeks into the season, when starter Matt Cassell went down with an injury that ended his year.  Bridgewater excited the Purple Faithful briefly, until it became obvious that the offense has sputtered under his leadership, and the defense has improved to the point where they've been winning games.  The offensive line has not done a good job of keeping Bridgewater from getting pummeled by opposing defenses.  Teddy Bridgewater may be a rookie, but he's learning about life in the NFL the hard way.

But consider the alternative:  Christian Ponder, who was once where Bridgewater is now, did so poorly subbing for him during a Thursday night game at Green Bay against the Packers that the Vikings were out of the game by the second quarter.

Cordarelle Patterson, Mike Asiata and Jerick McKinnon do not have the collective rushing power and impact of one Adrian Peterson, but they've proved capable of taking up the offensive slack in his absence.  Now if only Patterson could stick to playing like Randy Moss without acting like him . . .

Everyone know this is a rebuilding year for the Vikings with half the season remaining.  Nobody knew it would be anything like this.  But if they get a few more victories under their belt, the new coaching staff and the young players could lay the groundwork for better things in 2015.  Meanwhile, the elephant in the room remains Adrian Peterson and what happens to him going forward.  Therein lies the immediate future of the Minnesota Vikings.

UPDATE (11/18):  The NFL has decided to suspend Peterson for the rest of the season without pay, and he has until April to comply with their demands for counseling before there's a hearing to determine if he can go back to playing football.  Neither Peterson nor the players' association were too happy about the ruling, so they're going to appeal.  And as long as they're appealing, Peterson will remain on Commissioner Roger Goodell's exempt list so he can get paid.

This is the only decision the NFL could make after their bungling of the Ray Rice case.  They now realize that domestic and child abuse aren't "boys will be boys" issues that can be explained away with a fine and a mild suspension, not while answering to corporations whose survival depends on what their customers think.  And the Vikings?  It wouldn't surprise anyone if we've seen the last of Adrian Peterson in purple and gold.
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Paul Molitor: Hometown Hero Turns Twins Manager

Former Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers baseball star Paul Molitor is introduced to the crowd Sunday, July 24, 2005, at a Tee Ball game on the South Lawn of the White House, where he participated as first base coach. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a fourth-consecutive season of more than 90 losses, the Minnesota Twins gave the old heave-ho to manager Ron Gardenhire.  They promised an extensive search to find a replacement, including some outside candidates like former Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon (who ultimately went with the Chicago Cubs).  But everybody suspected the Twins would once again hire from within, with coach Paul Molitor and Fort Myers Miracle manager Doug Mientkiewicz the only real possibilities.

Those suspicions were confirmed when the Twins named Molitor its 13th manager since coming to Minnesota from Washington in 1961.  The last two managers current owners the Pohlad family have hired--Gardenhire and Tom Kelly--were on the job for a combined 27 years.

Molitor is well known in the Twin Cities area, having grown up in St. Paul.  He attended and played baseball for Cretin-Derham Hall high school and the University of Minnesota.  In a 21-year career spent with the Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and the Twins, Molitor had 3,319 hits, 234 home runs, 504 stolen bases, and a lifetime .306 batting average.  He's been to two World Series with the Brewers and Jays.  He entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 on the first ballot.

Molitor has had coaching gigs with the Twins and Seattle Mariners, but he hasn't managed a game until now.  At 58, he doesn't have much of a learning curve.

Molitor inherits a Twins team that's an uninspired mix of players who are either not ready for the majors, or are earning their paycheck just by showing up at the ball park.  Players who are traded or otherwise let go usually did better with their new teams than they ever did in Minnesota.  The new manager's task (as well as the coaches he hires) is to get the most out of the talent he's been given.

That's not going to be easy with a management that's not exactly known for thinking outside the box.  The Pohlads and General Manager Terry Ryan have been spending their money carefully, if not always wisely, on bargain-basement free agents and other talent that so far have not panned out.  All those rookies they drafted have yet to show the promise that was predicted for them.

Paul Molitor, despite his hometown-hero status, is not going to draw any more flies to Target Field as a manager any more than fellow St. Paulite Joe Mauer already has.  Molitor has to earn his keep by steering the Twins in a direction that shows marked improvement on the field and in the standings.  If he succeeds, he can be a Hall of Fame manager.  If not, well, he's already made his mark on Minnesota sports history.

Giants Are Baseball Royalty Again

Madison Bumgarner (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012, which were even numbered years.  So is 2014, and they won here too.  They defeated the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the seventh game at Kauffman Stadium Wednesday night for their third title in five years.

Madison Bumgarner was the Series' MVP, pitching the last five innings of Game Seven in relief on two days rest after defeating the Royals in Game Five.  That made his record 3-0 during the Series, with plenty of help from teammates Joe Panik, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence.

This Series was marked by great pitching (mostly by Bumgarner) and sometimes not-so-great pitching and fielding, leading to lopsided blowouts that sent Fox's TV ratings south.

Neither the Giants nor the Royals won a division title, so they had to get here through the Wild Card route, only losing one game between them.  The Giants defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals to take the National League crown.  The Royals, which had not been to a Series since Ronald Reagan was President, won the American League pennant by defeating the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Baltimore Orioles.

Now that the Series is over, San Francisco radio stations can start playing the Lorde hit "Royals" again.  They had banned the tune for the duration in the mistaken belief that this was the official song of the Kansas City team.  Let's just say that the good citizens of San Francisco will never be royals, but the Giants are once again kings of baseball.  At least until next season, which will be in an odd-numbered year.

Wolves 2014-15: Starting Over

Washington Wizards v/s Denver Nuggets January 25, 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been a train wreck for most of its 25-year history.  Bad teams, bad deals, turnovers in the front office and in the coaching ranks, etc. have turned this franchise into not just one of the worst in the NBA, but in all of pro sports.  Even the once-in-a-lifetime players--Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love, to name a couple--that have passed through have honored the new Minnesota tradition of doing better somewhere else.

So here we are again, about to start another NBA season of the Timberwolves' commitment to mediocrity.  The big news, of course, is that Love has gone to the Cleveland Cavaliers to play with his new best friend LeBron James.  In Love's place are the Cavs' #1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Zach LaVine and Thaddeus Young--all highly-touted young players who haven't had much (or any) NBA experience.  Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic are still here, of course.  None of them have yet to whine their way out of Minnesota.

All of this dealing was engineered by general manager Flip Saunders, who has gotten good marks for getting whatever he could from the Love trade.  Now the task of taking these new players and molding them into a competent basketball team falls on coach Flip Saunders, who took the job for the second time when no one else wanted it after Rick Adelman resigned.

It goes without saying that the Wolves will not make the playoffs this season.  They haven't been there since the last time Saunders coached here, and that was over a decade ago.  Instead, they could end up challenging the Philadelphia 76ers for the worst record in the NBA.

Until then, enjoy Wiggins, LaVine and Rubio while you can.  It won't be long before these players get attractive offers to jump to competitive teams in bigger (and warmer) markets.  Or they become complete busts.  And the Wolves will once again be starting over.

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As for the rest of the NBA . . .

• LeBron James returns to Cleveland as the conquering hero.  Is it possible that James has already won his championships in Miami, and is winding down his career?
• Oh, by the way, the San Antonio Spurs are the defending champions.
• The Charlotte Hornets are back, but only after New Orleans gave up that nickname to become the Pelicans.
• The NBA no longer has a Donald Sterling problem, having forced him and his wife to sell the Los Angeles Clippers to former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer.  For two billion dollars.
• But they do have an Atlanta Hawks problem.  That team is for sale because their owner also uttered racially insensitive remarks, forcing him to sell his stake.
• The Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks are still in the league under new ownership.  Seattle continues to wait its turn.
• The NBA has re-upped with TV partners ESPN/ABC and TNT for the next decade.  Which means that the only way Rupert Murdoch can get Fox's foot in the door is to buy out Time Warner, TNT's parent company.  Oh wait . . . Murdoch tried that already and failed.

Here's who we think will survive the 82-game schedule come April.

EAST:  Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks.

WEST:  San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers. 

Wild 2014-15: An Oasis of Stability

Minnesota Wild (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Wild are in a unique position among the local men's professional sports teams.  They are the only ones that have made the playoffs in the past year.  They have the longest-serving coach in Mike Yeo, who's just signed a contract extension.  They don't have a player who demanded to be traded, or is in trouble with the law.  And the future is, at least on paper, better than it used to be.

The Wild, who made it as far as the second round of the NHL playoffs last spring, have added Thomas Vanek to their collection of blockbuster free agent signings.  Unlike the signings of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, this one has considerably less impact because everyone knew the Wild coveted the former Gopher Vanek.  They should compliment Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund rather nicely on offense.  Now if they could only get through a season without forgetting how to put the puck in the net.

Because of injuries, infirmities and other shortcomings, the Wild had to use every Tom, Dick and Harry they could get to play goal.  That is still a problem, because the Wild have somehow decided to stick with Niklas Backstrom, Josh Harding and Darcy Kuemper in the nets.  If those three can stay healthy and effective, the Wild can become real contenders.  If not, then you can start up the merry-go-round.

The Wild will make the playoffs again, but the issues with goaltending and offense must be resolved if they want to compete with the big boys in their own division (Chicago, St. Louis, Colorado, Dallas).  If not, then there won't be a dime's worth of difference between themselves and the other Minnesota pro sports teams in terms of mediocrity.

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As for the rest of the NHL, we find that the defending Stanley Cup champions are royally ensconced on the West Coast for the second time in three years. 

The Toronto Maple Leafs are generally considered to be the worst-run franchise in pro sports.  And this is supposed to be the league's flagship franchise.

The NHL can't shake rumors of a pending expansion.

In related news, it's the Arizona Coyotes now.  Which makes sense because the team has been playing in an empty building in Glendale instead of Phoenix for several years.

There are just two outdoor games this season:  The Winter Classic in Washington, and another game in the new San Francisco 49ers stadium in Santa Clara.  Maybe the novelty has worn off?

Our choices for who will be in the playoffs come April 2015 are as follows:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:  Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings.

WESTERN CONFERENCE;  Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild.