Keeping The Sugar Bowl Sweet While some fans are still torn on the subject of whether the five suspended starters should play or sit in the Sugar Bowl, one person who definitely thinks they should play is Paul Hoolahan. Knowing television ratings would go down the tubes and attendance potentially effected, Hoolahan, the CEO of the Sugar Bowl, lobbied for Terrelle Pryor & Co. to play on January 4th on behalf of Ohio State. Clearly four offensive starters sitting would have a huge effect on the attention from casual fans to the game, and Hoolahan was not going to let the money machine stop churning this bowl season. I wonder why everyone thinks the NCAA made their decision about money.
Sticking To A Budget Staying on the topic of money, The Ohio State University is trying to save some during this bowl trip to New Orleans. Often times many schools lose money on bowl trips despite lofty payouts, but Gene Smith and the athletic department are trying to make a little coin in being a bit more conservative in New Orleans this year. Instead of sending the entire team on a chartered jet, some players made their way to New Orleans on their own, flying regular old coach. I actually had a friend who sat behind Pryor, Adams, and Whiting yesterday morning on the plane and when I asked about fans' reactions of the three of them sitting together, I was surprised to hear that pretty much everyone was positive towards them and many went up to their row and asked for autographs throughout the flight. Hopefully that remains the case in New Orleans so that these guys can get back to focusing on football. I fear Hog Nation won't be as nice, unfortunately.
Pig Sooie I myself didn't know much about Arkansas or their fan base before the Sugar Bowl match-up was set, but over the past few weeks, I've boned up. The Dispatch has a nice piece on everything you want to know about "Hog Heaven", so read up on who you're going to be trash talking with in the next week. Buckeye fans usually outnumber opposing fanbases in bowl games, but this game might be different. Local companies that sell bowl travel packages haven't seen great sales numbers thus far, while it appears Razorback fans are excited about the opportunity to see their team in the BCS. I still think at worst this will be a 40/60 crowd, but proximity and new excitement certainly favors Arkansas bringing more fans to New Orleans.
Down by the Bayou Team 11W will have plenty coming at you in the next week focusing on the Sugar Bowl, past BCS performances, a look back to an old classic in New Orleans, and more. In the meantime, check out Bucknuts' look at Ohio State's previous appearances in New Orleans. The Bucks have not faired well, as 1-3 isn't exactly a great track record, but hey, this is a new year and a new team, and at least it's better than 0-9. I guess I'll take 2-3 and 1-9 come January 5th.
Tater Tot Everyone loves a good laugh, and I enjoy providing one to you every Thursday morning. For this week's giggle, take a look at the interview Tate Forcier did with the Detroit Free Press. Forcier maintains he's staying at Michigan and that he would have already been gone by now if he wanted to bolt, but the family does have a history of moving on to greener pastures when things aren't going well.
Sully Mania Everyone is getting caught up in it, including ESPN. That's right, you read that sentence correctly. ESPN's Big Ten basketball preview is giving a lot of love to the Buckeyes as they head into their conference opener tomorrow against Indiana in Bloomington, and for good reason. The Bucks are burning hot at 13-0 to start the year and I could easily see them starting 19-0 before hitting the brunt of their Big Ten slate. I think losing games during the season and growing/learning from those experiences can only help a team come March, so expect a few of those occasions during conference play, but in the end the Bucks are certainly the team to beat in the Big Ten and possibly even the country.
