True. I'm not very familiar with the new selection process, since the addition of the actual championship game. Is this matchup a by-product of that?
Each one of the BCS bowls remain intact (Rose, Fiesta, Sugar, Orange) and mostly aligned with conferences. The BCS National Championship game is in addition to the normal BCS bowls, but the BCS NCG is on a rotating basis each year and is played in the same stadium as a BCS bowl. So, for example, Cinci/Va. Tech will still play in the Orange Bowl; this year, however, the BCS NCG will also be held in Miami. Just like last year UGA played in the Sugar Bowl in NO; LSU/OSU played in the BCS NCG, also held in the Superdome. Hope that didn't sound too confusing.
I wanted to see Bama v Penn State. Bama vs Utah is going to have too much red and much less tradition.
It would seem that more money could be made from bowls by matching two opponents that people would like to see play each other. It's almost as if there is no concept of that and they choose opponents by throwing darts at a map. Nobody wants to see Bama vs Utah, or an overrated Penn State vs USC. Texas vs OSU sounds good if we hadn't seen that one twice over the last few years. Just imagine how great a playoff would be this year. Could you imagine the excitement of Bama vs (Texas Tech, Texas, USC, and maybe even Oklahoma State).....Or Maybe a USC vs (any of those teams)
Houston vs. Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. You have to be kidding me? I have to pinch myself. I live in walking distance to that stadium in Fort Worth. I sure hope I can get a ticket!
Yeah, I get all that. I'm talking about the selection process outside the conference tie-ins. For instance, since 1971, the Sugar Bowl has matched 2 team currently in BCS conferences (mostly ACC/B10/Big East)...until last year. Now, for the second year in a row, the Sugar Bowl gets the shaft. Alabama vs. Utah? Hey, it may end up being an entertaining game, but it certainly isn't sexy.
The reason the matchups suck is because the bowls HAVE to choose from a certain set of teams. Utah had to get chosen by someone, but no one wanted to take them, so it went to the last one to choose, the Sugar.
that's kinda the point. the get the big one, so as a drawback, they also get the worst matchup of the other 4 games (the last picks). Hence Georgia vs. Hawaii in New Orleans last year.
