William F. Yurasko

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Penn State bowl picture is uncertain

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wfyurasko

DAVID JONES – Michigan State win gives some clarity to Penn State’s bowl picture … but not much – Patriot-News
Penn State’s 42-14 win over Michigan State clinched a ten-win season, kept the Nittany Lions in the top 14 of the BCS standings and appeared to help their cause with the Orange Bowl representative in Spartan Stadium. Jones spent some time talking to him and several key points emerged. The Orange Bowl committee’s goals are, in no particular order:

  • Potential tourism and economic impact in south Florida.
  • Success of the candidate programs, not limited to just this year but historically. The programs’ national followings and how strong they are historically.
  • Potential ticket sales of the candidates. For the Orange Bowl, a sell-out is vital.
  • A compelling story about the team is also helpful.
  • Considerations of stakeholders – television (this year, that’s Fox). Fed-ex and other sponsors.
  • Appeal to the fanbases. Travel distance and accessibility from schools. How easy it is for fans to get to Miami.

Penn State fares very well by that criteria, though Iowa is not a slouch. On the television front in particular, Penn State fares very well. Sports Media Watch reported that “Penn St./Michigan St. topped both the SEC on CBS (2.6) and Notre Dame football on NBC (2.5) head-to-head” this Saturday. Also, I saw somewhere, but can’t find it again, that Penn State had much better ratings in the 2006 Orange Bowl than Iowa did in the 2003 Orange Bowl. Penn State should get full consideration from the Orange Bowl officials if they get a chance to pick a Big Ten team. Of course, if the Fiesta Bowl picks Iowa, which Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is apparently lobbying for (@scrappled, AKA RUTS), the Capital One Bowl will almost certainly invite the Nittany Lions. I’m not crazy about Delany doing that but in the end, I won’t begrudge Iowa for getting a BCS bid over Penn State because the Hawkeyes won it.

We won’t know anything until December 6 either way.

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©MMX William F. Yurasko