Monthly Archives: December 2007
Bowl Preview- Emerald Bowl, Maryland vs. Oregon State
San Francisco is the locale for the 6th Emerald Bowl. This year’s match-up features Maryland from the ACC and Oregon State from the PAC 10.
As is our practice, we look at this game through the local media outlets covering each team.
University of Maryland (6-6)
The Terrapins have the worst record while still being bowl eligible. Get the latest on the game from the UM Athletic Department website. The Maryland student newspaper, The Diamondback also has info on the game. You may also find some tidbits from campus radio station WMUC.
Maryland is located smack dab in the middle geographically between Baltimore and Washington DC. There is no daily paper dedicated to the Terps. Check out the Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, and Washington Times to see if they have anything on this game. You can also find information from the Baltimore Press Box website.
In terms of sports radio coverage, again check out Baltimore’s WJFK and DC’s WTEM, and ESPN’s local outlet. Game coverage can be found on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network.
Local television coverage of the Terps is possible from outlets in both Baltimore and DC.
Independent blogs on the Terrapins can be found at Fan House and through Noli’s Maryland Terrapins Blog. If you know of any others, share them in the comments.
Oregon State University (8-4)
The Beavers contended for the PAC 10 championship for much of the season and were rewarded by playing a bowl game on the west coast. Get the latest from the team here. While on campus check out The Daily Barometer (away for the semester break) or radio station KBVR.
Located in Corvallis, the team is covered by the Corvallis Gazette Times. They have this game completely covered in its sports section and in a special online page dedicated to the Beavers. Beat writer Cliff Kirkpatrick also has a blog uncovering behind the scenes news from the team. The Oregonian also has a blog dedicated to the Beavers.
Located between Eugene and Salem, OR, you may be able to find out more on the Beavers from sports radio station KSCR. On game day follow the action on the Beaver Radio Network.
Oregon television stations KMTR, KSLR, and KEZI have the game covered locally.
The Beavers have a great deal of independent bloggers following the team. Check out Building the Dam, Jason’s OSU Blog, the OSU Beaver Football Blog, Beaver Sports News, and Beaver Football Gameday.
All set? Good.
Did the NFL Network Give Up Too Much?
As you know by now, the NFL has made arrangements with CBS and NBC to simulcast this Saturday’s NFL Network game between the Patriots and the Giants. This is good news for football fans across the country who have been limited by the coverage of the NFL Network on local cable television outlets. But is it good news for the future of the NFL Network?
All season the NFL Network has promoted its product with the hope of gaining favor from cable television companies to place the channel on its expanded basic tier of programming. By and large the cable companies refused, citing the high subscriber fee the NFL Network mandated for carriage.
It looked like the NFL Network had an enormous chit in this battle with its exclusive coverage of this Saturday’s potentially history making game. If nothing else, the network would see added revenue from those who subscribed to the channel by paying extra to access it on the cable company’s sports-specific tier of programming. By agreeing to the simulcast, they lost any leverage they had over the cable companies.
Granted, if this game did not have the historical overtones it would not have been shared with the other two networks. If the battle between the NFL Network and the cable companies continues, what incentive would potential NFL Network subscribers have if such a history making event happens in the future? Why pay the money if there is a precedent established that these games could be simulcast again?
I had no problem with the NFL Network keeping its exclusivity for this game. People who really wanted to see the game would have had their options to do so…either by paying for the service, switching to satellite, or visiting their local watering hole to watch the game. (Talk about a negative impact…I’d hate to be a bar owner who now will lose business because of this move.)
People who have NFL Network say the service is valuable for more than just the games it telecasts. That may be so. Maybe this goodwill gesture will result in subscriptions next year. My gut reaction is no. But I have been wrong before.
Bowl Preview- Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Arizona State vs. Texas
Other than the bowls on New Year’s Day, the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl is one of the games that receives quite a bit of attention and has been the scene of some memorable match-ups.
This year’s game looks to be no different as Arizona State takes on Texas. Let’s get a look at both teams through their local media outlets.
Arizona State University (10-2)
The Sun Devils finished in a tie for the PAC 10 title but lost the tiebreaker to USC. Check out the latest on the team from it’s official web page. If you are stuck on campus, you can get information from The State Press student newspaper. KASC radio may also have some coverage of the game. In fact, they have a blog dedicated to the game.
Located in Tempe, Arizona State athletics get covered by the Arizona Republic. The newspaper will have coverage of the game in its sports section as well as online content dedicated to the Sun Devils. There are also blog entries from beat reporter Jeff Metcalfe.
Radio coverage of the game can be found on the Sun Devils Sports Network. You can find local sports talk about the Sun Devils at KTAR and KGME.
Local television coverage of the game can be found on KNXV, KPHO, KPNX (linked to the Arizona Republic), and KSAZ
Independent ASU sports blogs consist of Son of Sparky, AZ Sports Hub, and House of Heat. Did I miss any? If so, add them to the comments.
University of Texas (9-3)
The Longhorns had a down Big 12 year in 2007 but is still considered one of the elite programs in the country. Find out more on the team, from the team. The Daily Texan student newspaper is on semester break, so don’t expect much coverage of the game. UT has two campus radio stations KUT, and KVRX. I doubt either will be doing much with this game.
Located in the capital city of Austin, the Austin American-Statesman is the major metropolitan newspaper. The paper’s sports section features plenty of Longhorn content including blogs.
KVET, The Zone, should have ample Longhorn talk leading up to the game. Follow the game on the Longhorn Sports Network.
Local television has the game covered over at KEYE, KTBC, KVUE, and KXAN.
Burnt Orange Nation has the game covered in the blogsphere. Also check out Bevo Sports and the Eyes of Texas.
Hook ‘Em Horns! Spike ‘Em Devils! Get prepped for the game!
Bowl Preview- Motor City Bowl, Purdue vs. Central Michigan
The Motor City Bowl in Detroit presents a rarity in college football…a rematch between two teams that met during the regular season. Purdue looks to make it two for two when its takes on Central Michigan.
As with our other previews, what better way to get a handle on this game than by reading, listening, or watching what the media that cover these teams have to say…
Purdue University (7-5)
The Boilermakers had a losing Big Ten record in 2007 but hold the edge over Central Michigan by virtue of their 45-22 win during week three of the season. The University’s Athletic Department has all the news on the team from inside the locker room. If you are on campus, you can get all the news on the team through the Purdue student newspaper The Exponent. University radio station WBAA is a public station, and thus may not be talking too much about the game.
Purdue is located in West Lafayette, IN. The Journal and Courier is the city’s daily newspaper. The paper’s sports section has special online content devoted to the Boilermakers. Included in that content is a Purdue football blog.
According to Station Ratings.com, WASK is the sports radio station in Lafayette. I could not find a website for the station so I can’t confirm that it engages in any Boilermaker talk. You can try to find out more from Indianapolis’ sports station, WNDE. Game broadcasts are handled through WAZY.
Television in Lafayette is also scarce…but you can find out how it covers the game over at WLFI. The University is also close enough to Indianapolis so that there may be coverage over at WISH, WTHR, and WXIN.
In terms of independent Purdue sports blogs, YardBarker seems to have some good stuff. If you have more, share them in the comments.
Central Michigan University (8-5)
The Chippewas are celebrating their second straight MAC Championship. You can get the lowdown on the team at it’s website. On campus Chippewa fans can get coverage of the team from Central Michigan Life. They even have a special section devoted to the game. WCMU is the CMU radio station. It is an NPR affilaite with not much coverage of sports.
CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Its newspaper is called the Morning Sun. We hope there is comprehensive coverage of the Chippewas in the sports section. We say that because when we went to the site it failed to load.
Saginaw appears to be the largest media market close to Central Michigan. Even so there is no sports radio station in the region. Game broadcasts are handled through the Michigan Sports Radio Network.
Television coverage of the team also looks marginal at best. Saginaw does have WNEM, but that’s it.
All set? Good.
Bowl Preview- BCS Championship Game, LSU vs. Ohio State
OK, I know this game is still two weeks away. But if there is one game we needed to provide an early preview for, it’s this one. The BCS Championship Game between LSU and Ohio State is the culmination of the college football bowl season.
Let’s get a preview of the game though the local media covering both the Tigers and the Buckeyes.
Louisiana State University (11-2)
The Tigers have the good fortune of playing in the difficult SEC and gaining a berth in the Championship Game despite having two loses. The LSU Athletic Department website has plenty of coverage devoted to the game. Even though the University is on break, you may be able to find out more on the game from the LSU Reveille newspaper or campus radio station KLSU.
Being housed in Louisiana’s capital of Baton Rouge affords the Tigers extensive local media coverage. The newspaper of record is The Advocate. The paper provides comprehensive coverage of the Tigers in both its sports section and on a special LSU webpage.
You can bet that Baton Rouge’s two sports radio stations will have plenty to say about this contest. Find out how much by visiting WSKR and WBIR. The game broadcast can be heard state wide on the LSU Radio Network.
The local television market in Baton Rouge also has its pulse on this game. Check out updates at WBMG, WVLA, and WAFB.
The great thing about the really big collegiate programs is that they usually have many fan-generated blogs. LSU is no different. Find out what they’re saying at And the Valley Shook, Tiger Smack, and Fan Blogs. If there are others we should take a look at, please let us know through your comments.
Ohio State University (11-1)
The Big Ten Champs were at the top of the polls for most of the year and may come into this game a bit rusty after not playing a game since November 17th. Get the latest direct from the team from it’s web page. While on the OSU campus, get the scoop from The Lantern (complete with its own blog) and college radio station WOSU.
Like LSU, OSU resides in the Ohio capital of Columbus. Media coverage, therefore, is extensive. The Columbus Dispatch dominates within the capital region. It’s sports section is a must read when it comes to the Buckeyes. The paper has special sections dedicated to OSU sports in general, and the football program in particular.
Columbus sports radio leader WBNS has some heavyweights among its talkers who can provide considerable insight on the Buckeyes. Among them are former Buckeyes Chris Spielman and Kirk Herbstreit. Spend some time listening in, especially as we get closer to the game. The game broadcast can be heard on the stations who are part of the Ohio State Radio Network.
Follow the Buckeyes on local television on WBNS TV, WCMH, and WSYX.
The Buckeyes also have some of the best fan blogs on the web. Find out what we mean by visiting Buckeye Commentary, Around the Oval, The Buckeye Blog, Buckeye Banter, and Fan Blogs.
There you have it. Make a point to check in on any or all of these links as we get closer to the game. Then amaze your friends at how much you know about both teams!
