Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Three And Done. The New Norm?

Every year the number of underclassmen declaring for the NFL Draft increases. Is college football becoming less about playing intercollegiately and all about being a stepping stone to professional football? These guys are walking away from full scholarships at big-time universities, something most people wouldn't take for granted.

2013 Draft: 81
2012 Draft: 68
2011 Draft: 56

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Underclassmen Declaring For The 2013 NFL Draft

School Player Position
Alabama D.J. Fluker OT
Alabama Eddie Lacy RB
Alabama Dee Milliner CB
Arkansas Alvin Bailey OG
Arkansas Knile Davis RB
Auburn Corey Lemonier DE
California Keenan Allen WR
California Steve Williams CB
Clemson DeAndre Hopkins WR
Colorado David Bakhtiari OT
Eastern Washington Brandon Kaufman WR
Eastern Washington Kyle Padron QB
Florida Matt Elam S
Florida Sharrif Floyd DE
Florida Jelani Jenkins LB
Florida Jordan Reed TE
Florida Atlantic Duron Carter WR
Florida State Xavier Rhodes CB
Florida State Menelik Watson OT
Florida State Bjoern Werner DE
Georgia Kwame Geathers DT
Georgia Jarvis Jones LB
Georgia Alec Ogletree LB
Hawaii Mike Edwards CB
Illinois Akeem Spence DT
LSU Chris Faulk OT
LSU Michael Ford RB
LSU Bennie Logan DT
LSU Tyrann Mathieu CB
LSU Barkevious Mingo DE
LSU Kevin Minter LB
LSU Sam Montgomery DE
LSU Eric Reid S
LSU Tharold Simon CB
LSU Spencer Ware RB
LSU Brad Wing P
Michigan State Le'Veon Bell RB
Michigan State William Gholston DE
Michigan State Dion Sims TE
Middle Tennessee Jajuan Harley S
Missouri Sheldon Richardson DT
Nevada Stefphon Jefferson RB
North Carolina Giovani Bernard RB
North Carolina State David Amerson CB
Notre Dame Tyler Eifert TE
Notre Dame Cierre Wood RB
Ohio State Johnathan Hankins DT
Oklahoma Tony Jefferson S
Oklahoma Kenny Stills WR
Oklahoma Tom Wort LB
Oklahoma State Joseph Randle RB
Purdue Dwayne Beckford LB
Rutgers Jawan Jamison RB
Rutgers Logan Ryan CB
San Diego State Gavin Escobar TE
South Carolina Marcus Lattimore RB
South Carolina Ace Sanders WR
Southern California Nickell Robey CB
Southern California Robert Woods WR
Stanford Terrence Brown CB
Stanford Zach Ertz TE
Stanford Levine Toilolo TE
Syracuse Justin Pugh OT
Tennessee Tyler Bray QB
Tennessee Justin Hunter WR
Tennessee Cordarrelle Patterson WR
Tennessee Darrington Sentimore DE
Tennessee State Trabis Ward RB
Tennessee Tech Da'Rick Rogers WR
Texas Brandon Moore DT
Texas A&M Luke Joeckel OT
Texas A&M Damontre Moore DE
Texas Christian Josh Boyce WR
Texas Christian Stansly Maponga DE
UCF Jose Jose DT
UNLV Bradley Randle RB
Utah Joe Kruger DE
Valdosta State Greg Reid CB
West Virginia Stedman Bailey WR
Washington State Marquess Wilson WR
Wisconsin Travis Frederick C

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Bowl System Is In Decline

2010-2011:
2011-2012:
2012-2013:
The above shows over the past three bowl seasons, the number of full stadiums has declined and the total number of fans showing up to bowl games has declined.

Monday, January 7, 2013

2012-2013 Bowl Attendance Figures

Date Bowl Attendance Capacity Percentage Score
15-Dec-12 Gildan New Mexico Bowl 24,610 39,224 62.74% Arizona 49, Nevada 48
15-Dec-12 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 29,243 37,000 79.04% Utah State 41, Toledo 15
20-Dec-12 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl 35,442 70,561 50.23% BYU 23, San Diego State 6
21-Dec-12 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg 21,759 28,453 76.47% Central Florida 38, Ball State 17
22-Dec-12 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl 48,828 73,208 66.70% UL-Lafayette 43, East Carolina 34
22-Dec-12 Maaco Bowl Las Vegas 33,217 36,800 90.26% Boise State 28, Washington 26
24-Dec-12 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl 30,024 50,000 60.05% SMU 43, Fresno State 10
26-Dec-12 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl 23,310 65,000 35.86% Central Michigan 24, WKU 21
27-Dec-12 Military Bowl 17,835 45,423 39.26% San Jose State 29, Bowling Green 20
27-Dec-12 Belk Bowl 48,128 73,778 65.23% Cincinnati 48, Duke 34
27-Dec-12 Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl 55,507 70,561 78.67% Baylor 49, UCLA 26
28-Dec-12 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl 41,853 53,000 78.97% Ohio 45, UL-Monroe 14
28-Dec-12 Russell Athletic Bowl 48,127 65,438 73.55% Virginia Tech 13, Rutgers 10 (OT)
28-Dec-12 Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl 50,386 71,054 70.91% Texas Tech 34, Minnesota 31
29-Dec-12 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl 40,754 45,000 90.56% Rice 33, Air Force 14
29-Dec-12 New Era Pinstripe Bowl 39,098 52,328 74.72% Syracuse 38, West Virginia 14
29-Dec-12 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl 34,172 40,184 85.04% Arizona State 62, Navy 28
29-Dec-12 Valero Alamo Bowl 65,277 65,000 100.43% Texas 31, Oregon State 27
29-Dec-12 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 44,617 71,706 62.22% Michigan State 17, TCU 16
31-Dec-12 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl 55,801 69,143 80.70% Vanderbilt 38, North Carolina State 24
31-Dec-12 Hyundai Sun Bowl 47,922 51,500 93.05% Georgia Tech 21, USC 7
31-Dec-12 AutoZone Liberty Bowl 53,687 61,008 88.00% Tulsa 31, Iowa State 17
31-Dec-12 Chick-fil-A Bowl 68,027 71,228 95.51% Clemson 25, LSU 24
01-Jan-13 Heart of Dallas Bowl 48,313 92,100 52.46% Oklahoma State 58, Purdue 14
01-Jan-13 Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl 48,612 77,510 62.72% Northwestern 34, Mississippi State 20
01-Jan-13 Capital One Bowl 59,712 65,438 91.25% Georgia 45, Nebraska 31
01-Jan-13 Outback Bowl 54,527 65,908 82.73% South Carolina 33, Michigan 28
01-Jan-13 Rose Bowl 93,359 91,136 102.44% Stanford 20, Wisconsin 14
01-Jan-13 Discover Orange Bowl 72,073 75,540 95.41% Florida State 31, Northern Illinois 10
02-Jan-13 Allstate Sugar Bowl 54,178 73,208 74.01% Louisville 33, Florida 23
03-Jan-13 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 70,242 63,400 110.79% Oregon 35, Kansas State 17
04-Jan-13 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic 87,025 80,000 108.78% Texas A&M 41, Oklahoma 13
05-Jan-13 BBVA Compass Bowl 59,135 71,594 82.60% Mississippi 38, Pittsburgh 17
06-Jan-13 GoDaddy.com Bowl 37,913 40,646 93.28% Arkansas State 17, Kent State 13
07-Jan-13 BCS National Championship Game 80,120 75,540 106.06% Alabama 42, Notre Dame 14

These are the official announced attendance numbers reported by the bowls to the media. Keep in mind many bowls report attendance as tickets sold rather than turnstile numbers. Here is a quintessential example: The 2009 Orange Bowl between Virginia Tech and Cincinnati reported attendance as 73,602, yet the turnstiles only reported 57,821 people coming through the gates. Apparently 15,781 tickets were bought and not used.

More:
2012-2013 Bowl Ticket Allotments
2011-2012 Bowl Attendance Figures
2010-2011 Bowl Attendance Figures

Saturday, January 5, 2013

2013 Discover BCS National Championship Preview

Date: January 7, 2013 8:00 PM ET
Stadium: Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida
Payout: $18,000,000 per team
Played: 2007-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Brent Musburger, Kirk Herbstreit
Sideline Reporter: Heather Cox, Tom Rinaldi

Alabama: The Crimson Tide finished the season 2nd in scoring defense (10.7 points per game), 1st in rush defense (79.8 yards per game), and 6th in pass defense (166.2 yards per game). The Tide are offensively superior to the Irish, scoring 38.5 points per game while their opponent averages 26.8 points per game. The Crimson Tide are looking to win their third BCS National Championship in the last four seasons.

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are gunning for the school's first national championship since 1988. Notre Dame's defense allowed just 10.3 points per game, the fewest in the nation, led by arguably the best front seven in the country. In its four victories over four ranked opponents, Notre Dame has surrendered just 35 total points.

Alabama Notre Dame
Overall Record 12-1 Overall Record 12-0
Conference Record 7-1 Conference Record N/A
Bowl Record 34-22-3 Bowl Record 15-16
Last Bowl Win 2012 BCS Championship Last Bowl Win 2010 Sun

All Time Series: 5-1 Notre Dame
Line: Alabama by 9.5

Friday, January 4, 2013

2013 GoDaddy.com Bowl Preview

Date: January 6, 2013 9:00 PM ET
Stadium: Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
Payout: $750,000 per team
Played: 1999-present
Former Names: Mobile Alabama Bowl (1999-2000), GMAC Bowl (2001-2010)
Broadcasters: Mark Jones, Brock Huard
Sideline Reporter: Jessica Mendoza

Kent State: After a 11-1 season and a 8-0 regular season in the MAC, a double overtime loss to Northern Illinois in the MAC title game kept Kent State out of a BCS bowl. Kent State's backfield tandem of Dri Archer and Trayion Durham accounted for 2,600 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, while the Golden Flashes' defense was second in the FBS in interceptions. The Golden Flashes are in unfamiliar territory as they play in their first bowl game in 40 years.

Arkansas State: Winning is costly for Sun Belt champion Arkansas State. In 2011, the program won 10 games and head coach Hugh Freeze departed after just one season on the job. This year the program won 9 wins and it lost another first-year coach, Gus Malzahn. The Red Wolves started the season 2-3, before winning their last 7 games. Arkansas State has the nation's 17th-ranked offense. The Red Wolves lost the GoDaddy.com bowl last season to Northern Illinois.

Kent State Arkansas State
Overall Record 11-2 Overall Record 9-3
Conference Record 8-0 Conference Record 7-1
Bowl Record 0-1 Bowl Record 0-2
Last Bowl Win N/A Last Bowl Win N/A

All Time Series: 0-0
Line: Arkansas State by 3.5


Thursday, January 3, 2013

2013 BBVA Compass Bowl Preview

Date: January 5, 2013 1:00 PM ET
Stadium: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
Payout: $1,000,025 SEC, $900,000 Big East
Played: 2006-present
Former Names: PapaJohns.com Bowl (2006-2010)
Broadcasters: Eamon McAnaney, David Diaz-Infante
Sideline Reporter: Paul Carcaterra

Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh lost to a Notre Dame team that will be playing in the National Championship 29-26 after 3 overtimes on November 3. Senior running back Ray Graham rushed for 1,042 yards, while senior quarterback Tino Sunseri passed for 3,103 yards. Pittsburgh has a formidable defense that allows only 19.7 points per game. The Panthers will play in the BBVA Compass Bowl for the third straight year.

Mississippi: The Rebels make their first bowl appearance since the 2009 season. Ole Miss has won 8 of its last 9 bowl games and has a .636 winning percentage in the postseason all-time. The Rebels became bowl-eligible only after their final game, a 41-24 victory over in-state rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss fans should dominate the crowd with Legion Field being only a three hour drive from Oxford.

Pittsburgh Mississippi
Overall Record 6-6 Overall Record 6-6
Conference Record 3-4 Conference Record 3-5
Bowl Record 12-16 Bowl Record 21-12
Last Bowl Win 2011 BBVA Compass Last Bowl Win 2010 Cotton

All Time Series: 0-0
Line: Mississippi by 3.5

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2013 At&T Cotton Bowl Classic Preview

Date: January 4, 2013 8:00 PM ET
Stadium: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Payout: $3,625,000 per team
Played: 1937-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Gus Johnson, Charles Davis
Sideline Reporter: Julie Alexandria, Petros Papadakis

Texas A&M: The Aggies went 6-2 in their first season as a member of the SEC. Texas A&M was the only team to hand Alabama a loss in 2012. Quarterback Johnny Manziel netted 4,600 yards of total offense and became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman Trophy. The Aggies average 552.3 yards of offense per game. The Aggies have gone 0-6 in their last 6 Cotton Bowl appearances.

Oklahoma: The Sooners' only two losses came from Kansas State and Notre Dame, two teams who combined for a record of 23-1. Senior quarterback Landry Jones has now accumulated 16,368 passing yards and 125 touchdowns in his four years in Norman. Oklahoma has beaten Texas A&M in 8 of their last 9 meetings. The Sooners are making their 14th consecutive bowl appearance as they look to get a win over a Big 12 defector.

Texas A&M Oklahoma
Overall Record 10-2 Overall Record 10-2
Conference Record 6-2 Conference Record 8-1
Bowl Record 14-19 Bowl Record 27-17-1
Last Bowl Win 2011 Meineke Car Care Last Bowl Win 2011 Insight

All Time Series: 19-10 Oklahoma
Line: Texas A&M by 3

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2013 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Preview

Date: January 3, 2013 8:30 PM ET
Stadium: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Payout: $17,000,000 per team
Played: 1971-present
Former Names: N/A
Broadcasters: Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge
Sideline Reporter: Holly Rowe

Oregon: The nation's leader in scoring margin, Oregon scored 50.8 points per game while giving up just 22 points per game. Oregon's offense primarily stuck to the ground, where three running backs and a quarterback combined for 3,445 yards and 40 scores. The Ducks are playing in their fourth consecutive BCS bowl game.   

Kansas State: A 52-24 loss to Baylor late in the season shattered the Wildcats' dream of a national championship.Quarterback Collin Klein has rushed for 22 touchdowns and thrown 15 more this season. Klein has scored at least once every game the last two years. Bill Snyder's team looks to get its first bowl win since the 2002 Holiday Bowl, losing their past 4 bowl appearances.

Oregon Kansas State
Overall Record 11-1 Overall Record 11-1
Conference Record 8-1 Conference Record 8-1
Bowl Record 10-15 Bowl Record 6-9
Last Bowl Win 2012 Rose Last Bowl Win 2002 Holiday

All Time Series: 0-0
Line: Oregon by 8