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Date/Time/TV Bowl Site Matchup Saturday Dec. 19 2 :30 pm ET ESPN New Mexico Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Albuquerque, NM University Stadium Wyoming vs. Fresno State Saturday Dec. 19 8:00 pm ET ESPN St. Petersburg Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks St. Petersburg, FL Tropicana Field Rutgers vs. Central Florida Sunday Dec. 20 8:00 pm ET ESPN R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome Southern Miss vs. Middle Tenn St Tuesday Dec. 22 8:00 pm ET ESPN MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium BYU vs. Oregon State Wednesday Dec. 23 8:00 pm ET ESPN San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Utah vs. Cal Thursday Dec. 24 8:00 pm ET ESPN Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Honolulu, HI Aloha Stadium SMU vs. Nevada Saturday Dec. 26 4:30 pm ET ESPN Meineke Car Care Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium North Carolina vs. Pitt Saturday Dec. 26 5 :00 pm ET ESPN Little Caesars Pizza Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Detroit, MI Ford Field Ohio U vs. Marshall Saturday Dec. 26 8:00 pm ET ESPN Emerald Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Francisco, CA AT&T Park Boston College vs. USC Sunday Dec. 27 8:15 pm ET ESPN Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Nashville, TN LP Field Clemson vs. Kentucky Monday Dec. 28 5:00 pm ET ESPN AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Shreveport, LA Independence Stadium Texas A&M vs. Georgia Tuesday Dec. 29 4:30 pm ET ESPN EagleBank Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Washington, DC RFK Stadium Temple vs. UCLA Tuesday Dec. 29 8:00 pm ET ESPN Champs Sports Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Miami vs. Wisconsin Wednesday Dec. 30 4:30 pm ET ESPN Roady's Humanitarian Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Boise, ID Bronco Stadium Bowling Green vs. Idaho Wednesday Dec. 30 8:00 pm ET ESPN Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium Nebraska vs. Arizona Thursday Dec. 31 2:00 pm ET NFL Network Texas Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Houston, TX Reliant Stadium Missouri vs. Navy Thursday Dec. 31 Time TBA ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Fort Worth, TX Amon G. Carter Stadium Air Force vs. Houston Thursday Dec. 31 12:00 pm ET CBS Brut Sun Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks El Paso, TX Sun Bowl Stadium Stanford vs. Oklahoma Thursday Dec. 31 5:30 pm ET NFL Network Insight Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium Minnesota vs. Iowa State Thursday Dec. 31 7:30 pm ET ESPN Chick-fil-A Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee Friday Jan. 1 11:00 am ET ESPN Outback Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium Auburn vs. Northwestern Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET CBS Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Municipal Stadium FSU vs. West Virginia Friday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ABC Capital One Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Penn State vs. LSU Friday Jan. 1 5:00 pm ET ABC Rose Bowl presented by Citi Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl Ohio State vs. Oregon Friday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET FOX Allstate Sugar Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks New Orleans, LA Superdome Florida vs. Cincinnati Saturday Jan. 2 12:00 pm ET ESPN2 International Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre South Florida vs. Northern Illinois Saturday Jan. 2 2 :00 pm ET ESPN PapaJohns.com Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Birmingham, AL Legion Field Connecticut vs. South Carolina Saturday Jan. 2 2:00 pm ET FOX AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Arlington, TX Cowboys Stadium Oklahoma State vs. Ole Miss Saturday Jan. 2 5:30 pm ET ESPN AutoZone Liberty Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Memphis, TN Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium East Carolina vs. Arkansas Saturday Jan. 2 9 :00 pm ET ESPN Valero Alamo Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks San Antonio, TX Alamodome Michigan State vs. Texas Tech Monday Jan. 4 8:00 pm ET FOX Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium TCU vs. Boise State Tuesday Jan. 5 8:00 pm ET FOX FedEx Orange Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Miami, FL Dolphin Stadium Georgia Tech vs. Iowa Wednesday Jan. 6 7 :00 pm ET ESPN GMAC Bowl Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Mobile, AL Ladd Peebles Stadium Troy vs. Central Michigan Thursday Jan. 7 8:00 pm ET ABC BCS National Championship Game Bowl Tickets Flights + Hotels Odds & Picks Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl Alabama vs. Texas

The 2009 college football season will be capped by exciting college football bowl games, including the 2009 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the 2009 Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona, the 2009 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana, the 2009 Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida and the 2009 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, CA.

The best college football teams from the major conferences, including the Big10 conference, Big 12 conference, Pac 10 conference, ACC conference, Big East conference, SEC conference, and Mountain West conference will face off in college football bowl games throughout December and into January.

If you're looking for updated matchups, odds, insights, betting lines and online wagering for the college football bowl games, please be sure to try BangTheBook.com.

Officials from both schools said Wednesday they are discussing the possibility of playing their state rival in a neutral-site game in Atlanta to kick off the 2011 season.

Georgia Tech, which is scheduled to host the Bulldogs that year under the normal home-and-home format, would not give up a game at Bobby Dodd Stadium, said athletic director Dan Radakovich.

Instead, the talks involve taking a one-year break in the schools' season-ending routine for the chance to face each other in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome.

The biggest sticking point could be the makeup of Georgia's 2011 schedule. If the Bulldogs have their season-ending home game with the Yellow Jackets shifted to the first game of the season, the team would finish their season with three straight road games.

Let me say this... I love the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic and the ACC-SEC matchups, but... I really don't like the idea of moving a rivalry game to a neutral field if the tradition is home-and-home. It would suck to move Clemson-South Carolina or Florida-Florida State to a neutral field, so... don't.

I also don't agree with taking regular matchups and moving them. I'd much rather see the game continue to pair matchups that we don't normally see, such as FSU-Georgia, Clemson-Auburn, Florida-Virginia Tech, Alabama-Miami, Tennessee-North Carolina or other interesting possibilities.

Officials from the SEC have already confirmed their participation to The Birmingham News. Under the terms, the Gator will get "at least" the sixth pick of bowl-eligible SEC teams. The pick position could vary on a year-to-year basis, but more details would be announced once the Big 10 announces its bowl agreements next week.

The Gator Bowl is also in final talks to become part of a broadcast deal with ESPN, leaving CBS, in a move that could signal the end of the exclusive broadcast window that has been previously negotiated for the Capital One Bowl.

With the Cotton Bowl moving to January 2nd, the result of the Gator Bowl agreement means that all three non-BCS games on New Years Day will feature SEC vs Big 10 matchups.

With the end of the ACC / Big East relationship in the Gator Bowl, the ACC and Big East have signed an agreement with the Champs Bowl which will essentially recreates the conferences past Gator relationship in Orlando.

Under the terms to begin with the 2010 season, the ACC will send its #3 selection to the Champs Bowl to face the Big East's #2 selection or Notre Dame. The Champs can select Notre Dame once over the four year agreement if the Irish have seven wins and are within two wins of the #2 Big East school.

With the Gator Bowl now aligned with SEC, the Independence Bowl finds itself as odd-man out in the SEC bowl mix after 15 years with the conference. Instead, the Independence Bowl will look to sign a new bowl matchup between the ACC and Mountain West.

Say what you will about the Tigers strength of schedule so far -- which has featured two impressive home wins against Louisiana Tech (W 37-13) and Mississippi State (W 49-24) -- but no one can dispute that Auburn is seriously moving the football.

In two games, the Tigers have 1,145 yards of total offense under new head coach Gene Chizick. Yes, you read that right - one thousand one hundred forty five... in two games.

Where's all that offense coming from?

Quite simply, the big boys in the trenches are getting it done. The Tigers have rushed for 691 yards in two games. At school long known for outstanding running backs, Auburn set a new rushing mark this week with two running backs going over 100 yards each for two consecutive weeks. Against SEC West division competition this past weekend, the Tigers AVERAGED 6.6 yards per rushing attempt. Are you kidding me? That's sick. That's vulgar. That's just nasty. This O-line is seriously pushing and clearly believe in this offensive system.

The defense? Not great, but pretty salty. The Tigers are getting it done - creating some turnovers and putting their offense in a position to win... even when the offense isn't needing a lot of help. I'm not certain you can measure this defense against LaTech and the Bulldogs just yet, but.... there could be something happening here.

But the question remains... how good is Auburn? The honest answer is nobody knows.

Auburn plays host to West Virginia this weekend in a nationally televised game for ESPN. While WVU represents another BCS test for the Tigers, the early lines have Auburn at nearly a touchdown favorite, with that number expected to trend up. After WVU, Auburn gets an over-matched MAC conference opponent Ball State at home. In other words, it's quite likely that the Plainsmen will finish September at 4-0.

And what will all that mean? Expect Auburn to get a big boost in the polls by the first of October and the hype machine to be in full effect. Pundits will begin repeating the observation that the Tigers miss Florida in the SEC East rotation this season... ramping up expectations that could place Auburn in the SEC championship game.

But the million (or in the SEC's case, multi-million) dollar question remains.... how good is Auburn?

119th meeting
Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, October 3, 59-51-8, Minnesota by 0.72

This storied rivalry, dating back to 1890, has been celebrated with two trophies, the slab of bacon and the current Paul Bunyan's Axe.

Minnesota's glory days are far in the past but Wisconsin has struggled of late. Wisconsin has been gaining on Minnesota and likely will have a better season again this year. The gap does not overcome the home field advantage in Sagarin's rankings, giving Minnesota a very slight edge.

118th meeting
Kansas at Missouri, November 28, 55-53-9 or 54-54-9, Missouri by 6.12

This rivalry dates back before the football game to an intense rift dating back to Civil War era disputes. The Border War started on Halloween in 1891. It is not even agreed who deserves the win in 1960. The controversy revolves around the fact that Kansas won 23-7 but was found to have used an ineligible player. The Big 8 officially declared a forfeit, which the NCAA was no part of. The Big 12 lists the series as 54-54-9.

Missouri has the slight edge in Sagarin's rankings and the home field. Both teams should be in the running for the Big 12 north and this game should be expected to have major implications for the Big 12 championship game.

116th game
Texas at Texas A&M, November 26th, 74-36-5, Texas by 15.22

Texas dominates the Lone Star Showdown in football in recent years, but Texas A&M holds their own in other sports and currently holds the crown.

Texas is a strong favorite this year despite being on the road.

Nebraska at. Kansas, November 14st, 89-23-3, Kansas by 3.78

Due to Nebraska's dominance this is not viewed as much of a rivalry.

Kansas has a slight edge in Sagarin's to start the season and a home field. If they can get a few wins at this low point in Nebraska history this old traditional game may begin to thaw.

114th games
North Carolina at Virginia, October 3rd, 57-52-4, Virginia by 5.27

The South's Oldest Rivalry started in 1892. North Carolina leads the series but Virginia has been dominant for the past 2 decades.

This game is expected to be close as North Carolina is beginning to restore some of their old glory. The home field and a slightly better ranking give Virginia the edge to close the gap further.

Miami(OH) vs. Cincinnati, October 3rd, 59-47-7, Cincinnati by 15.83

The victory bell is the oldest non conference rivalry in college football, with the first meeting in 1888. Miami (OH) has a deep and undervalued history, arguably better than Miami (FL)'s flash in the pan success in the late 80's and early 90's. Cincinnati has been the lead for recent history.

This is likely to continue as Cincinnati is strong road favorites to close the historic gap further.

113th game
Auburn at Georgia, November 14th, 53-51-8, Georgia by 9.13

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry has been played very closely since 1892, with breaks for the 2 world wars.

Georgia has a slightly better ranking and a home field for a moderate edge. This has a history of being meaningless in the outcome of this game.

Oregon vs. Oregon State, December 3rd, 56-46-10, Oregon by 4.89

Somehow the Ducks vs. the Beavers in the Civil War for the Platypus Trophy could make one suspect Oregon does not take football as seriously as other parts of the country.

Last year's game cost Oregon State a Rose Bowl berth and if either team can beat USC again this year this game might have Rose Bowl implications again this year. Oregon's home field and slight ranking advantage give them the edge to expand their lead.

112th game
Purdue vs. Indiana, November 21st, 69-36-6, Purdue by 12.25

In games played for the Old Oaken Bucket Purdue leads 55-26-3. No change is expected this year.

110th game
Navy vs. Army, December 12th, 53-49-7, Navy by 16.81

This rivalry that needs no other discussion will be played after the BCS bowl selections in 2009. Army is still looking to find a way to become significant in the commander in chiefs trophy again, and this should not change this year.

109th game
Utah vs. Utah State, September 3rd, 76-28-4, Utah by 30.40

This rivalry, first played in 1892, looked to be thawing a few years back as Utah State pulled of a couple of upsets. It has refroze to the point that it will not be played in 2010 and 2011, without much objection from the alumni of either school. With Utah favored by 9.56 points more than any other game on this list it is not hard to see why.

107th game
Clemson at South Carolina, November 28th, 65-37-4, South Carolina by 0.24

This rivalry is steeped in political state infighting as much as football tradition. Interestingly a player, Cary Cox, managed to become a team captain for both teams thanks to World War 2 politics. This is one of several premier SEC vs. ACC rivalries that end the regular season each year.

This game should be close, with South Carolina's home field making up for Clemsons slightly better ranking.

Kansas at Kansas State, November 7th, 65-36-5 or 64-37-5, Kansas by 3.76

Once again Kansas has a dispute involving a forfeit due to an ineligible player, this time in 1980. Kansas State is in troubled times but their home field should make the game interesting.

106th game
Michigan vs. Ohio State, November 21st, 57-42-6, Ohio State by 8.49

This game is one of the most legendary rivalries in college football. Usually Big 10 title implications are at play and often this game is for the conference title. Usually at least one team has an opportunity at the BCS national championship game, if not both (2006-almost.)

While Ohio State might be able to run with the potential champions, Michigan is not ready for the big time yet. Look for Ohio State to gain on the all time record in this one.

Mississippi at Mississippi State, November 28th, 60-39-6, Mississippi by 5.53

The Egg Bowl has the distinction of traditionally playing at a neutral field that is now inferior to the fields of both teams. Often both teams have been far from being in the running for the SEC title picture, so this game has been a major goal for both teams.

Ole' Miss is expected to be in the SEC chase this year and Mississippi State is not. Look for Mississippi to extend the lead in 2009, over the objections of many cow bells.

Texas A&M vs. Baylor, November 21st, 65-31-9, Texas A&M by 8.63

The Battle of the Brazos has the dubious distinction of a fatality attributed to a half time brawl in 1926. This lead to the schools ending competition in all sports for 4 years and in football until 1931.

I really don't know on this one. This should be a close game and might be for a bowl berth.

105 games
TCU vs. Baylor, Next game in 2010, 49-49-7, N/A

This series has been tied since 2007.

105th game
Tennessee at Kentucky, November 28th, 72-23-9, Tennessee by 1.01

This rivalry features domination by Tennessee in football, and the other team in another sport I can not bring myself to mention (As a Utah fan). An annual blood drive aimed to see which school can donate the most is the most competitive aspects of this rivalry.

Tennessee is in transition at head coach and is coming off one of their worst seasons in the history of the program. This should be a year for Kentucky to make some headway at evening the score.

104th game
Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas, October 17th, 58-40-5, Oklahoma by 1.67

The Red River Shootout has become one of the most anticipated annual games in college football. This game often decides the Big 12 South and the winner usually has a clear chance at the national championship game.

this year should be no exception, except the Big 12 south will not be as much of a given for the winner as they have previously experienced.

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, November 28th, 59-39-5, Georgia by 12.8

This game is another quality season ending SEC vs. ACC game with deep roots and Clean, Old-fashioned Hate. The Nats and U(sic)GA fans simply despise each other.

This game should be very high quality and has the potential to be for a BCS at large spot for at least one of these teams this year. It is certainly a strong contender for a top 25 games to watch.

Michigan at Michigan State, October 3rd, 69-29-5, Michigan State by 1.84

Apparently the Big 10 is a Paul Bunyan fan, with his axe awarded for Minnesota and Wisconsin and a trophy awarded here.

Michigan is still adjusting to their new coach and Michigan State is coming off a successful year with confidence and has the home field. I look for this lopsided battle to get one step closer to even.

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State, November 28th, 79-17-7, Oklahoma by 15.25

This rivalry (though in track and field) features a trophy that was retired, stolen, reclaimed and buried, found in an excavation and put on display.

Oklahoma State should be tougher than years past, but not enough to vault them over the Sooners.

Nebraska vs. Iowa State, October 24th, 85-16-2, Nebraska by 17.22

This game might be close only because Nebraska is not anything like the team they once were.

103 games
North Carolina vs. Wake Forest, Next meeting in 2010, 67-34-2, N/A

This game is one of the unfortunate casualties of the current ACC alignment in 2009.

103rd game
Illinois vs. Northwestern, November 14th, 52-45-5, Illinois by 2.77

This year will break in the Land of Lincoln Trophy for this contest, replacing the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk used since 1945. The home field gives Illinois the edge over a recently improved Northwestern team.

Stanford vs. California, November 21st, 50-42-10, California by 8.82

The Big Game was christened in 1900, a game that also tragically demonstrated that if you are watching the game from the roof of an industrial site that overlooks the stadium, make sure it is rated to hold the weight. The 1982 game featured a final kickoff with 5 laterals ending with a TD scored through the opposing teams band, which began marching onto the field a few seconds early.

California expects to make a bid for USC's PAC 20 crown and should extend their lead again. Please keep the bands off the field until the end of the game.

Minnesota at Iowa, November 21st, 59-41-2, Iowa by 12.7

The trophy for this game was formed in an attempt by the governors of Minnesota and Iowa attempting to diffuse hostilities caused by extremely rough treatment of a black Iowa running back by Minnesota in 1934. The live pig exchanged died a few years latter and was replaced with a bronze replica.

I am not sure I am biting into the Iowa hype. That said, Minnesota is far from their legendary tradition. Iowa should close the gap, but I suspect it will be closer than the line above.

NC State at Wake Forest, October 3rd, 61-35-6, Wake Forest by 9.05

If I were talking Basketball I'd be talking about something called "The Chair." I'm not, and their is not much to talk about.

Apparently NC State was once the dominant team. This has not recently been the case, though both could be a dark horse for the wide open ACC.

Nebraska at Missouri, October 8th, 63-36-3, Missouri by 6.76

This series started with a forfeit in 1892 because Missouri had a policy prohibiting playing a team that allowed black players. It was close until the mid 70's when Nebraska began to dominate.

Nebraska has fallen on hard times and Missouri has found a solid footing. Look for this series to begin to become relevant again, with Missouri closing the gap over the next few years.

LSU at Mississippi State, September 26th, 66-33-3, LSU by 17.53

Nothing new here. LSU wins again, and again.

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt, November 21st, 70-27-5, Tennessee by 9.04

Nothing like piling on a team when they are down. Tennessee will be playing down to Vanderbilt's level again in 2009.
Bowl game anyone? This game might put one team over the 6 wins needed.

102nd game
Washington vs. Oregon, October 24th, 58-38-5, Oregon by 14.60

This heated rivalry features one team lobbying with conference member, Montana, for the 1948 PCC Rose Bowl berth.

Will Washington win a game in 2009? Not this one.

Missouri vs. Iowa State, November 14th, 58-34-9, Missouri by 20.84

Apparently in 1959 it was possible to accidentally wire up the coaches boxes so that both sides could hear the other, and this was discovered to have been done for this game. The problem was fixed, but no one told the coaches. The Telephone Trophy commemorates this event.

Missouri looks to extend their lead again with little difficulty.

Pittsburgh at West Virginia, November 27th, 61-37-3, West Virginia by 10.70

The first ever radio college football broadcast covered this "Backyard Brawl" in 1921. Pittsburgh has lead this series since taking a 6-5-1 lead in 1910, though West Virginia has had the edge recently. Who can forget the 2007 game where Pittsburgh came out and beat West Virginia and the refs?

Both teams should be in the race for the wide open Big East title and this game will have implications in that race and its automatic BCS slot.

Washington vs. WSU, November 28th, 64-31-6, Washington by 3.89

Sorry. The fact that last year these teams combined to win a single game, the one they both played, is distracting me from the history of this rivalry.

It should be close this year for the same reasons.

101st game
CSU vs. Wyoming, November 27th, 55-40-5, CSU by 7.22

This is one of two games the mtn. has contractual guarantees to cover (Utah vs. BYU being the other), all other games may be selected by the MWC's other TV sponsors prior to selections by the mtn.

Both teams are rebuilding and experiencing recent coaching changes. Both are looking to becoming relevant in the top heavy MWC. This game could go either way and might be for a bowl berth.

100th game
New Mexico vs. New Mexico State, September 26th, 66-28-5, New Mexico by 18.82
.
This series was played 6 times prior to New Mexico gaining statehood in 1912, the first time in 1894. This rivalry is far more heated than the record would suggest.

New Mexico is in an upswing and should win the only series to be having its 100th meeting this season.

The contract between the Gator Bowl and the Big East is in its final season, and the new Big East commissioner expects changes.

"We want an exclusive deal," Marinatto said, "and we've remained firm. And if (a deal) is not going to be with the Gator Bowl, then it will be with someone else."

Gator Bowl President Rick Catlett called the Big East's position "disappointing" but made clear that the hybrid model is in the best interest of fans and the bowl game, for now.

The Gator Bowl, which picks the third in the ACC selection, has traditionally chosen first from the bowl-eligible pool of Big East teams, but the bowl is making it known that it would like a future agreement with the SEC.

"We have had a lot of conversations with the SEC," Catlett said. "It's a natural tie-in. We sit in their geographic footprint. We would very much like to be a part of the SEC's bowl picks. The problem is they've got some awfully good partners."

While the Gator Bowl would be a nice fit for the SEC, the current arrangement with ABC and the Capital One Bowl guarantees that no other SEC team will play in their early afternoon time slot (which is shared by the Gator Bowl) on New Year's Day. The Gator is not interested in moving its time slot, so a new arrangement would be required before the bowl could select an SEC team.

So is the Gator barking up the wrong tree? Maybe not. The Gator Bowl's gestures to the SEC come during the exact time that the Capital One Bowl is negotiating with ABC... who - by the way - just signed a huge deal with the SEC.

The Gator is hoping it's prime television slot and $2.5 million payout will prompt the SEC to work on its behalf, provided the bowl can pick within the first five slots of the conference.

In other words, stay tuned. This might get interesting.

But the Gator Bowl isn't putting all it's eggs in one basket. It has also held talks with the ACC, Big 10 and Big 12 conferences in hopes of reaching a long-term arrangement for the Jacksonville game.

The agreement - which runs roughly until Meyer's youngest, Nate, is finished with school - is a win-win for the coach and the Gators.

"I continue to be very thankful and appreciative for everything the University of Florida and the athletic program has done for me and my family," Meyer said in a statement. "Dr. [Bernie] Machen, Jeremy Foley and the community make this a special place, and I'm honored to be a part of it."

As a condition of the new agreement, Meyer will donate $1 million to the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program, which both he & basketball coach Billy Donovan are promoting to support first-generation, financially disadvantaged students.

The raise puts Meyer into lofty salary territory, as the highest paid coach in the SEC (for now, Saban is said to be renegotiating) and one of just a handful of coaches over the $4 million hurdle (Carroll and Weis are the others, reportedly, and Bob Stoops who earns over $6 million per year with loyalty incentives).

There's no arguing that Meyer is one of the finest coaches in the country. His track record, courtesy of the Miami Herald, speaks for itself.

Meyer is 44-9 at Florida and 14-3 against the Gators' traditional rivals: Tennessee (4-0), Georgia (3-1), Florida State (4-0), LSU (2-2) and Miami (1-0). Florida is 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game and 2-0 in BCS National Championship games.

"I believe that Urban Meyer is the best at what he does," UF president Bernie Machen said by e-mail. "He demands excellence of his players on the field and in the classroom. Not only did the University of Florida win a national championship in January, but all 13 seniors earned degrees and the 2008 football team tied an SEC league record with 37 players named to the SEC academic honor roll."

The lone apparent blemish to Meyer's tenure at Florida is a troublesome string of arrests by his players. Since taking over in 2005, Meyer has seen nearly 30 of his players arrested for a variety of misdemeanors and felonies. Several, including former Gators Ronnie Wilson and Jamar Hornsby and current player Dustin Doe, were arrested more than once.

Meyer's new agreement should help quell the brouhaha created when he called Notre Dame his "dream job" more than once last season. At a charity golf tournament last month, Meyer again said that he was "never" going to Notre Dame.

I stand by what I said last November and still believe that Notre Dame should dump Weis and bring a truck full of money to Meyer's doorstep, but... this deal makes it damn near impossible to lure Meyer away with just money. Urbie is probably the Gator head coach for many, many, many years to come.

Of course, this likely puts Skip Holtz squarely in the sights for the Irish. Sorry, ECU.

But the biggest winners in the wake of Meyer's extension are Alabama's Nick Saban and LSU's Les Miles.

Saban, who is reportedly negotiating a new agreement with Alabama, had a huge bargaining chip thrown into his lap. News of Meyer passing the Crimson Tide coach could vault Saban into the $4.2M/$4.3M range.

For his part, Miles could put himself in line for a huge payday as a condition of his contract with LSU. The coach of the Tigers has language in his agreement that guarantees that he will be the highest paid coach in the SEC by at least $1,000 if he wins the national championship. In other words, raise the crystal ball this year and that $3.76 million paycheck takes a nice fat bump - no extension required.

Steele's methodology differs from the NCAA's own strength of schedule calculation in that it factors changes to the team for 2009. For example, Steele takes into account a variety of factors including number of starters returning per team, whereas the NCAA just looks at each team's record from 2008 and projects it into this coming season. The difference? historically, is that Steele's projections tend to be more accurate at this point in the season.

Without further ado....

PHIL STEELE'S 2009 TOUGHEST SCHEDULE RANKINGS

1. South Carolina 2. Florida St 3. Oklahoma 4. Mississippi St 5. Minnesota 6. Arkansas 7. Georgia 8. Virginia Tech 9. Tennessee 10. Michigan St

...

115. Ball St
116. Florida Atlantic
117. Boise St
118. Army
119. Ohio
120. Kent St

A couple of trends jump off the page right away:

First and foremost, the top ten is stacked with SEC East teams. Three big factors are at play here.
- The SEC returns an great percentage of starters almost across the board. There are a few key holes to fill, but no team is remotely close to starting from scratch.
- The SEC East scheduling in 2009 brings strong divisional matchups this season.
- And last but in no way least, the Florida Gators are hugely rated by Steele this season and six of the top ten teams have games scheduled against UF.

Secondly, if you're Boise State, you not only have to win every game but you need to play some scoreboard pinball in order to make into a BCS game. The Broncos aren't getting any help from their schedule this season.

Third, the WAC & MWC have broken the glass ceiling on the BCS, but don't expect the MAC to join the party any time soon. Seven of the ten weakest schedules are from the MAC. Ouch.

Finally, and this might be the most important item to remember, Phil Steele's rankings have been a good predictor but they don't factor into the BCS in any way. The BCS has its own strength of schedule component within the computer indexes.

The new "SEC Network" moniker, is essentially the marketing name for the syndication deal that the SEC signed with ESPN last year, rather than it's own independent broadcast & production enterprise like the one created by the Big 10 in 2007.

Southeastern Conference football and basketball games not shown on ESPN networks will be available in more than 54 million homes on the SEC Network, the new name for the league's syndication deal with ESPN.

The SEC previously had syndication agreements with Raycom, which broadcast the syndicated games under the Raycom Sports moniker.

To wet your whistle, here's a few ideas:

Tennessee vs Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway
You can pretty much bank on 170,000+ fans piling into BIS for this game. The high banking in the stands would provide great lines of sight for nearly every seat. Don't even get me started about the tailgating.

Army vs Navy on the National Mall in Washington DC
The crowd would be obscenely large - a boon for the service academies - but the seating would be less than ideal. With satellite screens set up, you could easily attract 300,000+ fans for the game.

Texas vs Southern Cal at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City
Bringing two of the nation's landmark teams to Mexico City would be a boon to college football, in general. The stadium had "only" 103,000 in attendance the last time the NFL was in town, but the capacity would likely be closer to 115,000 without upteen million NFL cameras in the way.

Illinois vs Northwestern at Wrigley Field
The NCAA has outlawed the "offensive" 'Sweet Sioux Tomahawk' trophy, so the Illini & Wildcats are getting a new trophy in 2009, so why not feature the game in a legendary venue? It might be the only way you get me to an Illini game, after all.

Auburn vs Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway
Can you imagine a crowd of 165,000 at the Iron Bowl? Boom!

Florida vs Notre Dame at Wembley Stadium in London
You know that Florida fans would be up for a chance to finally beat the Irish and Notre Dame fans, well, they're everywhere. The Brits love coming to Florida... so I'm thinking 105,000 for this one.

Alright, guys... whatchya got?

The findings? Staggering.

Over the past three years, the eleven public schools of the SEC have averaged a combined spend of over $5 million dollars per year, with an average annual budget of nearly $500,000.

Three Year Average SEC Football Recruiting Expenses

Tennessee: $1,154,802 Auburn: $705,125 LSU: $662,772 Florida: $599,818 Georgia: $521,174 Arkansas: $499,578 Ole Miss: $410,608 Kentucky: $307,571 Miss. State: $286,467 Alabama: $285,649 S. Carolina: $273,909 Vanderbilt: N/A

Vanderbilt did not disclose expenses

These numbers must be taken with a grain of salt, of course. Recruiting budgets typically cover travel for both coaches & official visits for recruits, hotels, entertaining recruits on campus, complementary tickets and postage. They do not reflect coaches' salaries or capital expenses for facilities.

That said, there's no question that the arms race is heating up in the SEC.

The Vols number stands out just for the sheer size, but likely reflects the reality that UT recruits nationally and lacks a large in-state base. Of the 32 signed LOI's that Tennessee picked up in February 2007, only 11 signees were in-state commitments.

"That's their biggest cost, just the actual flight, particularly when you're talking about recruiting kids and bringing in kids from everywhere," said Brent Hubbs, a radio host who also runs Volquest.com, Tennessee's Rivals.com site.

The number that stands out to me is Auburn's, especially when you contrast the Tigers against Alabama. Not only are the Plainsmen averaging an additional $420K per year more than the Crimson Tide, but it's hard to argue that the payoff has outpaced 'Bama.

For example, in 2006 the Tigers had the #10 ranked class nationally while the Tide had the #11 class. In 2007, Auburn had the #7 class to Bama's #10 class. And - as the Saban spotlight grew - in 2008, Alabama had the Rivals #1 class while AU was relegated to #20.

So, why is the Alabama number so low (relatively speaking)? One of the biggest factors is it's Alabama's private plane operation.

"We very seldom charter a plane because that's very expensive," Moore said. "We try to use our plane. The plane that we fly now is very capable of going a long distance and coming back without refueling. And we have our own fuel. So we buy ourselves a lot cheaper than we would if we had to fuel up in Orlando or wherever."

While most teams have access to private aircraft - for example, Auburn has two planes - Alabama's model of limiting recruiting trips to a five-hour radius means that the coaches can travel roundtrip without refueling, allowing the team to utilize it's contract fuel and maintenance pricing.

With the new television contracts bringing in $15 million per team, per year, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see teams upgrading their private aircraft in an effort to (ultimately) reduce travel expenses - something of a new wings race in the SEC.

Top 10 Football Revenue Schools for 2007-2008

1. Texas $72.95 million
2. Georgia $67.05 million
3. Florida $66.1 million
4. Ohio State University $65.16 million
5. Notre Dame $59.77 million
6. Auburn $59.67 million
7. Michigan $57.46 million
8. Alabama $57.37 million
9. Penn State $53.76 million
10. Louisiana State University $52.68 million

For comparison sake, the Longhorns were also number one for football revenue in 2003... with "just" $47.55 million. Missing since the 2003 top ten? Tennessee. I'm also a little surprised that Oklahoma wasn't into the top ten.

So... who's making the most for all sports?

Texas was the overall top sports earner -- shock! -- with $120.28 million, followed by Ohio State with $117.95 million and Florida with $106.03 million. The biggest surprise in the top ten for all sports? Oklahoma State at #10 with $88.6 million.

Note to new Auburn coach Gene Chizik - you got screwed on the contract, dude. Just sayin.

Wait. The SEC, the premier conference in college football, is meeting 45 minutes from my home? What the heck, right? I got ideas, worse case nothing happens right? So after work I went to Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa. This was a time to wear my "Utah Utes perfect season" tee shirt if there ever was one.

I enjoyed a Yuengling Lager at Barefoots Beachside Bar and Grill and a Captain and Coke at Sandcastles Lounge. The SEC was in a meeting, something about their image. Rumor has it the Rose Bowl officials were there.

There was another conference going on also so I wasn't likely to be able to tell who from whom. Anyways, I ran out of drink before the SEC would finish their meetings and would need to drive home eventually, so I went to the outlet malls to sober up fully, as I know the roads between there and home are one continuous DUI trap. That and the view was better. Something about the gender ratio and the warm humid weather. I also enjoyed seeing people do a double take to see if they really just saw a Utah fan. I really need to get more Utah apparel.

No Utah apparel was available at the outlet stores but I do highly recommend Rocky Mountain Chocolate. Didn't get to advance my ideas any, but it was fun. Can't say I didn't try.

Ok, back on track.

Slive laid down the law about the recent public bickering amongst the football coaches. Apparently there is a place to have these discussions, and the media is not that place. Though no names where mentioned it was made clear who was under the gun. Shame on Kiffin, Spurrier and Meyers. Indeed some leaks prior to the meeting suggested a Kiffin rule might be made to handle this.

With the news of the AFCA deciding to conceal the final ballet starting after 2010, Mark Richt and Steve Spurrier both expressed surprise and disappointment at the decision. Though not present for this meeting, BCS commissioner John Swofford appears to feel likewise.

The MWC proposal was discussed. I get the feeling the SEC is sympathetic with the idea, but a plus one appears to be gaining some more support, with Nick Saban publicly jumping on board. So the SEC is inching closer to full support of a plus one.

Which may be why the Rose Bowl was there, as if to say we will take our conferences away if you do.

The Rose Bowl does have a point. USC is a championship caliber team that might compete with an SEC team if they ever actually played one, unlike the Big 10 teams that get decimated every bowl season by whichever SEC team they face.

If the highest paid (and presumably best) coach can't get Alabama's players and fans excited about playing in a bowl with the rich history of the Sugar Bowl, if USC fans contend that it would be better for them to get out of the Rose Bowl deal to actually play one of the top SEC teams in a bowl game rather than beat down another Big 10 team, isn't that the most compelling reason to advocate for a change to the current post season system?

[note: some hyperbole was used in reference to the recent Big 10 vs SEC bowl performance, but not much]

Some highlights:

- Ohio State "won" the annual spring game attendance battle. Although there is a growing tendency towards hyped & inflated numbers, there's little doubt that the Buckeyes had a huge turnout. The Ohio State University announced the crowd as 95,722.

- The SEC averaged 37,936 per game. TBN notes that is "more than 55 Division I-A schools averaged in 2008 regular-season attendance." Damn.

- Despite big numbers by tOSU and Penn State, the Big10 only managed second in average attendance (30,117), followed by the Big 12 (20,449), ACC (14,715), Big East (10,130) and Pac-10 (7,842).

- According to TBN, 26% of the BCS schools charged admission, up from 24% last year. In most cases the tickets were $10 or less, with many schools donating proceeds to charities or campus projects.

2009 ANNOUNCED SPRING GAME ATTENDANCE

1. Ohio State 95,722
2. Alabama 84,050
3. Nebraska 77,670
4. Penn State 76,500
5. Florida 65,000
6. Tennessee 51,488
7. Michigan 50,000
8. Auburn 45,381
9. Texas 44,000
10. Georgia 42,458
11. Virginia Tech 41,000
12. Florida State 36,000
13. Mississippi State 31,606
14. Notre Dame 31,104
15. LSU 30,532

A complete PDF of spring game attendance is online here.

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection hosted the hearings. Of the twenty-nine House members on the committee, three showed up to participate

The hearing leader, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.), introduced the key guest, BCS coordinator John Swofford, as the commissioner of the Athletic Coast Conference. Rep. Rush, I pretty sure it's the Atlantic Coast Conference, although they do play athletics, so I guess we'll give you partial credit, Congressman.

Craig Thompson was introduced as the commissioner of the West Mountain. Seriously? The West Mountain? Is Thompson the chief ski lift operator there or something? Could someone not point out to the leader of the BCS committee hearing that MWC is an acronym for the Mountain West Conference and not West Mountain?

None of the congressmen attending the hearing was aware that all eleven major conferences are members and financial benefactors of the BCS.

I mean... seriously... is this how our congressmen prepare for an on-the-record House hearing? I cringe to think what would happen if the discussion was the future of medicare. In the words of Britney Spears, "Ding dang, y'all!"

Rep Joe Barton (R-Tex.), an outspoken advocate for scapping the BCS in favor of a playoff format, demonstrated his grasp of playoff proposals by insisting that a March Madness style bracket format may be the solution for college football.

"You could have a playoff system with 64 teams, and use every bowl that's currently in there," Barton said Friday. "You could do that."

No you couldn't.

"We'd still be playing," Alamo Bowl CEO Derrick Fox quipped.

Congressman, if 64 teams are play in a single-elimination format... then it takes 63 total games to determine the winner. That's how it works.

Barton has proposed legislation that would forbid the BCS from awarding a "national championship" trophy. Within the bill, any organization would be barred from "the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice."

Let me see if I understand the implication: Since the BCS does not award a National Championship trophy... the BCS would continue unchanged. Yep. The American Football Coaches Association would still hand out the Coaches Trophy. The AP would still crown its own champion as well. In other words, Barton's legislation would permit the BCS to continue unchanged.

So... Barton's bill means nothing to the BCS... at all? Well, yeah. Congressman Barton told Swofford during the hearing that the BCS wouldn't be obligated to institute any change.

"You don't have to change it. Our bill doesn't say you have to change it."

(That said... I would still love for someone to start handing out the "Barton Cup".)

Later Barton -- who's bill was the entire basis for the hearings -- left the committee meeting to catch a flight home.

Now maybe it's just me, but when you introduce a bill to change the BCS... that you GO OUT OF YOUR WAY to explain will not change the BCS... and then you leave your own hearing to fly home... I'm going to have a hard time taking you seriously. Maybe it's just me.

Rep. Rush went on to ask the Athletic Conference and West Mountain conference commissioners if they believed the current BCS system was fair. Thompson stated that the current system was "grossly inequitable." Swofford said that the revenue distribution "represents the marketplace", which is really just a nice way of saying some BCS teams are drawing 70,000+... for their spring practice games. Blutarsky points out that Georgia drew 42,458... which would have ranked them 54th in attendance last season (pdf!), just ahead of... UTAH!

Was Thompson hoping for a federal bailout with the "grossly inequitable" comment? Seriously, man... some of your schools don't even offer ESPN on campus cable networks??

But Thompson got in his own polite comment when asked if he believed Congress should intervene in the BCS.

"The U.S. Congress represents fans and constituencies," Thompson said. "Our university presidents work with that same group of constituents."

In other words, they guy who is paying lobbyists to push for an eight-team playoff would kindly like Congress to mind its own business and stay out of college football.

Well said, Commissioner. Well said.

The full hearing is posted online at CSpan, but -- I'm warning you -- regardless of where you stand on this one, you're probably going to hate yourself for enduring this.