Game: The GMAC Bowl
Teams: Ball State Cardinals (12-1) vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (10-3)
Location: Mobile, Alabama, Ladd-Peebles Stadium
Start Time: 8PM EST (ESPN)
Network and Announcers: Dave Pasch, Andre Ware
Favorite: Tulsa (-3)
AA's Pick: Ball State 45 - Tulsa 38

Ugh. I can't even believe I'm taking the time to post this, but anytime the words "rap" and "Bayless" are in a clip....I'm required by law to show it. Lil Wayne was on First Take today,

Oh snap! Weezy called him "Earnest"!!! Other than that....I have no comment. Good lord....what a way to end the day. I need a nap.

(You can check out a longer version at Drew Reports if you want to, but I have no idea why you would.)

Just wanted to send out a quick thanks to those of you that emailed me saying that you nominated Awful Announcing for a "2008 Weblog Award". The finalists were released today, and AA made the cut, but is up against some tough competition. The regulars are of course there, but there are also some up-and-comers that could end up winning as well. Here's your list of finalists....

- Awful Announcing
- BLOGF1
- Deadspin
- F1 Fanatic
- Kissing Suzy Kolber
- Hugging Harold Reynolds
- With Leather
- The LoHud Yankee Blog
- The Big Lead
- Soccer By Ives
- Beyond The Boxscore
- Rumors and Rants
- Metsgrrl
- Cozybeehive

Here's the link for you to vote, and no....this isn't a plea for more votes. Everyone already knows that KSK is going to win for like the 40th time in a row. I just don't want to be last! I kid. Anyway, get out there and vote for your favorite, and be sure to poke around the other categories as well.

Best Sports Blog (2008 Weblog Awards)

According to Sports Business Daily's John Ourand, ESPN has scheduled the first game at the Cowboys' Stadium in 2009, and it will feature a pretty interesting matchup. BCS Championship contender Oklahoma will travel due South to Arlington, TX, where they'll meet up with Mountain West powerhouse BYU....

ESPN will televise the first college football game from the new Cowboys stadium September 5, when Oklahoma plays BYU. The game will be part of ESPN Kickoff Week presented by Gillette. ESPN has not decided yet whether to telecast the game on ESPN or ABC. The game will kick off a five-year deal that will see ESPN or ABC telecast a Labor Day weekend game from the new stadium. "We are delighted to present this compelling game and impressive new venue to a national audience, and look forward to working with Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys in future years to build a new tradition in college football," said ESPN/ABC Sports President George Bodenheimer.

That's a great game, and probably the best venue to hold it in. At least since it's not a Cowboys' game, we won't be beat over the head with Jerry Jones interviews and mentions. Although, I don't see how they won't have something with him at some point or another.

ESPN To Televise Oklahoma-BYU From New Cowboys Stadium In September (Sports Business Daily)

At the beginning of the season, I thought it was a lock that CBS was going to take the NFL "TV Partners Cup" this season, but because of the Brady injury and a "fading Favre", FOX once again won the ratings battle for the year. It was a close race though. I've sifted through the numbers, via SBJ, and here's how they networks came out in the end....

The NFC's channel averaged a little over 17 Million viewers for the year, with NBC clocking in at 16.6, and CBS hitting exactly a 16.2. The interesting thing with the numbers though is that, when compared to the 2007 totals, the only network that did better was NBC. CBS was hit the hardest by being down 2.1, and while FOX was down slightly from last year, NBC actually gained 4.2% in viewers and 2% in the final average rating.

As far as Pregame Shows go, FOX won the overall award with CBS only trailing slightly, as both networks showed gains over 2007. ESPN's Countdowns were the only pregame shows that brought brought in losses (Monday: -4.8%, Sunday: -4.5%), and in its first year, NFL-N's "NFL GameDay Morning" averaged a rather paltry 270,000 viewers.

Other notable numbers:

- Cowboys played in six of the top games on FOX and CBS.
- Steelers played in five.
- ESPN averaged an 8.9 cable rating for its third season of Monday Night Football (up 3.5%).
- The NFL Network averaged a 6.2 cable rating (down 12.7%).
- "The OT" on FOX beat out "Football Night In America" on NBC by an average rating of 6.9 to 4.0.

It seemed pretty cut and dry that Falcons' Coach, Mike Smith would win the 2008 Coach of the Year award, but that wasn't the case for one Robert Quinlan "Bob" Costas. See Costas' vote went to someone who's team didn't even make the Playoffs. In fact, it went to someone who's team did five games worse than they did last season. Yep, Costas voted for Bill Belichick, and here's his reasoning. Via The Boston Globe....

“I didn’t think he would win, but I thought he deserved a nod for what might have been the best, or certainly one of the best coaching jobs of his career,” Costas said. “He loses [Tom] Brady, and it’s not just losing Brady, but also that [Matt] Cassel basically never played. It’s not the same thing as losing Johnny Unitas and you have Earl Morrall. He brought the kid along."

“The winner is usually the guy whose team is the most surprising, and I wouldn’t argue against Smith, Sparano or [John] Harbaugh. You could make a good case for them, as well as others, like Jeff Fisher, Tony Dungy, John Fox and Tom Coughlin. I just thought Belichick did a phenomenal job, considering the emotional hangover that had to be there from coming so close to perfection [in 2007] and losing in such agonizing fashion, and then you lose Brady virtually from the opening kickoff of the first game. There is not just a strategic adjustment that has to be made, but you have to convince these guys not to say ‘to heck with it.’ There must be an incredible level of respect there for him to command that type of effort.”

I also think Belichick is an amazing coach (when he's not cheating...I kid), but to vote someone in for what he did with just one player makes absolutely zero sense. Especially when you consider the performances by the other candidates.

Oh and yes, in case you were wondering, Costas' was the only vote cast for the Patriots' Coach.

Vote for Belichick was cast by Bob Costas (Boston Globe)

(Usually) Everyday I'll throw out a photo, you provide the caption, and then hilarity ensues. I'm also adding a handful of links at the bottom of the page that you should check out each day.

Yesterday's Winners....


"What can I say? The Williams sisters just had our number today."- Steven

"Damn, I did go down like the little bellman said I would...but the San Diego weather was so SWEET!"- Nick

"You know, I should have pointed more often to certain players on the defense and called out more fake plays at the line of scrimmage with less than 2 minutes to go. That would have made the difference."- Anon

"I'm not feelin' kinda Sunday anymore"- Anon
_______________________________________

Are you funny enough to create a caption for this photo of Matthew McConaughey during the Fiesta Bowl last night? (I know this is about the fifteenth time we've used a Matty Mc photo, but they're so fun! Movie quote ban lifted for one day!!!)


Daily Links:

FYI- I took another spin on the "On The DL" carousel, and you should check it out....

BCS BS and NFL Playoffs with Brian Powell of Awful Announcing (On The DL)

A Guide To The New ESPN.com! (The Arena)
FOX Is Slowly Getting Worse At BCS Broadcasts (The Big Picture)
Who Would Win Between Milton Bradley And Milton Bradley? (Rumors and Rants)
A Collection Of The Worst Athlete Acting Performances (Real Clear Sports)
A Look At UM's Newest RB (Stiles Points)
Now This Is A Jersey "Skeleton In The Closet" (LOCG)
Man Tries To Get His Entire 1983 Fleer Set Autographed (Big League Stew)
Another Man Tries To Get Vinny Cerrato Fired (DC Sports Bog)

As always, there are a ton of TBDs, but I like to at least get the schedule up on Monday, so you all can check out which games are coming up each week. I'll update as the week goes on, and feel free to email me with any updates. Here is your schedule and as always, thanks to the work that The 506 puts in on these....

Monday, January 5th

Georgetown @ Notre Dame (ESPN, 7pm)- Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas
Wofford @ South Carolina (SportSouth, 7pm)- Dave Neal, Eddie Fogler (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Colorado @ Southern Methodist (FS Rocky Mountain, 7pm)- Drew Goodman, Ceal Berry
Stony Brook @ Binghampton (America East, 7pm)- Eric Frede, Frank Sullivan (Will Air on MSG+, ESPN Full Court)
Drexel @ James Madison (CSN Regional, 7pm)- Al Koken, Charlie Woollum (Will Air on CSN Mid-Atlantic, Philadelphia)
Florida Atlantic @ Miami (FS Florida, 7:30pm)- Frank Forte, Bill Koss
Chicago State @ Kansas State (FS Kansas City, 8pm)- Ben Boyle, Stan Weber (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
North Dakota @ Texas A&M (FS Southwest, 8pm)- Greg Lucas, Jim Haller
Western Kentucky @ Mississippi State (CSS, 8pm)- Jim Ellis, Shane Power (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Maryland-Eastern Shore @ Oklahoma (Sooner Sports, 8pm)- Bob Carpenter, Charlie Spoonhour (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Grambling @ Alabama State (ESPNU, 9pm)- Doug Greengard, Larry Conley
UNC-Wilmington @ Virginia Commonwealth (MASN, 9pm)- Sam Gore, Billy Lee
Louisiana Tech @ Hawaii (KFVE, Midnight)- Jim Leahey, Artie Wilson (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)

Tuesday, January 6th

Ohio State @ Michigan State (ESPN2, 7pm)- Dave O'Brien, Steve Lavin
Connecticut @ West Virginia (ESPNU, 7pm)- John Sanders, Bob Wenzel
Georgia @ Georgia Tech (FS South, 7pm)- Dave Neal, Larry Conley (Will Air on NESN, ESPN Full Court)
Longwood @ Florida (SUN, 7pm)- Whit Watson, Mark Wise (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Villanova @ Seton Hall (Big East Network, 7pm)- Dave Sims, Jim Spanarkel (Will Air on SNY, MASN, ESPN Full Court)
Siena @ Kansas (Jayhawk TV, 8pm)- Dave Armstrong, Greg Gurley (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Texas Christian @ Texas Tech (Texas Tech TV, 8pm)- John Harris, Andy Ellis (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Texas @ Arkansas (ESPN2, 9pm)- Brad Nessler, Jimmy Dykes
Purdue @ Penn State (BTN, 9pm)- Dave Revsine, Tim Doyle, Gene Keady
Alabama @ Clemson (FS South, 9pm)- Bob Rathbun, Dan Bonner (Will Air on NESN, SUN, ESPN Full Court)
Louisiana State @ Utah (MTN, 9pm)- James Bates, Dave Bollwinkel
Coppin State @ Missouri (Mizzou Sports, 9pm)- Dan McLaughlin, Jon Sundvold (Will Air on FS Midwest, ESPN Full Court)

Wednesday, January 7th

Michigan @ Indiana (BTN, 6:30pm)- Tom Hamilton, Shon Morris
Davidson @ Duke (ESPN, 7pm)- Mike Tirico, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy
Louisville @ South Florida (ESPN2, 7pm)- Dave Pasch, Len Elmore
Providence @ Cincinnati (ESPNU, 7pm)- Dan McLaughlin, Mike Kelley
Northeastern @ Georgia State (CSS, 7pm)- TBD
DePaul @ Syracuse (Big East Network, 7pm)- TBD (Will Air on SNY, ESPN Full Court)
William & Mary @ UNC-Wilmington (ESPN+, 7pm)- TBD (Will Air on MASN, ESPN Full Court)
Marquette @ Rutgers (Big East Network, 7:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on MSG+, TWC Sports 32, ESPN Full Court)
Morgan State @ Maryland (CSN Mid-Atlantic, 8pm)- TBD
Northwestern @ Wisconsin (BTN, 8:30pm)- Wayne Larrivee, Tim McCormick
Gonzaga @ Tennessee (ESPN2, 9pm)- Brad Nessler, Jay Bilas
Charleston @ North Carolina (FS South, 9pm)- TBD (Will Air on NESN)
Marshall @ Memphis (CSS, 9pm)- TBD

Thursday, January 8th

Minnesota @ Iowa (ESPN2, 7pm)- Bob Wischusen, Doug Gottlieb
Virginia Commonwealth @ Drexel (ESPNU, 7pm)- Scott Graham, Jay Williams
Western Kentucky @ Florida International (WKYU, 7pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Atlantic)
Saint Louis @ Xavier (CBS College Sports, 8pm)- TBD
Utah State @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN+, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on Altitude, CST, MASN, ESPN Full Court)
IUP-Fort Wayne @ Oral Roberts (KGEB, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Central, ESPN Full Court)
Oregon @ Arizona (OSN/FS Regional, 8:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSN Northwest, FS Arizona, Northwest, FCS Pacific)
Nevada @ New Mexico State (KAME, 9pm)- TBD (Will Air on Aggie Vision, CSN California, ESPN Full Court)
Oregon State @ Arizona State (FSN, 10:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Arizona, Detroit, Florida, Houston, Midwest, North, Northwest, Ohio, Pittsburgh (JIP), Prime Ticket (JIP), Rocky Mountain, South, Southwest (JIP), CSN Bay Area+, Mid-Atlantic, New England, MSG+, FCS Pacific)
Stanford @ Washington (CSN Bay Area, 10:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Central, FS Northwest)
Cal State Fullerton @ Cal Poly (ESPNU, 11pm)- Steve Physioc, Miles Simon

Friday, January 9th

Rider @ Siena (ESPNU, 7pm)- Doug Sherman, Rob Kennedy
Houston Baptist @ Ohio State (BTN, 7pm)- Tom Hamilton, Bill Hosket
Jacksonville @ Mercer (CSS, 7:30pm)- TBD
Wisconsin-Green Bay @ Wisconsin-Milwaukee (ESPNU, 9pm)- Dave Kaplan, Sedric Toney
Santa Clary @ St. Mary's (ESPNU, 11pm)- Steve Physioc, Krista Blunk

Saturday, January 10th

Louisville @ Villanova (ESPN, Noon)- Dave Pasch, Len Elmore
Hofstra @ Virginia Commonwealth (CSN Regional, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on CSN Mid-Atlantic, New England, Philadelphia, CSS, MSG+)
Tennessee @ Georgia (Raycom, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
North Carolina State @ Clemson (Raycom, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Georgia Tech @ Maryland (Raycom, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
West Virginia @ Marquette (Big East Network, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on CST, MASN, SNY, ESPN Full Court)
Providence @ Georgetown (ESPNU, 1pm)- Lou Canellis, Jack Armstrong
Texas Tech @ Baylor (Big XII Network, 1:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Oklahoma @ Kansas State (Big XII Network, 1:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on Altitude, YES, ESPN Full Court)
Kansas @ Michigan State (CBS, 2pm)- TBD
Duke @ Florida State (ESPN, 2pm)- Mike Patrick, Jay Bilas
Missouri @ Nebraska (ESPN, 2pm)- Terry Gannon, Stephen Bardo
Oregon @ Arizona State (FSN, 2pm)- Barry Tompkins, Dan Belluomini (Will Air on FS Arizona, Detroit, Florida, Midwest, North, Northwest, Ohio, Rocky Mountain, South, Southwest, West, CSN Bay Area, Chicago, MSG+, FCS Pacific)
Old Dominion @ George Mason (CSN Regional, 2pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSN Mid-Atlantic, New England, CSS)
Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (Raycom, 2pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Seton Hall @ Notre Dame (Big East Network, 2pm)- TBD (Will Air on MSG, MASN, FS Ohio, ESPN Full Court)
Rhode Island @ St. Joseph's (Cox-Rhode Island, 2pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSN Philadelphia)
Austin Peay @ Murray State (ESPNU, 3pm)- Dave Weekley, Mark Adams
East Carolina @ Marshall (CBS College Sports, 3pm)- TBD
Indiana @ Illinois (BTN, 3pm)- Dave Revsine, Jim Jackson
Brigham Young @ Colorado State (MTN, 3pm)- TBD
Towson @ Northeastern (CN8, 3pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSN New England)
Sam Houston State @ Stephen F. Austin (Southland TV, 3pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Utah @ San Diego State (Versus, 4pm)- TBD
Virginia @ Virginia Tech (ACC Network, 4pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS South, Florida, CSN Mid-Atlantic, NESN)
Oregon State @ Stanford (FS Regional, 4pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Arizona, Northwest, Prime Ticket, FCS Pacific)
Georgia Southern @ Charleston (CSS, 4pm)- TBD
Texas @ Iowa State (Big XII Network, 4pm)- TBD (Will Air on Altitude, YES, ESPN Full Court)
Connecticut @ Cincinnati (Big East Network, 4:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Ohio, MASN, SNY, WCTX, ESPN Full Court)
Bucknell @ Navy (ESPNU, 5pm)- Bob Socci, John Feinstein
Memphis @ Central Florida (CBS College Sports, 5pm)- TBD
Nevada-Las Vegas @ Texas Christian (MTN, 5:30pm)- TBD
Mississippi @ Florida (SEC TV, 6pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS South, SUN, ESPN Full Court)
California @ Washington (CSN California, 6pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Northwest, FCS Pacific)
Miami @ Boston College (ESPNU, 7pm)- Clay Matvick, Dickey Simpkins
Richmond @ George Washington (MASN, 7pm)- TBD
Syracuse @ Rutgers (Big East Network, 7:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on SNY, ESPN Full Court)
Mississippi State @ Arkansas (SEC TV, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS South, SUN, ESPN Full Court)
Portland @ Gonzaga (KHQ, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Northwest, Pittsburgh)
Missouri State @ Northern Iowa (Valley, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Midwest)
Arkansas-Little Rock @ New Orleans (Sun Belt TV, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSS, CST, ESPN Full Court)
Oakland @ Oral Roberts (KGEB, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Central)
Western Kentucky @ Florida Atlantic (WKYU, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Pacific)
Wright State @ Valparaiso (WYIN, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Texas A&M @ Oklahoma State (ESPNU, 9pm)- Brad Sham, Stephen Howard
Hawaii @ Boise State (KTVB 24/7, 9pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Utah State @ New Mexico State (Aggie Vision, 9pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Air Force @ New Mexico (MTN, 9:30pm)- TBD
Stanford @ Washington State (FS Northwest, 10pm)- TBD (Will Air on FCS Central)
Cal State-Fullerton @ UC-Santa Barbara (Prime Ticket, 10pm)- TBD
Long Beach State @ UC-Davis (CSN California, 10pm)- TBD
Loyola Marymount @ Pepperdine (ESPNU, 11pm)- Steve Physioc, Krista Blunk

Sunday, January 11th

Iowa @ Michigan (BTN, Noon)- Tom Hamilton, Greg Kelser
St. John's @ Pittsburgh (Big East Network, Noon)- TBD (Will Air on SNY, ESPN Full Court)
Xavier @ Fordham (FS Ohio, 1pm)- TBD
Wisconsin @ Purdue (CBS, 1:30pm)- TBD
Louisiana State @ Alabama (Raycom, 1:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on ESPN Full Court)
Temple @ LaSalle (CBS College Sports, 2pm)- TBD
Penn State @ Minnesota (BTN, 2pm)- Wayne Larrivee, Trent Tucker
Weber State @ Eastern Washington (Altitude, 4pm)- TBD (Will Air on CSN Northwest, ESPN Full Court)
San Diego @ Santa Clara (CSN California, 5pm)- TBD
Wichita State @ Drake (ESPNU, 7pm)- Dan McLaughlin, Mac McCausland
North Carolina @ Wake Forest (FSN, 8pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Arizona, Detroit, Florida, Midwest, North, Northwest, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Prime Ticket, Rocky Mountain, South, CSN Bay Area+, Mid-Atlantic, NESN, MSG, SUN, FCS Atlantic)
St. Mary's @ San Francisco (CSN California, 10pm)- TBD
UCLA @ USC (FSN, 10:30pm)- TBD (Will Air on FS Arizona, Detroit, Florida, Midwest, North, Northwest, Pittsburgh, Prime Ticket, Rocky Mountain, South, CSN Bay Area+, Chicago, Mid-Atlantic, New England, MSG+, FCS Pacific)