Dec. 12, 2003
Motor City Bowl
Fortunately, the BCS selections went the way we hoped (with Ohio State receiving an invitation to the Fiesta Bowl), and we have accepted an invitation to the Motor City Bowl. Although the BCS selections generated quite a bit of controversy and publicity (more about that later), this is great news for Northwestern and we are excited to represent the Big Ten in the Motor City Bowl.
I traveled to Detroit on Wednesday, Dec. 10 to attend a press conference to promote the bowl game. The press conference was held at the Ford Field and I had an opportunity to tour the new indoor stadium. I think our fans are going to love watching the game at Ford Field. It is really a spectacular facility and has all the amenities of modern stadiums (i.e., restaurants, shops, open concourses). As Ken Hoffman, executive director of the Motor City Bowl, noted in his comments at the press conference, you can build a pretty nice stadium for half a billion dollars. I have been to almost every stadium in the NFL, and Ford Field is the most impressive and fan-friendly stadium I have seen. So many of the new stadiums in the NFL have a sterile quality to them -- they are all the same and not inviting. Ford Field, though, has a very unique look and quaintness to it. It reminds me of the Baltimore Orioles' Camden Yard Stadium. Ford Field is right in the middle of downtown Detroit and is attached to the old Dayton and Hudson department store -- the seven-story store now houses administrative offices, shops, restaurants, meeting rooms and banquet space. Also, and most importantly, the seats in the stadium are well designed with great sight lines.
The representatives of the Motor City Bowl are extremely excited to have a Big Ten team in the game. This is the seventh Motor City Bowl, but we will be the first Big Ten team to play in the bowl. The Mid-American Conference has been associated with the bowl from the beginning, but initially the arrangement was that the MAC champion would play a Conference USA team. For the past two years, though, the Big Ten has agreed to send a team to the bowl. Last year, the Big Ten did not have enough bowl eligible teams to send a team to the Motor City Bowl because both Ohio State and Iowa played in BCS bowls (this year is the first time that the Big Ten has sent eight teams to bowls). Both Ken Hoffman and George Perles, CEO of the Bowl, are former Michigan State employees (Ken was sports information director while George was the head football coach and athletic director). They believe that having a Big Ten team in the bowl gives the bowl great credibility and should help increase attendance because there are so many Michigan and Michigan State fans in the area who follow Big Ten football closely. Last year's game (Boston College vs. Toledo) set a Motor City Bowl attendance record (45,600), and ticket sales this year are on a pace to break last year's record.
I encourage all of our fans to travel to Detroit for the game. You will love the experience of watching a game in Ford Field, and we need the support of our fans at the game. Bowling Green is located only an hour from Detroit and should bring many fans to the game. Moreover, they've had an exceptional season (10-3) and it is their first bowl appearance since 1992. They are an exciting team to watch, with one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Josh Harris. The last and only time we played Bowling Green was 2001 -- Bowling Green won 43-42 in an exciting, high-scoring game. Let's hope the Motor City Bowl is just as exciting, but with a different result. I hope that many of our fans decide to come to the game. You can purchase tickets on-line at NUsports.com. Also, Northwestern alumni can purchase a bowl ticket package through the Alumni Office. That package includes bus transportation, ticket and a pregame pep rally. You can find the link to that alumni package on our "Bowl Central" page on the web site.
BCS
The bowl season wouldn't be complete without some controversy involving the BCS. This year's controversy is over the two teams that were selected to play in the national championship game -- Oklahoma and LSU. Although Oklahoma has been the consensus number-one team in the polls for almost the entire year, they were beaten soundly (35-7) by Kansas State in the Big 12 Conference Championship game last Saturday. So, even though Oklahoma slipped to third in most polls and USC is first in most polls, the BCS rankings (which are based on computer rankings and polls) have LSU and Oklahoma as the top two teams in the country and they will play each other in the Sugar Bowl for the national championship. Many college fans are legitimately asking how a team can lose 35-7 in its conference championship game and play for the national championship, and how can a team be ranked number one in most polls and not play in the national championship game.
I think you will see some changes in the BCS in the future as a result of this year's situation. Look for the BCS to adopt a rule that states a team has to win its conference to play in the national championship game (this was also an issue a number of years ago when Nebraska played in the national championship game even though they didn't win the Big 12 championship). If adopted, this rule may cause some conferences to question whether it is wise to hold conference championship games, although these games generate a lot of revenue for the conferences. I also think it would make sense for the BCS to give more weight to games played later in the season than early season games. Right now, under the BCS formula, wins and losses at the end of the season count the same as wins and losses in the beginning of the year. True championship teams improve as the season progresses and play their best at the end of the season, and the BCS formula should be adjusted to reward teams for playing their best when the games count the most.
While this situation has generated a lot of controversy, this is not all bad for college football. Many more columnists and commentators are discussing college football now, and this is tremendous publicity for the bowls. The Rose Bowl, in particular, is a winner this year. First, they have a classic Big Ten-Pac 10 matchup in a game that many people are calling the true national championship game. Also, the increased media attention should help increase the television ratings for both the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.
Have a great Holiday Season. I hope to see you in Detroit.