Pouring some out for our bowl game homies:

Since its inception as the San Francisco Bowl in 2002, the Redbox Bowl cycled through some wonderful sponsors—Diamond Walnuts, just...the color Emerald?...Kraft, and Foster Farms, before settling on Redbox in 2018. But when Levi’s Stadium couldn’t hold the Redbox Bowl any longer because the San Francisco 49ers terminated their involvement and a return to AT&T Oracle Park (home of the San Francisco Giants) fell through, the Redbox Bowl hung it up. Gone, but never forgotten.

So let’s remember these luminary Big Ten bowl games, OK?

• 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois def. UCLA, 2014—a game marked by neither team having a full-time head coach and that snapped the Illini’s 6-game losing streak
• 2014 Foster Farms Bowl: Stanford def. Maryland, 45-21—a game that no one remembers as actually being a Big Ten bowl game but that ostensibly happened.
• 2015 Foster Farms Bowl: Nebraska def. UCLA, 37-29—I honestly don’t remember the Huskers being in this bowl. Are we sure it happened?
• 2016 Foster Farms Bowl: Utah def. Indinia, 26-24—again: nope. No memory of this.
• 2017 Foster Farms Bowl: Purdue def. Arizona, 38-35—back when we thought Jeff Brohm was the hot new thing and was going to be poached by...Louisville or Tennessee or something, right? Back when Khalil Tate was the hot new thing at quarterback and was always going to dominate NCAA football? Man, those Boilers had some weapons in DJ Knox and Anthony Mahoungou.
• 2018 Redbox Bowl: Oregon def. Michigan State, 7-6—OH MY GOD. THAT WAS THIS GAME. THIS BOWL GAME WAS A WAR CRIME AND SHOULD BE BROUGHT UP FOR TRIAL.
• 2019 Redbox Bowl: Cal def. Illinois, 35-20—I don’t believe this game ever happened, and it’s appropriate that it goes out the way it game in, forgettable, but giving of so many great moments in college football history.

Other Defunct Bowl Games the Big Ten Competed In

For this, I am picking games that were not immediately followed by a new bowl game—there will be a discontinuity between the Redbox Bowl and whatever San Francisco Bowl is organized to take its place; the Quick Lane Bowl, while organized by the Detroit Lions rather than the car companies and unions who sponsored the Motor City-turned-Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, is functionally the same shitty bowl game it always was.

Long may it reign.

The Hall of Fame Classic/All-American Bowl (Birmingham, AL), 1977-90

• 1977: Maryland def. Minnesota, 17-7
• 1984: Kentucky def. #20 wisconsin, 20-19
• 1985: Georgia Tech def. Michigan State, 17-14
• 1986: Florida State def. Indinia, 27-13
• 1988: Florida def. Illinois, 14-10

Aloha Bowl (Honolulu, HI), 1982-2000

• 1982: #9 Washington def. #16 Maryland, 21-20
• 1983: Penn State def. Washington, 13-10
• 1989: #22 Michigan State def. #25 Hawaii, 33-13
• 1997: #21 Washington def. #25 Michigan State, 51-23

Bluebonnet Bowl (Houston, TX), 1959-1987

• 1976: #13 Nebraska def. #9 Texas Tech, 27-24
• 1979: #12 Purdue def. Tennessee, 27-22
• 1981: #16 Michigan def. #19 UCLA, 33-14

Cherry Bowl (Pontiac, MI), 1984-1985

• 1985: Maryland def. Syracuse, 35-18

Freedom Bowl (Anaheim, CA), 1985-1994

• 1984: Iowa def. #19 Texas, 55-17

Garden State Bowl (East Rutherford, NJ), 1978-81

I’ve written in the past on this web log about how the Garden State Bowl gave us Week 0 football games, but I love the Wiki description for why this bowl game died:

Freezing temperatures each year at the game, together with a lack of successful local college teams, contributed to its rapid demise.

• 1978: Arizona State def. Rutgers, 34-18
• 1981: Tennessee def. wisconsin, 28-21

Gotham Bowl (New York, NY), 1961-1962

The game was not a success financially: the two games that were played both lost money as few fans were willing to sit through the frigid December New York weather. Additionally, as it was essentially a charity game, it had little financial capital on which it could survive.

• 1962: Nebraska 36, Miami Fluoride 34

International Bowl (Toronto, ON), 2007-2010

• 2008: Rutgers def. Balls Tate, 52-30

The best bowl of them all.

Silicon Valley Bowl (San Jose, CA), 2000-2004

• 2001: Michigan State def. #20 Fresno State, 44-35

Truly some assy nominees, but I still give the Ass Award to the Redbox Bowl—the Garden State Bowl, though, is a close second.

Thursday Night

Don’t Watch This

{NFL} Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hosted by Ed Sheeran [7:20pm, NBC]

{CONMEBOL} Uruguay vs. Ecuador [5:30pm, fuboTV]
{CONMEBOL} Paraguay vs. Venezuela [5:30pm, fuboTV]
{CONMEBOL} Colombia vs. Chile [6pm, fuboTV]
{CONMEBOL} Argentina vs. Bolivia [6:30pm, fuboTV]
{MSOC} Northwestern vs. Utah Valley [7pm, BTN+]

{WNBA} Connecticut Sun (-10, O/U 144) at Los Angeles Sparks [9pm, NBAtv]

Watch That

Edward Waters (FL) Tigers vs. Benedict (SC) Tigers

6:30pm | ESPNU

{TEN} Leylah Fernandez vs. [2] Victoria Azarenka

6pm | ESPN2 | US Open Women’s Semifinals

{CONMEBOL} Brazil vs. Peru

7:30pm | fuboTV | World Cup Qualifiers

{CPL} Pacific vs. Cavalry

9pm | FS2

Week 1 is awful quick to jump the shark, NFL:

Instead, let’s take an evening and get to know the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference:

YouTube

Made up mostly of Historically Black Colleges and Universities founded during or right after Reconstruction—with three charter members, Clark, Tuskegee, and Morehouse, still remaining—the SIAC is one of the oldest and most well-attended conferences in D-II football.

We’ve got some great nicknames here, too, from the LeMoyne-Owen (TN) Magicians and the newcomer Central State (OH) Marauders to the winners in my book, the Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes. Of course, we get the two Tigers in the conference tonight—though there are also the Morehouse Maroon Tigers and the Tuskegee Golden Tigers.

Anywho, some actually exciting football that actually means something beyond a paycheck and shitty corporate sponsorship. Helllllll yeah. Go Tigers.

Friday Night

Don’t Watch This

North Carolina A&T Aggies at Duke Blue Devils [7pm, ACCN]
North Dakota Hawks at Utah State Aggies [8pm, CBSSN]
UTEP Miners at Boise State Broncos (-26, O/U 56.5) [8:30pm, FS1]

{B1GVB} #13 Minnesota vs. #14 Stanford [6pm, Pac-12N]
{B1GVB} #18 Penn State at #11 Oregon [9pm, Pac-12N]

{CFL} Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Toronto Argonauts [6:30pm, ESPN+]

{WSOC} Michigan vs. Louisville [4pm, ESPN App]
{MSOC} Indiana vs. Akron [6pm, ESPN+]
{MSOC} Rutgers vs. Lehigh [6pm, BTN+]
{MSOC} Michigan vs. New Hampshire [6pm, BTN+]
{MSOC} Penn State vs. Penn [6pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Atlanta United vs. Orlando City SC [6pm, FS1]
{MSOC} Wisconsin vs. Butler [7pm, BTN+]
{Liga MX} Puebla vs. Atletico San Luis [7pm, TUDN]
{USL} Austin Bold vs. New Mexico United [8pm , ESPN+]
{Liga MX} Juarez vs. Cruz Azul [9pm, TUDN]
{MLS} Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers [9pm, ESPN+]

Watch That

SUNY Maritime Privateers vs. Massachusetts Maritime Buccaneeers

6pm | Boxcast | THE CHOWDER BOWL

Kansas Jayhawks at #17 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

6:30pm | ESPN2 | CCU -25 | O/U 52

{B1GVB} #3 Kentucky at #2 wisconsin

BTN | 8pm

{TEN} US Open Men’s Semifinals

[12] Felix Auger-Aliassime vs. [2] Daniil Medvedev
[1] Novak Djokovic vs. [4] Alexander Zverev

ESPN2 | time TBD

{LigaMX} Xolos vs. Santos Laguna

9:06pm | FS2

The best head of hair you’ll ever see on a soccer player is on Santos Laguna’s goalie.

UTEP beat Bethune-Cookman (38-28) by less than they beat New Mexico State (30-3). That doesn’t mean I don’t want to turn in and see if Hank Bachmeier throws any more mind-bortlingly stupid picks, but we’ve got 3 vs. 2 in Big Ten volleyball, and you oughta watch what’s going on in this conference:

Far from suggesting either UTEP or North Dakota will actually pull off the upset, it’s worth noting that I think my time will be spent flipping between Wildcats-badgers and Hawks-Aggies. It’s not that I don’t believe Blake Anderson can pilot Utah State safely past North Dakota—a week after they went to Pullman and dropped Wazzu and our unvaxxed, divorced dad—but the Fighting Hawks are quietly one of the better teams in the Valley, having reached the FCS Playoffs quarterfinals last year and sitting 9th in the FCS rankings.

Kansas over Coastal, straight up. You heard it here first.

Saturday Morning

Don’t Watch This

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Army Black Knights (-7, O/U 51.5) [10:30am, CBSSN]
VMI Keydets at Kent State Golden Flashes [10:30am, ESPN3]
Indiana State Sycamores at Northwestern Wildcats [11am, BTN]
Alabama State Hornets at #25 Auburn Tigers [11am, SECN]
Pittsburgh Panthers (-3, O/U 57) at Tennessee Volunteers [11am, ESPN]
Kennesaw State Owls at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets [11am, ACCNX]
Norfolk State Spartans at Wake Forest Demon Deacons [11am, ACCNX]
Youngstown State Penguins at Michigan State Spartans [11am, BTN]
Miami Hydroxide Redhawks at Minnesota Golden Gophers (-20, O/U 53.5) [11am, ESPNU]
Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Oklahoma State Cowboys (-13, O/U 51.5) [11am, FS1]
Morgan State Bears vs. Tulane Green Wave [12pm, ESPN+]

{Ligue 1} PSG vs. Clermont [10am, beIN]
{EPL} Chelsea vs. Aston Villa [11:30am, NBC]
{La Liga} Levante vs. Rayo Vallecano [11:30am, ESPN+]
{Eredivisie} PEC Zwolle vs. Ajax [11:45am, ESPN+]

Watch That

Illinois Fighting Illini at Virginia Cavaliers

10am | ACCN | UVA -10 | O/U 55

#12 Oregon Ducks at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes

11am | FOX | -14.5 | O/U 63.5

South Carolina Gamecocks at East Carolina Pirates

11am | ESPN2 | SC -2 | O/U 56.5

{Bundesliga} RB Leipzig vs. Bayern Munchen

11:30am | ESPN+

I had Pitt-Tennessee on the “Watch That” list because man, that’s some real sicko ACC-SEC shit right there, but I think even I have to have a code at some point, right?

Speaking of, DWT;WT Team of Choice Tulane is still displaced by Hurricane Ida, but here’s a little nugget of Green Wave goodness for you:

I went back-and-forth about 10 times on Oregon-Ohio State. Because there’s going to be broken coverages and points galore in that one, I’d wager, and I’m curious to see how CJ Stroud handles the Ducks—along with how the Buckeyes’ back seven transition from the ground-and-pound Gophers to the air-it-out Ducks.

But at some point, is a 45-28 Ohio State win really worth watching?

Welcome to “Existential Crisis DWT;WT”. I hate it here.

Saturday Afternoon

Don’t Watch This

Wyoming Cowboys (-7, O/U 44.5) at Northern Illinois Huskies [12:30pm, ESPN+]
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at #19 Virginia Tech Hokies (-20, O/U 54) [1pm, ACCNX]
Duquesne Dukes at Ohio Bobcats [1pm, ESPN3]
Toledo Rockets at #8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-17, O/U 56) [1:30pm, Peacock]
Purdue Boilermakers (-34, O/U 58.5) at UConn Huskies [2pm, CBSSN]
Robert Morris Colonials at Central Michigan Chippewas [2pm, ESPN3]
UAB Blazers at #2 Georgia Bulldogs (-24.5, O/U 45) [2:30pm, ESPN2]
#5 Texas A&M Aggies (-17, O/U 50) at Colorado Buffaloes [2:30pm, FOX]
Murray State Racers at #7 Cincinnati Bearcats [2:30pm, ESPN+]
Balls Tate Cardinals at #11 Penn State Nittany Lions (-22.5, O/U 57.5) [2:30pm, FS1]
Georgia Southern Eagles at Florida Atlantic (-7, O/U 48.5) [2:30pm, Stadium]
Boston College Eagles (-37, O/U 58) at UMass Minutemen [2:30pm, Flo$ports]
Buffalo Bulls at Nebraska Cornhuskers (-13.5, O/U 54.5) [2:30pm, BTN]
California Golden Bears at TCU Horned Frogs (-11.5, O/U 48) [2:30pm, ESPNU]
Temple Owls (-7, O/U 52.5) at Akron Zips [2:30pm, ESPN+]
Valparaiso Beacons at North Dakota State Bizon [2:30pm, ESPN+]
Mercer Bears at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide [3pm, SECN]
South Alabama Jaguars (-14, O/U 50) at Bowling Green Falcons [3pm, ESPN+]
South Carolina State Bulldogs at #6 Clemson Tigers [4pm, ACCN]
Long Island Sharks at West Virginia Mountaineers [4pm, ESPN+]
Illinois State Redbirds at Western Michigan Broncos [4pm, ESPN3]

{CFL} Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers [3pm, ESPN+]

{Eredivisie} AZ Alkmaar vs. PSV Eindhoven [2pm, ESPN+]
{Liga MX} Atlas vs. Rayados [5pm, TUDN]

Watch That

Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Syracuse Orange

1pm | ACCN | Rutgers -2.5 | O/U 51.5

Air Force Falcons at Navy Midshipmen

2:30pm | CBS | AFA -5.5 | O/U 40.5

¡El Assico!

#10 Iowa Hawkeyes at #9 Iowa State Cyclones

3:30pm | ABC | ISU -4.5 | O/U 46

I would’ve forgotten about 9/11 entirely if it weren’t for the Rutgers Football Twitter account, so thank fucking goodness for that Public Service Announcement About Uniforms That Is Not At All Pandering, No Sir:

Speaking of!

Can you tell that I write DWT;WT in chunks and am in a shittier mood for some sections than others? ¡El Assico! is meant to be a joyful experience sharing by the whole of the college football family and instead it’ll be spent blocking incel chuds on Twitter who think using the r-word as a descriptor is clever.

Saturday Evening

Don’t Watch This

Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs at Charlotte 49ers [5pm, ESPN3]
Lamar Cardinals at UTSA Roadrunners [5pm, ESPN3]
Portland State Vikings at Washington State Cougars [5pm, Pac-12]
N.C. Central Eagles at Marshall Thundering Herd [5:30pm, ESPN+]
Houston Cougars (-8, O/U 53) at Rice Owls [5:30pm, CBSSN]
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at UCF Citronauts [5:30pm, ESPN+]
Western Carolina Catamounts at #4 Oklahoma Sooners [6pm, Fox Sports Regional]
Eastern Michigan Eagles at #18 wisconsin badgers (-26, O/U 52) [6pm, FS1]
Appalachian State Mountaineers at #14 Miami Hurricanes (-9, O/U 54.5) [6pm, ESPNU]
#15 Texas Longhorns (-7, O/U 56) at Arkansas Razorbacks [6pm, ESPN]
Nicholls Colonels at #23 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns [6pm, ESPN3]
SE Louisiana Lions at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs [6pm, ESPN3]
North Texas Mean Green at SMU Mustangs (-22.5, O/U 73) [6pm, ESPN+]
Hampton Pirates at Old Dominion Monarchs [6pm, ESPN3]
Grambling Tigers at Southern Miss Eagles [6pm, ESPN3]
Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Louisville Cardinals [6pm, ACCNX]
The Fightin’ Falwells (-4, O/U 61) at Troy Trojans [6pm, ESPN+]
Texas Southern Tigers at Baylor Bears [6pm, ESPN+]
Southern Illinois Salukis at Kansas State Wildcats [6pm, ESPN+]
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Texas Tech Red Raiders [6pm, ESPN+]
Georgia State Panthers at #24 North Carolina Tar Heels (-26, O/U 66) [6:30pm, ESPN3]
Idaho Vandals at Indinia Hoosiers [6:30pm, BTN]
Missouri Tigers at Kentucky Wildcats (-5, O/U 56) [6:30pm, SECN]
Austin Peay Governors at #20 Ole Miss Rebels [6:30pm, ESPN+]
Howard Bison at Maryland Terrapins [6:30pm, BTN]
McNeese Cowboys at LSU Tigers [7pm, ESPN+]
Washington Huskies at Michigan Wolverines (-7, O/U 48.5) [7pm, ABC]
Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Florida State Seminoles [7pm, ACCN]

{B1GVB} #20 Utah at #3 Nebraska [7:30pm, BTN+]

{CFL} Calgary Stampeders vs. Edmonton Elks [6pm, ESPN+]

{MLS} New York Red Bulls vs. DC United [6pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} New England Revolution vs. New York City FC [6pm, ESPN+]
{MSOC} Michigan State vs. Tulsa [7pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Cincinnati vs. Toronto FC [7pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Montreal Foot Club vs. Nashville SC [7pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew [7pm, ESPN+]
{Liga MX} Tigres UANL vs. Leon [7pm, TUDN]
{MLS} Dallas Burn vs. San Jose Earthquakes [7:30pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Houston Dynamo vs. Austin FC [7:30pm, ESPN+]
{MLS} Sporting Kansas City vs. Chicago Fire [7:30pm, ESPN+]

{MLB} New York Yankees at New York Mets [6:40pm, FOX]

Watch That

N.C. State Wolfpack at Mississippi State Bulldogs

6pm | ESPN2 | NCSU -2.5 | O/U 55.5

Texas State Bobcats at Florida International Sunblazers

6pm | ESPN+ | FIU -1.5 | O/U 55.5

Memphis Tigers at Arkansas State Red Wolves

6pm | ESPN+ | Memphis -5.5 | O/U 63.5

New Mexico State Aggies at New Mexico Lobos

6pm | Stadium | UNM -19 | O/U 56

RIVALRIES. This is what we love about college football, right? Two random-ass teams duking it out for regional pride and, occasionally, an odd artifact of a historical era gone by?

We’ve got a handful here in the Evening slot alone that are worth calling attention to:

• The Bayou Bucket (Houston-Rice): A rivalry that’s fallen on hard times since its Southwest Conference, then C-USA (2006-2013) days—Houston-Rice was, through sheer SWC pettiness, the last game played in the SWC—and will likely drift even more now that Houston will join the Big XII. Rice led at the half against Arkansas, though, and Dana Holgorsen’s seat is HOT HOT HOT in Cougarland...could be a squeaker.
• Back to the Old Southwest (Texas-Arkansas): Maybe this one never had the fire of the Game of the Century, but it’s an SWC classic that...well, when Texas is taking the best punch from every SEC team week-in, week-out...I’m sure that move will go fine.
• Paint Bucket Bowl (Memphis-Arkansas State): A regional rivalry where space dedicated to vandalism replaced a tradition of kidnapping? YUP.
• Rio Grande Rivalry (New Mexico-New Mexico State): Ryan Nanni, back in the salad days of EDSBS, did a great bit on the Rio Grande Rivalry. No matter how bad the Lobos or Aggies are, though, they find a way to drag the other down to their level. It’ll be excellent.
• The Battle for Bessie Bend (Mizzou-Kentucky): Is this a real rivalry? No. Not yet, anyway. But since it seems like these two are in the SEC to stay, we need some spice that’s better than the contrived Mizzou-South Carolina “We’re both in Columbia!” rivalry. Let’s change the borders of Missouri and/or Kentucky based on the outcome of this yearly game—give the exclave of Bessie Bend (or New Madrid Bend, or Kentucky Bend) created by a Mississippi River meander to the winner.

It’s late and I’m drunk...

Don’t Watch This

Northern Iowa Panthers at Sacramento State Hornets [8pm, ESPN+]
San Diego State Aztecs at Arizona Wildcats (-2, O/U 46.5) [9pm, Pac-12]
Cal Poly Mustangs at Fresno State Bulldogs [9pm, Stadium]
Weber State Wildcats at Dixie State Trailblazers [9pm, ESPN+]
Stanford Cardinal at #14 USC Trojans (-17, O/U 52.5) [9:30pm, FOX]
UNLV Rebels at #23 Arizona State Sun Devils (-33.5, O/U 53.5) [9:30pm, ESPN2]
Idaho State Bengals at Nevada Wolf Pack [9:30pm, Stadium]

{CFL} Ottawa REDBLACKS vs. BC Lions [9pm, ESPN+]

{Liga MX} Club America vs. Mazatlan [9pm, TUDN]

{MLB} fifth inning onward of Yankees-Mets [approx. 9pm, FOX]
{MLB} eighth inning onward of Yankees-Mets [approx. 11pm, FOX]

Watch That

Vanderbilt Commodores at Colorado State Rams

9pm | CBSSN | CSU -7 | O/U 50.5

#21 Utah Utes at BYU Cougars

9:15pm | ESPN | Utah -7 | O/U 48.5

Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors at Oregon State Beavers

10pm | FS1 | Oregon St. -11 | O/U 64

Huh. So I ran out of places to put this tweet. Anywho, meet this absolute legend:

We get the ultimate SICKOS game of the week after dark on Saturday night, as Vanderbilt heads to Fort Collins to take on the Rams. Why is this game so disgusting? Well, look at both teams’ Week 1 showings:

• Vanderbilt: lost to East Tennessee State, 23-3
• Colorado State: lost to South Dakota State, 42-23

If those two flailing around isn’t quite your idea of a good time—and that game could truly end up 10-9 or 55-52, and you’re lying if you say which way you know it’ll go—we’ve got one of the best intrastate non-conference rivalries in college football, the Holy War. Will there be ~10 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties? Will there be premature field invasions? THAT’S WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME.

Also if you don’t want to stay up late drinking and watching Hawai’i-Oregon State, you’re dead to me. Why did you read this far?

Pour some out for the Redbox Bowl and enjoy the games, kids. Here’s your open thread for Thursday and Friday night football.