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Let's Hear It for the Owls

By Mark

As the college bowl season kicks off, we will be subjected to endless discussion about how the BCS has failed to live it up to its purpose and how college football powers that be are depriving the fans of their God given right to see a national championship won on the field in a championship playoff run by the NCAA just like all those other sports nobody watches. Well, count me as old fashioned, but I happen to like the bowls in all their corporate sponsored, gaudy blazered, convention and tourist bureau touting glory. The kids playing in the games have fun, most of them get a trip to a decent vacation destination and the fans of those teams enjoy themselves. So what's the harm?

What's the big deal about a national championship anyway? Who said college sports is about winning national titles? It's supposed to be about the experience remember. Now, I'm not that naive that I don't think winning is important, but I remember when winning the conference was far more important than winning the national championship and I don't think that was a bad thing.

Anyway, that wasn't the real purpose of this post. If you want to know why bowls, even the so-called lesser bowls taking place before Christmas, are still important at least to those who are involved, look no further than the Super Dome. Yes, New Orleans is hosting three bowls this season, but no matter what LSU and Ohio State do in January, they won't be anymore excited to win than the FAU Owls were to win their first bowl game last night. The Owls, playing in their first bowl as champions of the Sun Belt in only their third season in Division IA and only their seventh season of football, convincingly beat Memphis to hand Howard Schnellenberger his fifth bowl win against no defeats, this one at the age of 73.

For FAU, this game is more than a culmination to a great season, it's the beginning of a new tradition. Next year, the Owls return 18 of 22 starters and the school has launched a drive to build a new on campus 30,000 seat stadium. With the Miami Hurricanes and the Miami Dolphins in free fall and FIU having won only one game this season, FAU is primed to break out into the glare of the South Florida media market. The man with the pipe will be there to guide the Owls along the way. History suggests this bowl game will be only the first of many. Congrats Howard.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on December 23, 2007 (boomark / email).