PiRate Ratings NFL Forecast For Week 4: September 28-October 2, 2017

This Week’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

Home	Visitor	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Totals
Green Bay	Chicago	10.8	11.4	10.6	46
Miami (London)	New Orleans	-3.0	-1.8	-3.6	52
New England	Carolina	9.5	10.8	9.1	49
Dallas	LA Rams	15.7	14.6	15.8	44
Minnesota	Detroit	1.1	0.4	1.4	43
Houston	Tennessee	-0.1	0.1	-0.1	41
N. Y. Jets	Jacksonville	-2.5	-3.2	-2.5	43
Cleveland	Cincinnati	-1.2	-1.3	-1.0	37
Baltimore	Pittsburgh	-1.5	-1.7	-0.8	41
Atlanta	Buffalo	10.3	9.5	10.4	53
Tampa Bay	N. Y. Giants	3.7	2.8	4.5	38
LA Chargers	Philadelphia	1.8	2.5	0.9	48
Arizona	San Francisco	10.1	10.6	10.0	49
Denver	Oakland	2.2	1.1	2.7	46
Seattle	Indianapolis	9.1	8.9	8.7	44
Kansas City	Washington	8.1	8.5	8.2	47

This Week’s PiRate Ratings

Current NFL PiRate Ratings
A F C
East	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
New England	105.7	106.4	105.5	105.8	24
Buffalo	98.6	99.0	99.0	98.9	22
Miami	97.6	97.7	97.1	97.5	21
N. Y. Jets	92.9	92.5	92.9	92.8	19
North	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Pittsburgh	104.6	105.0	104.3	104.7	22
Baltimore	101.2	101.3	101.5	101.3	19
Cincinnati	97.6	98.0	97.6	97.8	16
Cleveland	94.4	94.8	94.7	94.6	21
South	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Tennessee	101.2	101.3	100.7	101.1	25
Houston	98.1	98.4	97.7	98.1	16
Jacksonville	98.0	98.2	97.9	98.0	24
Indianapolis	95.4	95.7	95.1	95.4	25
West	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Kansas City	105.5	105.6	106.0	105.7	21
Oakland	104.3	104.8	104.0	104.4	26
Denver	103.5	102.8	103.8	103.4	20
LA Chargers	99.5	99.1	99.4	99.3	25
N F C
East	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Dallas	104.2	103.3	104.3	104.0	24
Philadelphia	101.2	100.1	102.0	101.1	23
Washington	100.4	100.1	100.8	100.4	26
N.Y. Giants	99.4	99.6	99.1	99.4	15
North	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Detroit	102.4	103.2	102.4	102.7	24
Green Bay	102.6	103.3	102.1	102.7	26
Minnesota	100.5	100.6	100.8	100.6	19
Chicago	94.2	94.5	94.0	94.2	20
South	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Atlanta	105.9	105.5	106.4	105.9	31
New Orleans	100.6	99.5	100.8	100.3	31
Tampa Bay	100.2	99.4	100.6	100.1	23
Carolina	99.2	98.5	99.3	99.0	25
West	PiRate	Mean	Bias	Avg	Totals
Seattle	101.0	101.1	100.3	100.8	19
Arizona	99.4	99.6	99.1	99.4	24
San Francisco	92.2	92.1	92.1	92.1	25
LA Rams	91.5	91.7	91.5	91.6	20

Our Official Statement on the Current Situation in the NFL

Neither side is right and neither side is wrong.  There is too much black and white in this world, and this is no different.  Life should not be an either or situation on everything that exists, but the human race has not evolved enough to get past this fact.

The problem is that neither side understands tactfulness, maturity, diplomacy, and statesmanship.  Maybe, consultants have advised the two factions to reduce the problem to childlike fighting, and that is sad if the populace can only understand issues when reduced to a childlike mentality.

Nevertheless, the problem is that an entertaining three-hour escape from the stress of the real world has now been altered into just another stressful afternoon.  The 6 members of the PiRate Ratings have decided that the situation has eliminated the needed escape that  NFL Football provided us–up to 56 years for our oldest contributor.  Thus, on Sunday, none of us attended or viewed a game.  Tickets went unused at Lambeau Field, LP Field, and U.S. Bank Stadium.  A fouth stadium, Firstenergy in Cleveland, will join this list this week.  As best as we can estimate, this is the first time since sometime in 1963 that at least once of us has failed to watch an NFL game.

We have received more emails than we can respond to this week, and we will refrain from giving out the email address for now, because it will take a couple weeks to reply to all of them.  But, it is obvious that you our reader are more than likely to stop watching and attending than to watch or attend.  Actually, we have yet to receive an email in support of the players, and we can only surmise that some of you that did not send us a message are still watching.

Feel free to comment in the comment section of this entry.  If you refrain from profanity and comment in a civil and intelligent manner, your comment will be accepted.  We will censor any profanity or below-the-belt comments.  We are a scientific/mathematic website more interested in the numbers than the individuals on either side of this issue.

For those that have not seen this unaltered, here are the exact words of the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Why The Ratings Drop Does Matter

We have heard  many apologists proclaim that the drastic TV ratings drop had little or nothing to do with the current situation between the two opposing sides.  We have seen excuses such as “The Emmy Awards aired opposite SNF,” and “It was Oprah’s Debut on 60 Minutes.”

There is one telltale sign that tends to make us believe these apologies are off the mark.  While the ratings for the football games have dropped off the table, the ratings for the pre-game shows are actually up.  People are tuning in to the pre-game in greater numbers and then switching channels or turning the TV off before the kickoff.  This is a definite sign that the league has alienated a large number of fans, or maybe we should say former fans.  Turning the channel or turning off the TV in the middle of a time slot is considered a bigger deal than doing so at the top or bottom of the hour when programs change.  As a former journalist in radio and television, our founder understands the implications in local news when the ratings change during the weather segment or sports segment.

 

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Opening Round

The Road To Simper Bowl V

The opening round of the PiRate Ratings Computer Simulated College Football Playoffs was simulated Friday, December 9, and the results and statistics are listed below.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams seeded 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

The Dandy Dozen For This Season Are:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

Here Is This Year’s Bracket

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	|
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	|		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	|			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	|		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

 

 

Opening Round Results

#9 South Carolina 10-2 at #8 Kansas St. 10-2

Final Score: Kansas State 30  South Carolina 20

 

Kan St	Team	S Car
21	FD	16
48-196	Rush	38-148
175	Passing	142
12-21-0	Passes	13-25-1
69	Plays	63
371	Tot Yds	290
3-138	KR	5-106
3-27	PR	2-8
1-12	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	1-0
7-56	Pen	6-50
5-42.4	Punt	7-41.7
31:47	Time	28:13
2-12	Sacks	0-0
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Kan St	6	14	10	0	30
S Car	0	7	7	6	20
Scoring
KS:1st Qtr–9:42: Cantele 39 yd FG
KS: 1st Qtr–3:11: Cantele 42 yd FG
SC: 2nd Qtr– 10:26: Shaw 1 yd. run, Wooten Kick
KS: 2nd Qtr–10:09: Lockett 98 yd. Kick Return, Cantele Kick
KS: 2nd Qtr–0:48 Harper 39 yd. pass from Klein, Cantele Kick
SC: 3rd Qtr–11:51 Wilds 8 yd. run, Wooten Kick
KS: 3rd Qtr–6:08: Cantele 37 yd FG
KS: 3rd Qtr–1:19: Hubert 4 yd. run, Cantele Kick
SC: 4th Qtr–5:37: Jeffrey 41 yd. pass from Shaw, 2-pt try failed

 

#12 West Virginia at #5 Oregon

Final Score: Oregon 41  West Virginia 17

 

Ore	Team	WVU
24	FD	17
45-234	Rush	21-69
254	Passing	237
19-27-0	Passes	22-43-2
72	Plays	64
488	Tot Yds	306
3-67	KR	5-93
3-29	PR	0-0
2-16	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
6-42	Pen	7-50
2-42.5	Punt	7-39.4
33:08	Time	26:52
4-32	Sacks	1-4
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Ore	22	9	3	7	41
WVU	0	7	10	0	17
Scoring
Ore: 1st Qtr–10:39: Barner 7 yd. run, James run for 2
Ore: 1st Qtr–7:28: James 21 yd. run, Maldonado Kick
Ore: 1st Qtr–2:19: Tuinei 14 yd. pass from Thomas, Maldonado Kick
Ore: 2nd Qtr–13:32: WVU holding in end zone
Ore: 2nd Qtr–5:51: Thomas 2 yd. run, Maldonato Kick
WVU: 2nd Qtr–1:04: Bailey 7 yd. pass from Smith, Bitancurt Kick
WVU: 3rd Qtr–12:06: Alstun 3 yd. run, Bitancurt Kick
WVU: 3rd Qtr–6:42: Bitancurt 40 yd. FG
Ore: 3rd Qtr–2:23: Maldonado 38 yd. FG
Ore: 4th Qtr–7:04: Tuinei 23 yd. pass from Thomas, Maldonado Kick

 

#10 Wisconsin at #7 Boise State

Final Score: Wisconsin 38  Boise State 26

 

BSU	Team	Wis
21	FD	26
29-98	Rush	49-256
257	Passing	194
19-35-1	Passes	15-22-0
64	Plays	71
355	Tot Yds	450
6-128	KR	5-117
2-17	PR	3-61
0-0	Int Ret	1-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	1-0
7-54	Pen	6-35
4-39.8	Punt	5-42.6
26:41	Time	33:19
0-0	Sacks	3-19
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
BSU	7	6	3	10	26
Wis	10	0	21	7	38
Scoring
BSU: 1st Qtr–11:27: Martin 2 yd. run, Frisina Kick
Wis: 1st Qtr–6:12 Welch 38 yd. FG
Wis: 1st Qtr–2:31: Abbrederis 24 yd. pass from Wilson, Welch Kick
BSU: 2nd Qtr–7:31: Frisina 42 yd. FG
BSU: 2nd Qtr–0:00: Frisina 41 yd. FG
Wis: 3rd Qtr–12:52: Ball 19 yd. run, Welch Kick
Wis: 3rd Qtr–6:29: Ball 4 yd. run, Welch Kick
BSU: 3rd Qtr–4:11: Frisina 37 yd. FG
Wis: Ball 5 yd. run, Welch Kick
BSU: 4th Qtr–10:55: Shoemaker 20 yd. pass from Moore, Frisina Kick
BSU: 4th Qtr–5:48: Frisina 35 yd. FG
Wis: 4th Qtr–3:26: White 8 yd. run, Welch Kick

 

#11 Clemson at #6 Arkansas

Final Score: Clemson 50  Arkansas 44 3ot

 

Ark	Team	Clem
33	FD	26
40-168	Rush	36-165
316	Passing	307
28-48-2	Passes	19-34-0
88	Plays	70
484	Tot Yds	472
4-78	KR	6-149
0-0	PR	3-41
0-0	Int Ret	2-77
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
9-73	Pen	6-44
2-41.0	Punt	3-40.7
35:11	Time	24:49
1-6	Sacks	3-19
Team	1	2	3	4	OT	OT	OT	Final
Ark	14	7	10	3	7	3	0	44
Clem	7	21	3	3	7	3	6	50
Scoring
Ark: 1st Qtr–10:44: Wright 11 yd. pass from Wilson, Hocker Kick
Ark: 1st Qtr–5:56: Wright 9 yd. pass from Wilson, Hocker Kick
Clem: 1st Qtr–1:12: Ellington 7 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Ark: 2nd Qtr–11:32: Green 1 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–8:44: Ellington 6 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–6:29: Christian 48 yd. Int. Return, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–1:14: Watkins 48 yd. pass from Boyd, Catanzaro Kick
Ark: 3rd Qtr–9:13: Mitchell 1 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 3rd Qtr–5:44: Catanzaro 44 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 3rd Qtr–0:06: Hocker 39 yd. Field Goal
Clem: 4th Qtr–4:59: Catanzaro 40 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 4th Qtr–0:08 Hocker 48 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 1st OT: Green 2 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 1st OT: Ellington 14 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd OT: Catanzaro 35 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 2nd OT: Hocker 42 yd. Field Goal
Clem: 3rd OT: Ellington 9 yd. run, no PAT attempted

 

The Updated Bracket

 

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	| Kansas State 30-20
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	| Oregon 41-17		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	| Wisconsin 38-26			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	| Clemson 50-44 3ot		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

Elite 8 Matchups

#8 Kansas State 11-2 at #1 L S U 13-0

#5 Oregon 12-2 at #4 Stanford 11-1

#10 Wisconsin 12-2 at #2 Alabama 11-1

#11 Clemson 11-3 at #3 Oklahoma State 11-1

 

Happy Holidays to All and to All A Good Playoff Sim.

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Bracket Reveal

The Dandy Dozen For 2011-12

Welcome to the 2011-12 college football simulated playoffs.  If you despise the ridiculous bowl system where a 6-7 UCLA team gets to play a 14^th game, while a 7-5 Western Kentucky team does not get a bowl bid, because some greedy corporation can squeeze a little more money out of naïve fans, and if you despise the fact that Virginia Tech can lose to Clemson by four touchdowns and still earn a Sugar Bowl bid over TCU, Southern Mississippi, Kansas State, or Boise State, then this is the place for you.

 

This is our fifth year to provide this service.  We call the computer-simulated National Championship, “The Simper Bowl.”  It has annually been our most widely read features.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

We have made a couple of changes this year.  We wish to honor the excellent book written by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, and Jeff Passan “Death to the BCS.”   In this book, the authors believe a playoff should give home-field advantage to the higher-seeded team.  So, beginning this year, the first three rounds will be played on the home fields of the higher-seeded team.  Only the Simper Bowl will be played on a neutral field.  So as not to give any credence to the fake National Championship Game in New Orleans (the one in which Stanford and Oklahoma State get no chance to state their cases), we have chosen to play this year’s Simper Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, out of respect for the NFL-AFL’s first Super Bowl.  Thus, home field advantage will be factored into our computer simulator.

 

We are also going back to our old format, where we simulate each game just one time.  Last year, we simulated each game 100 times, but we realized our mistake.  Real games are played just once, and upsets occur when that happens.  When teams play 100 times, the better team is going to win more than 50 of those games.  So, this year’s simulation should be much more exciting with a higher standard deviation from the expected norm—at least we hope.

 

We have access to a university simulator in which a sports fanatic has implemented college and pro football data going back to 1960.  He originally attempted to predict the outcome of games against the spread, but he found out his simulator only works in predicting outright winners.  When simulated 1,000 times, his simulator predicts the winners with about 87% accuracy (but only 53% against the spread).

 

We will simulate each game only one time and then reveal the score and statistics.  We have not decided yet whether we will transcribe the play-by-play data for the Championship Game like we did last year when there were six contributors to this blog (there are just two this year, and one will be away from home for most of the holiday season).

 

The Dandy Dozen

Here are our 12 playoff teams for 2011-12:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

The Bracket

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	|_____________________
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|_________________
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|___________________
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	|_____________________		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|_________________	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|_____________
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	|_____________________			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|_________________		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|___________________	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	|_____________________		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|_________________	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

 

 

The opening round games will be simulated Friday morning, December 9, and we will post the results on Saturday evening, December 10, as if the games had been played Saturday afternoon.

 

One other tidbit:  All injured players on December 3 will be considered injured for the opening round games as well, unless we see evidence that they were only out for one week.  All players charged with game suspensions will be suspended for the playoffs for the appropriate number of games.  The simulator reduces each teams’ power ratings if key players are not playing.

 

Happy reading everybody.  Please post your comments during this tournament if you like or dislike.  We are interested in seeing opinions.

 

If you want to be proactive in your desire to see this ridiculous post-season bowl system end and be replaced by a legitimate national championship playoff (like every other NCAA/NAIA sport that is not prostituted to greedy corporations), then let the sponsors of the bowl games know of your opinion.  It is simple to find all the sponsors of every bowl game on each bowls’ official website.  Note the sponsoring companies that you currently patronize and find their customer service e-mail addresses.  Send them an e-mail notifying them of your choice to stop using their products as long as they host a bowl game.  Clarify that if they stop sponsoring bowls, you will begin to use their products once again.  To make your point more forceful, include a CC to their competitor, as long as the competitor does not sponsor bowls.

 

For example, let us look at the Fiesta Bowl.  The main sponsor is Frito-Lay, maker of Tostito’s.  They can be e-mailed at: www.fritolay.com/about-us/contact-us.html.  This “bowlcott” will benefit you because you will stop consuming their products made with unhealthy genetically modified corn and oils.  Send a CC to Kettle Chips at: www.kettlebrand.com/.  Kettle Chips are free of trans fats, GMO ingredients or oils, and artificial ingredients.  They make an organic chip as well.

 

These same corporations could just as easily sponsor 35 opening-week “classic” games.  Instead of 35 FBS vs. FCS matchups in week one, there could be 35 games like Oregon vs. LSU and Boise State vs. Georgia.  With a playoff, teams would need to schedule for the highest possible strength of schedule.  Instead of rewarding Virginia Tech with a Sugar Bowl invitation following a stellar non-conference slate of Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State, and Marshall, the Hokies would be forced to start their season against Boise State or Alabama, like they did in 2009 and 2010m when they participated in “classics.” 

 

This would work great all the way through the lower-tier conferences.  MAC teams could face Sunbelt or WAC teams in the opening week.  Mountain West teams could line up against Conference USA teams. 

 

Just like early season basketball matchups like North Carolina vs. Kentucky and Michigan State vs. Duke, imagine an opening week of the 2012 season with these 12 games from among a great list of 35 “classics:”

LSU vs. Stanford

Alabama vs. Oregon

Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame

Arkansas vs. Texas

Michigan vs. Kansas State

South Carolina vs. Wisconsin

Clemson vs. West Virginia

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

T C U vs. Texas A&M

Boise State vs. Florida State

Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

Southern Cal vs. Ohio State

The Great Bowlcott

The Big Bowlcott

 

All 120 FBS college football teams have commenced with practice, and it almost feels like football season.  Actually, it feels more likeArizonaState’s preseason training camp over most of the country.  We won’t complain this winter when it snows 35 times.

 

Today, we kick off our college coverage in earnest.  We have a method that will help you participate in bringing a college football playoff. 

 

Every season, only one bowl game matters when it comes to determining the national champion.  All the other bowls are just money-generators for the bowl game and its sponsors.  Many of the bowls will not even decide a spot in the final top 25.  When two 6-6 teams square off in late December, unless you are a fan of one of those mediocre teams, who really cares about the game?

 

Our founder recalls that LSU finished a season with just one loss and did not even get invited to a bowl in 1969, because there were not enough bowls then, and Notre Dame made a late decision to accept its first bowl bid, keeping LSU from playingTexasin the Cotton Bowl.  For years, the Big Ten and Pac-8 only allowed one team to go to a bowl—the Rose Bowl. Michiganwent 10-0-1 in 1973 and stayed home for the holidays. 

 

Somewhere along the line, the post-season went from one ridiculous extreme to the opposite.  6-6 teams, and even 7-5 teams do not need to be rewarded with a 13^th game.

 

The only reason there is not a playoff at the highest level of college football is the financial blackmail the current sponsors of the bowls hold over the NCAA and its participant teams.  Take away the financial bonanzas, and the sponsors would pull out.  No sponsors would mean no bowls.

 

What is it that corporations hate the most?  It’s losing money.  If hosting bowls causes them to lose customers and money, they will make a sound business decision to stop sponsoring bowl games.  Obviously, it will take thousands of boycotters, and we realize that only a thousand or so read this blog.  It will be up to you to take this and make it viral.  Spread it to all of your sports friends and tell them to spread it as well.  Maybe, someone with a little more clout will pick it up and run with it. 

 

How to Boycott The Bowl Sponsors

We are not asking you turn off the TV during any bowl game you want to watch.  Watching the game is not going to affect the sponsors’ bottom line, although it will boost the ratings of the network televising the games.

 

What we want you to do is to notify each bowl sponsor that you currently do business with and tell them that until they stop sponsoring bowl games, you will have to cease using their products.  With the exception of one or two companies, all the rest can be notified via e-mail.  With your e-mail, send a carbon copy (cc) to one of the sponsors’ competitors letting both know that you will be patronizing the company that does not sponsor bowl games.

 

It’s that simple.  You do not have to notify every company that sponsors a bowl.  If there are just three bowls where you can boycott the products of the sponsors, your voice will be heard, especially if you get some of your friends to do the same and to tell their friends, and so on.  You might add that if they decided to sponsor playoffs, you would definitely become their customer.

 

Below, we have listed the bowls, the e-mail addresses or customer relations pages that will take you directly where you need to go to tell them of your disapproval of their support of the bowl system, and their competitors that will be glad to have your business.

 

Besides the main sponsors, the bowls have other affiliated sponsors as well.  Many of these are local sponsors that can only be boycotted in the host city, but there are additional national sponsors you can boycott.  Don’t forget to look at these sponsors, as you will want to boycott their products as well.

 

It would be very difficult to inform every sponsor on the list that follows.  If you want to contribute, just pick some sponsors that you currently fraternize, stop giving them your business, and then inform them why.

 

Here we go. 

 

New Mexico Bowl—Albuquerque

 

Sponsor:Gilda Activewear, Inc. of Montreal  customerservice@gildanonline.com

 

Competitor: www.goathleticapparel.com  ofMinneapolis

 

Other Sponsors: El Pinto, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hyatt Regency Hotels, Comcast

 

Idaho Potato Bowl—Boise, ID

 

Sponsor: Idaho Potato Commission  jamie.quinno@potato.idaho.gov

 

Competitor: Rather than list another potato commission, may we suggest eating sweet potatoes, especially Japanese sweet potatoes grown in America.  Japanese sweet potatoes are very nutritious.  Recent studies have shown these white-fleshed sweet potatoes to lower bad cholesterol, treat high blood pressure and anemia, and lower blood sugar, even to the point that one researcher claimed it to be a cure for diabetes.  Additionally, Japanese sweet potatoes are high in hyaluronic acid, a substance that researchers say slows aging by helping cells retain moisture, lubricating the joints and keeping skin more elastic.

 

Other Sponsors: At the time of this writing, this bowls’ sponsorship had just changed. 

 

New Orleans Bowl—New Orleans

 

Sponsor: R + L Carriers.   customerservice@rlcarriers.com 

They are a global transportation corporation. 

 

Competitor: Old Dominion Freight Lines, Inc. (Thomasville, NC)  www.odfl.com

 

Other Sponsors: Marriott and Hilton Hotels

 

Beef O’Brady’s Bowl—St. Petersburg, FL

 

Sponsor: Beef O’Brady’s   http://www.beefobradys.com/contact-us.aspx (select “Complaints” under comment topic)

 

Competitor: Why not patronize a restaurant that is locally owned instead of a corporate company.  Local owners’ must keep up their reputation first and foremost, while corporates must satisfy stockholders first and foremost.

 

Other Sponsors: Budweiser, Tradewinds Resorts, Checker Cab & Yellow Cab, Tires Plus

 

Poinsettia Bowl—San Diego

 

Sponsor: San DiegoCountyCredit Union www.sdccu.com

This boycott is for those inSan DiegoandOrangeCountiesinCalifornia.

 

Competitor: MissionFederal Credit Union  www.missionfed.com

 

Other Sponsors: Kaiser Permanente, Amtrak, Classic Party Rentals, Dr. Pepper

 

MAACO Bowl—Las Vegas

 

Sponsor: MAACO  

 

Competitor: Competitor: www.earlscheib.com   (Sherman Oaks, CA)

 

Other Sponsors: PlanetHollywood, Meadow Gold, Axe, Chevron, Cici’s Pizza, Aramark, Pepsi, Sprint

 

Hawaii Bowl—Honolulu

 

Sponsor: Sheraton Hotels (part of Starwood Hotels)      http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/support/console/email.html

 

Competitor: Use Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, Priceline, or a similar site to find a discount hotel and where possible, uncheck Sheraton as a choice option

 

Other Sponsors: Outback Steaks, AllState, Burger King, Pepsi, Papa John’s Pizza,Toyota, Xerox, Napa Auto Parts

 

Independence Bowl—Shreveport, LA

 

Sponsor: Advocare v100  

 

Competitor: Advocare is a multivitamin and supplement company catering to athletes. 

Our founder speaks here: As a professional nutritional consultant with more than 1000 hours of nutritional research study over the last 30+ years and as a former nutritional rep to the health food industry, I would recommend using a whole-food vitamin (not Whole Foods the company, but a vitamin made from real whole foods and not made from a chemist).  I would recommend using organic only and using one that does not contain added sugars or sugar substitutes.  Advocare uses Sucralose, Fructose, and even High Fructose Corn Syrup in its products, which in my expert opinion are the opposite of nutritional.

I recommend consulting one of three online companies to find the right supplements for you—Lucky Vitamins (www.luckyvitamins.com), Iherb (www.iherb.com), and VitaCost (www.vitacost.com).  I have recommended many vitamin/mineral supplements through the years, including: New Chapter and Megafood for multivitamins/minerals, Natural Factors non-denatured Whey Protein Powder, NOW Coenzyme B-Complex, Nature’s Way Enteric-Coated Fish Oil, Natural Factors Coenzyme Q10, and Source Naturals Ascorbyl Palmitate (a fat-soluble vitamin c ester).  Treat your body like a temple and not a dumpster.

 

Other Sponsors: AT&T, Capital One, General Electric, Yellow Book

 

Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl—Detroit

 

Sponsor: Little Caesar’s Pizza  www.littlecaesars.com 1-800-7-CAESAR

For this bowl, it might be more effective if you contacted your local franchise owner/manager and inform him/her that you can no longer be a customer of Little Caesar’s because you are participating in a national boycott of all college football bowl games.

 

Competitor: Again our founder speaks on nutrition: I was a pizza aficionado for many years before giving it up cold turkey.  Today, I do not consume Pasteurized/homogenized dairy (just raw goat’s milk from goats I own and do not sell to others lest the USDA send a bunch of thugs here like they have to Amish farms and to arrest members of the Weston A. Price Foundation) nor grains of any kind. I consume “raw pizza” made from sprouted nuts, sundried tomatoes, and herbs that have been dehydrated in a food dehydrator.  

For those that have to eat pizza, then you should only settle for the real deal.  I would only go with an authentic Brooklyn/Manhattan style with thin, crisp crust that has some char in it.  If you do not have an authentic Brooklyn/Manhattan style pizzeria, then you should learn how to make a reasonable facsimile thereof. 

If you need a pizza chain, try Sir Pizza or Pizza Hut.  With the chains, there isn’t much difference—they are all subpar.

 

Other Sponsors: Ford, GM, AT&T, AllState, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Comcast, Meijer

 

Belk Bowl—Charlotte  

 

Sponsor: www.belk.com  1-866-235-5443 (no e-mail address for customer service)

Belk apparently has one of the worst customer service departments of any retail establishment in the western world.  There are numerous complaints found online at multiple locations detailing how this company has alienated a lot of its former regular customers, one of whom was charged an interest rate of more than 26% on a Belk card that had an automatic bill pay set up.  Belk changed its due date with no prior notice!  This does not seem to have been a one-time incident.

 

Competitor: J. C. Penney   www.jcpenney.com  (Plano, TX)

 

Other Sponsors: Havoline, AllState, Hilton, Hampton Inn,

 

Military Bowl—Washington, DC

Sponsor: Northrop Grumman   This game cannot be boycotted the same way as the other bowls.  You will have to boycott the TV sponsors for this one.  I doubt many people in need of a defense contractor are reading this post.

Other Sponsors: Geico, Marriott Hotels, Hyundai, and Miller Beer

 

Holiday Bowl—San Diego

 

Sponsor: Bridgepoint Education   info@bridgepointeducation.com

While two actual campus sites are available for this for-profit college, almost all of its students are online distance learning students.

 

Competitor: The Universityof Phoenixcan be found in almost all big cities. www.phoenix.edu  e-mail: media@phoenix.edu

 

Other Sponsors: Bank ofAmerica, Bumble Bee Tuna, Dr. Pepper, Jack in the Box, US Bank, Wells Fargo Bank

 

Champs Sports Bowl—Orlando

 

Sponsor: Champs Sports  http://www.champssports.com/content/feedback/

 

Champs Sports also owns Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Footaction,EastBay, and CCS

 

Competitor: Dick’s Sporting Goods   www.dickssportinggoods.com  (Pittsburgh)

 

Other Sponsors: Budweiser, Coca-Cola/Dasani Water, RBC Bank

 

Alamo Bowl—San Antonio

 

Sponsor: Valero  customer.relations@valero.com

Valero is an oil refiner and marketer with numerous gas stations in the Southwest.  They own Diamond Shamrock as well as Valero and Valero Corner Stores.

 

Competitor: Any other oil company

 

Other Sponsors: Dr. Pepper, American Airlines, AT&T

 

Armed Forces Bowl—Dallas (@ SMU’s Gerald Ford Stadium)

 

Sponsor:BellHelicopter

Similar to the Military Bowl, you will need to boycott the other sponsors of this game. 

 

Other Sponsors: American Airlines, BBVA Compass, Chick-fil-A, and Omni Hotels

 

Pinstripe Bowl—Bronx, NY

 

Sponsor: New Era  http://shop.neweracap.com/infoPages/contact.php

 

Competitor: Genesco, Inc.  www.genesco.com (Nashville)

 

Other Sponsors: Ford, Benjamin Moore Paint, Hess

 

Music City Bowl—Nashville

 

Sponsor: FranklinAmerican Mortgage  smedes@franklinamerican.com

 

Competitor: There are many mortgage lenders throughout the nation.  Here is a great free tool that will help you find the best mortgage for your situation: http://mortgagemavin.com/Tutorial/Mortgage-Tutorial.aspx

 

Other Sponsors: Gaylord Hotels, Dollar General, SunTrust Bank, Comcast

 

Insight Bowl—Tempe, AZ

 

Sponsor: (The Fiesta Bowl and Insight Bowl are under the same auspices—see Fiesta Bowl for boycott information).

 

Meineke Car Care Bowl—Houston

 

Sponsor: Meineke Car Care   www.meineke.com/ContactUs/CustomerService.aspx

 

Competitor: Midas, Inc.  www.midas.com (Itasca, IL)

 

Other Sponsors: AllState, Budweiser, Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, Astra Zeneca, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Doubletree Hotels, Hyatt Regency Hotels,  Exxon Mobil, H-E-B, Halliburton, Marriott, McDonald’s, Nordstrom, Office Max, Panera Bread, Papa John’s Pizza, Ramada Inn, Wrangler Jeans, Yellow Cab

 

Sun Bowl—El Paso, TX

 

Sponsor: Hyundai  www.hyundaiusa.com/contact-us.aspx

(also includes Kia)

 

Competitor: Contact your local Hyundai and Kia dealers and tell them that while you believe their cars are quality vehicles, you must boycott their dealerships due to their parent company’s sponsorship of a bowl game.  Then, tell them where you intend to purchase your vehicle (make sure it is not one to boycott from another bowl).

 

Other Sponsors: Academy Sports and Outdoors, Bank of the West,

 

Liberty Bowl—Memphis, TN

 

Sponsor: AutoZone   https://www.autozone.com/autozone/contactus/customerService.jsp;jsessionid=C6190F4A95D47C7207C806ABC84575A6.diyprod5-b2c15?landingPageCategory=inOurStores&title=customer+service

 

Competitor: Advance Auto Parts (Roanoke, VA) http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/home___

 

Other Sponsors: Fedex, AT&T, Marriott & Hilton Hotels, Doubletree Hotels, Nike, Burger King

 

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl—San Francisco

 

Sponsor: Kraft Foods   http://www.kraftfoodscompany.com/contacts/pages/other-contacts-form.aspx?ft=other&subj=Other

 

Includes A-1 Sauce, Athenos, Balance Bars, Boca Burgers, Breakstone, Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce, California Pizza Kitchen & DiGiorno frozen pizza , Capri Sun, Cheez Whiz, Chips Ahoy, Cool Whips, Crystal Light, Grey Poupon, Honey Maid, Jell-O and Knox Gelatine, Kool-Aid, Maxwell House, Miracle Whip, Nabisco, Oreo Cookie, Oscar-Meyer Planter’s Nuts, South Beach, Tang, and Velveeta

 

Competitor: General Mills (maker of Betty Crocker, Bisquick, Cascadian Farm, Cheerios, Chex, Fiber One, Gold Medal Flour, Good Earth, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, Hamburger Helper, Larabar, Lucky Charms, Macaroni Grill, Muir Glen, Nature Valley, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Progresso, Total Cereal, Totino’s and Jeno’s, Trix Cereal, Wanchai Ferry, Wheaties, and Yoplait)

 

Other Sponsors: Honda, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Macy’s Wells Fargo, AllState, Yellow Pages,

 

Chick-fil-A Bowl—Atlanta

 

Sponsor: Chick-fil-A  www.chick-fil-a.com/Connect/Contact-Us-CARES

 

Competitor: As stated above, please patronize your local establishments.  When you pay money to a local restaurateur, that money stays in your local area and is used again in your town.  

 

Other Sponsors: AT&T, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Ticketmaster, BB&T Bank, Russell Athletic, Home Depot, Hilton and Marriott Hotels, Honda, Kia

 

Ticket City Bowl—Dallas (@ Cotton Bowl)

 

Sponsor: TicketCity   www.ticketcity.com/contact-form.html?e=3

 

Competitor: Stubhub, Inc.   www.stubhub.com

 

Other Sponsors: Dean Foods, Ernst & Young, Hilton Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, Embassy Suites, Hyatt Regency Hotels, Enterprise Rent-a-Car

 

Capital One Bowl—Orlando

 

Sponsor: Capital One   webinfo@capitalone.com

 

Capital One is another company with several thousands of online complaints (2.9 million returns on search for complaints), many of which do not involve lack of payment on the card.  As radio talk show host Dave Ramsey says, you should do a little plastic surgery and cut up that card.

 

Competitor: If you must take on debt, then consider Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase.   http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/southwest/affiliate?AFFID=KB4qoSTKkC8-iZ4lTMucfAHGCFmhbBL1Ew&pvid=f58027ae8c5f682fe1149ffe96c0fe1c

 

Other Sponsors: Coca-Cola/Dasani Water, Budweiser

 

Gator Bowl—Jacksonville

 

Sponsor: Progressive Insurance   www.progressive.com/contact-us.aspx

Just say “No” to Flo.

 

Competitor: As a former insurance rehabilitation contractor, I can speak first-hand about the companies that seemed to me to be most customer friendly.  I liked State Farm, Travelers, and Prudential.

 

Other Sponsors: Aetna, AllState, AT&T, BB&T, BBVA Compass, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Domino’s Pizza, Gatorade, Hallmark Cards, Hyatt-Regency Hotels, Jim Beam, McAlister’s Deli, McDonald’s, Merrill Lynch, Regions Bank, SunTrust Bank, Toyota, Xfinity, Wells Fargo

 

Outback Bowl—Tampa

 

Sponsor: Outback Steakhouse   www.outback.com/contactus/generalcomment.aspx

 

Competitor: TexasRoadhouse   www.texasroadhouse.com

 

Other Sponsors: Budweiser, Mercedes-Benz, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, MetLife, Westin Hotels, Trane, Hyatt-Regency, Kia, Coca-Cola

 

Rose Bowl—Pasadena, CA

 

Sponsor: Vizio   www.vizio.com/contacts/

 

Competitor: Samsung   www.samsung.com

 

Other Sponsors: Tournament of Roses

 

Sugar Bowl—New Orleans

 

Sponsor: Allstate Insurance   https://messaging.allstate.com/corp.aspx

Here is another corporation where I have first-hand experience in dealing with their clients.  Following a major April of 1998 tornado that caused massive damage to thousands of homes in Middle Tennessee, there was a not-so-funny joke going around about all the houses that still had blue tarps covering their roofs a year later—those were All-State’s clients.  An online search for complaints turned up 974K responses.

 

Competitor: State Farm, Travelers, and Prudential

 

Other Sponsors: AT&T, Hilton & Mariott Hotels, Taco Bell, Domino’s Sugar, Ticketmaster

 

Orange Bowl—Miami

 

Sponsor: Discover Card  1-800-discover (you must register to send an email, so flood their switchboard with calls)

 

Competitor: Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card from Chase   http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/southwest/affiliate?AFFID=KB4qoSTKkC8-iZ4lTMucfAHGCFmhbBL1Ew&pvid=f58027ae8c5f682fe1149ffe96c0fe1c

 

Other Sponsors: American Airlines, Bacardi Rum, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Publix, Reese’s Peanut Butter, Ryder, Taco Bell,Toyota

 

Fiesta Bowl—Tempe, AZ

 

Sponsor: Tostitos (Frito-Lay)  www.fritolay.com/about-us/contact-us.html

Talk about the opposite of nutrition.  Start with genetically modified corn.  Throw in unhealthy canola and/or soy oils, again genetically modified.  I could go on and on.  It is easy enough to purchase organic potatoes, slice them into thin pieces, sprinkle a little organic olive oil on them and then bake them in a hot oven.

 

Competitor: For those that absolutely must eat junk food, try Kettle Chips   www.kettlebrand.com/  Kettle Chips are free of trans fats, GMO ingredients or oils, and artificial ingredients.  They make an organic chip.

 

Other Sponsors: Chevrolet

 

Cotton Bowl—Arlington, TX (@ Cowboys Stadium)

 

Sponsor: AT&T  www.att.com

AT&T quite possible has the very worst customer service in the history of retail business.  A search for AT&T complaints online turns up more than 3.6 million results.  There are many horror stories including threats against those e-mailing complaints to the company.

 

Competitor: Verizon, Sprint-Nextel, T-Mobile for communications; your local cable provider, Directv, or dish network for entertainment.

 

Other Sponsors:EnterpriseRent-a-Car, Samsung, Dr. Pepper, Snapple, American Airlines, Wilson Sporting Goods, Hyatt-Regency Hotels, Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, Buick-Pontiac-GMC Truck, Hilton Hotels

 

BBVA Compass Bowl—Birmingham

 

Sponsor: BBVA Compass Bank  www.bbvacompass.com/contact/   Compass Bank operates in the states ofAlabama,Arizona,California,Colorado,Florida,New Mexico andTexas

 

Competitor: Many in each market.  Consider a locally owned bank if you have one, but check their rating first.

 

Other Sponsors: Ramada Inn, Sheraton, Golden Flake Potato Chips, Taxslayer.com, Chick-fil-A

 

GoDaddy.com Bowl—Mobile, AL

 

Sponsor: GoDaddy.com web-hosting   PR@GoDaddy.com

 

Competitor: Read current web-hosting reviews at: http://www.hosting-review.com/?gclid=CLPenrDUpKoCFcYE2godhDbOWA

 

Other Sponsors: Coca-Cola, Quality Inn, Comcast, Courtyard by Marriott, Fedex, Chevrolet, Red Lobster

 

 

The bowls could be retained and coexist with a playoff, and they could even be better than they are now.  What if instead of having to invite a bunch of 6-6 and 7-5 teams, every bowl participant was 0-0?  Then, it would be impossible to state that any team was undeserving of a bowl game. 

 

Why not move the bowls to the opening week of the season?  Make it like the Preseason NIT and other in-season tournaments in college basketball.  By moving a bowl from January to the first Saturday in September, the bowls and the participating teams would have months to prepare for the games.  Instead of having 30+ meaningless bowls, all of them would now be very important. 

 

Imagine a scenario whereAlabamaandOklahomafaced off in the preseason Cotton Bowl at Cowboys’ Stadium.  What aboutPennStateplayingFloridaStatein the preseason Sugar Bowl?  What ifNevadaplayedTulsain the New Mexico Bowl?  The game would be an exciting one to watch, and the winner could use it as a springboard to possibly move into the playoff picture. 

 

The Rose Bowl could be like today’s ACC/Big Ten basketball challenge in December. OhioStatecould playOregoninPasadenaon the first Saturday in September as a great kickoff to the season.  And, unlike the current bowl situation, the loser could still win the national championship.

 

The bowl officials would then have all winter, spring, and summer to plan and promote their opening week spectaculars.  Hotel reservations could be made months in advance.  There could be even more festivities planned with all the extra time, since the participating teams and the public would know well in advance which teams would be headed to each bowl.

 

This plan also would allow some teams that have never been to a bowl or have not been in decades a chance to go bowling and bring along very enthusiastic fans.  ImagineKentStateandNew MexicoStatebeing invited to play each other in a bowl.  The Golden Flashes have not tasted a postseason game since 1972, while the Aggies have been left out since 1960!  This game would generate a lot more interest than two 6-6 teams playing around Christmas.

 

If there were playoffs instead of bowls, then the public would not be faced with so many patsy games likePennStatevs.Indiana State,Illinoisvs.Arkansas State,Nebraskavs.Chattanooga,MichiganState vs.YoungstownState, andIowavs. Tennessee Tech.  Instead of worrying about automatic wins over FCS and low-tiered FBS teams, the top teams would need to increase their strengths of schedule, just like the need for basketball teams to schedule with RPI in mind.  Which games would draw more ratings for the telecasters?  The ones mentioned above or 35 games similar to the pair of opening week classic games scheduled this year—Georgiavs.BoiseStateand LSU vs.Oregon?  Here is one example for what could be:

 

Date	Time EDT	Bowl	Team	Team
Th 9/1	7:00 PM	Beef O’Brady’s	Northwestern	North Carolina St.
Th 9/1	7:30 PM	New Orleans	Kansas St.	Colorado
Th 9/1	8:00 PM	New Mexico	Oregon St.	San Diego St.
Th 9/1	9:00 PM	Humanitarian	Purdue	Utah
Fr 9/2	7:00 PM	MAACO	BostonCollege	Connecticut
Fr 9/2	8:00 PM	Independence	Air Force	Virginia
Fr 9/2	9:30 PM	Poinsettia	Washington	B Y U
Fr 9/2	11:00 PM	Hawaii	S M U	Hawaii
Sa 9/3	12:00 PM	Little Caesar’s	Illinois	Rutgers
Sa 9/3	12:00 PM	Belk	Clemson	South Florida
Sa 9/3	12:30 PM	Military	North Carolina	Cincinnati
Sa 9/3	1:00 PM	Champs Sports	Miami(Fl)	Auburn
Sa 9/3	1:00 PM	Pinstripe	Pittsburgh	Georgia Tech
Sa 9/3	1:30 PM	Liberty	MississippiState	Tulsa
Sa 9/3	1:30 PM	Chick-fil-A	PennState	West Virginia
Sa 9/3	2:30 PM	Compass	Tennessee	Central Florida
Sa 9/3	2:30 PM	GoDaddy.com	Southern Miss.	Kentucky
Sa 9/3	3:00 PM	MusicCity	Michigan	Louisville
Sa 9/3	3:00 PM	Sun	Texas	MichiganState
Sa 9/3	3:30 PM	TicketCity	Missouri	Houston
Sa 9/3	3:30 PM	Armed Forces	Arizona	Baylor
Sa 9/3	6:00 PM	Capital One	OhioState	Florida
Sa 9/3	6:15 PM	Outback	Georgia	Virginia Tech
Sa 9/3	6:30 PM	Fight Hunger	U C L A	Nevada
Sa 9/3	7:45 PM	Meineke Car Care	Ole Miss	Maryland
Sa 9/3	8:00 PM	Alamo	ArizonaState	Iowa
Sa 9/3	9:30 PM	Insight	TexasTech	California
Sa 9/3	10:30 PM	Holiday	Southern Cal	T C U
Su 9/4	2:00 PM	Gator	South Carolina	OklahomaState
Su 9/4	3:00 PM	Cotton	FloridaState	Nebraska
Su 9/4	4:30 PM	Sugar	BoiseState	Arkansas
Su 9/4	6:00 PM	Orange	L S U	TexasA&M
Mo 9/5	8:00 PM	Champions *	Alabama	Oregon
Mo 9/5	8:30 PM	Fiesta	Oklahoma	Notre Dame
Mo 9/5	9:00 PM	Rose	Stanford	Wisconsin

 

* The Champions Bowl replaces the current National Championship Bowl Game and will pit the two most recent national champions.

 

Now, ask yourself this question: would you rather watch the big teams slaughter the FCS teams in week one, or would you rather watch this list of 35 games that will go a long way in determining power ratings for playoff seeding in December?

The PiRates Have Returned To Dry Land Ready For Football

When we last spoke with you, it was undecided whether we would present football ratings for 2011-12.  At the time, there was no end in sight for the NFL lockout, and we were head strong in support of boycotting the college football season as a show of opposition to the post-season bowls.

 

In July, as our gardens became tumbleweeds in the oppressive heat, we had some extra time on our hands to discuss just what we would do this year.  Upon further review, we have decided to issue our college ratings as usual, but only after we make a special post concerning the bowl games.  That will come next week. 

 

As for the NFL, it will be at least three to three and a half weeks before we can update the ratings due to the tight window of wheeling and dealing.  We will not be able to offer an in-depth preview of each NFL division like in past years—it will just be ratings and a brief synopsis of how we see the races and playoffs.  We will offer a brain-teasing trivia quiz dedicated to those 50 and over who remember the NFL/AFL at its best—in the 1950’s and 1960’s.  For those not gifted with gray hair or hairlessness yet, you just might learn some very interesting facts that you can spring on your friends at your local watering hole.  Some will be very tricky indeed.

 

Beginning August 15, we will begin previewing the college conferences.  Here is the schedule for those conference previews:

 

Monday, August 15:SunbeltConference

Tuesday, August 16: Mid-American Conference

Wednesday, August 17: ConferenceUSA

Thursday, August 18: Western Athletic Conference

Friday, August 19: Independents

Monday, August 22: Mountain West Conference

Tuesday, August 23: Big East Conference

Wednesday, August 24:AtlanticCoastConference

Thursday, August 25: Pacific 12 Conference

Friday, August 26: Big 12 Conference

Monday, August 29: Southeastern Conference

Tuesday, August 30: Big Ten Conference

 

We realize that about 15% of you reading this are fans ofVanderbiltUniversitydown inNashville, who followed our founder when he wrote for Vanderbilt Athletics.  We also realize that about 35% of you reading this are residents of the great state ofWisconsinor Badger fans living in the hinterlands.  Thus, on August 29, there will be expanded coverage of the Vanderbilt Commodores, and on August 30, there will be expanded coverage on the Wisconsin Badgers, as they compete for the first Leaders Division title and another conference championship in the exciting, expanded Big Ten.

 

Check back next week for an all-inclusive post about how you can boycott the bowl sponsors and help bring about a post-season playoff.  We have a fresh way of satisfying both the bowls and a playoff at the same time.  To those that have heard our proposal, we have received 100% approval of our idea.  Check back next week for that idea.

PiRates Have Gone To Sea For Summer

Dear Reader and supporter of the PiRate Ratings:

The 6 PiRates that put together the PiRate Ratings have started putting together the 2011 college football ratings, and we will soon start putting together the information for the NFL football ratings.

However, we are considering boycotting the 2011 season in both college and pro.  We agree with Bill James that the BCS should be boycotted.  For the last two years, we have chosen not to use any products sold by any bowl sponsor, and we will continue to do so this season.

Before the start of the 2011 season, we will list the sponsors of the bowls and show you how you too can boycott their products and purchase their competitor’s products instead.

Additionally, we did not tune in one second of any of the bowl games last season, but that was our choice.

Concerning the NFL, if the players are to ever have any clout much like their baseball brethren, their only chance is to go on strike at the conclusion of the regular season.  The players would collect their season salaries and then put unbelievable pressure on management to meet their demands or lose their big cash cow–the playoffs and Super Bowl.

Check back after August 10 for the college football previews.

 

Thank You,

The 6 PiRates

How You Can Do Your Part To Bring About College Football Playoffs

If you are reading this editorial, you are obviously a fan of major college football.  More than likely, you favor a playoff system that would crown a true champion that earned it on the field rather than allow a crude system determine in advance which two teams are the two best.  If the BCS can determine which two teams are the best, then why not just declare which one team is the best and announce them national champions?

We here at the PiRate Ratings will give you what you want–college football playoffs.  Okay, you’ll have to settle for a computer simulated playoff.  Check back December 20 for the results of the first round.

Here is how you can get involved and help usher in real playoffs.  We’re realists here and realize it will take millions of you for this to work.  But like Confucius said “A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step,” the millions needed to make this work must begin with a single person. 

Money is the only reason nothing has changed, so the return on investment by bowl sponsors must be greatly diminished.

We realize that if we asked you not to watch any of the bowl games, you would immediately stop reading and do something else.  Go ahead and watch the games; we want you to do exactly that.

Now, while you are watching these games, jot down the names of the companies that sponsor these bowls.  For instance, the sponsor of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl is Frito-Lay, maker of Tostitos.  While you are watching this game, jot down the names of the major advertisers as well.

Now, go online to the websites of these companies and send them a quick one paragraph e-mail telling them that you are sorry to inform them that you will no longer be their customer due to their sponsoring bowl games.  Tell them that if they were to sponsor playoffs, then you would gladly purchase their products once again and recommend them to your friends and family.  If you desire, tell them the name of the competitor that will be receiving your patronage instead.

For example, let’s say besides Frito-Lay, ads that run on the Fiesta Bowl include Coke, McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, and All State Insurance.  Simply go to these companies’ websites and find their contact info.  E-mail them a quick paragraph telling them that you will no longer purchase their products.  Depending on the company, tell them you will now purchase from Pepsi, Burger King, Krispy Kreme, and State Farm.

Now forward this boycott idea to all your sports friends who think like you and tell them to make it viral.  If several million sports fans hear about this, a couple of thousand will act and participate.  It is believed in the corporate world that for every letter/e-mail/phone call a company receives from the populace, it represents 1,000 additional people who think the same way.  If enough people inform these sponsors that the only reason we will not purchase their products is their sponsorship of bowls, then the ball starts rolling.

The current antiquated system has gone as far as to hire Ari Fleischer Sports Communications (yes the same Ari Fleischer who was George W. Bush’s press secretary) to convince the public that playoffs are not feasible for a majority of reasons.  One of the points in their foolish logic states that it would be unfair to invite a 10-2 Ohio State team into the playoffs and leave 11-2 Georgia Tech out of the mix if the top eight teams were chosen.  PiRate method aside (see our PiRate Playoff System comment from Tuesday, December 8), are we to believe that leaving three undefeated teams out of the current mix is not as harsh as omitting the number nine team from an eight-team playoff?  Hey, Ari, why don’t you go back to helping your former boss convince the populace that Mission was Accomplished.  Better yet, explain your complicity in the Valerie Plame incident.  What’s next?  Maybe, Dick Cheney will become the ref who fires the gun ending the quarters (for you young readers, a referee used to actually fire a blank from a gun to indicate the end of each quarter in days before every stadium had a horn in their scoreboard).

In our household, we have a tradition of not watching a single bowl game, even the National Championship Game.  However, it may be more important for you to tune into these games so you can make note of the companies who will lose your business.

In addition to Frito-Lay, here is a list of some of the other bowl sponsors with an example of their competition.  You can easily boycott their products and patronize their competition, and you can easily e-mail them letting them know.

R + L Carriers (www.rlcarriers.com) sponsors the New Orleans Bowl.  One of their competitors is Con-Way Freight. 

Maaco (www.maaco.com) sponsors the Las Vegas Bowl.  Earl Schieb is a major competitor.

Sheraton sponsors the Hawaii Bowl.  They are a subsidiary of Starwood Hotels (www.starwoodhotels.com).  The Westin Hotel is another in their family, so they must be included in your boycott.  While we’re at it, Gaylord Hotels (www.gaylordhotels.com) sponsors the Music City Bowl.  There are many hotel chains to choose from; we prefer bed & breakfast lodging and love staying in them when we make our road trips.  It is only a short walk of a few feet to address the owner, so you get much better service.

Little Caesars Pizza (www.littlecaesars.com) sponsors the bowl in Detroit (formerly the Motor City Bowl) with their name.  Be careful with this boycott, because PapaJohns (www.papajohns.com) has a bowl as well.  If you want the best pizza, find a real New York pizzaiolo.  If your crust isn’t crisp and cannot be folded in half, you have something that shouldn’t be called pizza.  If you are ever in the Milwaukee area, check out Classic Slice on South Kinnickinnic Avenue.

Meineke (www.meineke.com) sponsors the Meineke Car Care Bowl.  Pep Boys is one competitor.

Diamond Foods (www.diamondfoods.com) sponsors the Emerald Bowl.  Don’t confuse Diamond Foods with Blue Diamond Growers, a competitor.  Con Agra is another competitor.

Advocare (www.advocare.com) sponsors the Independence Bowl.  High quality multivitamins and minerals can be purchased at a discount from Lucky Vitamins and Vitacost.

To boycott Champs Sports (www.champssports.com) for the Champs Sports Bowl, remember to include Foot Locker in your boycott.  Top competitors include The Sports Authority and just about any department store these days.

Roady’s sponsors the Humanitarian Bowl.  They operate under several different names, so visit www.roadystruckstops.com to see if there’s one in your area.  We like Petro’s Truck Stops and look for them when we are driving along the nation’s interstates.

Pacific Life Insurance (www.pacificlife.com) sponsors the Holiday Bowl.  Metropolitan Life is a viable competitor.

Brut (www.hotus.com) sponsors the Sun Bowl.  Brut is a subsidiary of Helen of Troy, Ltd., which also sells Vidal Sassoon, Revlon, Dr. Scholl’s Sunbeam, and Health O Meter among others.  There are many cologne and aftershave competitors.

Chick-fil-A (www.chick-fil-a.com) can easily be boycotted.  There are several ways to eat more chicken.  Many people believe Broasted Chicken is the best fried chicken available for purchase.  Of course, you could just eat baked or broiled chicken and be much healthier.   

Outback Steakhouse (www.outback.com) sponsors the Outback Bowl.  Have you tried the Texas Roadhouse?  In Eau Claire, Wisconsin, they put Outback out of business.

Capital One (www.capitalone.com) has many competitors.  Bank of America is a major one.  You can use BOA when you boycott Citi (www.citi.com) sponsor of the Granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl and this year’s National Championship Game.

Konica Minolta (www.konicaminolta.com) sponsors the Gator Bowl. Canon makes excellent digital camera, and they are an official sponsor of the NFL, which does it the right way—with playoffs.

Allstate (www.allstate.com) sponsors the Sugar Bowl.  There are over a dozen national insurance companies to use.

AT&T (www.att.com) sponsors the Cotton Bowl. Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile are three large competitors.

Autozone www.autozone.com) sponsors the Liberty Bowl.  Advance Auto Parts is a large competitor.

Valero Oil (www.valero.com) sponsors the Alamo Bowl.  They operate gas stations under the name of Shamrock and Diamond Shamrock.  Obviously, there are multiple large gas companies as competitors.

Fedex (www.fedex.com) sponsors the Orange Bowl.  UPS is a large competitor.

GMAC (www.gmacfs.com) sponsors the GMAC Bowl.  Toyota and Volkswagen are now larger automobile companies.

Some information for this blog was gathered from Hoover’s (www.hoovers.com).  Hoover’s doesn’t sponsor any bowls, so don’t boycott them.