North Jefferson News, Gardendale, AL

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September 14, 2012

Robert Carter: The pitfalls of booking a cupcake opponent

By Robert Carter North Jefferson News

COMMENTARY — They call them Paycheck Bowls when they’re being polite. The terms they use when they aren’t being polite are not usable in this publication.

Nor are the words used by the coaches of the teams supposed to dominate these supposedly one-sided affairs, when something doesn’t go according to the script.

When a mid-major school like a Western Ken­tucky [full disclosure: Western’s my alma mater] or Louisiana-Monroe pulls off an upset over a major conference school, it’s huge news for the little guys and a major embarrassment for the hosts.

That’s not nearly as bad as when a player is lost to injury during an otherwise meaningless game.

Both scenarios played out last Saturday. The Hilltoppers played the lovable losers, falling 35-0 to Alabama. But the Crimson Tide lost running back Jalston Fowler for the season to a knee injury, which reminds us of the phrase, “What price victory?”

Then at Fayetteville, Arkansas was handed a stinging defeat by the Warhawks, 34-31 in overtime.

How long is that contract of yours, John L. Smith? Ten months? Don’t get too settled into that big office, buddy.

It’s not like some folks in these parts didn’t see that one coming. Tide fans still have fresh memories of Nick Saban’s first season in 2007, when ULM handed them a 21-24 beatdown on the heels of losses to LSU and Mississippi State. (And to think some fans were already calling for Saban’s head after that loss!)

So with all the downsides of putting these types of games on the schedule every year, one has to ask a simple “Why?”

Arkansas shelled out somewhere around half a million bucks to the Warhawks, which is the main reason ULM agreed to play. Same for Western, though the paycheck may have been fatter. The Hilltoppers also have a tradition of playing an SEC school each year, including Auburn, Alabama and LSU in recent years. Those games provide a big boost to Western’s athletic program coffers, and the publicity puts the Toppers in the ESPN spotlight for at least one week.

So it’s easy to see why the little guys like these games, even if they get shellacked — normally.

Up until recently, the big boys would make these their homecoming games, which would provide 1) a nearly-guaranteed win in front of the old alums, and 2) a chance for the subs to play in front of their parents.

But now these games show up earlier, and seemingly more often. Fans aren’t dumb, no matter what sports-talk radio blowhards might say, and they are expressing their opinion on these games with their feet. It is becoming more and more common to see large areas of empty seats at stadiums for Paycheck Bowl games. Even the diehards know a bad game when they see one.

And when these games show up on pay-per-view, as they often do, the buy rate is not what the cable companies like to see. If this keeps up, an SEC team may face the prospect of having no television at a game, which seems very odd in this era of multiple channels and outlets. Maybe it would give us the first YouTube-only SEC game.

Paycheck games have their place, especially for the “cupcakes.” But the big schools may be overdoing it.

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