St. Petersburg Bowl 2010: 10 Things To Know About Louisville vs. Southern Miss
This is the biggest game of the College Football Bowl Season.
Okay, so maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but the tilt between Louisville and Southern Miss has the potential to be much better than most expect.
Although they certainly aren't the sexiest two teams to ever appear in a game of this magnitude, both have earned the right to participate and fans can bet the squads will be leaving everything on the field when it all goes down.
These ten facts are certainly going to be relevant to getting the most out of your game day experience.
10. Date & Time Of The Game
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Fans can't take part in the action if they don't know when the highly awaited matchup is going down!
Date: December 21st, 2010
Time: 8:00 PM Eastern
With each team having to travel just about an equal distance to arrive, home field advantage may go by the wayside in this one.
9. Location
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You'd be surprised to learn how many people don't know where St. Petersburg is on a map.
Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
TV Channel: ESPN
This is one of seven bowl games that are owned by ESPN. It should be interesting to see what type of TV ratings this under-the-radar matchup can garner so close to Christmas.
8. Real Name Of The Bowl Game
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Despite being labeled as the St. Petersburg Bowl, the title sponsor would be unhappy if they went without mention when discussing the upcoming contest.
The chain restaurant Beef 'O' Brady's took over the title sponsorship in 2009 and will once again have the honors in 2010.
Despite somewhat of a disconnect between the restaurant itself and the game of football, it's obvious that these title sponsorships have done much more to help than to hurt those that enter in any such endeavors.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Kellen Winslow, Sr. As Keynote Speaker at Luncheon
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The elder Winslow will serve as the keynote speaker at the luncheon prior to the game.
While this seemingly doesn't have much impact on the surface, bringing in a high-profile football guy like Winslow will automatically provide legitimacy and credibility to a Bowl game that many experts and fans are left laughing about.
A popular player in his day, Winslow will also attract some locals to the stadium that would otherwise be uninterested in the showdown.
6. This Is Actually a Good Game
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Despite the low level of interest on both sides, this could turn into one of the better matchups on the BCS Bowl Game schedule.
With both teams finishing strong at the end of the season and earning a bid to the Bowl, it's clear that these two underrated football programs are in it to gain some serious leverage for the future.
If nothing else, it adds a dynamic element to an otherwise rather plain, boring matchup.
5. These Two Teams Used To Be Rivals
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These two teams used to be rivals back when Louisville played in Conference USA before its move to the Big East, so there could be some serious build up of bad blood when they square off.
Despite the fact that it's been a few years since Louisville's transition, perhaps Southern Miss will take this as an opportunity to put themselves on the map and gain a few backers for a future move to a bigger conference.
Any added motivation that adds fuel to the fire will certainly come out on game day.
4. Contests
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The Ultimate Tailgate Challenge is just as good as it sounds, and it's explained in its entirety here.
Additionally, there are a variety of social contests as well. Through the use of the emerging social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter, these promotions are active ways to increase interactive watching of the game.
If you want to know more about how you can win, read up on it here.
3. Things To Do
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St. Petersburg might not conjure the party-scene atmosphere that so many think of when imagining the atmosphere leading up to the big game, but there's plenty to do in the scenic city.
With an official beach bash, battle of the bands, the keynote luncheon, a block party, and much much more, it's clear that there's plenty to choose from when trying to allocate how to spend your time.
2. The Announcers
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One of the most well-spoken, liked crews in college football has the honor of calling the game.
ESPN's Rece Davis, icon Lou Holtz, and the enigmatic Mark May will handle all of the play-by-play and color commentary for those watching on TV.
And as any college football fanatic knows, Dr. Holtz is must-see TV.
1. Big Names On Each Side
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Most importantly, which players are going to be the ones to watch for each team?
Louisville
QB Justin Burke
RB Bilal Powell
WR Cameron Graham, Josh Bellamy
Southern Miss
QB Austin Davis
RB Kendrick Hardy
WR Kelvin Bolden, Johdrick Morris
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
