I feel New Year's Day used to mean more in college football n the past than it does today. Sure we have a treat now when both national semifinals will be played but that happens only once every three years. In past years we often got national championship games on New Year's Day (Jan. 2 when Jan. 1 was on Sunday).

Call me old (I am old). I used to call New Year's Day "Football Day". I remember the day as the day I could watch three football days in one day. Now that's every Saturday and every Sunday.

My first big memory of New Year's Day when I was a kid was Penn State winning the Sugar Bowl and their first national championship (1983). The Sugar Bowl became an early favorite bowl of mine and I would always want to watch it over the Orange Bowl even when the Orange Bowl was a better game (back in the old days the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl were played at the same time for those of you who don't remember).

The following year Illinois went to the Rose Bowl. I remember my dad who honestly isn't into sports was so proud of the team he bought a souvenir mug that had all of the scores of Illinois's games before the Rose Bowl and that they were going to the Rose Bowl. I don't think he ever drank from the mug. I think he still has the mug, never used. It's the first time I remember him talking about the University of Illinois. If I talk fondly about Illinois it's not only my alma mater it's my dad's and my mom's (they met there and got married). That's why a kid from Pennsylvania went to school at Illinois. But I remember the mug and that Rose Bowl (1984).

My next memory is a Penn State one. While I was a grad student at PSU I went down to Orlando to see them play in the Citrus Bowl. It's the only bowl game I got to see live. I also got to spend a couple of days at Disney World. We played Florida that year and it felt like a Florida home game.

Finally I did travel to Pasadena. I didn't get to see the game since they had it late (not New Year's Day). That was when they had the BCS and the Rose Bowl was the national championship. But I did get to see the Rose Parade. It was amazing and something definitely missing this year. Oh well, next year.

So talk about your New Year's Day football memories of yester year. Was it better in the old days? Has the College Football Playoff taken the excitement away from NYD? Is that necessarily a bad thing?

My first memory of watching NYD bowl games was January 1, 1968. Indiana was in the Rose Bowl in a big surprise. IU, Purdue and Minnesota tied for the Big 10 title. It would be 30 years before Purdue would again win a Big 10 title. IU and Minnesota still haven't.

OJ lead #1 USC to win over Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Looking it up, OU beat #2 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. I must have watched the Sugar Bowl where LSU beat Wyoming or the Cotton as I don't remember the Orange. And Gene Stallings lead a Texas A&M team that started 0-4 to a win over Alabama and his mentor Bear Bryant.

Indiana and Wyoming in big bowl games! I often think of 1968 as the beginning of the modern era in College football. After January 1! We haven't seen IU or Wyoming since.

(01-01-2021 11:49 AM)bullet Wrote:  My first memory of watching NYD bowl games was January 1, 1968. Indiana was in the Rose Bowl in a big surprise. IU, Purdue and Minnesota tied for the Big 10 title. It would be 30 years before Purdue would again win a Big 10 title. IU and Minnesota still haven't.

OJ lead #1 USC to win over Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Looking it up, OU beat #2 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. I must have watched the Sugar Bowl where LSU beat Wyoming or the Cotton as I don't remember the Orange. And Gene Stallings lead a Texas A&M team that started 0-4 to a win over Alabama and his mentor Bear Bryant.

Indiana and Wyoming in big bowl games! I often think of 1968 as the beginning of the modern era in College football. After January 1! We haven't seen IU or Wyoming since.

What times did these games usually start?

Cotton
Sugar
Rose
Orange

(01-01-2021 12:22 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  What times did these games usually start?

Cotton
Sugar
Rose
Orange

I remember the Cotton being first, the Rose in the middle, and the Sugar and Orange last. Later on I remember the Citrus being played opposite the Cotton and I preferred the Citrus, especially when they became a "Big Ten vs. SEC" game.

(01-01-2021 12:22 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  What times did these games usually start?

Cotton
Sugar
Rose
Orange

The Cotton Bowl started around 1 pm CST and was televised on CBS. There was also a Cotton Bowl parade in downtown Dallas on New Year's morning, also televised by CBS. In the 90's, NBC got the rights to the Cotton Bowl and televised it as part of a tripleheader. It was normally the first game (11 AM CST). There were years in the 90's when the Fiesta would have a conflict with Pac 10/Big Ten teams in the Rose Bowl, and the Cotton would be bumped into the second timeslot on NBC opposite the Rose Bowl on ABC.

The Sugar Bowl has hopped around between New Year's night, New Year's Day, and New Year's Eve. It was always televised by ABC.

The Rose Bowl (except this year) always starts at 2 pm Pacific time. It was televised by NBC for years, before moving to ABC in the 90's.

The Orange Bowl was traditionally on New Year's night, televised by NBC.

As the Fiesta Bowl made its way into becoming a New Year's Day bowl, it became part of an NBC tripleheader, first with the Rose and Orange, and later with the Cotton and Orange. It was usually the first game of the day, even with the early Arizona start time.

Growing up in Oklahoma, the Orange Bowl was the highlight of the day, and was usually the biggest game of the year. The Rose Bowl was an appetizer, and was the time to eat dinner and get ready for the important game later that night. The Orange Bowl was huge for us when OU was in it, but was still big if Nebraska was in it. In the 70's, 80's, and 90's, it usually impacted the national championship. I never understood the importance of the Rose Bowl until I was an adult.

Yeah, New Year’s Day used to be awesome for college football. Now we get the 5th rerun of Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama. College Football appears to be following the path of baseball and becoming a largely regional sport.

I always like the Peach Bowl’s old tradition of playing on New Years Eve, with matchups you would normally never see.

(01-01-2021 10:30 AM)schmolik Wrote:  So talk about your New Year's Day football memories of yester year. Was it better in the old days? Has the College Football Playoff taken the excitement away from NYD? Is that necessarily a bad thing?

Yes, back in the day when the Sugar Bowl would be played on New Year's Eve and the Orange, Cotton and Rose Bowls on New Year's Day, it was a magical time.

My first memory of a major college bowl game was the 1970 Cotton Bowl between Texas and Notre Dame. I was only six but rooted for Notre Dame because my dad was. I didn't much understand what was happening but I remember him being mad because Texas won, LOL.

Basically, every New Year's Day in the 70s and 80s was special.

I like this thread.

I can remember late 70s or seeing Michigans helmet and thinking they had a weird color scheme.

Another memory was the 1982 Sugar Bowl Pitt vs GA (I had to look up the year) when the score graphic had the winning teams helmet eat the losing teams helmet pac-man style. My cousins and I were more interested in the score graphic than the actual game.

Some of my favorite New Years Bowl Memories...

1978 Cotton Bowl : Notre Dame vs #1 Texas





1991 Fiesta Bowl : Louisville vs Alabama





1984 Orange Bowl : Miami vs #1 Nebraska





Keith Jackson Games...





Good thread...

Yes, the 1984 Orange Bowl. The game where Nebraska could have kicked an extra point, tied the game, and won the national championship. Instead they went for two, lost the game, and cost the 1994 Penn State team a national championship ("We're just going to give Tom Osborne the title because he never won one before")

(01-03-2021 07:10 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  Some of my favorite New Years Bowl Memories...

1978 Cotton Bowl : Notre Dame vs #1 Texas

I remember that one, was 13 years old.

Joe Montana vs Earl Campbell

Straight-on kickers kicking off of high plastic tees.

Those were the days ....

(01-03-2021 07:18 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Yes, the 1984 Orange Bowl. The game where Nebraska could have kicked an extra point, tied the game, and won the national championship. Instead they went for two, lost the game, and cost the 1994 Penn State team a national championship ("We're just going to give Tom Osborne the title because he never won one before")

About 1994:

1) Nebraska didn't win the title because of Osbourne sympathy. Nebraska had a fantastic team and earned it.

2) Penn State also had a fantastic team and earned it. The polls should have split, giving each a share of the title. It was unjust to Penn State that they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

About 1997:

Nebraska *did* get the Coaches vote as a "going away present" for retiring Osbourne. But, Nebraska also did deserve a share of the title anyway. When you have two unbeaten P5 champs, the title should be split. It would have been unjust to Nebraska if they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

(01-03-2021 09:47 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 07:10 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  Some of my favorite New Years Bowl Memories...

1978 Cotton Bowl : Notre Dame vs #1 Texas

I remember that one, was 13 years old.

Joe Montana vs Earl Campbell

Straight-on kickers kicking off of high plastic tees.

Those were the days ....

I was 14 and loved Notre Dame. I would watch The Irish every opportunity I got. In those days we didn’t get many opportunities. That was a great game.

(01-03-2021 09:49 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 07:18 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Yes, the 1984 Orange Bowl. The game where Nebraska could have kicked an extra point, tied the game, and won the national championship. Instead they went for two, lost the game, and cost the 1994 Penn State team a national championship ("We're just going to give Tom Osborne the title because he never won one before")

About 1994:

1) Nebraska didn't win the title because of Osbourne sympathy. Nebraska had a fantastic team and earned it.

2) Penn State also had a fantastic team and earned it. The polls should have split, giving each a share of the title. It was unjust to Penn State that they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

About 1997:

Nebraska *did* get the Coaches vote as a "going away present" for retiring Osbourne. But, Nebraska also did deserve a share of the title anyway. When you have two unbeaten P5 champs, the title should be split. It would have been unjust to Nebraska if they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

Those 1994 and 1995 Nebraska teams were perhaps the best college football teams ever.

(01-03-2021 11:01 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 09:47 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 07:10 AM)CardinalJim Wrote:  Some of my favorite New Years Bowl Memories...

1978 Cotton Bowl : Notre Dame vs #1 Texas

I remember that one, was 13 years old.

Joe Montana vs Earl Campbell

Straight-on kickers kicking off of high plastic tees.

Those were the days ....

I was 14 and loved Notre Dame. I would watch The Irish every opportunity I got. In those days we didn’t get many opportunities. That was a great game.

My dad, a catholic kid from Chicago, was a huge Notre Dame fan so I was too.

I remember back in the 1970s, there was a TV show called "Notre Dame Highlights", which ran Sunday morning. They would condense the previous day's game in to an hour and me and my brother would get excited when our dad said it was time to watch. As you say, nobody got on TV much in those days so that's how I saw most Irish games back then. Of course I tended not to watch that show if ND had lost the previous day, LOL.

(01-03-2021 09:49 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 07:18 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Yes, the 1984 Orange Bowl. The game where Nebraska could have kicked an extra point, tied the game, and won the national championship. Instead they went for two, lost the game, and cost the 1994 Penn State team a national championship ("We're just going to give Tom Osborne the title because he never won one before")

About 1994:

1) Nebraska didn't win the title because of Osbourne sympathy. Nebraska had a fantastic team and earned it.

2) Penn State also had a fantastic team and earned it. The polls should have split, giving each a share of the title. It was unjust to Penn State that they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

About 1997:

Nebraska *did* get the Coaches vote as a "going away present" for retiring Osbourne. But, Nebraska also did deserve a share of the title anyway. When you have two unbeaten P5 champs, the title should be split. It would have been unjust to Nebraska if they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

And why did Penn State not get a share when Miami and Washington both get a share and Michigan and Nebraska both get a share? Was the Penn State team a bad team? We were one of the best football teams to ever play, better than the 1982 team (which lost a game) and the 1986 team. Ask the rest of the Big Ten. Ohio State 63-14.

(01-03-2021 11:45 AM)schmolik Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 09:49 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(01-03-2021 07:18 AM)schmolik Wrote:  Yes, the 1984 Orange Bowl. The game where Nebraska could have kicked an extra point, tied the game, and won the national championship. Instead they went for two, lost the game, and cost the 1994 Penn State team a national championship ("We're just going to give Tom Osborne the title because he never won one before")

About 1994:

1) Nebraska didn't win the title because of Osbourne sympathy. Nebraska had a fantastic team and earned it.

2) Penn State also had a fantastic team and earned it. The polls should have split, giving each a share of the title. It was unjust to Penn State that they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

About 1997:

Nebraska *did* get the Coaches vote as a "going away present" for retiring Osbourne. But, Nebraska also did deserve a share of the title anyway. When you have two unbeaten P5 champs, the title should be split. It would have been unjust to Nebraska if they didn't get the vote in one of the polls.

And why did Penn State not get a share when Miami and Washington both get a share and Michigan and Nebraska both get a share? Was the Penn State team a bad team? We were one of the best football teams to ever play, better than the 1982 team (which lost a game) and the 1986 team. Ask the rest of the Big Ten. Ohio State 63-14.

Because people overwhelmingly believed Nebraska was better. They beat final #3 Colorado and #6 Miami. Penn St. didn't beat anyone in the final top 10.

Penn St. did win some of the computer polls and got a piece of the National Championship Foundation title, which splits when there are multiple contenders.

My favorite memory of the big New Year's Day Bowls is (obviously) the Rose Bowl following the 2010 season between TCU and Wisconsin. It wasn't a "shocker" like Boise's W over OU in the Fiesta Bowl or Utah's W over Bama in the Sugar Bowl because TCU was actually favored, but it clearly was a big factor in TCU's ultimate promotion back from the wilderness into the big time a couple of years later. TCU was #3 in the BCS ratings and would have made a 4-team playoff had there been one, but we actually lucked into it because of Nevada's late upset of Boise when they missed a FG. The previous year, the BCS had shafted both teams by making us play each other in the Fiesta Bowl, but in 2010, we were both vying for the Rose Bowl due to an obscure BCS rule that required the Rose Bowl to take a non-AQ qualifier (which had been forced on the Rose Bowl by the other BCS Bowls). Wisconsin was a quality opponent and the game was exciting - the Frogs took an early lead, but the Badgers mounted a comeback based on their rushing ability to bring the score to 21-19 with 2 minutes left. And it all came down to a 2-point conversion attempt and Tank Carder deflected (the "Immaculate Deflection") Scott Tolzien's unexpected pass to clinch the W.

My dad used to have his "New Years Day Bowl Extravaganza" every year back in the 90's starting with the Outback Bowl at 11am and going until the Orange and Sugar Bowls ended that night. Some years we'd have over 20 people at the house watching the big rear projector TV. I believe there were up to 12 bowls on New Years Day at its peak. It was a great day of football and food that we looked forward to every year.

Having just 4 or 5 games just isn't the same. I know they're spaced out for TV viewership, but it was fun to have multiple games on at all times in case there was a blowout.