Greg Cote, Miami Herald: “Miami hosts the Jan. 7 BCS National Championship Game after the Jan. 1 Orange Bowl, and three out of four (teams) ain’t bad, right? Alabama-Notre Dame is perfect for the title game, and FSU is as good as the OB could expect. But Northern Illinois? From the Mid-American Conference? Seriously!? What, Ball State was busy?”

Mike Bianchi, Orlando Sentinel: “Northern Illinois is responsible for selling 17,500 Orange Bowl tickets when the team's average attendance is only 15,670. Hey, maybe they can get a federal bailout! Or they could always hold a raffle: First prize — two Orange Bowl tickets. Second prize — four Orange Bowl tickets!”

Expected. And the second concern is legit.

I find the constant bashing and belittling of a respectable university by insignificant middle-aged sports journalists to be rather annoying.