The Good

The Super Bowl on Sunday will be broadcast by NBC, and I would like to thank Al Michaels for doing the game in advance.  This might be the last Super Bowl for the team, since they won’t have another one for at least 3 more years.  Out of all the broadcast teams, Michaels and Madden, have been the most entertaining and intelligent.  The rest of them can take a hike, because I am waiting for the time when I can turn the broadcast off, listen to the game in Surround Sound, and just have the PA Announcer from the Stadium.  I know what you are going to say…NBC tried it already and it was a major flop.  Well at that time, NBC did not have the fancy graphics package that shows us down, yardage, penalties, player names, etc.  Also with Directv Sunday Ticket you can follow the game stats while watching the game, thanks to the handy red button.

The Bad

So what is preventing the switch?  Ego.  If we went to a no nonsense broadcast who would pay Phil Simms ridiculous amounts of money to sound like an Jackass?  We wouldn’t get to hear the ex-player talk about his experience and get his view point on life from the millionaire’s club.  To be honest, if the networks were smart they could use the create a seperate sound broadcast for those of us that don’t want to hear the Awful Announcing.  It could be used much like the SAP button is used for spanish broadcasts.  Another good “idea” would be to cut out the high paid third/fourth wheels in the booth and just stick to a two man show.  The country as a whole has past the “Talking Heads” in football knowledge, due to the sheer amount of games seen and video games played.  A lot of guys are tired of explaining to their wives/girlfriends why the so called “smart broadcasters” are wrong in play calls.  You see from my 50 inch HDTV I can see the play a whole lot better then Joe Buck can, some 300 feet away in the booth looking down at a 19 inch monitor.

And...The Ugly.

The guys that are really important are the ones running the show from the broadcast truck who give us the replays we need to see.  And the camara men on the field are also the ones who give us such a great shot of the game anyway.  I would give them all a raise and fire the crappy “talent” in the booth they have working for regional broadcasts.  So maybe they have to keep the National Broadcast Announcers for the general public.  At least give me an option of not listening to them and enjoying a “game like” experience in my living room.  Technology has come a long way, I just want the ability to selectively mute out Phil Simms, someone please make that happen.

Editor’s Note: The following was written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com

Championship Sunday is upon us and two lucky teams get to head to Tampa for the Superbowl.  The main question should be, what really lucky fans get to come along for the ride.  We are in the day of age were the average fan will never get to see a Superbowl in person and that is down right sad. Fortuanately, my brother got to see the Steelers win in Superbowl XL, and that was because he has great friends.  But since the whole event has turned into a celebrity/super rich exclusive event, so the average fan gets to observe fromtheir TV.  To combat that mindset, here are a few reasons that keep people away and hopefully things you can do to make it to the game.

1. Ticket Availability – Two teams make it the game so that means two sets of season ticket holders are put in a “lottery” to see who gets tickets.  Most stadiums hold around 70,000 people and if 80-90% are season ticket holders, that means that 60,000 seats are in the lottery.  So for the Superbowl you can hold around 70,000 or more.  After all the corporatesponsors eat up their hand out tickets, there are probably only 40,000 to 50,000 seats left for the two teams.  So divide that by two and that means each team gets to “hand out” 20,000 to 25,000 tickets.  So you have less then a 1 in 4 chance of getting tickets to the game as a season ticket holder.  You really need the Golden Ticket to get tickets as a Season Ticket Holder.
2. Ticket Price – The way the Superbowl ticket prices and playoff prices has risen over the past few years is ridiculous.  I believe face value tickets this year will be between $500 and $750 a piece.  So if you are “fortunate” enough to pay that price then you are getting a deal.  As far as getting tickets in the secondary market, you are looking at paying at least $1,000 per ticket if not a few thousand per.
3. Hotel Availability – So Hotel prices are going to be through the roof and probably booked by now, so what do you do.  Well thankfully Florida has a lot of Hotels, so staying in Ft. Myers or Orlando might be a good idea.
4. Flight Availability – With the amount of people coming in to party.  Just like a Bowl game, sometimes making a vacation out of the trip is a great idea.  Taking a road trip might also be a great idea.
5. Event Availability – So the Superbowl Parties are apparently the best part of the Superbowl, so how as an average fan do you get in to these events?  Well unless you know someone, I really can’t help you.  What you can do is go to some of the “Open” ones and then maybe make some connections.  Also you also might be able to find passes online, but beware of scams.

So Basically, I am trying not to steer you away from attending a great yearly event.  But if you want to do it once in a lifetime, I suggest you save up, plan accordingly, and make sure your favorite team is playing.  Even if your team doesn’t win, I hope you can enjoy the experience.

Sports MarketWatch – NFL PlayoffsRecapping Regular Season

Christmas started early in NFL Week 15 and 16, but the party ended for the sportsbooks in NFL Week 17.  All sportsbooks reported flat profits in Week 17 with most sportsbooks losing anywhere between 0%-2% of their handle.

SportsInsights.com analysis shows that in games with over 64% of the action on one side, the Public came out on top, going 5-2 — making the Public 57-75 = 43.2% for the season.  SportsInsights.com Games to Watch analysis stumbled in the last week going 0-1, making it 26-22-2 = 54.2% for the season.  Not bad for a free weekly column; imagine the money you’d have won by using our Premium Pro membership!  If you have enjoyed the insights this column provides, please be sure to visit SportsInsights.com and sign up for a Premium Pro Membership. Your bankroll will thank you!

2005 Games to Watch: 33-25 = 56.9%
2006 Games to Watch: 31-18 = 63.3%
2007 Games to Watch: 25-19 = 56.8%
2008 Games to Watch: 26-22 = 54.2%

Special Thanks

I’d like to thank the line managers at our contributing sportsbooks for taking the time to speak with me every week, allowing unprecedented access to their line boards and minds.  It’s been an education in itself. I’d also like to thank the loyal readers of Sports Marketwatch.  Your encouragement and support made this weekly column a joy to produce. I hope the Sports Marketwatch has shown readers the importance of line value – while helping them to another profitable NFL Season.  Visit SportsInsights.com to view Live Betting Statistics coming from the line boards of multiple sportsbooks.

Basketball – Produces More Plays + Higher Win %

This weekly column is designed to highlight the revolutionary sports betting information found on SportsInsights.com. As much fun as

football is to bet and watch, basketball has been our most CONSISTENT and PROFITABLE sport.  Basketball produces mores plays and a higher win percentage. Take your winnings from this year’s NFL Sports Marketwatch and purchase a Premium Pro membership at SportsInsights.com today. Your bankroll will thank you!

NFL Playoffs – Games to Watch (0-1 = 0.0%)

The NFL Playoffs are a totally different animal than the NFL Regular season. The amount of “Public” square bets skyrockets.  The culmination of this trend is the Super Bowl, the most wagered sporting event of the year. Everyone, and their mother, wagers on the Super Bowl. From the casual “box-office-pool” – to the professional sports bettor – to the Super Bowl commercials: everyone has some interest in the Super Bowl.

For value-minded sports investors, this massive influx of “Public” money means opportunity. During the NFL Playoffs, odds makers heavily weigh Public opinion when deciding on a game’s betting line. They’ll shade a line 2-3 pts knowing that the Public will be heavily on one side. “Public Money” dwarfs the amount of “Sharp Money” buying back the shaded lines.
Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans had a great year this year.  They coasted the second half of the season — while most other teams had to play hard until the end of the season.  As a result, we believe that the Public is under-valuing the Titans and over-valuing the Baltimore Ravens in this match-up.  Indeed, more than 60% of the bets (including teasers and parlays) are surprisingly coming in on the underdog Ravens.

The Public normally likes favorites, but with Joe Public getting down on the underdog Ravens, there is unusual value on a favorite.  Baltimore’s defense has been beating up on their opponents.  Let’s take advantage of their “recent high” and sell Baltimore (and take Tennessee).  The point spread is at the “key three number.”  Even with the Public getting down on the Ravens, the line actually moved in the opposite direction.  The line opened at Tennessee -3 +113 and has moved down to Tennessee -3 +104 at Pinnacle.  This “market action” suggests that big money (”Smart money”) is taking the Titans.

The Titans coasted into the playoffs but we think they will “turn it up a notch” during the playoffs.  Lay the points for the home town powerhouse Titans.

Play On Tennessee Titans -3

So, here’s a wrap-up of SportsInsights.com analysis for this week’s Games to Watch:

Games to Watch – Playoff Editions (0-1 = 0.0%)
Tennessee Titans -3

It should be another exciting NFL Playoff run.  Keep Sports MarketWatch picks handy and your browser pointed to SportsInsights.com for the latest real-time updates, using our exclusive Sports Investing tools.  I’ll be back next Friday with the new edition of the Sports MarketWatch.

Enjoy the games!

Editor’s Note: The above was written by Daniel Fabrizio, founder of SportsInsights.Every week SportsInsights speaks directly with the line managers at some of the sports betting industry’s largest sportsbooks about which games the public is chasing and the Sharps are pounding giving sports fans unprecedented insight into the NFL Football point-spread market. Check out SportsInsights at http://SportsInsights.com.

Editor’s now: the following is from http://bettingcharts.com through our friends at SportsInsights.

BettingCharts uses a variety of tools to seek out value in the sports marketplace.  Over the past few years, we have studied various indicators and stats specifically for the NFL Playoffs.  Together, with our sister company, SportsInsights.com, we have devised our own proprietary power rankings for the upcoming playoffs.  Please note that although results have been good over the past few years, the sample size is not very meaningful.  Still, the power ratings and rankings are backed by good, fundamental, reasoning — and historical results have been solid.

Multiple Factors

We have studied a wealth of statistics and have keyed in on several indicators that really seem to focus in on the “strength” of each of the twelve playoff teams.  By using the indicators that show the most correlation with game results, we believe that the power rankings can help you to obtain value versus the point spread during the NFL Playoffs.

We believe this multi-factor approach can help to uncover value as we combine factors that give us an edge.  What are some of the factors that we study?  Firstly, we look at the “micro-happenings” behind the wins and losses.  What kind of offense and defense are we talking about?  What are the “Points For” and “Points Against” for this team?  What kind of schedule did the team play?  How was the team’s performance in “quality match-ups?”  We use the results of our research to create a composite rating which can be used to obtain value during the NFL Playoffs.

NFL 2008-09 Playoff Team Power Rankings

Below are our Power Rankings for the 2008-09 NFL Playoffs.  How can you use these rankings?  One easy-to-use method is to pick the higher-ranked team versus the spread.  Some sports investors might want to make the selection ONLY if the ranking differential is above a certain amount.  In either case, please use these rankings in combination with other sports investing tools that you use — or that we mention below.  Note that we have highlighted and grouped the teams to separate this year’s powerhouses — from the contenders — and pretenders.  Some teams that are highlighted in yellow with asterisks (*) are particularly dangerous this year.  More on them below.

• The Philadelphia Eagles just barely made the playoffs, but they are a team to be reckoned with.  They are surprisingly high on our power rankings due to their explosive (although inconsistent) offense — and especially due to their performance against quality teams.

• Pittsburgh is a scary team because they boast the league’s best defense in terms of “points against,” ”yards against,” and “passing yards” against.  But how is Big Ben?

• San Diego had a huge run to get into the playoffs but the other teams better “look out.”  The Chargers scored the most points of the playoff teams this year.  They finished the year just 8-8 but outscored their opponents by a “not-shabby” 100 points (although in a relatively weak division).

Betting Against the Public & Smart Money Techniques

As the playoffs begin and the sport’s top teams vie for the championship, there is increased public interest.  This means increased betting activity by “Joe Public.”  We believe that this presents an opportunity for astute sports investors.  Our members have said that “Betting Against the Public” and “Smart Money” techniques have worked even better in these “big televised games.”  Using these methods, in combination with other good handicapping strategies, can add good investment value — to an already great entertainment value (the Playoffs!).

Summary and Other Research

Together, BettingCharts and SportsInsights have presented Power Rankings for this year’s NFL Playoffs.

• The Power Rankings have been designed as a way to obtain value during the NFL Playoffs.

• Betting Against the Public and Smart Money methods should be even more effective during these nationally televised games.

• In other research, it has been shown that Home Field advantage is magnified during the playoffs.  Please check out SportsInsights’ article on Academic Research in the NFL.  We particularly love home dogs — if you can find them in the playoffs.

Good luck — and enjoy the games!

Some are as low as $10! I guess one of the few upsides of a recession…

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We had the BCS Bowl Announcements last weekend and it is time to make your travel plans and get your tickets.  And unless you are a big time donor or long time season ticket holder odds are you have to get tickets through the Secondary Market or fight the rush to get the minimal amount of tickets available on Ticketmaster.  First thing is first, if you want to search and compare prices on different sites use TicketStumbler.

A few tips for those heading to for the Bowl Season.

Florida Bowls:

1. If you are going to Tampa/Miami/Orlando area’s take advantage of all the regional airports.  Flying into Ft. Myers isn’t a bad option for Tampa.  And the drive across the Everglades to Miami goes from pretty cool/boring as you see hundreds of Alligators.
2. Stay with Family or Friends if you can!
3. Look for Condo/Timeshare Rentals and compare to Hotel Prices.  You might be surprised with the deal you can get, especially if you have a big group of people.
4. Go Early or Stay Late.  Hey you are in Florida in January, have some fun while you are there.  Hang out on the Beach, or check out Cruise Deals for after New Years and take a vacation.
5. Road Trip.  Gas prices are the lowest they have been in 5 years.  Take advantage and take the Family across America.  It might be cheaper then flying.

Cross Country Tips:

1. Take the family on a cross country vacation to and from the Bowl game.
2. Rent an RV for the trip, it might be cheaper then a hotel and airfare.
3. Stay with Friends and Family, always a good idea.
4. Buy a Bowl Package, it might be pricier but it will contain tickets, flight, hotel and usually transportation.
5. See if you can use hotel or credit card points for your hotel nights.

Tailgating/Game Tips:

1. If you are coming a long way buy drinks/food at a local grocery store and buy a Styrofoam cooler for them.
2. If you are close to home tailgate as usual, no need to change a good thing.
3. Find out when the parking lots open and be early, that will give you plenty of time to enjoy the last game of the season.
4. Visit your school’s hospitality tent (or stop in on your opponents tent at your own risk).
5. Bring your school’s colored beads, you will be a hit and make sure to spread them out to the opposition.
6. Get your merchandise early.  T-shirts and Patches go quick so make sure you get what you want early.
7. Take a walk around and visit other tailgates.  Bowl games are great places to make new friends!
8. Make sure you bring sunglasses (Especially if your game is in Florida/California/Arizona).
9. If you don’t have your own tailgate visit the sponsorship tailgate (it may cost you to get in though).
10. Enjoy your opponents band/tradition you never know when you will play them again.

So let’s take a look at the Bowl Schedule and Prices.

	Date/Time/TV	Bowl	Site	Opponents
	Saturday Dec. 20 Time 4:30 ESPN	St. Petersburg Bowl St. Petersbury Bowl TicketsFrom $58	St. Petersburg, FL Tropicana Field	South Florida vs. Memphis
	Saturday Dec. 20 11:00 am ET ESPN	EagleBank Bowl EagleBank Bowl TicketsFrom $60	Washington, DC RFK Stadium	Navy vs. Wake Forest
	Saturday Dec. 20 4:30 pm ET ESPN	New Mexico Bowl New Mexico Bowl TicketsFrom $35	Albuquerque, NM University Stadium	Colorado State vs. Fresno State
	Saturday Dec. 20 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl Las Vegas Bowl TicketsFrom $47	Las Vegas, NV Sam Boyd Stadium	Arizona vs. BYU
	Sunday Dec. 21 8:00 pm ET ESPN	R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl New Orleans Bowl TicketsFrom $45	New Orleans, LA Louisiana Superdome	Troy vs. Southern Miss
	Tuesday Dec. 23 8 :00 pm ET ESPN	San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Poinsettia Bowl TicketsFrom $42	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	TCU vs. Boise State
	Wednesday Dec. 24 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl Hawaii Bowl TicketsFrom $44	Honolulu, HI Aloha Stadium	Hawaii vs. Notre Dame
	Friday Dec. 26 7:30 pm ET ESPN	Motor City Bowl Motor City Bowl TicketsFrom $32	Detroit, MI Ford Field	Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic
	Saturday Dec. 27 1:00 pm ET ESPN	Meineke Car Care Bowl Meineke Car Care Bowl TicketsFrom $57	Charlotte, NC Bank of America Stadium	North Carolina vs. West Virginia
	Saturday Dec. 27 4:30 pm ET ESPN	Champs Sports Bowl Champs Sports Bowl TicketsFrom $43	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl	Florida State vs. Wisconsin
	Saturday Dec. 27 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Emerald Bowl Emerald Bowl TicketsFrom $70	San Francisco, CA AT&T Park	Miami vs. Cal
	Sunday Dec. 28 8:00 pm ET ESPN	PetroSun Independence Bowl Independence Bowl TicketsFrom $20	Shreveport, LA Independence Stadium	Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
	Monday Dec. 29 2 :00 pm ET ESPN2	PapaJohns.com Bowl Papajohns.com Bowl TicketsFrom $95	Birmingham, AL Legion Field	Rutgers vs. NC State
	Monday Dec. 29 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Valero Alamo Bowl Alamo Bowl TicketsFrom $28	San Antonio, TX Alamodome	Northwestern vs. Missouri
	Tuesday Dec. 30 4:30 pm ET ESPN2	Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl Humanitarian Bowl TicketsFrom $24	Boise, ID Bronco Stadium	Nevada vs. Maryland
	Tuesday Dec. 30 8:00 pm ET NFL Network	Texas Bowl Texas Bowl TicketsFrom $18	Houston, TX Reliant Stadium	Western Michigan vs. Rice
	Tuesday Dec. 30 8:00 pm ET ESPN	Pacific Life Holiday Bowl Holiday Bowl TicketsFrom $30	San Diego, CA Qualcomm Stadium	Oregon vs. Oklahoma State
	Wednesday Dec. 31 12:30 pm ET ESPN	Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Armed Forces Bowl TicketsFrom $30	Fort Worth, TX Amon G. Carter Stadium	Air Force vs. Houston
	Wednesday Dec. 31 2:00 pm ET CBS	Brut Sun Bowl Sun Bowl TicketsFrom $15	El Paso, TX Sun Bowl Stadium	Oregon State vs. Pitt
	Wednesday Dec. 31 3:30 pm ET ESPN	Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Music City Bowl TicketsFrom $3	Nashville, TN LP Field	Vanderbilt vs. Boston College
	Wednesday Dec. 31 5:30 pm ET NFL Network	Insight Bowl Insight Bowl TicketsFrom $35	Tempe, AZ Sun Devil Stadium	Minnesota vs. Kansas
	Wednesday Dec. 31 7:30 pm ET ESPN	Chick-fil-A Bowl Chick-Fil-A Bowl TicketsFrom $60	Atlanta, GA Georgia Dome	LSU vs. Georgia Tech
	Thursday Jan. 1 11:00 am ET ESPN	Outback Bowl Outback Bowl TicketsFrom $59	Tampa, FL Raymond James Stadium	Iowa vs. South Carolina
	Thursday Jan. 1 12:00 pm ET CBS	Konica Minolta Gator Bowl Gator Bowl TicketsFrom $65	Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Stadium	Clemson vs. Nebraska
	Thursday Jan. 1 1:00 pm ET ABC	Capital One Bowl Capital One Bowl TicketsFrom $73	Orlando, FL Florida Citrus Bowl	Michigan State vs. Georgia
	Thursday Jan. 1 5:00 pm ET ABC	Rose Bowl presented by Citi 2009 Rose Bowl TicketsFrom $230	Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl	Penn State vs. Southern Cal
	Thursday Jan. 1 8:30 pm ET FOX	FedEx Orange Bowl 2009 Orange Bowl TicketsFrom $17	Miami, FL Dolphins Stadium	Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech
	Friday Jan. 2 2:00 pm ET FOX	AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Cotton Bowl TicketsFrom $63	Dallas, TX Cotton Bowl	Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss
	Friday Jan. 2 5:00 pm ET ESPN	AutoZone Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl TicketsFrom $45	Memphis, TN Liberty Bowl Stadium	ECU vs. Kentucky
	Friday Jan. 2 8:00 pm ET FOX	Allstate Sugar Bowl 2009 Sugar Bowl TicketsFrom $140	New Orleans, LA Superdome	Utah vs. Alabama
	Saturday Jan. 3 12:00 pm ET ESPN2	International Bowl International Bowl TicketsFrom $42	Toronto, Canada Rogers Centre	UConn vs. Buffalo
	Monday Jan. 5 8:00 pm ET FOX	Tostitos Fiesta Bowl 2009 Fiesta Bowl TicketsFrom $160	Glendale, AZ Univ of Phoenix Stadium	Ohio State vs. Texas
	Tuesday Jan. 6 8:00 pm ET ESPN	GMAC Bowl GMAC Bowl TicketsFrom $52	Mobile, AL Ladd Peebles Stadium	Ball State vs. Tulsa
	Thursday Jan. 8 9 :00 pm ET FOX	BCS National Championship BCS National Championship TicketsFrom $490	Miami, FL Dolphin Stadium	Oklahoma vs. Florida

Editor’s Note: The following was written by Dustin at The Game Owl. The Game Owl focuses on game and league previews, marquee match ups, fantasy sports and the best games to attend. Dustin is a former college athlete, adamant sports fan and contributor to the TicketStumbler Blog.  Check out his website at www.thegameowl.com

This fall has kicked some serious ass. First I got to see Madonna in Chicago and then I managed to make it to the Ohio State vs. Michigan game at the Horseshoe. That’s two things crossed off my bucket list in just two months! Next up is taking off work for two months to backpack through Europe. That may take a little bit more time, but I did apply for a passport last week just in case someone decides to whisk me away somewhere.

I have been wanting to see the Buckeyes lay the smack down on the Michigan Wolverines at home for a really long time now. As soon as I moved to Columbus this past January, I started putting feelers out there for tickets knowing that this is always our biggest game of the the year. As of Friday night when Meg flew in from Chicago for the game we still didn’t have tickets and were pretty much banking on tailgating the entire time.

Saturday was cold. Really cold. A high of 23 degrees, in fact. We woke up at 4:30AM, layered on the Under Armor and thick wool sweaters and headed down to Four Kegs Bar & Grille for kegs and eggs. Beers were literally $1 and the shots of tequila I treated us to were only $3. By 7AM parking was scarce and people were already out in full effect. As the excitement continued to swell, Meg was welcoming the idea of scalping us some tickets.

We headed down to Heiny Gate, had a few beers, and then counted up our cash. $120 was what we were looking at without having to head back to an ATM. Meg stayed behind to polish off a few more beers while I walked up and down Lane Avenue seeing what kind of I deal I could conjure up. $150 a ticket. $250 for a pair. It wasn’t looking good.

Now the brothers peddling the tickets love a girl with some hips so obviously I was negotiating prices that the old dudes couldn’t get close to, but we were still way beyond our $120 cap. I headed back to Heiny Gate to tell Meg it wasn’t looking good. We decided to head to another tailgate as soon as kickoff happened and they went to a commercial break. As we walked back down Lane Avenue, one of the scalpers asked me if I still needed tickets. “Sure do.” “Well what you got?” “I told you man, $120 for a pair..” “Can’t you just throw me another $40 and we will call it a deal?” “Nope, don’t have the cash.” “Alright, here you go.”

He handed us two tickets for the student section in the south end zone – Section B and two student ID’s that have to be scanned upon entering. I was going to be Amber, Meg was Thomas.

Tickets to this game were going for around $400 at the beginning of the season. The Ohio State and Michigan rivalry is one of the greatest in all of college football. Ohio State has beaten them for the past four years, but this year with two losses on the Buckeye’s record, not to mention coming off of two back-to-back National Championship losses, and the Wolverines who won’t be making to bowl game for the first time in thirty-three years (breaking the longest streak in college team bowl appearance history), the ticket prices were dropping. A week ago you could find single seats for as little as $100 on TicketStumbler. But to score two seats in the student stands for $60 a piece is virtually unheard of. Clearly, the key was to wait until after kickoff when the scalpers are desperate to unload (and have a ghetto booty). It’s a bummer we missed the Script Ohio and all other pre-game traditions, but we got in and saw our beloved Bucks hammer on the Wolverines which was nothing short of an amazing experience.

There were maybe 300 Michigan fans in attendance. I barely saw any during the entire tailgate. When one was spotted, everyone began to chant “ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE.” Personally, I find this to be super annoying. It’s one thing to sport an “I LOVE APP STATE” shirt but it’s quite another to be totally obnoxious. No wonder Ohio State fans are known as the worst and most hated among all big teams. It’s not like this title is unfair… have you seen the videos from the 2001 and 2002 riots when we actually won and still proceed to burn cars and trash the city? What ever happen to the love of the game? Lets work on having some class, mkay? Luckily, officials said that this year was one of the most controlled and tame Michigan games to be hosted in the great city of Columbus.

Anyway, now it looks like we are onto the CapitalOne Bowl to take on Georgia. Let’s hope the Bucks can come out of this with a win. We need to redeem ourselves.

Additionally, I would like to extend a huge congratulations to Big Ten Champs, the Penn State Nittany Lions. I don’t really know what happened with Iowa, but as we know, no team is infallible and you guys certainly deserved a great year. Best of luck at the Rose Bowl! I will be cheering you on from a far off distance, JoePa style.

Below is the BCS Top 25 as of November 23, 2008.