The 2011 NFL schedule was released this week. Notice anything? Reading to the end will reveal it should rightly be labeled the 2011-2012 schedule, with gameday of Week 17 falling on Sunday, January 1. College football fans, you will notice a severe conflict of schedule here, but fear not, we guess: All the New Year’s Day bowl games will not be played on New Year’s Day this year! Neato, huh?
NFL To Bump New Year’s Day Bowl Games
The change happened without fanfare, but the Rose Bowl’s website is already counting down to Monday, January 2, 2012. The Sugar and lesser games have all followed suit. And you, gentle reader, will not be reaping the benefit of a rare Sunday to recover from New Year’s Eve festivities. Tradition-manacled columnists will scream (ever so genteelly) that, y’know, New Year’s Day games just don’t feel the same when played on January 2, and we can’t wait to page through that circus, but all the misspent outrage to come doesn’t change the fact that if you want to get your hands on the good stuff this postseason, you’re gonna have to burn a sick day. Two if you’re traveling. And we love the NFL, if not so much as our own beautiful game, but watching pro starters ride pine for the last three quarters all day on January 1* doesn’t sound like the most appealing tradeoff. Give us our Pasadena, please. (Alert reader John reminds us that the Grandaddy has always skipped Sundays, but WHAT OF THE TICKETCITY BOWL, we ask you? What of the TicketCity Bowl?)
*New column idea! Rooting for the lockout to last throughout the season so this won't even be an issue! There you go, newspapermen aching to rail at something with your empty column inches. Little gift, us to you.
[HT: SB Nation Seattle.]
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