In minor tribute to The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl presented by Stifel at SoFi Stadium, here is my opening monologue:
Bowl games are not created equally. Some are more meaningless than others.
All are good compared to TV infomercials.
As early as summertime, the idea of The Kimmel Bowl, first named for a person, was intriguing. We all assumed he paid a few million to be title sponsor for publicity. Not so. He got the gig for free. He wanted to pick the teams. He was told no way but that he could play his clarinet from the high school marching band.
That was as close as Jimmy had ever been to football.
The Music City Bowl has significant spinoff value. Josh Heupel gets a $100,000 bonus. Assistant coaches are to receive a pleasant percentage of their salaries. They earned it.
Players get bowl watches and $400 worth of other stuff, their choice from air pods to air fryers, or more ordinary sunglasses, luggage or tools.
Tennessee-Purdue will not move the needle on the national big-game meter but the adventure sounds better than PUBG New Mexico Bowl. I’ve never been particularly impressed by Duke’s Mayonnaise Bowl. Could be because I prefer the Food City brand.
How do you like frosted Tony the Tiger in the Sun Bowl? Credit the El Paso law firm of Glasheen, Valles & Inderman LLP with wisdom and foresight. It had sponsorship interest but pulled up short. It endorses and promotes only the pre-game parade.
Hopefully, Tennessee fans will have fun in Music City. Maybe those with expandable credit cards will stay over for New Year’s Eve. Nashville won’t be exactly like New Orleans but …
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Depending somewhat on your point of view, Purdue may have better bowl credentials than Tennessee. All four Purdue losses were to teams with eight or more victories. The Boilermakers upset two teams – Iowa and Michigan State – that were undefeated and top five when they played.
Purdue capped the season with a 44-7 romp over Indiana.
Purdue was the pre-season pick to finish sixth or seventh in the Big Ten West. Like Tennessee, it overachieved.
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Previous meeting: John Majors led the Volunteers to the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl in 1979 with a 7-4 record. Purdue was there, ranked No. 12 with a 9-2 record.
In Jimmy Streater’s final game as a Vol, he led his team back from a 21-0 deficit to a one-point fourth-quarter lead. Purdue had a final drive to prevail 27-22.
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Distractions: Top Purdue juniors David Bell and George Karlaftis will not play against Tennessee. They opted out to focus on the NFL – business ahead of pleasure.
“George was a dominant force on defense, and he created havoc and got in backfield,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “He did a lot of things that helped us play better. So he was a difference maker.”
Bell caught 93 passes for 1,286 and six touchdowns this season.
Tennessee will be without senior corner Alontae Taylor, same logic, eliminate risk of injury.
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Cancelation: On defense against assorted viruses, the Music City Bowl called off the welcome-to-Nashville party for Vols and Boilermakers at the Wildhorse Saloon. Players will get better acquainted at kickoff.
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There is no certifiable evidence that a win or a loss in a mid-level bowl game has a major influence on the forthcoming season. In Tennessee’s case, eight victories have a glow that is missing from seven.
I also believe Heupel is shrewd enough to use a win as a carrot on the end of the stick, a new goal, a bolder outlook on what is possible. He’d probably use a loss as motivation for more work to improve the chances of catching rivals.
Just guessing that the outcome might come down to the difference in speed. It could be as simple as who wants it more, who hits after weeks off, who wins the turnover comparison, who connects on the big play.
Does that sound like the typical game?
This is more than just another game. It is a chance for young Vols to gain a bit more experience and perspective. It is a chance for those with transfer-in ideas to see where they might fit. It is an opportunity for fans to say thank you for a surprising season, to tell Josh he did a good job.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com.