Herbstreit: ‘Loved’ Buffaloes, understands USC Rose Bowl invite
Dec 9, 2016, 10:00 PM | Updated: 10:08 pm
Despite a loss in the Pac-12 Championship game, the Colorado Buffaloes, a team picked to finish last in its division in a preseason media poll, have certainly turned heads across the college football landscape.
But even with what ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit called an “unique season” that ended up better than he anticipated, the Buffs also missed out on its Colorado Football Playoff consolation prize: a trip to the Rose Bowl.
Instead of the black-and-gold gracing the field in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 2, it’ll be the cardinal and gold of USC taking on Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
And Herbstreit, joining 104.3 The Fan’s “C.J. and Stokley” from the 117th annual Army-Navy Game festivities in Baltimore on Friday, explained how he could see the Trojans getting the nod over the Buffs.
“I’ll say this about bowl games in 2016. When a Rose Bowl or a Sugar Bowl loses their tie-in, like their Pac-12 or Big 10 Champion, to the playoff, the bowls, I think, are very concerned about their livelihood and about trying to stay afloat,” Herbstreit said.
Herbstreit said the Rose Bowl likely wanted to poach Big 10 Champion Penn State, who can produce upward of 40,000 fans, and pit the Nittany Lions against USC, the “hottest team in the country left out of the playoff.”
“You’re the Rose Bowl, and you’re worried about people still seeing the Rose Bowl matters when it’s not in the playoff. As much as I love Colorado, I can see why they picked USC,” Herbstreit said.
So, instead, the Buffs will settle for a berth in the Valero Alamo Bowl, taking on No. 12 Oklahoma State, along with a bright future.
“This program now is to the point where it’s going to be growing and getting better, which is exciting,” Herbstreit said. “That campus and that potential, and they’ve been through a lot of stuff themselves, but man they’ve got a chance there with a great coach to be around for a long time, which I think’s awesome.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
