Coming off one of the University of Wyoming football program’s most successful seasons in years, the Cowboys found themselves packing up for a familiar trip.
The Cowboys (8-4, 4th place in the Mountain West) head to their second consecutive Arizona Bowl and third trip to Tucson overall to take on the Toledo Rockets (11-2, 1st place in the Mid-American Conference). do. Kickoff is December 30th at 2:30pm.
The game will once again be live-streamed by Barstool Sports, but this time it will also be broadcast on traditional cable network The CW.
The CW is looking to break into the live sports scene, with plans to broadcast as many games as CBS and FOX this college football bowl season.
Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports has carved out a Cyberman cave filled with bizarrely off-brand content that makes beer, boobs, and clickbait seem like a nutritionally balanced meal.
However, the Barstool team did a commendable job in the 2022 Arizona Bowl, which pits Wyoming against Ohio State. This was the first time a bowl game was live streamed.
The brewing staff knew they needed to broadcast it a little more straight than, say, the drunken Manning Brothers’ MNF commentary, even if it was a disappointing ending for Pokes fans, but it wasn’t entirely that way. Even so, it was a fairly conventional job, airing last year.
Midwest vs Real West
Similar teams will compete in this year’s Arizona Bowl. The Toledo Rockets are an often-overlooked blue-collar football team with many Ohioans who couldn’t crack the Buckeyes’ roster. Reflecting the image of a hard-working, lunchbox-carrying city, the Rockets’ roster isn’t typically filled with top NFL-bound draft picks.
They punch above their weight and play with eternal underdog pride. When cornered, they can become as ferocious as a dog in a dumpster.
The Wyoming Cowboys are similar in many ways. The blue-collar western version of Pokes is “the cowboy way.” It’s a creed, a well-worn ethic like “I ride for the brand” and “I always finish what I start.” A total of ten actual cowboy codes were spelled out by James P. Owen and adopted by the Wyoming State Legislature.
No college football team favors the straight-shooting Cowboys more than the Pokes.
Recruiters and coaches look for a special brand of toughness in soccer players. The university itself built its marketing campaign around what it means to be a member of the UW student body (“The world needs more cowboys”).
Stay true to school — it’s not.
The NCAA needs more of this magic dust.
College football is a mess these days. No one rides for the brand. Players enter the transfer portal believing that their grievances will be resolved by leaving the team and wearing a different color uniform.
Shuffling is primarily a result of players chasing NIL money. Yes, college football players are now paid a salary (compensation for the use of their name, image, and likeness).
The school itself is also not very loyal. Conference jumps and realignments have disrupted the college football world.
And then the postseason begins. There are too many bowl games featuring terrible teams for ESPN to keep its record of on-screen jubilation burning until the end of the calendar year.
And the pigskin experts can’t even decide which of the four teams vying for the championship will play before bowl season begins without sparking a domestic conflict.
A must-see matchup
In preparation for the holiday showdown, both teams announced their recent efforts in the wake of National Signing Day. Both sides went into their postseason matchup with proper respect, even as they discussed it. Neither gives the other motivational bulletin board material.
Wyoming always brings in a reliable defense and a gutsy QB who plays his last football game. Pokes signal caller Andrew Peaslee isn’t the type of player to get a lot of attention at the NFL Combine. But he is a warrior in the field, strengthened by his heart.
Peaslee is what they call “the best of the crowd.” His teammates love him.
Peaslee’s counterpart, the quarterback who is the bulk of Toledo’s offense, will not play. Dequan Finn declared for the portal, making him ineligible for postseason play.
Other than the market for each school, I don’t think there is much interest in this school nationally. Barstool Sports will have to do its part to compete with supporters in the SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten.
One thing’s for sure: Wyoming fans will definitely be in attendance. Brown and gold are easy to carry. It’s always like that. At last year’s Arizona Bowl, Pokes fans filled the stands so that the 57,400-seat Arizona Stadium appeared to be half full, even though the game was not tied.
Deja vu and karma?
Perhaps this Cowboy team is destined for a repeat of last year’s bowl game loss to the Ohio Bobcats in overtime.
One year until that day. same place. Same bowl game. Another Ohio State team. Repeat until you finish better.
Sorry, Toledo. Hollywood has already written this script and your character is the bad guy.
The next step in this Cowboy’s karma is winning the Arizona Bowl, defeating an opponent from Ohio State, and giving the beloved head coach a well-deserved send-off.
Just a quick note for the Barstool Sports production staff. people on the truck. This is what happens when a gun fires…
At Triple Zero, head coach Craig Boal is showered with colorful Gatorade coolers. He will be carried into the Arizona desert sunset on the shoulders of his 2023 team, celebrating his 61st collegiate victory.
The boys’ overall record is 61 wins and 60 losses. He was over .500 in one game. When he was hired to rebuild the program in 2014, he played a million games more than anyone could have expected.
Adios, vaquero. Thank you for the memories.
And don’t miss this shot. Fists and helmets held high, the entire team huddles tightly around the precious trophy raised by an anonymous player. We don’t play for the name on the back of the jersey, we play for the name on the front.
Western Thunder performs “Ragtime Cowboy Joe.” A feisty little pony scampers around the field for hides, and Pistol Pete is right behind, swinging his bucking bronco.
In the stands, jubilant fans hugged each other, and the brown and gold mezzanine meadow was filled with a sense of united elation. Then they rush to the field with their classmates, who are helmeted heroes.
The karmic journey is now complete.
It might be Tucson, Arizona, but it’s about as close to LaLa Dee’s as a cowboy or cowgirl can get on New Year’s Eve.
Contact Jake Nichols: Jake@CowboyStateDaily.com