CBB Weekend Picks: Needing a FOX Sports Stream

As I settled in to watch Marquette take on Xavier, the Butler-DePaul game was still ongoing. I thought 'Well they will probably flip us to the other game, or we will just miss a little bit of the game.' The game happened to go two overtimes, and FOX Sports 1 where the MU-Xavier game was on alerted the audience it would go to FOX Sports 2, a channel normal digital Time Warner Cable customers do not get in their package. This would not be a problem if FOX Sports had a viable streaming option, but that is not the case. This is officially a problem for FOX Sports.

If they want to contend with ESPN like they say they do, FOX needs to have a respectable streaming option. They have FOX Sports Go, but as Awful Announcing points out, this is not really a legitimate choice right now.  WatchESPN is such an awesome tool. Every game is partially on there if it is on ESPN. Sometimes they do not show ESPNU games, but other than that, if it is on ESPN, you have it a stream of it. Even the major ABC events like the NBA Finals, were on WatchESPN this past summer. FOX does not have anything close to do that, and when they tried to do it for San Francisco-Green Bay which did not work out well. When it started ESPN3 had some major issues, but it did not take long for them to fix those issues. ESPN3 made sure I could watch Marquette games when I went to Eau Claire, it was vital.

The reason why this is a problem is more and more of the younger generation do not have cable. They have Roku, Apple TV, XBox 1, Playstation 4 are all options people are using instead of paying for cable. If FOX wants to appeal to the 18-30 demo (The same demo whom has some issues with ESPN lately, see Tebow, Tim), they need to at least have a streaming option. The fact they are the last ones in the group even if CBS and NBC Sports have some flaws, they still stream a ton of their important content. FOX needs seriously improvement in this category.

Games to watch
20. Iowa at 3. Ohio State (Played Sunday) 12:30 pm CBS - One team is coming off a loss, the other team gets their fiery head coach back. First time Iowa has been on national television since the Luke Recker days? As much as the guy irks me, Iowa does not really have an answer for Aaron Craft. I think he can get his hands all in this game plus they have enough big men to compete with the Hawkeyes. OSU 74-69

25. Kansas State at 18. Kansas 1:00 pm ESPN - Big game for Kansas. They picked up a nice road win against Oklahoma this week with the Jayhawks not getting much from Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid. That's important for Kansas to win without those guys doing much. Kansas State is a little undersized and they have only won at Lawrence twice in the last 20 years. I am taking Kansas by double digits. KU 79-63
 
North Carolina at 2. Syracuse 11:00 am ESPN - I honestly do not know what to hell to think about this one. Tar Heels have beaten these teams this year but losing to slums like Miami and Wake Forest. Orange have actually beat some teams this year unlike others where they feast on cupcakes. Syracuse's zone is not as good as its been in years past yet North Carolina is going to force so many bad shots in this game. Orange pulls away in the last couple minutes of the game. CUSE 71-62

15. Colorado at Washington (Played Sunday) 2:00 pm FOX Sports 1 - This is my upset special of the weekend. Washington has six losses already meaning they need a win. Huskies pushed Arizona on the road last week, and this is their first big home opponent. Lock it up, Washington. UW 65-62

Minnesota at 3. Michigan State 1:15 pm Big Ten Network - I do not know if this will be close, but Golden Gophers start a stretch that is Sparty, Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin, all ranked three in the top ten. Best of luck Goldy. MSU 75-59

Charlie.

Sportandfashion-news Bowl Predictions: Hats, Getting Belk'd, Workout Shirts, Wings

New Era Pinstripe Bowl 

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame 11:00 am ESPN - I could not believe Rutgers actually sold out their bowl allotment of tickets. Maybe Rutgers is New York City's football team. But when it all comes down to it, I have no idea how Rutgers is a bowl team. Scarlet Knights have lost five of their last seven games, and they are playing in a bowl game. They have a relativity new quarterback and their defense is horrendous. As for Notre Dame, this is quite the contrast from a BCS Championship game last season, but I feel like there is definitely encouragement they got to eight wins after losing Everett Golson for the year due to academics. They will be without George Atkinson and Jalen Brown whom both were suspended for violating team rules. Nonetheless, Tommy Rees excels when he plays bad teams and bad defenses. He is not a bad quarterback when he faces marginal teams meaning he will have a big day and someone will draft him in the fifth round. ND 41-21   

Belk Bowl 

Cincinnati vs. North Carolina 2:20 pm ESPN - If you are unfamiliar with College Football Twitter, they love to make Belk jokes. It started last year, but it is fantastic. If you follow the right people, you will see all sorts of different Belk jokes throughout the day. It shocked me it started at 8:30 am this morning. Cincinnati gets Belk'd for the second straight year. Bearcats had a weird year. They started off the year 3-2 and finished winning nine games led by backup quarterback Brendon Kay whose thrown for at least 250 yards in every game since October 5th. North Carolina had a weird year themselves starting the year off 1-5 and losing their senior quarterback. Marquise Williams has stepped in nicely and is a solid duel threat option for them. Both teams can score a ton so it comes down which team can make the more stops. I am betting on Cincinnati to continue being the Belk kings even if Carolina has a homefield advantage. CINN 31-28  

Russell Athletic Bowl 

Miami vs. Louisville 5:45 pm ESPN - On paper, this is looks like a good game. We will be excited to watch Stephen Morris faced off against Teddy Bridgewater as both quarterbacks will get drafted in May. But here's the big problem... Miami cannot play a lick a defense. It has not improved from last year, and Bridgewater and company should have their way with this Miami defense. Morris struggles against good defenses as well meaning we could see some turnovers from the senior quarterback making this look like a nightmare scenario for the Hurricanes. Also worth noting, it seems like Louisville is treating this one like it is their first ACC game as they will move there next year and that's important. I think the Cards send a big message tonight. UL 38-14

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl 
Michigan vs. Kansas State 9:15 pm ESPN - I had no real interest in this game until true freshman Shane Morris was announced the starter for Michigan. Not surprising, Morris is a highly rated recruit and he will take the reigns for Devin Gardner. Morris could come out and surprises us being better than expected and pave the way for Michigan's future. But what we forget is Michigan still has to play defense and that's a problem. Wolverines are struggling once again on that side of the ball, and it is much of the reason why Michigan has lost five of their last seven games. Kansas State is the opposite. They started the year off 2-4 and since have won five of their last six. They led by their rushing attack of John Hubert and occasionally Daniel Sams who is a quarterback. Hubert is a beast, and I expect him to have a big day against a weak Michigan defense. I could see Morris handling himself alright, but he will make some mistakes costing the Wolverines in this one. KSU 30-21

Bowl Record: 7-4

Charlie.