Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads said his team's Insight Bowl win over Minnesota, which capped a 7-6 season, "legitimized" the program. The first bowl win for the Cyclones since 2004, it was no doubt a big moment for Rhoads' program -- in his first season as a head coach, no less.
But unless you had NFL Network, you didn't see a second of it.
No more. The Insight Bowl has moved to ESPN and slides up in the selection order, bringing a more attractive matchup to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
It moved ahead of the Holiday Bowl, and can now pick the No. 3 team in the Big 12 after the BCS selects its bowl participants. It will rotate with the Gator Bowl in selecting the No. 3 or No. 4 team in the Big Ten. Participants will also earn $6.65 million, the most in the bowl's history. (Note: Not per player.*)
The game is slated for 10 p.m. ET, which might be a little late for the Midwestern folk, but at least a few Big 12 fans will be watching their team play for the last time in awhile. I don't foresee that being a problem.
For reference, here's the Big 12's bowl lineup now:
Dec. 28: Insight Bowl vs. Big 10, ESPN, 10 p.m. ET
Dec. 29: Texas Bowl vs. Big Ten, ESPN, 6 p.m. ET
Dec. 29: Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Pac-10, ESPN, 9:15 p.m. ET
Dec. 30: New Era Pinstripe Bowl vs. Big East, ESPN, 3:20 p.m. ET
Dec. 30: Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl vs. Pac-10, ESPN, 10 p.m. ET
Jan. 1: Dallas Football Classic vs. Big Ten, ESPNU, noon ET
Jan. 1: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl vs. BCS, ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET
Jan 7: AT&T Cotton Bowl vs. SEC, FOX, 8 p.m. ET
Jan 10: BCS National Championship vs. BCS, ESPN, 8 p.m. ET
Here's the bowl schedule for the rest of the country.
*poor attempt at humor