Pinstripe Bowl

The Scarlet Knights face the Cyclones

The 2011 New Era Pinstripe Bowl kicks off on December 30 and will feature two teams who will be facing off for the first time in the programs' history. Big East representative, Rutgers University Scarlet Knights, who will be making their second trip of the season to new Yankee Stadium, will square off against the Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 Conference for the first time.

Rutgers will be playing in familiar territory as this will be its second trip to the Bronx this season. Rutgers, who finished the season with a record of 8-4, was in the Big East Championship mix until it stumbled in the regular season finale with a 40-22 loss against Connecticut. The Knights ended the season with a 4-3 record in the Big East, good for a fourth place finish.

The Iowa State Cyclones, 6-6 overall, have played better than their record shows. This team is a classic case of not judging a book by its cover. The Cyclones stripped Oklahoma State's of its national title hopes with a 37-31 upset of the Cowboys and also own a 24-20 win over Connecticut.

This matchup has all the makings of a defensive struggle. Rutgers has allowed a miniscule 18.8 points per game for the season while the Cyclones aren't far behind, allowing only 20.8 over their last five games. Rutgers' running game has left much to be desired and things don't look any better for the Scarlet Knights, Jawan Jamison, the team's leading ball carrier is battling a sore ankle. Despite using a dual quarterback scheme, the Scarlet Knights passing game has been somewhat better; however they have had some inconsistent results there too. Mohamed Sanu, the team’s go to guy and playmaker is coming off a season that saw him raise the bar in the Big East as he set the conference record for receptions in a single season. Sanu grabbed 109 passes for more than 1,100 yards and found the end zone seven times. Rutgers will look to get him the ball in space to allow him to make plays for the offense.

Paul Rhoads' Iowa State crew likes to establish the run, they average over 180 yards per game. Jared Barnett, red-shirt freshman quarterback, is mobile and can present matchup problems for defenses with his legs. Barnett has shown he can throw the ball effectively when given time, but has also made some mistakes when putting the ball in the air. Iowa State's leading receiver, Darius Reynolds, has been very much like the quarterbacks. One game he can't be stopped and the next he is barely targeted. When Reynolds catches passes, the Cyclones put points on the scoreboard and that usually equals victories.

This game is going to come down to the quarterback who protects the football the best. These two programs pride themselves on playing fundamentally sound football. Both teams like to win games with their talented defenses. This will likely be a turnover battle and the team who can take care of the football should come out on top.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl

A brand new college bowl game will make it's debut in 2010, making a total of thirty-five NCAA sanctioned bowl games for NCAA football. The newest addition to the bowl caravan is the Pinstripe Bowl, or as known by it's sponsorship, the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.

The inaugural game will be played on December 30th, 2010 at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. The planned annual event will feature the third place team from the Big East Conference against the sixth place team from the Big 12 Conference. As part of the agreement, each conference is obligated to a four year commitment, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2013.

The four year contract is a first for the NCAA Issues Committee, which ordinarily only reviews and approves bowl games from year to year. NCAA rules stipulate that in order for a team to be eligible for an NCAA sanctioned bowl game, it must have at least a .500 record against Bowl Championship (Division 1) opponents. If the situation arises wherein the Big 12 Conference or Big East Conference does not have a team that meets eligibility, the invitation will be given to Notre Dame, which doesn't compete in a football conference, and is not previously committed to a Bowl Championship Series bowl game.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Yankees minority owner/managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, Big East Conference Commissioner John Marinatto and Big 12 Conference Commissioner Dan Beebe were in attendance when the bowl game was formally announced at a press conference held at the new Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2009.

The two opposing teams will stay in Manhattan the week prior to the game, with the Big East representative as guests of the Grand Hyatt and the Big 12 representative staying at the Sheraton New York. In several events leading up to the game, players, coaches and university officials from the representative schools will participate in interactive promotions with fans in the greater-New York City area. The game will be televised by ESPN and broadcast on radio by ESPN Radio. The contract for broadcast rights is for six years, through 2015.

The most recent New York-area bowl game was in 1981, when Tennessee played Wisconsin from the Big 10 in the Garden State Bowl at the old Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The last bowl game held in New York City was nearly twenty years earlier, on December 15,1962, when Miami (Fla.) competed against Nebraska in the Gotham Bowl at the original Yankee Stadium, also in the Bronx.

The main sponsor, New Era Cap Co., known primarily as a supplier of baseball caps to major league teams, has a four year contract as title sponsor. Although the inaugural game will be played December 30th, that will probably change, as under the terms of the licensing agreement, and approved by the NCAA, the game will be scheduled "not before Christmas Day and not after New Year's Day."

Yankee officials are solidly behind the arrangement, according to sources and statements prior to and immediately following the official announcements. Late Yankee owner George Steinbrenner was a huge college football fan and had reportedly wanted for the Stadium to become involved for many years.

Packers vs Lions, Eagles vs Giants, Cowboys vs Redskins are just a few of our NFL game previews if you've enjoyed our college football previews. This is part of our NFL odds section.Pinstripe Bowl odds and all of our Pinstripe Bowl betting options including Pinstripe Bowl lines will become available at the end of the regular football season for the NCAA.