Written by Tyler Graddy
New Orleans, LA - The buildup process for a New Year’s Six Bowl goes far beyond the ritual routines, film study, practice and game planning that a team grows accustomed to over the course of the regular season. Beyond even what most teams progress through for any lesser bowl game.
It is a game that screams for national attention, a game between the most powerful college football programs not to make the four-team playoff schedule. Weeks pass between selection day and the game, allotting for deep and thorough study headed into the matchup. It pits two conferences against each other, furthering the level of play expected as a representative of the SEC and Big 10 as a whole.
“Growing up in Mississippi, you always, you know, understood exactly what the Sugar Bowl meant and how fond it was of the Ole Miss people to be able to play in this game,” explained Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze on Thursday morning. “So I guess you would say it was bred in my mind that taking Ole Miss to the Sugar Bowl was about as good as it could get.”
“Obviously, some of the things have changed with the new formats and playoffs and things, but nonetheless the Sugar Bowl still in many Rebels' minds, including mine, is one of the pinnacles of coaching in the Southeastern Conference, and to be able to represent our great university in the first ever champions bowl in the New Year's Six is something that I will never forget,” Freeze continued.
The allure of the Sugar Bowl’s resonating grandeur in southern football has not been lost on Oklahoma State, either. The Cowboys are happy to be here, and understand that even if it isn’t a playoff game, the chance to line up against the SEC’s top talent requires their best effort of the season.
“There's a lot of talk about the college playoff system and when teams from our conference and the SEC compete against each other, if that could have an effect on the committee and the way they think, I'm not sure, obviously have never been in those meetings, but it's important for us to prepare and play in every game,” said Head Coach Mike Gundy.
To ready his team for Ole Miss, Gundy has intensified the raw physicality of practice.
“We feel like Ole Miss is a physical football team and that we needed to prepare our players the best we could for what we think and what we should expect in the game,” he said. “And so our practices were more physical over the last three weeks than maybe what it would have been in some other bowl games.”
Freeze mentioned that he revamped his approach as well in comparison to last year’s bowl season.
“Last year, total I allowed a schedule to be put in place for our kids last year that had absolutely zero consistency, and didn't like that, didn't think it helped us, and I was just determined, I didn't care where we had to practice or what was going on, we were going to have every day be the same and be consistent,” Freeze recounted.
Consistency sprang from an immediate return to work upon arrival.
“As soon as we got here, the first night, the day after Christmas, we had a really good workout with our strength staff. That was a little new. I thought it awakened them a little bit. Get back to why we're here.”
In addition to the time spent with game-time readiness is an entire week of pomp-and-circumstance that surround the New Year’s Six Bowl Games. There are hospital visits, donations to charity, pep rallies, parades, press conferences and an entire city’s culture to absorb over the week. Keeping the teams focused on the task and out of trouble is a delicate balance with letting them enjoy the bowl week experience.
“I just stress to them the importance of college football and the importance of the Sugar Bowl and the opportunity that they have. And they seem like they're enjoying themselves this week. They have practiced well,” assured Coach Gundy.
Coach Freeze emphasized that it is imperative that the players understand how to effectively manage their down time as well.
“Well, you guys, if you really knew the amount of time that coaching staffs put into begging your kids to make choices that are reflective of your core values and also that represent your teammates and prove that you're being accountable to them, we never cease to try to educate them in regards to those decisions.
Every year across the nation student athletes find themselves in situations that can swing entire games (See: TCU and Boykin), but Ole Miss and OSU seem to be handling the pressure just fine.
It is a game that screams for national attention, a game between the most powerful college football programs not to make the four-team playoff schedule. Weeks pass between selection day and the game, allotting for deep and thorough study headed into the matchup. It pits two conferences against each other, furthering the level of play expected as a representative of the SEC and Big 10 as a whole.
“Growing up in Mississippi, you always, you know, understood exactly what the Sugar Bowl meant and how fond it was of the Ole Miss people to be able to play in this game,” explained Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze on Thursday morning. “So I guess you would say it was bred in my mind that taking Ole Miss to the Sugar Bowl was about as good as it could get.”
“Obviously, some of the things have changed with the new formats and playoffs and things, but nonetheless the Sugar Bowl still in many Rebels' minds, including mine, is one of the pinnacles of coaching in the Southeastern Conference, and to be able to represent our great university in the first ever champions bowl in the New Year's Six is something that I will never forget,” Freeze continued.
The allure of the Sugar Bowl’s resonating grandeur in southern football has not been lost on Oklahoma State, either. The Cowboys are happy to be here, and understand that even if it isn’t a playoff game, the chance to line up against the SEC’s top talent requires their best effort of the season.
“There's a lot of talk about the college playoff system and when teams from our conference and the SEC compete against each other, if that could have an effect on the committee and the way they think, I'm not sure, obviously have never been in those meetings, but it's important for us to prepare and play in every game,” said Head Coach Mike Gundy.
To ready his team for Ole Miss, Gundy has intensified the raw physicality of practice.
“We feel like Ole Miss is a physical football team and that we needed to prepare our players the best we could for what we think and what we should expect in the game,” he said. “And so our practices were more physical over the last three weeks than maybe what it would have been in some other bowl games.”
Freeze mentioned that he revamped his approach as well in comparison to last year’s bowl season.
“Last year, total I allowed a schedule to be put in place for our kids last year that had absolutely zero consistency, and didn't like that, didn't think it helped us, and I was just determined, I didn't care where we had to practice or what was going on, we were going to have every day be the same and be consistent,” Freeze recounted.
Consistency sprang from an immediate return to work upon arrival.
“As soon as we got here, the first night, the day after Christmas, we had a really good workout with our strength staff. That was a little new. I thought it awakened them a little bit. Get back to why we're here.”
In addition to the time spent with game-time readiness is an entire week of pomp-and-circumstance that surround the New Year’s Six Bowl Games. There are hospital visits, donations to charity, pep rallies, parades, press conferences and an entire city’s culture to absorb over the week. Keeping the teams focused on the task and out of trouble is a delicate balance with letting them enjoy the bowl week experience.
“I just stress to them the importance of college football and the importance of the Sugar Bowl and the opportunity that they have. And they seem like they're enjoying themselves this week. They have practiced well,” assured Coach Gundy.
Coach Freeze emphasized that it is imperative that the players understand how to effectively manage their down time as well.
“Well, you guys, if you really knew the amount of time that coaching staffs put into begging your kids to make choices that are reflective of your core values and also that represent your teammates and prove that you're being accountable to them, we never cease to try to educate them in regards to those decisions.
Every year across the nation student athletes find themselves in situations that can swing entire games (See: TCU and Boykin), but Ole Miss and OSU seem to be handling the pressure just fine.