And here in Orlando, the two crown jewels of this festive circus \u2014 the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl<\/a> and the Pop-Tarts Bowl<\/a> \u2014 proved that nobody does the spectacle quite like we do. Somehow, someway, we\u2019ve managed to turn two snack-food bowls into must-see TV.<\/p>\n Sure, pundits and Twitter philosophers love to portray bowl games as irrelevant relics of the past that nobody cares about anymore. However, the TV numbers beg to differ. Across 33 non-College Football Playoff games, viewership jumped 13% year-over-year. In other words, the nation collectively shrugged, rolled its eyes, and then tuned in anyway.<\/p>\n Leading the Orlando charge, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl staged a battle between Michigan and Texas that drew 9.1 million viewers \u2014 a figure that matched most of the games in last year\u2019s NBA Finals. Not far behind, the Pop-Tarts Bowl saw BYU hold off Georgia Tech before, presumably, licking the edible mascot with all the reverence it deserves. That game pulled in 8.7 million viewers, proving that even when the stakes are supposedly microscopic, Americans will stop everything to watch teams in pastel-colored uniforms play for a toaster-pastry trophy.<\/p>\n That popping sound you just heard on Jan. 1 was ESPN execs uncorking champagne bottles in a windowless conference room somewhere.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the ultimate paradox: we decry bowl games as trivial, yet we watch them en masse. And for networks like ESPN, the data doesn\u2019t lie. Eleven non-CFP bowl games hit five-year highs, which means bowl games are quietly reminding the world that \u201cmeaningless\u201d doesn\u2019t mean \u201cunwatched.\u201d Actual attendance may be dwindling, but ratings are rising.<\/p>\n So go ahead and mock the bowls and insist they\u2019re frivolous. But when Cheez-Its and Pop-Tarts lit up TV screens nationally during the holidays, just remember: Orlando knew what it was doing all along \u2013 and so did 18 million of our closest, unapologetically entertained friends \u2026<\/p>\n Short stuff: Speaking of Orlando sporting events, kudos to Florida Citrus Sports and other civic leaders for securing three of international soccer\u2019s top men\u2019s national teams as a lead-up to this summer\u2019s World Cup. Camping World Stadium will host Colombia vs. Croatia on March 26, and Croatia vs. Brazil on March 31 as part of the \u201cRoad to 26\u201d slate that also includes exhibitions near Boston and Washington, D.C., in early spring. Because of our growing reputation as an international soccer hotbed, maybe Orlando needs to change its nickname from \u201cThe City Beautiful\u201d to \u201cThe City of the Beautiful Game.\u201d \u2026 I\u2019m not saying the College Football Playoff has gotten lost in the NFL shuffle, but what major sporting event plays its semifinal games on Thursday and Friday nights? Coming soon: The Oscars on Tuesday afternoon! \u2026 And speaking of the idiots who run college football, the sport had one-fourth of its playoff coaches accepting other jobs before the playoffs even began, and has the transfer portal opening before the playoffs even come to an end. What other sport has its postseason double as a job fair? \u2026<\/p>\n Remember when the Orlando Magic used to play defense like the \u201885 Bears? These days, they\u2019ve been playing defense like the Venezuelan Air Force. \u2026 Did you see where Jadan Baugh is returning to the University of Florida after entering the transfer portal, starting a bidding war with Texas and then returning to the Gators for about $1.5 million this season? NIL = Name, Image and Leverage. \u2026 Meanwhile, Washington quarterback Demond Williams said on social media earlier this week he is entering the transfer portal \u2013 a move that comes just days after he agreed to return to the Huskies for the 2026 season. Williams reportedly signed a contract to return to the Huskies last week, and now Washington is reportedly prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams\u2019 signed contract. Hey, nothing says amateur athletics like breach-of-contract lawyers!!! \u2026 And speaking of players jumping from school to school, UCF reeled in James Madison QB Alonza Barnett from the portal. It seems only fitting since President James Madison himself was a big believer in free movement and limited restrictions. \u2026<\/p>\n Can you believe Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young actually wanted to be traded to the hapless Washington Wizards? In a league where most stars chase championships, Young just asked to be placed in a witness protection program. If I\u2019m the Wizards, I don\u2019t know if I want a player who wants to play for me. Sort of like the old Groucho Marx line: \u201cI refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.\u201d \u2026NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps resigned earlier this week after text messages made public during a court battle with Michael Jordan\u2019s race team revealed that Phelps called Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress \u201ca stupid redneck\u201d who \u201cneeds to be taken out back and flogged.\u201d I guess you could say this is yet another highlight-reel moment for M.J. \u2026<\/p>\n Mikey likes: Jaguars over Bills by 4 in Upset Special, Rams over Panthers by 10, Bears over Packers by 2, 49ers over Eagles by 1 in Upset Special II, Chargers over Patriots by 3 in Upset Special III, Pittsburgh over Houston by 5 in Upset Special IV, U.S. Army Special Ops over Venezuelan Air Force by 24 (Venezuelan planes still on the runway.)<\/p>\n Email me at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com. Hit me up on social media @BianchiWrites and listen to my new radio show \u201cGame On\u201d every weekday from 3 to 6 p.m. on FM 96.9, AM 740 and 969TheGame.com\/listen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Running off at the typewriter. \u2026 College football bowl season is that magical time of year when we…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[53262,42560,4899,139,141,140,42561,56458],"class_list":["post-110692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-bowl-games","tag-cheez-it-citrus-bowl","tag-espn","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-pop-tarts-bowl","tag-tv-ratings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Texas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1767895751_275_TOS-L-2025CheezItBowl19836_e1535b.jpg\")
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian is dunked in Cheez-Its after winning the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl game of Michigan vs. Texas at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Dec. 31, 2025. Texas won the game 41-27. (Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sun-Belt-Championship-Football.jpg\")
James Madison quarterback Alonza Barnett III (14) celebrates after a touchdown against Troy during the first half of the Sun Belt championship NCAA college football game, on Dec. 5, 2025, in Harrisonburg, Virginia. (Robert Simmons\/Associated Press)<\/p>\n