The Sugar Bowl is again back in the Superdome! After a brief move to ATL due to hurricane Katrina’s damage to New Orleans, the Sugar Bowl came home in ‘07.  The Sugar Bowl boasts being one of the oldest games in the country, as well as a part of the Bowl Championship Series. Currently, its official title is the Allstate Sugar bowl, after its major title sponsor. The Sugar Bowl proudly hosts the Southeastern Conference champion. When chilly northern temperatures made the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade all the more appealing, the idea of a football game in New Orleans was put forward by Colonel James M. Thompson, publisher of the New Orleans Item, and supported by sports columnist Fred Digby every year since the idea surfaced in 1927.  By 1935 they had garnered enough support, and the first Sugar Bowl was held in Tulane Stadium. In 1976 the game was moved to the New Orleans Superdome, today now totally refurbished after Katrina’s damage.   ABC Sports has traditionally televised the game since 1969, but 2007 marked FOX Sports as the Sugar Bowl’s new TV home.

2007 Sugar Bowl

The 2007 Sugar Bowl received lots of attention, as it was the homecoming to New Orleans after Katrina. Played on January 3rd, the game placed  The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head to head with the LSU Tigers.  LSU stormed the game, leaving the Fighting Irish facing a record setting nine bowl game losses in a row – even losing their BCS games with very wide point margins.  Notre Dame did show key moments though – in fact, probably the best offensive weapon was RB Darius Walker, who kept the game close in the first half with hard runs and solid catches.  LSU proved stronger in speed and athleticism from the start – Notre Dame couldn’t keep up with the speed, and seriously lacked in its pass rush.  JaMarcus Russell was named the Bowl’s MVP – however, in the aftermath he went on record saying he did not know weather he would enter the ’07 NFL draft.