FOOTBALL, ANYONE? AND MORE FOOD.

This has to be the most important weekend in college football:

• Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl:  LSU vs Oklahoma
• Play Station Fiesta Bowl:  Ohio State vs Clemson

Yet, those commercial sponsorship names have certainly tainted the historical meaningfulness of the six major bowls:

Could it be that the College Football National Championship has NO sponsor?  Well, the trophy and ESPN ads are linked to Dr. Pepper.  The company paid $35 million for the 2014-2020 years to gain this privilege.  So what it comes down to is money.  Dr. Pepper recently extended this sponsorship into 2026.

Oh, the game itself between the winners of those two playoff games mentioned above will kickoff at 8 PM on Monday, January 13, 2020, in the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

But about today, as I was a student at LSU in the early '70's, and the second Popeye's opened in Baton Rouge, guess what I will be having for my tailgate before the LSU/Oklahoma game?  The first restaurant, in New Orleans.  However, ownership shifted to Florida, there was bankruptcy in 1991, with the headquarters now in Toronto.  

Interestingly enough, Al Copeland's (who passed away in 2008) son, Al Copeland, Jr., is now in general control of this chicken operation.  There are now more than 3,000 outlets in 31 countries.  Return for photos of my feast.  Maybe I'll try their chicken sandwich.



Drove all the way to Kapahulu Popeye's and paid $18 for my Louisiana tailgate:

Two kinds of chicken, their infamous sandwich, corn on the cob, jalapeno, red beans and rice, plus beer and a splendid 2013 Stanford Ridge Cabernet.  Probably can't get it anymore, but this particular vintage is spectacular.

About the game, it is halftime, and LSU is embarrassing Oklahoma, 49-14.  Yes, halftime.  So LSU for sure in the Championship game on January 13. 

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