The Patriots become the third team in a row in four games to lose a game where the stadium is used in a neutral-site, championship/bowl type atmosphere. I initially noticed this since my University of Oklahoma Sooners lost not one but two Fiesta Bowls at the exact site back-to-back years now, both years being favored to win. Although it serves the Arizona Cardinals as a pretty nice home (the Cardinals were 6-2 this season at home, but not really sure how many of those games they were actually favored to win), it does bring up an interesting set of circumstances when the facility is used as a neutral site. Although it is really too early to call it a curse, the evidence is compelling.
We’ll start with the 2007 and 2008 Fiesta Bowls that Oklahoma played.
The first was the legendary game against Boise State. Depicted beforehand as a “David vs. Goliath” matchup, the 11-2 Sooners were a 7.5 point favorite to the 12-0 Broncos. A curious match featured two teams from distinctly different pedigree: OU is blue blood, elite program going through one of the most challenging year given the Bomar issue and losing their Heisman-worthy star AD mid-season; while Boise a Cinderella story, coming up from obscurity and playing in a conference of mediocrity to land in a BCS bowl. This game was seemingly an upset by midway through the third quarter when Boise led 28-10, but the Sooners miraculously not only tie the game but take the lead on an interception with about a minute and a half to go. But the fates were on the side of the Broncos that night, as not one, not two, but three trick plays (two of which were on fourth down) gave them the victory and downed the first favored team on this field.
The second Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium was more of a choke-fest than anything else. Favored 6.5 points to the 10-2 West Virginia Mountaineers, the 11-2 Oklahoma Sooners were looking to take advantage of the broken-shell of the Mountaineers. With their devastating loss to arch-rival Pittsburgh in the regular season finale as well as the defection of head coach Rich Rodriguez to Michigan, West Virginia seems as if they were going to be lost in the distractions of the layoff period before the bowl game. I guess the Sooners banked on that happening, at least that’s the way it looked when they finally played the game. OU was crushed handedly by then interim and now official head coach Bill Stewart and his Mountaineers squad 48-28. At times the Sooners looked almost like they were going at snail’s pace compared to the WV speed spread option attack.
And those were just the Fiesta Bowls. There were two championship gam
es played so far in the stadium: the 2007 BCS National Championship and the Super Bowl XLII.Going into the BCS game, the Ohio State University Buckeyes were 12-0. Fresh off an epic 42-39 victory over rival and then #2 Michigan Wolverines, as well as a Heisman Trophy win for QB Troy Smith and about two months between playing any sort of real football games, the Buckeyes were a 7 point favorite to the 12-1 Florida Gators. The game was more or less supposed to be a game to crown the Buckeyes, as no other team from a big time conference had gone undefeated. Other than the kickoff return for a touchdown by Ted Ginn Jr. to start the game, Ohio State was dominated in all phases of the game. The Gators trampled the Bucks 41-14, making not only Ohio State look slow, but creating an unreasonable assumption that the entire Big Ten conference was slow especially compared with the SEC that Florida resides.
Another team supposed to be crown not only a world champion but the best of all time, the Patriots, fell victim to being favored in this stadium of favored-team slaughterhouse. Some had a 
feeling the 12 points New England was kind of high, seeing as each of their three championships won this past decade had been within 3 points. Most thought it would be a close game, but none thought New York would pull through a victory.
feeling the 12 points New England was kind of high, seeing as each of their three championships won this past decade had been within 3 points. Most thought it would be a close game, but none thought New York would pull through a victory.That is, until Eli Manning miraculously fights out of a tackle, scrambles and finds David Tyree 30 yards downfield. The pass almost seemed perfect for interception, as it floated forever. Tyree leaps up to grab it out of the air as the Patriot defenders helplessly try to knock the ball out of the leaper’s hands. As Tyree falls to the ground, he grips the ball between his hands and his head. Some are now calling it one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, turning a special teams receiver into a legend, a underachieving quarterback to a big game star, and turning a team of destiny to a team of failure.
If this indeed is a curse, wrecking the New England Destiny Patriots is the peak of such a curse. Inevitably the curse shall be broken, as most curses are, but for now this one will haunt not only college teams in their bowl games, but the 2007 “Perfect” Patriots. And being an OU fan, since the Fiesta Bowl is designated for a Big 12 Champ not going to the national title game, I hope OU breaks the curse soon or makes it to the title game.
Oh, and the University of Phoenix Stadium is in the running to host the 2012 Super Bowl. We’ll see if the curse is broken by then.
Other Notable Curses:
Susan Lucci – Not sports related, but impressive 18 years going without a Daytime Emmy even after being nominated almost every year. Wasn’t until 1999 where she won her first Emmy. She has won one other one since then.
The Curse of the Billy Goat – During the 1945 World Series, the Chicago Cubs kicked out a Greek immigrant and his goat. The gentleman curses the team and leaves the country and the Cubs have not been able to even advance past the league championship. The last time they won a World Series was in 1908.
The Curse of 1940 – New York Rangers owner burns the mortgage of Madison Square Garden in the Stanley Cup, desecrating the sacred trophy. Rangers don’t win the Cup until 1994, 54 years after. With Mark Messier’s legendary picture of being given the Stanley Cup in manic laughter and signs from fans like “Now I Can Die In Peace,” the curse was thought to be broken. The Rangers since then have been a perennial disappointment, being one of the highest spending teams and probably the most underachieving team in the league.
The Madden Curse – Since EA Sports has started putting someone on the cover of the yearly Madden NFL Football game, each player featured on the cover has seen a significant decrease in production, a season ending injury, or both. Curse started when San Francisco 49ers runningback Garrison Hearst had a career season in 1998, rushing for over 1500 yards. On the 49ers playoff run, Hearst was injured in the game against the Atlanta Falcons, ultimately ending their chance to win the game and the 49ers playoff streak as the next year Steve Young retires due to concussions and the Niners fail to make the playoffs for the first time in 17 years.
The Heisman Curse – In the 2000s, only two Heisman winners have won their following bowl games: Carson Palmer and Matt Leinhart both from USC. And overall, most find it hard to follow up and find success in the next level in the NFL.
The Curse of the Bambino – At the end of 1919, the Boston Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, turning the Yankees from cellar-dweller to the most successful sports franchise of all time and the Red Sox from best in the majors to the team that always falls short of winning the World Series. The curse was blamed for every major mishap including the famous in-field error by first baseman Bill Buckner. The curse ended in 2004 when the Sox not only came back from 3-0 in the ALCS against the Yankees to win the AL but then swept the Cardinals in the World Series. They won their second in four years in 2007.
