Just finished watching the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, broadcast on FOX, and I must say that I am quite disappointed in pretty much the entire broadcast. FOX should be ashamed of itself, as the broadcast was very sub-par and made the network seem very undeserving of the BCS Bowls it has signed contracts to broadcast.

For starters, let me say that I’ve helped FOX Sports broadcast a women’s volleyball match at Mississippi State University, and, because my role allowed and required me to keep an eye on the moniter throughout the entire match, I saw that our broadcast went a lot better and smoother than this FOX broadcast of the Cotton Bowl. That doesn’t seem right…it seems that your crews that are going to make errors on live television broadcasts should be in charge of lower-tier operations like volleyball, not NCAA football bowls.

The broadcast was a disaster. The game featured the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Ole Miss Rebels, and Ole Miss ended up winning the game, by a fairly hefty margin. However, the bias toward the Red Raiders and headline quarterback Graham Harrell was nearly unbearable. Yes, Texas Tech had a great season, and yes, Harrell has had a wonderful career. But the Red Raiders were getting dominated, and Ole Miss and its players deserved some credit.

I counted three times throughout the contest that play-by-play announcer Pat Sumerall dubbed Ole Miss a “happy” team. He said that the Rebels were happy to be there (as if they are thankful they got a bowl bid at all, hinting they are undeserving of anything more), and that head coach Houston Nutt gave everyone he is ever around a lot of energy. That’s it. Sumerall and Brian Baldinger (color commentator) seemed completely ignorant of Ole Miss’s season history (other than that they upset Florida and LSU and that quarterback Jevon Snead chose to attend Ole Miss because he was recruited by Florida and Texas, who both had solid quarterbacks already…Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy, respectively). Those were the stories throughout the day for Ole Miss. Not much recognition at all, and it made the entire company seem biased toward Tech and ignorant about the boys from Mississippi.

Before a television broadcast goes on the air, the crew has a chance to test all of its equipment to make sure it’s all working properly, batteries are charged, cords and plugs are in the right places, and graphics are working properly and on-cue. This period for the volleyball match I worked was about an hour long. I’m not sure how long the Cotton Bowl crew had to practice and prepare, but the fact that the audio wasn’t working properly several times while guest Shepard Smith was being interviewed by Jeanie Zelasko is inexcusable.

The opposite problem also existed. During halftime, while each school’s marching band was to be given time on-air while performing, background chatter could be heard, either from sideline reporters or the booth. I’m not sure where it originated, but it was annoying. Press the proper mute button, please.

Ole Miss star running back Dexter McCluster had an MVP performance during the game, and Sumerall and Baldinger gave him his proper credit. McCuster isn’t hard to spot, either. He has long, thin braids, and he’s one of the slimmest players on the Rebel squad. The fact that, near the end of the game, that Sumerall said “and there is the star, McCluster,” when the camera was clearly focused on another Ole Miss player was just inconsiderate of all McCluster had accomplished.

I attribute it to Sumerall’s age. It showed. I know he’s a legend, and I respect that. But when he’s one advertisement behind and giving the slogan for Budweiser when AT&T’s logo is already on the screen when coming back from commercial, you just can’t help but believe he shouldn’t have been in the lead announcer role.

The first down line and on-field “First & 10” graphic were also blending with the players making them glow.

The Rebels won the game. The Rebels dominated the game, for the most part. But when you pause the credit-giving to Ole Miss to mention that we “shouldn’t forget that Texas Tech put up 34 points” and that the Red Raiders played well, and that Harrell set a Cotton Bowl record for passing yards, it just doesn’t show the neutrality a network broadcast company should show in a sports setting.

Call it like it is, FOX, and get the kinks worked out, before a bigger and more important broadcast is messed up even worse. Please, save yourself the embarrassment. And your viewers the pain.