NCAA College football Sydney Cup 2016: What you need to know

After plenty of recent speculation, the NSW government has announced that top-flight NCAA college football is returning to Australian shores nearly thirty years since the last college game was played in Melbourne.

This time around, Sydney is the destination for what should be a spectacular event, which the organisers are promising will be an authentic NCAA college football experience, complete with mascots, marching bands and cheerleaders. Somewhere in among that, there’ll be a football game, too, with the University of California squaring off with the University of Hawaii.

When
The Sydney Cup will be the first game of the 2016 NCAA college football season, played on Saturday August 27, about a week before the rest of the season commences in the United States. This means a Friday evening broadcast into the United States.

Where
Sydney’s oft-maligned ANZ Stadium will be hosting the game. It will be the second time the stadium, built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, will host an American football contest, following an NFL pre-season contest between Denver and San Diego in 1999. Unlike that game, the Sydney Cup will feature the best available players from both squads.

The Teams
The University of California Golden Bears play at Memorial Stadium on campus in Berkeley, California – not too far from San Francisco – and are members of the Pacific (Pac) 12 conference. The Bears boast current NFL superstars like Marshawn Lynch (running back, Seattle) and Aaron Rodgers (quarterback, Green Bay) and, by the time the Bears arrive in Australia next August, it’s likely that their current starting quarterback, Jared Goff, will have been taken with a high pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

After a few years of mediocrity that saw then-head coach Jeff Tedford dismissed, revolutionary coach Sonny Dykes was brought to Berkeley, and set about installing his ‘Bear Raid’ offense, which is predicated on passing more than it is on the ground game. Under Dykes, the Golden Bears offense has earned a reputation for putting up lots of points and lots of yards. It is likely that Dykes will have a Goff-type quarterback ready to go next year. On the flip side, Cal’s defence has plenty of room for improvement.

On the other sideline at ANZ Stadium will be the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, and when you think about it, they’re basically Australia’s local team, given their proximity to our shores. The Warriors can also lay claim to being the most-travelled college squad in the country. Members of the Mountain West (MWC) conference, the Warriors regularly travel to destinations Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming for conference games, and further afield for non-conference match-ups.

Hawaii’s recent seasons have been disappointing. Veteran offensive mind Norm Chow was fired midseason, and Nick Rolovich, currently an offensive coordinator at the University of Nevada and former Rainbow Warrior player, was recently announced as the head coach beginning 2016. Therefore, his first game in charge will be in Sydney. Quite a debut!

It’s a far cry from the late 2000s, when the Warriors enjoyed an undefeated season (2007), an appearance in the prestigious Sugar Bowl against Georgia, and plenty of national attention thanks largely to the exploits of quarterback Colt Brennan, who, at the time, was the owner of a string of NCAA passing and scoring records, under vastly-experienced head coach June Jones. Since Jones’ move back to the mainland, the program has nosedived, to the point where their Aloha Stadium is basically empty. They’ve had trouble both offensively and defensively in recent years.

Hawaii once trialled Balmain Tigers legend Paul Sironen, was the college of choice for Collin Scotts – the first Australian to play meaningful NFL action.

The Game
College rules are mostly the same as in the NFL. Obviously there are a few minor rules that separate the two, but the main difference between the two is that the clock stops after each first down, and is restarted when the first down chains have been moved along the sideline.

As far as what a Cal versus Hawaii game might look like, I’d suggest we’ll see a lot of points scored and plenty of big plays. Neither squad is at or near the top of the NCAA when it comes to defensive capability. The Golden Bears generally bets on scoring more points than they give up and Hawaii’s offensive profile will likely improve under Rolovich.

I’m expecting a lot of big plays and points. It should be a good showcase of offensive football, if nothing else.

Tickets
According to initial reports, the most expensive non-package seats will be platinum tickets at $149 each, and there is a ‘Locker Room’ package for $395. The cheapest seats are in the bronze category, and are $69 for adults. It’s a fairly affordable event.

General public sales begin on December 7 and there will almost certainly be added Ticketek fees.

Even if half the crowd are just curious first-timers, I’d be surprised if ANZ Stadium didn’t come very close to selling out.