Quote:A traditional line for predicting bowl eligibility is a Sagarin rating of about 80, of which only 6 alliance programs qualified last year. That is a major issue if only 5 of 16 alliance schools (31.3%) are strong enough to finish with a bowl eligible record. Five of the schools (Colorado State, UAB, UNLV, Tulane, and New Mexico) were rated below 140 in the Sagarins. The MAC by contrast only had one (198. Akron) below the #140 threshold.

The plain fact that football in the alliance isn't very good could go back to affecting the number of bowl agreements signed by the new conference in the upcoming bowl certification cycle (2014-17). To be sure there is going to be some improvement in alliance football but there is no way that they'll ever be able to match the Big East or any AQ conference if the AQ exists in the future or if it does not.

http://www.ubbullrun.com/2012/2/17/28041...k-or-treat