(12-03-2012 05:59 PM)MTalum09 Wrote: What screwed MT is the fact that Benson approved for ULL to go ahead and accept the New Orleans Bowl invitation a few weeks ago. He did this behind GoDaddy Bowl backs and it ticked them off. Therefore, they would not release ASU to play in Liberty Bowl. If Benson would have just told ULL to wait until yesterday and discussed it with the GoDaddy Bowl, ULL would have still received the N.O. invitation and Ark. State would have been able to go to Liberty Bowl (where they wanted to be) and we would have been in GoDaddy. All 5 SunBelt teams would have been invited to a bowl. Instead, Benson became egotistical and screwed it up for everyone. Not only did he burn bridges with MT, but he burned them with Ark State as well. Not looking good for this crap commissioner.
Heard today that MT moving to C-USA for play in 2013 is now the #1 priority for us. I also know that Benson received several hundred emails from MT fans demanding an explanation. Not just to the fans, but to the coaches and, more importantly, the players. Maybe he will man up and actually deliver. However, I doubt it. Thank God we are leaving the SunBelt soon. I now see why the WAC went to sh*t.
The Go Daddy bowl ultimately RELEASED stAte. But the Liberty Bowl refused both La Tech and stAte once Iowa State became available.
You are correct, however, that both the Belt AND the MAC tried to screw over the Go Daddy folks. The Go Daddy Bowl will not allow any more 'early bids' by contracted bowls in the future without their permission. The MAC tried to send the team that was their pick (Kent) off to Boise and fob off their 5th place team when the Go Daddy gets second pick this year from the MAC.
Even if you were staying in the Belt, you probably would have been left out this year. Here's why.
1) WKU was able to work the Pizza Bowl people. Especially after you guys cra_pped the bed in the championship game.
2) Go Daddy was taking stAte or ULL. Or being traded for a high profile team.
3) I-Bowl wanted a local matchup. They got ULM.
4) The New Orleans Bowl wanted ULL. They jumped the gun, they wanted them so badly.
5) The Military Bowl took $$$ from SJSU, thus taking a bid off the table. They also were ranked (which came up late in the year - kind of snuck up on people.
6) The Liberty was going to take Iowa State when they became available.
You got outworked by WKU's Athletic Department. And beat by geography. I wish it had worked out better for you guys (the Belt would have gotten the money you would have made in the game) but thats how it went down.
And finally, its not Benson's fault we don't have a ton more bowl slots in year 1.5 of his tenure. Bowl agreements are done years in advance. This was set up years ago when the MAC cleaned Wright Waters' clock on the secondary agreements.