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todd would be correct. There are actually 39 bowl games, which includes the national c-ship. So 38 games will be featuring different teams. 76 teams eligible.

MY QUICK PREDICTION OF BOWL-ELIGIBLES AT END OF YEAR (after ';' is my predicted 6-6 teams in that conf):

ACC: FSU, Louisville, Duke, Clemson, GA-Tech, Bost-Coll, Miami-FL; VA-Tech, UNC, NC-State (10 Teams)
B12: K-State, W-Virginia, TCU, Baylor, OK, OK-State (6 Teams)
B10: MSU, OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, PSU, Minn, Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers; NW/ILLINOIS (10 Teams)
P12: Oregon, Stanford, Ariz-St, Ariz, Utah, UCLA, USC, Wash (8 Teams)
SEC: Miss-St, Miss, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Missouri, S. Carolina, Texas AM; Kentucky (10 Teams)

IND: Notre Dame, BYU; Navy (3 Teams)

AAC: ECU, UCF, Cinci, Memphis, Houston; Temple (6 Teams)
CUSA: Marshall, Mid-Tenn, LA-Tech, UTEP, FIU; UAB, Rice (7 Teams)
MAC: NIU, BGSU, Toledo, WMU, CMU; Akron (6 Teams)
MWEST: Boise St, Col-State, Utah State, Air Force, San Diego State, Nevada; Fresno St (7 Teams)
SUNB: GA-South, LA-Laf, Ark-State; South Alabam, Texas-St (5 Teams)

= 78 Teams (12 6-6 Teams; 4 P5, 8 G5)

2 Left Out Candidates: UAB, Rice, AKRON, S. Alabama, Texas-St

(10-29-2014 12:38 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  MY QUICK PREDICTION OF BOWL-ELIGIBLES AT END OF YEAR (after ';' is my predicted 6-6 teams in that conf):

ACC: FSU, Louisville, Duke, Clemson, GA-Tech, Bost-Coll, Miami-FL; VA-Tech, UNC, NC-State (10 Teams)
B12: K-State, W-Virginia, TCU, Baylor, OK, OK-State (6 Teams)
B10: MSU, OSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, PSU, Minn, Iowa, Maryland, Rutgers; NW/ILLINOIS (10 Teams)
P12: Oregon, Stanford, Ariz-St, Ariz, Utah, UCLA, USC, Wash (8 Teams)
SEC: Miss-St, Miss, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Georgia, Missouri, S. Carolina, Texas AM; Kentucky (10 Teams)

IND: Notre Dame, BYU; Navy (3 Teams)

AAC: ECU, UCF, Cinci, Memphis, Houston; Temple (6 Teams)
CUSA: Marshall, Mid-Tenn, LA-Tech, UTEP, FIU; UAB, Rice (7 Teams)
MAC: NIU, BGSU, Toledo, WMU, CMU; Akron (6 Teams)
MWEST: Boise St, Col-State, Utah State, Air Force, San Diego State, Nevada; Fresno St (7 Teams)
SUNB: GA-South, LA-Laf, Ark-State; South Alabam, Texas-St, LA-Monroe (6 Teams)

= 79 Teams (13 6-6 Teams; 5 P5, 8 G5)

It's gonna be tough for the trio of V-Tech, UNC and NC St to all get in. They sit at 4-4 right now. I'd bet on 2 of them getting in...not all 3 though.

Same with Northwestern and Illinois. Ultimately I think one gets in, but not both.

PAC 12 has a decent shot at getting 10 in though. California is most likely IMO. Oregon St is a long shot.

Need to root against Florida and Arkansas in the SEC. I think both are long shots at getting 6 wins, but Arkansas only needs 2 and Florida needs 3. Side note, If Florida ends up 5-6, I can totally see them flipping out about their game against Idaho that got cancelled because of the weather. Anyone want to bet on their appeal getting approved by the bowl committee?

BYU and Navy both have semi difficult schedules ahead of them. Both need two more wins. In the end, I think BYU gets there. But Navy still plays Notre Dame, Georgia Southern, @ South Alabama, and Army. I can see them beating Army, but the other 3 are losses IMO.

I hate how the AAC is always a week behind everyone in the schedule. Most of the country has played 8 games by now. The AAC only 7. They have 4 teams sitting at 4-3. You have all 4 of them getting to 6 wins. One of those teams is gonna go 1-4 to finish the season and miss out. I think Temple is the odd man out. They have East Carolina and Penn St still on the schedule. Cincy has the second most difficult path IMO. Only 5 teams make it.

FIU and UAB are two teams to watch and root against in CUSA. FIU has to go 3-1 to finish the season bowl eligible. Their schedule isn't tough, but it's still not easy. UAB hinges on their game with FIU too. They need to go 2-2 to get to bowl eligibility. They have games against Marshall and LTech left that are likely losses. And they finish the season at Southern Miss. Again, not out of the question...but I think only one of these teams pulls it off and makes it.

As MAC fans, it's tough to do so, but it would help us if Akron and Ohio lost. No need to crowd the field and a team like Ohio which travels pretty decent might be more attractive to the bowl committee. Throw in the Terry Bowden name, and I'm not sure we want to be in a discussion with either team in regards to going to a bowl. I think we are hands down better than both...but sometimes these invites come down to politics and ticket sales. I'd prefer if both teams tanked the rest of the way and only BGSU was eligible in the East.

Fresno St is another team that needs to go 3-1 the rest of the way to get bowl eligible. Wyoming, San Jose St, @ Nevada, and Hawaii aren't exactly the gauntlet of college football. It likely they win 3 of those games and become eligible. But as a WMU fan, I'm rooting against them.

There's no way Louisiana Monroe is getting bowl eligible. They need to go 3-2 to get there. Remaining schedule looks like this @Texas AM, @Appy St, Louisiana Laf, @New Mex St, @ Georgia Southern. 4 of 5 games on the road and they play the two best team in the Sun Belt as well as Texas AM.


Get that number down to 76 and WMU doesn't have to worry about getting left out because of tie ins, politics or $$$. Root against the teams above and all is well.

Quote:It's gonna be tough for the trio of V-Tech, UNC and NC St to all get in. They sit at 4-4 right now. I'd bet on 2 of them getting in...not all 3 though.

True, but then you have, as a by-product of that, Pitt or Virginia getting to 6-6 instead of 5-7 because of it...

Quote:Same with Northwestern and Illinois. Ultimately I think one gets in, but not both.

Yeah, I counted ONE of them -- an either or. Whoever wins their rivalry game will probably be the one. Both could end up NOT going I guess, too. But I wanted to play this out where everything isn't in the "MAC favor" to have a gander. This all would be about the MAX # to expect (79, actually 78, after Sun Belt adjustment).

Quote:PAC 12 has a decent shot at getting 10 in though. California is most likely IMO. Oregon St is a long shot.

Going thru each of the team's schedules -- unless there's upsets and stuff, I don't see 10. Cal could go 2-2, yes. One could say 9, but I don't see 10 being too confident of a #.

Quote:If Florida ends up 5-6, I can totally see them flipping out ... Anyone want to bet on their appeal getting approved by the bowl committee?

I would unfortunately bet Yes (sigh). But come awn, 5-6? Needing to play an Idaho to make it to .500? I think they'd probably say you COULD go for an SEC bowl slot, if available, and a 7-5 team doesn't beat ya out? I would say they probably wouldn't let them go to any bowl under any circumstances, tho.

Quote:BYU and Navy both have semi difficult schedules ahead of them. Both need two more wins.

Actually, it gets easier for them -- to reach 7 and 6 wins respectively. BYU plays Midd-Tenn, a D1AA, and UNLV (who sucks this year). BYU went to OT against @UCF without BYU's starting QB. They'll go 7 wins. Navy? Notre Dame & GA-Southern -- Losses. South Alabama and Army? Oh, those are wins. 2-2, to go 6-6.

Quote:You have all 4 of them getting to 6 wins. One of those teams is gonna go 1-4 to finish the season and miss out.

I looked at their schedules and compared who'd win-lose. I just have one upset -- a Temple win to go 6-6. :) Again, I wanted to also go by the general favorites (home/away/etc) and not be biased to lean toward making teams fall short of 6-6 when they wouldn't. In this, actually, one of those teams could go 6-6 instead of 7-5, sure.

Quote:UAB hinges on their game with FIU too. They need to go 2-2 to get to bowl eligibility. They have games against Marshall and LTech left that are likely losses. And they finish the season at Southern Miss. Again, not out of the question...but I think only one of these teams pulls it off

Possible. We can hope. Again, had to lean on "not most ideal scenario"...

Quote:I think we are hands down better than both...but sometimes these invites come down to politics and ticket sales.

We don't need to worry. If we're 7-5 and Ohio semi-surprisingly makes it to 6-6, and Akron without Pohl does hold on to 6-6 -- they can't trump us. It's always 7-5 teams first, 6-6 teams last as part of the rules. If we get to 7-5 (going 2-2 rest of the way), we will have No worries. (Most likely) Akron will, being 6-6, trying to get a bid over Sun Belt or CUSA team -- or hoping they have less 6-6 teams.

Quote:Fresno St is another team that needs to go 3-1 the rest of the way to get bowl eligible. Wyoming, San Jose St, @ Nevada, and Hawaii aren't exactly the gauntlet of college football. It likely they win 3 of those games and become eligible. But as a WMU fan, I'm rooting against them.

Why against Fresno?

Quote:There's no way Louisiana Monroe is getting bowl eligible.

You're right. That was a last-second-sloppy mistake. I think I misread GA-South and took the HOME game against LA-Laf too strongly. COULD happen, but very doubtful, so I'd eliminate that.

So, with the Sun-Belt prediction error -- the Adjustment: 78 teams in this simulation will go.

IMO, it'd be anywhere from 75-80.

If for some reason it hits 75 (doubt it) -- oh, Florida's definitely going. Whether they like it or not.

I like where your heads at.

To me it's simple, I'll root against Fresno St, and pretty much all of the "bubble" teams we've mentioned above under the hope that the number is at 76 or less. Get that number down, and it's a guaranteed bowl bid. If that number hits 77 or more, there's always a chance that a MAC team gets left home. I'm not comfy till all the dust settles or the mathematical percentages leave zero room to be left home.

(10-29-2014 01:28 PM)EA3 Wrote:  Need to root against Florida and Arkansas in the SEC. I think both are long shots at getting 6 wins, but Arkansas only needs 2 and Florida needs 3. Side note, If Florida ends up 5-6, I can totally see them flipping out about their game against Idaho that got cancelled because of the weather. Anyone want to bet on their appeal getting approved by the bowl committee?

I think Arkansas gets to 6. They're a legitimately good team stuck in the Group of Death that is the SEC West. It won't be easy, but I think they'll find a way to become bowl-eligible.

EA, you bring up a really interesting point about Florida. I do think if they were to finish 5-6 and appealed to the NCAA to become bowl-eligible, the NCAA would side with them. However, if they finish 5-6, it's all but certain they'll fire Muschamp (they probably will, regardless). I could see them not seeking an appeal, passing up an opportunity to play in a minor bowl somewhere, and instead choosing to concentrate more on finding their next head coach.

Quote:To me it's simple, I'll root against Fresno St, and pretty much all of the "bubble" teams we've mentioned above under the hope that the number is at 76 or less

Oh, okay, I see. Yeah, rooting against Temple to pull off 6-6 with their now Tough schedule ahead and not to pull any upsets... Fresno, and wanting as little as 6-6 Sun Belts coming out.

I really only think we'll have just 1 6-6 team. If there's AAC or MW 6-6's, we'll get skipped over. Against CUSA or SunBelt? Depends on potential fan-base -- southern teams around where they're from will bring more fans, and Akron's attendance does suck -- but a Bowden coach could twist some arms? Maybe.

Quote:However, if they finish 5-6, it's all but certain they'll fire Muschamp (they probably will, regardless). I could see them not seeking an appeal, passing up an opportunity to play in a minor bowl somewhere, and instead choosing to concentrate more on finding their next head coach.

Yeah, good point. Requiring a super-pushover Idaho to make 6-6 is a pretty bad whine. On top of that, they'll fire their coach when that's the case... unless they were planning on Wanting to hire an assistant on contract, I think they'd say "Yeah, screw this."

I think it is amazing that Bowl talk for the Broncos is a serious topic

considering last season and the boisterous, caustic doubt of many concerning P.J. Fleck's coaching abilities.

(10-30-2014 11:15 AM)bostonbronco Wrote:  I think it is amazing that Bowl talk for the Broncos is a serious topic

considering last season and the boisterous, caustic doubt of many concerning P.J. Fleck's coaching abilities.

He gave us plenty of reasons to doubt it and at times evidence. Seems to have charged for the better.

(10-30-2014 11:19 AM)Kimbosucks Wrote:  

(10-30-2014 11:15 AM)bostonbronco Wrote:  I think it is amazing that Bowl talk for the Broncos is a serious topic

considering last season and the boisterous, caustic doubt of many concerning P.J. Fleck's coaching abilities.

He gave us plenty of reasons to doubt it and at times evidence. Seems to have charged for the better.

Im thinking some of the coordinators have come to WMU with some good experience and now with some talent to work with we are begining to see their impact also.

And it takes time for them to all get used to rowing the boat as a group. Coaching staff have to get used to working together, similar to an offensive line, the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Quote:And it takes time for them to all get used to rowing the boat as a group. Coaching staff have to get used to working together, similar to an offensive line, the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts.

Very true. I just hope we RTB and kick some Miami arse -- then get revenge on EMU in our stadium eating them alive. That's ALL it will take, even if we lose to @CMU, and lose to NIU trying to save their eliteness.

I am SO happy we've gone this far. 7 wins -- it'll be easier to get to than 5 wins was at this point!

Latest CBS Bowl Projections have 7 MAC teams in bowl games (WMU in Bahamas Bowl)

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...redictions

ESPN Bowl projections have 5 MAC teams (WMU in Bahamas bowl or Idaho Potato Bowl)

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections

I prefer the GoDaddy Bowl playing as MAC Champion. Everthing else is second place.

These past couple seasons, I didn't even bother trying to do the math about 'number of bowl slots' versus available teams and so forth.

But now that bowling looks more and more like a possibility, I'm wondering if 7 wins will seal the deal?

I know "mid-major" teams with 7 and 8 wins have sat out before, but I'm curious if there is now such a saturation of bowls that we're almost assured of landing somewhere.

The best thing about a potential bowl game for this team is all the freshmen and sophomores getting extra practice time.

I feel like every year we are saying "there's more bowls, we won't get left out" and every year I get disappointed that a MAC team gets snubbed.

One thing I know for sure... 6 wins probably isn't going to get us in. 7 wins might get us in, but if we lose our last two against CMU and NIU that doesn't look sexy to the bowl reps. either. If we win 8, we're in pretty much no questions asked.

So let's take care of business these last three remaining games and leave no doubt.

Hopefully we'll be putting a 9-game winning streak on the line when MSU comes to town!

(11-02-2014 08:02 AM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  Hopefully we'll be putting a 9-game winning streak on the line when MSU comes to town!

  stadium2.jpg (Size: 35.3 KB / Downloads: 18)

That Bahama bowl would be cool New stadium only seats 15000

What is that? A stadium for ants?! It needs to be at least...10 times bigger