One person tweeted that MAYBE Solich will be retiring after this season, and OU tipped off B'O'B about it. He said that was a streeeetccch

(12-08-2013 07:18 PM)chuckwalker Wrote:  I just read something saying that Pitt is the LCB opponent for BG

That would be a good get since the Big Ten won't fill it.

Pitt would be a nice match-up for BG and would bring some fans, too.

And, as for OU supposedly getting picked for a bowl over UT, I am utterly shocked. Never saw that coming with the way OU played the second half of the season. I think UT would've matched up much better vs. ECU, but I sure wish OU well in the game.

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

If it were based on that, UB would be going to the Beef Bowl. Half of the people at the Bills/Bucs game today were Bills fans.

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

I worked for a year in Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay area and I swear half the people I met were originally from the state of Ohio. It was crazy how many Ohioans relocated to the Gulf coast of Florida. Not sure how that would benefit Ohio U. more than Toledo, but the Bobcats do represent the flagship.

(12-08-2013 08:31 PM)zibby Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

If it were based on that, UB would be going to the Beef Bowl. Half of the people at the Bills/Bucs game today were Bills fans.

UB would have been off the table by the time the Beef Bowl picked. Boise picked them ahead of both Ohio U and Toledo.

(12-08-2013 08:57 PM)axeme Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 08:31 PM)zibby Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

If it were based on that, UB would be going to the Beef Bowl. Half of the people at the Bills/Bucs game today were Bills fans.

UB would have been off the table by the time the Beef Bowl picked. Boise picked them ahead of both Ohio U and Toledo.

Not impossible that Toledo was asked to go to Boise for the second straight year and declined. Not saying that happened--but it is possible, given that Toledo beat Buffalo and BG, who also beat Buffalo.
Lot of questions starting to swirl in Toledo--some media seem like they want to find the story...

(12-08-2013 08:38 PM)niu79 Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

I worked for a year in Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay area and I swear half the people I met were originally from the state of Ohio. It was crazy how many Ohioans relocated to the Gulf coast of Florida. Not sure how that would benefit Ohio U. more than Toledo, but the Bobcats do represent the flagship.

Someone on bobcat attack posted that there are over 3000 Ohio alumni in the gulf coast of Florida. I'm not sure how many UT grads live in that region, but we all know that if these bowls selected teams based on performance, UT would be bowling over the bobcats. But we are kidding ourselves if we don't see what this system is really about. It's certainly not about rewarding performance.

(12-08-2013 09:06 PM)bobcat95 Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 08:38 PM)niu79 Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 07:15 PM)GalliaCat Wrote:  I am shocked Ohio got a bowl bid over Toledo. If I were UT I would be a little upset. I wonder how many alumni Ohio has in Florida compared to UT? As you can tell I am grasping for a reason.

I worked for a year in Fort Myers and the Tampa Bay area and I swear half the people I met were originally from the state of Ohio. It was crazy how many Ohioans relocated to the Gulf coast of Florida. Not sure how that would benefit Ohio U. more than Toledo, but the Bobcats do represent the flagship.

Someone on bobcat attack posted that there are over 3000 Ohio alumni in the gulf coast of Florida. I'm not sure how many UT grads live in that region, but we all know that if these bowls selected teams based on performance, UT would be bowling over the bobcats. But we are kidding ourselves if we don't see what this system is really about. It's certainly not about rewarding performance.

For what its worth, there are a lot of NW Ohioans on the Florida Gulf Coast--we practically built Fort Myers. There's even a street there called "Toledo Blade Boulevard" after the Toledo newspaper. Nah, there was some other reason. I'm leaning towards Solich is gone and this is his "swan song" and the MAC and OU worked to get it for him. We'll see...

(12-08-2013 09:01 PM)bcunn3128 Wrote:  Not impossible that Toledo was asked to go to Boise for the second straight year and declined. Not saying that happened--but it is possible, given that Toledo beat Buffalo and BG, who also beat Buffalo.
Lot of questions starting to swirl in Toledo--some media seem like they want to find the story...

Not impossible, but damn near impossible.

(12-08-2013 08:57 PM)axeme Wrote:  UB would have been off the table by the time the Beef Bowl picked.

All three MAC bowls passed on Northern Illinois? Really?

(12-09-2013 08:38 AM)zibby Wrote:  

(12-08-2013 08:57 PM)axeme Wrote:  UB would have been off the table by the time the Beef Bowl picked.

All three MAC bowls passed on Northern Illinois? Really?

Obviously, no.

The MAC/NIU had some currency with the Huskies great season and ranking to get them a bowl that suited their position. No other MAC team has any cache that gives them much bargaining power. I would think that would be obvious.

So Detroit takes BG, Mobile takes Ball St., and then it's Boise's choice. Why wouldn't they take UB? Toledo was there last year. But the default position around here is to trot out the MAC front office conspiracy theories against, whom, UB and Toledo?

The question is--if you were the Potato Bowl, who would you take? UB should be flattered that they were picked over the other remaining teams, but that would disrupt the martyr complex.

NIU already played in Go Daddy and Potato Bowls, i think the NIU administration wanted Poinsettia or something else outside of the regular MAC tie-ins.

Regardless of us winning (although we would have been in Fiesta if we won) or losing, Bowling Green was probably always going to LCPB. I don't think NIU administration or fans want anything to do with going back to Ford Field after 4 straight years of playing there for championship games.

Great opportunity for NIU now that BCS was busted. I am sure that their players, parents and admi are very excited to play in San Diego. Nice recognition of the success of that program...just wish they were playing Boise.

Here's a little more insight into the process of us going to the Poinsettia Bowl. Looks like they wanted to match up the two runner-ups from the MAC and MWC.

Quote:NIU got to the Poinsettia Bowl because the MAC had a secondary agreement with the bowl game this year. The matchup was originally scheduled to be a Mountain West team vs. Army, but the Black Knights only have three wins heading into next week’s game against Navy and won't be bowl-eligible. NIU is taking Army’s place.

"At the end of the day in game down to the matchup. It came down to timing, and it came down to invitations, too," NIU athletic director Sean Frazier said. "It just happens that the Poinsettia Bowl, having the Mountain West runner-up, obviously us being a runner-up in our own right, in looking at that matchup we all felt that was the right place for us and the right timing."

Again, good match-up but I fear that the stands won't be too full with both teams from so far away.

True, and it is really expensive to fly out so close to Christmas. If it was before Xmas it would be cheaper and easier for fans.

I live out in San Diego and am inviting a bunch of non-NIU alumni to the game to help root us on though.

NIU fans: Is there still some excitement among the alums about attending this game in San Diego?

(12-09-2013 03:48 PM)exCincy Kid1 Wrote:  NIU fans: Is there still some excitement among the alums about attending this game in San Diego?

I know all the San Diego and LA/Orange County alums are organizing seating sections at the game.