People make fun of the NIT/CBI/CIT all the time. But even counting all of them, basketball postseason is not close to the same percentage of teams as Bowl season is.

Now, NT played in a newer game, so I know I don't have much room to talk. But forty bowls is just too many. I'd hope that the number could be reduced to 30 or so over the next decade by attrition, but instead I know if any fold 2 new cities will want in.

(04-16-2014 09:13 AM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 10:32 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Ask any player on any of our teams which conference road game they are looking forward to playing and I bet you 90% would say the game at one of the FU's. Same thing goes for the bowl game and for the fans. Unless you are playing at a major bowl .....

players and fans would pick the game in the best city and if it's close to a beach or a major destination spot like Orlando it's a no brainer which one players and fans would pick. That's what post season is all about outside of the big pay day bowls.... a reward for the players and fans.


There's a reason Western had a few hundred more fans at a road game vs FAU/FIU than UL-L or ASU or for that matter in Mobile vs USA than than the top 2 teams (UL-L, ASU) in our conference.

I would think, though, that a large reason for that is players' families that live in the area. Western has a lot of Floridians, correct ?

We brought 700 or so to FAU one year that I made the trip, but many were friends & family.

Sure that's part of it but fans love to travel to sunny places with a beach or the "big city" with tons of things to do...

like shopping, eating, shows.

I hardly ever see the "money" people at ULM or ASU or UL-L but they turn out in the 100s for our game at Army, or New Orleans, or any place with a beach. Families love the beaches and add a attraction like Disney World and a lot more show up.

Western had a couple hundred fans to show up for our last road trip (basketball..a week before the conf tourney) to Texas (UTA and TXST ) because of Dallas and San Antonio is a easy 30-40 minute drive from TXST. But for our game at ASU we had 50 if that to make the 5 hour drive and we were on a 6 game win streak and fighting ASU for a double bye. Then we had maybe 500 to make the road game to Atlanta vs GSU for our last regular season game.


People like to have another reason to spend their time and lots of money other than the game itself

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:19 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 03:38 PM)SApuro Wrote:  Sweet looks like the NCAA will have more bowl slots than teams playing. What does that make 39 bowls and counting? What garbage....note Orlando is a desirable location so I'll probably attend but I won't be happy.

If you attend will you pull for the SBC team or the AAC team?

Actually the AAC may have trouble having enough eligible teams to meet all it's bowl agreements. Nice problem to have.

That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

(04-16-2014 03:57 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:19 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 03:38 PM)SApuro Wrote:  Sweet looks like the NCAA will have more bowl slots than teams playing. What does that make 39 bowls and counting? What garbage....note Orlando is a desirable location so I'll probably attend but I won't be happy.

If you attend will you pull for the SBC team or the AAC team?

Actually the AAC may have trouble having enough eligible teams to meet all it's bowl agreements. Nice problem to have.

That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

That's just foolish why would any commissioner want that?

(04-14-2014 10:28 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  So the count now is:

AAC - 16 bowls for 11 or 12 teams
CUSA - 5 bowls for 14 teams
MAC - 4 or 5 bowls
Sun Belt - 4 bowls games

Right? I'm talking straight bowl games. No backups.

AAC has either 7 or 8 primary tie ins every year (varies) and 3 backups. Although I was not against adding this bowl, I sure hope it doesn't hinder AAC from getting Independence bowl invites, if they come up, as a backup. Too many bowls can hinder backup opps.

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:19 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 03:38 PM)SApuro Wrote:  Sweet looks like the NCAA will have more bowl slots than teams playing. What does that make 39 bowls and counting? What garbage....note Orlando is a desirable location so I'll probably attend but I won't be happy.

If you attend will you pull for the SBC team or the AAC team?

Actually the AAC may have trouble having enough eligible teams to meet all it's bowl agreements. Nice problem to have.

That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

AAC also has backup to Poinsettia...not that it will ever be used. Other than that, you're pretty close. Also, I would add the AAC has veto power in the Miami Beach Bowl (another conference can be selected if their is an excess team from another conference). So for example, the PAC has 8 bowl eligible teams for 7 bowls, the AAC can select the Pac to go to MBB. This is IN THEORY...who knows if it will be utilized.

(04-16-2014 04:14 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 03:57 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:19 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  If you attend will you pull for the SBC team or the AAC team?

Actually the AAC may have trouble having enough eligible teams to meet all it's bowl agreements. Nice problem to have.

That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

That's just foolish why would any commissioner want that?

Not every bowl eligible team deserves a bowl. Many don't belong in bowl games. I'd want only my best teams playing, so they will play well, hopefully win, and make the conference look good. Lets face it, a lot of 6 and 7-win teams are bad. In many cases, they don't deserve it. There are too many bowls.

(04-16-2014 04:14 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 03:57 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:19 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  If you attend will you pull for the SBC team or the AAC team?

Actually the AAC may have trouble having enough eligible teams to meet all it's bowl agreements. Nice problem to have.

That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

That's just foolish why would any commissioner want that?

Not every bowl eligible team deserves a bowl. Many don't belong in bowl games. I'd want only my best teams playing, so they will play well, hopefully win, and make the conference look good. Lets face it, a lot of 6 and 7-win teams are bad. In many cases, they don't deserve it. There are too many bowls. I'd rather have 4 or 5 good bowl tie-ins than 7 bad ones.

(04-16-2014 04:42 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 04:14 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 03:57 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:29 PM)PirateMarv Wrote:  That is strange to have so many bowls. It could be up to 13 bowls(?) in some kind of way, shape or form; including the Access bowl if the AAC earns it. I got this list from a poster on the AAC board:

Each year:
Birmingham vs SEC
Military vs ACC
St. Pete vs ACC/CUSA (3 years each)
Miami Beach vs MAC/CUSA/SBC (2 years each)
Cure Bowl vs SBC

Rotation:
Armed Forces vs Army/XII (2014, 2016, 2018)
Hawaii vs MWC (2015, 2017, 2019)
Bahamas vs MAC (2014, 2016, 2018)
Boca vs MAC/CUSA (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
New Orleans vs SBC/CUSA (2018, 2019)

Secondary ties:
Liberty vs SEC/XII
Independence vs ACC/SEC/CUSA (CUSA also has secondary tie)

The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

That's just foolish why would any commissioner want that?

Not every bowl eligible team deserves a bowl. Many don't belong in bowl games. I'd want only my best teams playing, so they will play well, hopefully win, and make the conference look good. Lets face it, a lot of 6 and 7-win teams are bad. In many cases, they don't deserve it. There are too many bowls. I'd rather have 4 or 5 good bowl tie-ins than 7 bad ones.

That's your opinion and we all have one but if I'm a commissioner the last thing I want is unhappy programs with 6-6 or 7-6 records sitting at home while other conferences have schools with the same record bowling.

The same thing goes for recruiting.

If the number of bowls are reduced you can bet the farm that 6-6 SEC or ACC or Big12 or on and on school will be bowling over the 7-5, 8-4 and most likely 9-3 C-USA, SBC, MAC and most likely even AAC school

(04-16-2014 05:04 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 04:42 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 04:14 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 03:57 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(04-14-2014 04:33 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  The Orlando Bowl gives the AAC 7 tie-ins for this coming season and you will have 11 teams. I doubt there will be 7 available teams but I would rather have too many tie-ins than not enough.

I don't know about this. The 7th best team in the AAC isn't going to be a very good team. If I were a commissioner, I'd want my 5 best teams in a bowl game. I'd want by bowl teams to be "good," and to represent the conference well. The teams that are at #6 and #7 need to stay home.

That's just foolish why would any commissioner want that?

Not every bowl eligible team deserves a bowl. Many don't belong in bowl games. I'd want only my best teams playing, so they will play well, hopefully win, and make the conference look good. Lets face it, a lot of 6 and 7-win teams are bad. In many cases, they don't deserve it. There are too many bowls. I'd rather have 4 or 5 good bowl tie-ins than 7 bad ones.

That's your opinion and we all have one but if I'm a commissioner the last thing I want is unhappy programs with 6-6 or 7-6 records sitting at home while other conferences have schools with the same record bowling.

The same thing goes for recruiting

Exactly and also for the extra practices.

Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

Yeah, but the conferences will never enforce this themselves. That would be like asking a man to shoot himself in the foot. And the NCAA won't enforce it because they don't enforce anything.

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

Great point. Two 6-6 Bowl teams from G5 conferences will be awful. Just call it the "Who shives a git Bowl".

(04-16-2014 10:53 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

Great point. Two 6-6 Bowl teams from G5 conferences will be awful. Just call it the "Who shives a git Bowl".

ESPN proudly presents the "Its Better Than Watching December College Basketball" Bowl

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

Which makes it even worse.

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

This bowl is more aimed at the Sunbelt than the AAC I believe. So now a 7-5 or 8-4 Sunbelt team won't be left out of a bowl like last year. Whether the AAC can fullfill that spot I don't know, but I'm sure it can be backfilled with BYU, Army or CUSA.

(04-17-2014 09:02 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

This bowl is more aimed at the Sunbelt than the AAC I believe. So now a 7-5 or 8-4 Sunbelt team won't be left out of a bowl like last year. Whether the AAC can fullfill that spot I don't know, but I'm sure it can be backfilled with BYU, Army or CUSA.

Honestly, if it takes 78 teams to fill all the bowls, I doubt there will be many 6-6 teams from any conference sitting home anymore. Only 50 of 128 (eventual number) FBS teams would be left out of the post season. So, in truth, by 2014 (most certainly in 2015 when the Cure Bowl goes on line) getting a bowl will be pretty likely for any team that manages to get qualified---regardless of conference affiliation.

(04-17-2014 09:47 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 09:02 AM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:45 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 08:01 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  Just because you win 6 games doesn't mean you should be in a bowl. It's counterproductive to send bad teams to bowls. P5 conferences can get away with this. Their 6-win teams are pretty good. G5 conferences can't do it. We aren't as solid from top to bottom.

True. But the 6-6 G5 bowl teams are going to playing equally mediocre 6-6 G5 teams---so its not like a G5 conference is sending out a 6-6 squad to play LSU (lol...we reserve that kind of stupid scheduling for OOC play).

This bowl is more aimed at the Sunbelt than the AAC I believe. So now a 7-5 or 8-4 Sunbelt team won't be left out of a bowl like last year. Whether the AAC can fullfill that spot I don't know, but I'm sure it can be backfilled with BYU, Army or CUSA.

Honestly, if it takes 78 teams to fill all the bowls, I doubt there will be many 6-6 teams from any conference sitting home anymore. Only 50 of 128 (eventual number) FBS teams would be left out of the post season. So, in truth, by 2014 (most certainly in 2015 when the Cure Bowl goes on line) getting a bowl will be pretty likely for any team that manages to get qualified---regardless of conference affiliation.

Wish this was the case 2 out of the last 3 seasons when we were sitting at home with 7 and 8 wins....I guess its never too late.....

Twenty years ago, bowl games were a reward for having a good season. Now, many of them are just rewards for not having a bad season.