Well, I did some research on Ark. State and found out we have played twice and Toledo won both games. Didn't look up the scores, but I seem to remember one being a blow-out. Did find this though - which created a ruckus when "Clark Griswold" showed up at a game inadvertently, and some Christian crosses were seen on the helmets of both Clark and Griswold.

http://i.imgur.com/CXVXIgA.png

Also found a story about a defensive end from last year being tragically shot to death along with his step-father in a home invasion in Tennessee. Sad to hear about that. Don't remember a story on it when it occurred - looks to have been in January of 2014.

(12-07-2014 04:31 PM)MotoRocket Wrote:  Don't take it personally. Our bowl games over the past 15 years have been Cincinnati, Boston College, Connecticut, Texas-El Paso, Air Force, Utah State and can't remember others. Those games were against some recognized name programs that have had a strong history - or are major universities. Those schools have what I called "curb appeal" - which is for our fans and casual followers in and around the Toledo area. No one knows anything about Arkansas State - other than they used to be one of our "warm-up" games a decade back or longer. No idea what city they are in. It is not going to generate a lot of interest in the bowl game in NW Ohio.

Now combine having a game on a Sunday night before a work day against a team without name recognition in the Ohio area - and it does not generate much interest. It will get a lot of viewership since it is likely the only college game that night and is fit nicely between the semi-final games and the national championship game.

Really, please don't take it personally. You couldn't know that we have a constant fight for respect among the people of our own city because we are smack dab in the middle of Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame. Most of these idiots don't even realize we're a FBS team and we never hear scores from southern teams in the news.

I totally get that 920 miles is a harder trip than 450 miles.

Fully understand it sucks missing work (especially at the start of the week (Monday is harder to take off than Friday) and the kids are back in school because we lose people for the same reason.

I get it that people in Ohio are about as familiar with Arkansas State as people in Arkansas are about Toledo (be forewarned, if you do something dumb like listen to an Arkansas sports radio show, you suck and you will suck until the week you play Arkansas then you will be a tough team that doesn't get enough respect but then two weeks later when you play us you will resume sucking, thus is life in Hog land).

What I don't get is the whole hand-wringing of having to play an unworthy opponent. Two schools who have to whore to out weeknight games to ESPN to get on a major channel are playing.

Two schools that get a shut up and like it bribe from the CFP are meeting on national TV and if the past holds true, more than a million people will be tuned in.

Drama much?

I'm pretty sure no one here used the word "unworthy."

(12-08-2014 01:10 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  I totally get that 920 miles is a harder trip than 450 miles.

Fully understand it sucks missing work (especially at the start of the week (Monday is harder to take off than Friday) and the kids are back in school because we lose people for the same reason.

I get it that people in Ohio are about as familiar with Arkansas State as people in Arkansas are about Toledo (be forewarned, if you do something dumb like listen to an Arkansas sports radio show, you suck and you will suck until the week you play Arkansas then you will be a tough team that doesn't get enough respect but then two weeks later when you play us you will resume sucking, thus is life in Hog land).

What I don't get is the whole hand-wringing of having to play an unworthy opponent. Two schools who have to whore to out weeknight games to ESPN to get on a major channel are playing.

Two schools that get a shut up and like it bribe from the CFP are meeting on national TV and if the past holds true, more than a million people will be tuned in.

Some of our fans have to work with OSU or UM slappies and think if we play a BCS team that those idiots will actually respect Toledo. Eventually they'll figure out that even if Toledo beat OSU ten times in a row those co-workers would still look down on UT. I don't think they mean to disrespect your team, although I see how it can be read that way. We haven't been playing our best football this season so it would be a mistake to think the Rockets are so much better.

(12-08-2014 01:10 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  I totally get that 920 miles is a harder trip than 450 miles.

Fully understand it sucks missing work (especially at the start of the week (Monday is harder to take off than Friday) and the kids are back in school because we lose people for the same reason.

I get it that people in Ohio are about as familiar with Arkansas State as people in Arkansas are about Toledo (be forewarned, if you do something dumb like listen to an Arkansas sports radio show, you suck and you will suck until the week you play Arkansas then you will be a tough team that doesn't get enough respect but then two weeks later when you play us you will resume sucking, thus is life in Hog land).

What I don't get is the whole hand-wringing of having to play an unworthy opponent. Two schools who have to whore to out weeknight games to ESPN to get on a major channel are playing.

Two schools that get a shut up and like it bribe from the CFP are meeting on national TV and if the past holds true, more than a million people will be tuned in.

a very reasonable post

i think it is a pretty good bowl game for a team that has done pretty well in spite of some tough luck. the rockets lost their starting qb in the opener. played the whole year without their starting corners. were down to our 4th strong qb in the biggest game of the yr on the road (lost by 3 to NIU). we got outmatched by missouri and blew a potentially epic comeback at cincy on a dropped td pass on an otherwise perfect trick play. still we managed to ride a good line and rbs to 8 wins.

mobile is known for putting together a good bowl. mac fans who follow their team there each yr always say it has good bowl game and city atmosphere. weather is a toss up. the date is a little silly (Jan 4th) but because of the holiday falling on Thursday, folks who can take a couple days off have a lot of flexibility on making the trip.

Arkansas State is not as much of a nobody as they used to be. They've been going to bowls in recent years and are known as a top sun belt team. it's not a great league, and most casual fans don't know most of the teams, but football fans have seen some good G5 teams come out of Arkansas and Louisiana the past few years.

I think the MAC handled the bowls pretty well. They got NIU matched up with Marshall in a smaller stadium in Florida. They should fill the place and put on a good show. Fans get the ideal bowl season weather. The winner should get ranked 24 or 25.

Western has some momentum as a program and a star player at rb. They get a name opponent at a well run bowl in Boise. Cold weather but Air Force should turn out some fans and Western gets another challenge early in the bowl season.

Central gets to make the Bahama trip. If Rawls hadn't gotten himself suspended they probably have 2 P5 wins (Purdue W, Kansas-should have been W but Rawls was out). They beat NIU and are kinda peaking. Who knows how the Bahama thing will work out. Not a cheap trip, but fun for those who can afford it.

BG got an early bowl down South where they recruit hard against a lighter opponent which is good, as they aren't playing too well.

The bowls are now all conference affiliated with few P5 teams wanting to play G5. MAC teams won't get exciting bowl games too often, but occasionally catch a break some years when G5 conferences are low on qualifiers. NIU was within a hair of the Fiesta Bowl. Their record and schedule matches up pretty well with Boise. If they hadn't totally wet the bed at Arkansas they might be in a big game on New Years. The only difference in the resumes is Boise played Mississippi half decent and Ark rolled NIU. If Toledo beats Cincy and NIU they might have been there. I'm pretty satisfied that this sorta flawed season could end with 9 wins and decent bowl victory.

(12-08-2014 04:20 AM)pono Wrote:  

(12-08-2014 01:10 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  I totally get that 920 miles is a harder trip than 450 miles.

Fully understand it sucks missing work (especially at the start of the week (Monday is harder to take off than Friday) and the kids are back in school because we lose people for the same reason.

I get it that people in Ohio are about as familiar with Arkansas State as people in Arkansas are about Toledo (be forewarned, if you do something dumb like listen to an Arkansas sports radio show, you suck and you will suck until the week you play Arkansas then you will be a tough team that doesn't get enough respect but then two weeks later when you play us you will resume sucking, thus is life in Hog land).

What I don't get is the whole hand-wringing of having to play an unworthy opponent. Two schools who have to whore to out weeknight games to ESPN to get on a major channel are playing.

Two schools that get a shut up and like it bribe from the CFP are meeting on national TV and if the past holds true, more than a million people will be tuned in.

a very reasonable post

i think it is a pretty good bowl game for a team that has done pretty well in spite of some tough luck. the rockets lost their starting qb in the opener. played the whole year without their starting corners. were down to our 4th strong qb in the biggest game of the yr on the road (lost by 3 to NIU). we got outmatched by missouri and blew a potentially epic comeback at cincy on a dropped td pass on an otherwise perfect trick play. still we managed to ride a good line and rbs to 8 wins.

mobile is known for putting together a good bowl. mac fans who follow their team there each yr always say it has good bowl game and city atmosphere. weather is a toss up. the date is a little silly (Jan 4th) but because of the holiday falling on Thursday, folks who can take a couple days off have a lot of flexibility on making the trip.

Arkansas State is not as much of a nobody as they used to be. They've been going to bowls in recent years and are known as a top sun belt team. it's not a great league, and most casual fans don't know most of the teams, but football fans have seen some good G5 teams come out of Arkansas and Louisiana the past few years.

I think the MAC handled the bowls pretty well. They got NIU matched up with Marshall in a smaller stadium in Florida. They should fill the place and put on a good show. Fans get the ideal bowl season weather. The winner should get ranked 24 or 25.

Western has some momentum as a program and a star player at rb. They get a name opponent at a well run bowl in Boise. Cold weather but Air Force should turn out some fans and Western gets another challenge early in the bowl season.

Central gets to make the Bahama trip. If Rawls hadn't gotten himself suspended they probably have 2 P5 wins (Purdue W, Kansas-should have been W but Rawls was out). They beat NIU and are kinda peaking. Who knows how the Bahama thing will work out. Not a cheap trip, but fun for those who can afford it.

BG got an early bowl down South where they recruit hard against a lighter opponent which is good, as they aren't playing too well.

The bowls are now all conference affiliated with few P5 teams wanting to play G5. MAC teams won't get exciting bowl games too often, but occasionally catch a break some years when G5 conferences are low on qualifiers. NIU was within a hair of the Fiesta Bowl. Their record and schedule matches up pretty well with Boise. If they hadn't totally wet the bed at Arkansas they might be in a big game on New Years. The only difference in the resumes is Boise played Mississippi half decent and Ark rolled NIU. If Toledo beats Cincy and NIU they might have been there. I'm pretty satisfied that this sorta flawed season could end with 9 wins and decent bowl victory.

One thing about AState. We aren't one of the schools going ape feces over CUSA having an opening. We believe that the way we schedule (which looks very much like Toledo) that we take care of business on the field, that we can be in the access bowl.

Unlike past Sun Belt champs (North Texas and Troy) who won the league and thought they were doing all it takes, AState used the fan excitement to raise money and build facilities and upgrade facilities (something Toledo seems to be doing as well).

Last year with Harsin at the helm we were down 4 at the end of the third at Mizzou and they exploded on us in the fourth, so we are chomping to get them into Centennial Bank Stadium next season.

We have been inordinately healthy the past few seasons, this year we had a regression to the mean losing so many starters (at one point two of three down linemen on defense were freshmen until one got hurt and we moved a TE to DE for the last game).

Mobile treats the players like they are big time winners, which is how they should be treated.

Went to Mobile in 2005 against UTEP. Great town. Fun parade. Festivities all week (banquets day and night). Great FOOD. City supports the game.

Rocket Fans: GO IF YOU CAN!!!!! It will make the Detroit bowl games feel like a disappointment.......

Other bowl opponent was Florida Int'l in Detroit.

An ESPN.com writer makes his predictions for all the bowl games. Sees the Rockets winning a high-scoring game.

Here's a link to all the predictions.

https://espn.go.com/college-football/bow...ames#dec27