(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.