(12-04-2017 10:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  So I spoke to my (limited) contacts at FAU and asked why FAU is in this game.
CUSA now considers the Boca Raton Bowl as the PREMIER bowl in its lineup. This is from a location/destination standpoint as well as infrastructure to host teams. Anytime CUSA is slated to be in the line up CUSA wants its conference champion in this game. Hence why FAU is there. FAU administration isn't thrilled with it but their hands were tied. The conference pretty much said, "You're the champs, you're in Boca Bowl". The last minute shuffle to get Akron over Temple was in trying to get the best possible opponent against the CUSA champion. Akron as the MAC runner-up was deemed better then a 6-6 AAC Temple.
So know we know.

If this is truly the case, then why is not C-USA trumpeting this bowl as where our Champion plays. As the history of the Bowl shows, in three of the last four years, it has turned out to be the case:

2014: Marshall (C-USA Champ) Win over N. Ill. in Boca [Inaugural Game]
2015: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over USF in Miami Beach (Boca game featured Toledo v. Temple)
2016: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over Memphis in Boca
2017: FAU (C-USA Champ) tbd vs. Akron in Boca

Sooner or later we got to embrace our reality.

(12-04-2017 10:48 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 10:38 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  This should be corrected to state "anytime CUSA is slated to be in the line up CUSA wants its Conference Champ if from the EAST in this game. I guarantee you if and when the Champ comes out of the West they will be in the HOD or Armed Forces Bowls

Quite possibly right and would make sense, but the person didn't say that to me. So I guess that everytime we've had the bowl the champ as come from the East division? Would be interesting to see what happens when a west team wins it.

Date Winning Team Losing Team Attendance
December 23, 2014 Marshall 52 Northern Illinois 23 29,419
December 22, 2015 Toledo 32 Temple 17 25,908
December 20, 2016 WKU 51 Memphis 31 24,726

They didn't say that to you because it wasn't applicable and to be fair the East has dominated the Title game the last 4 years. There was talk a few years back about developing two marquee bowls, One for each division, but CUSA has a problem with completing things. Examples include Heart of Dallas Bowl and CUSATV or any tv contract negotiation.

(12-04-2017 10:51 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  If this is truly the case, then why is not C-USA trumpeting this bowl as where our Champion plays. As the history of the Bowl shows, in three of the last four years, it has turned out to be the case:

2014: Marshall (C-USA Champ) Win over N. Ill. in Boca [Inaugural Game]
2015: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over USF in Miami Beach (Boca game featured Toledo v. Temple)
2016: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over Memphis in Boca
2017: FAU (C-USA Champ) tbd vs. Akron in Boca

Sooner or later we got to embrace our reality.

I don't know, perhaps because CUSA isnt in it every year? I would like CUSA to then try to make itself the permanent member of this bowl if thats the case.

It's entirely possible he was trying to placate me by saying this is the "premier" bowl to make me feel better about ti. But I've known them for a few years and hes been right up front with me.

(12-04-2017 10:58 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 10:51 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  If this is truly the case, then why is not C-USA trumpeting this bowl as where our Champion plays. As the history of the Bowl shows, in three of the last four years, it has turned out to be the case:
2014: Marshall (C-USA Champ) Win over N. Ill. in Boca [Inaugural Game]
2015: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over USF in Miami Beach (Boca game featured Toledo v. Temple)
2016: WKU (C-USA Champ) Win over Memphis in Boca
2017: FAU (C-USA Champ) tbd vs. Akron in Boca
Sooner or later we got to embrace our reality.

I don't know, perhaps because CUSA isnt in it every year? I would like CUSA to then try to make itself the permanent member of this bowl if thats the case.
It's entirely possible he was trying to placate me by saying this is the "premier" bowl to make me feel better about ti. But I've known them for a few years and hes been right up front with me.

Perhaps, when the initial (5) year contract (or whatever it happens to be) expires, what you say can be accomplished.

It can be a good bowl game for a non fau team if cusa can get a better opponent.

But Florida Atlantic should not play in their home stadium for a bowl game. Crap opponent on top of that and it's a complete slap in the face after a dominant year in conference

(12-03-2017 10:00 PM)CurveItAround Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:40 PM)MTowho Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:19 PM)TTT Wrote:  I thought the Boca bowl had a tie-in w/ the AAC???

Memphis taking the Liberty Bowl slot meant that the AAC wouldn't fill Boca (could just as easily have been Gasparilla, but sounds like Temple wanted Gasparilla over Boca). No idea how the AAC is able to get out of their primary agreements to send a team to a non-contracted bowl game.

So Temple ducked FAU? Sounds about right.

We played Notre Dame this year and have programs like Oklahoma, Miami and Georgia Tech on the schedule in the future, but we're scared of FAU.

(12-04-2017 11:38 AM)JHG722 Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 10:00 PM)CurveItAround Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:40 PM)MTowho Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:19 PM)TTT Wrote:  I thought the Boca bowl had a tie-in w/ the AAC???

Memphis taking the Liberty Bowl slot meant that the AAC wouldn't fill Boca (could just as easily have been Gasparilla, but sounds like Temple wanted Gasparilla over Boca). No idea how the AAC is able to get out of their primary agreements to send a team to a non-contracted bowl game.

So Temple ducked FAU? Sounds about right.

We played Notre Dame this year and have programs like Oklahoma, Miami and Georgia Tech on the schedule in the future, but we're scared of FAU.

I know, right? That's what makes it so odd.

(12-04-2017 11:32 AM)Ragu Wrote:  It can be a good bowl game for a non fau team if cusa can get a better opponent.
But Florida Atlantic should not play in their home stadium for a bowl game. Crap opponent on top of that and it's a complete slap in the face after a dominant year in conference

That's a dumb statement. The ACC Champion plays the Orange Bowl in UM's home stadium. There's your model right there.

(12-04-2017 11:53 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 11:32 AM)Ragu Wrote:  It can be a good bowl game for a non fau team if cusa can get a better opponent.
But Florida Atlantic should not play in their home stadium for a bowl game. Crap opponent on top of that and it's a complete slap in the face after a dominant year in conference

That's a dumb statement. The ACC Champion plays the Orange Bowl in UM's home stadium. There's your model right there.

I think FAU fans are way more mad about the opponent.

If we were playing USF like some projections people wouldnt be upset.

(12-04-2017 11:42 AM)CurveItAround Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 11:38 AM)JHG722 Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 10:00 PM)CurveItAround Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:40 PM)MTowho Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:19 PM)TTT Wrote:  I thought the Boca bowl had a tie-in w/ the AAC???

Memphis taking the Liberty Bowl slot meant that the AAC wouldn't fill Boca (could just as easily have been Gasparilla, but sounds like Temple wanted Gasparilla over Boca). No idea how the AAC is able to get out of their primary agreements to send a team to a non-contracted bowl game.

So Temple ducked FAU? Sounds about right.

We played Notre Dame this year and have programs like Oklahoma, Miami and Georgia Tech on the schedule in the future, but we're scared of FAU.

I know, right? That's what makes it so odd.

lol

(12-04-2017 11:59 AM)owlcountry40 Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 11:53 AM)FIUFan Wrote:  

(12-04-2017 11:32 AM)Ragu Wrote:  It can be a good bowl game for a non fau team if cusa can get a better opponent.
But Florida Atlantic should not play in their home stadium for a bowl game. Crap opponent on top of that and it's a complete slap in the face after a dominant year in conference

That's a dumb statement. The ACC Champion plays the Orange Bowl in UM's home stadium. There's your model right there.

I think FAU fans are way more mad about the opponent.
If we were playing USF like some projections people wouldnt be upset.

Now that makes more sense.

(12-04-2017 02:08 AM)Dawgxas Wrote:  The "glory days" with no BCS bowls lol

Well, #5 Houston was gonna go to a BCS bowl in '11 but we beat that @$$ 49-28 in the CUSACG.

As far as our bowl games go, this is something else on the long list of things CUSA needs to shore up. Hot wheels man-woman Judy needs to go. Terrible tv deal, terrible bowl lineup, terrible basketball tourney decisions, the list goes on. Fire Judy.

(12-04-2017 10:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  So I spoke to my (limited) contacts at FAU and asked why FAU is in this game.

CUSA now considers the Boca Raton Bowl as the PREMIER bowl in its lineup. This is from a location/destination standpoint as well as infrastructure to host teams. Anytime CUSA is slated to be in the line up CUSA wants its conference champion in this game. Hence why FAU is there. FAU administration isn't thrilled with it but their hands were tied. The conference pretty much said, "You're the champs, you're in Boca Bowl". The last minute shuffle to get Akron over Temple was in trying to get the best possible opponent against the CUSA champion. Akron as the MAC runner-up was deemed better then a 6-6 AAC Temple.

So know we know.

Should have switched Toledo for Akron. A Toledo 11-2 vs FAU 10-3, two explosive Offenses, would be a better match up. And Akron with a former Auburn HC would be a better draw in Mobile.

(12-04-2017 10:32 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  So I spoke to my (limited) contacts at FAU and asked why FAU is in this game.

CUSA now considers the Boca Raton Bowl as the PREMIER bowl in its lineup. This is from a location/destination standpoint as well as infrastructure to host teams. Anytime CUSA is slated to be in the line up CUSA wants its conference champion in this game. Hence why FAU is there. FAU administration isn't thrilled with it but their hands were tied. The conference pretty much said, "You're the champs, you're in Boca Bowl". The last minute shuffle to get Akron over Temple was in trying to get the best possible opponent against the CUSA champion. Akron as the MAC runner-up was deemed better then a 6-6 AAC Temple.

So know we know.

I'm kind of agreement with you Owl... I think CUSA considered the Boca bowl one of it's top two bowls (HOD and Boca) {though I'm not sure it falls in that scale on the payouts?)

Yes, would you rather be going up against a cartel team? Sure...

But so would every other non-cartel team's fans that're out there. I'd be honest, I'd probably rather have seen FAU vs. Temple, in terms of named teams.

But then I'd be saying... FAU (champ) vs. Team (#6 I think) in the AAC? Looking at that way is not as enticing as saying FAU vs. MAC's #2 team. As said, if I could have gotten Toledo to the Boca bowl, I think that'd have been a better choice. but sometimes, it just doesn't work that way.

Quote:I do feel badly for the players. They deserved a trip someplace.

Ehh... Ask USM about the Hawaii bowl.. from what I remember, the players got to enjoy the trip, but some said weren't too thrilled that they couldn't go with their family members like they could have to the HOD game that year.

Better than Louisiana Tech deciding to skip bowl season even though they won enough games to get in one.

That was the equivalent of the Vikings missing their 1st round draft pick that one year.

(12-03-2017 11:44 PM)deb025 Wrote:  Man it must really suck being in CUSA for you then. I bet it eats you up. You cry yourself to sleep at night? Especially when WKU and Tech are the flagship schools of the conference.

(12-04-2017 12:10 PM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  Better than Louisiana Tech deciding to skip bowl season even though they won enough games to get in one.

That was the equivalent of the Vikings missing their 1st round draft pick that one year.

That was a Grade A cluster **** and set our program back years. We got greedy then got lied to. Plus the Indy Bowl stuck it to us. We didn't decide to skip we over played our hand and got left at the alter.

I'll say this ... FAU, you guys need to think about it this way. Remember Boise State?

They had to play their first three bowls at home in Idaho, because no other bowls wanted this little school that couldn't travel.

First year, they got to play a 7-5 CUSA Louisville team (ended up 3rd in CUSA)
The next year, they got to play 8-4 WAC's UTEP.. (#2 in WAC -and we know what happened to that conference)
Third year they finally got a cartel type team .. 7-7 Iowa State (#7 in the big12)

You know what they did? they sucked it up... and they kicked ass in all three games. Then the Fort Worth Bowl came calling the next year for a better payout.

Use it as further proof that those 3-9 records are in the past... So basically, this is your chance to continue writing a Boise State (Cinderella) type story. Clobber the MACnation and then good things will continue to come if you can keep it going.

(12-03-2017 11:58 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 11:38 PM)Reggie Favre Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 11:00 PM)EagNBran Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 10:18 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(12-03-2017 09:45 PM)TTT Wrote:  People wonder why USM fans are so disgruntled about the state of CUSA, this is one of the many reasons why. We're used to CUSA's champ going to the Liberty Bowl and playing a decent SEC team.

Here's what's really crazy...had USM went 10-3, 11-2, or 12-1...and won CUSA, we'd STILL be playing Florida State in the Independence Bowl. Think about that....haha.

Lets not go acting like any new member in CUSA played a role in CUSA losing that bowl....

The way I see it the Liberty Bowl was lost because the schools in CUSA at that time were looked down on. Not one of the schools added after 2011 played a role in that.

Maybe that should tell you you S. Miss and those left in CUSA in 2010 were not respected? If that wasn't the case then you explain it.

Yes the Liberty bowl after 2005 played a SEC team in that bowl. But don't go acting like it was a top SEC or even a middle of the pack SEC team. Another way to look at it...

Those teams that left S. Miss and the other behind starting in 2006 were the reason CUSA received a the SEC opponent and once Louisville, Cincy and TCU left. The SEC did not see any value in sending their 7th to 10th place team vs CUSA. I believe it followed those schools to the BigEast.

Liberty Bowl followed Memphis. It's that simple.

WKUYG is mostly right. The Liberty ditched CUSA bc they didn't think CUSA was good enough for them anymore. CUSA hasn't been tied to the Liberty for years now. The Liberty recognized how terrible this conference was becoming and got away from it.

Also, it had noting to do with Memphis. This is the first year in Liberty Bowl history that Memphis has ever played in the Liberty.

In short, the Liberty thinks CUSA sux. In that regards, so does Florida State and everyone else in the country, except some people on this message board. But at least Florida State (and the Independence Bowl) knows that USM is the biggest name / brand in CUSA and that's why USM made the Indy this year.

Correct. Without going back to review the facts I believe CUSA had a ranked team for 4 or 5 years with Louisville & TCU starting to move away from the rest of CUSA when it came to the polls. Then Liberty Bowl was added but Louisville, Cincy, TCU jumped ship and CUSA went 5 years without having a team ranked at the end of the season. That's when the Liberty Bowl went to the BigEast. Then CUSA had 2 of the best seasons since Louisville left. But the Liberty Bowl had already signed with the Big East. Which was a BCS conference at that time.

FSU went to the best bowl left they could get and it had nothing to do with S. Miss. If the Indy bowl was on the east coast another CUSA would be playing FSU. If Tech was sitting at 8-4 they would be playing in this game....unless turning the Indy down in 2012 hurts them in getting the bowl.

But I would say a short 5.5 hour drive and being 8-4 is what got S. Miss this game. If this bowl could have been filled by a 5-7 P5 school vs FSU..it would have

If Marshall had not screwed up the extra point against So. Miss we might be heading to the Independence Bowl, of course had we not collapsed down the stretch we might be in Boca playing Akron... We'll probably never know the backroom poker that was played, because we've come to expect that our conference administration is asleep at the wheel when it comes the doing anything productive in putting our teams best interests first. Hell just look at our patch work media package. You do realize that there are states that have better High School Football TV packages then our conference does. The main point is, it sure would be nice to have a "Prize Bowl" destination so to speak, to play for. Before the CFP if you won the SEC you went to the Sugar if you won the ACC you went to the Orange, etc. Assuming none of our teams will EVER play in the CFP, (not until they extend the field to say 32) Why can't we make the bowl in Boca or St. Pete or Dallas our Champions destination and leave the opponent an "at large" selection? If the best available team that year is FSU you grab them if it's Memphis you grab them. You make the payout more lucrative then on par bowls and this should help get a better name opponent. The Chick Fill-A Peach bowl here in Atlanta did this for years well before it was ever one of the big 6 bowls.

I just have to laugh at this "conspiracy theory" that the world is out to get FAU.