Coach Joe just took a hit on ESPN 1000 radio saying that he was carrying on too much about NW getting in a bowl and NIU deserving to and not getting a bid. I did not watch the Blue Gray game.Did he make comments during the game? Should he have backed off? Was he getting on NW too much?
Those guys are almost as bad as Boers. Dan McNeil loves Randy Walker, so he is going to take it to Joe. Sad coming form a Ball State guy, but he does not think the MAC deserves better or more bowl games. Listen to music. You will get less upset.
Andre Ware, doing color at the Blue Gray game, talked about talking with Joe about NIU deserving a bowl bid. NU's the easy whipping boy because they're down the street and they're only in a game because the bowl tie-ins stipulate that conference teams at 6-6 be taken with the tie-in before a non-conference team like a 10-2 NIU. NU only got their bid because OSU was selected as an at-large BCS team, meaning all Big Ten teams moved up a spot and the MCB HAD to take NU at 6-6.
Let's be honest here.....if the bowl system is "supposed" to reward success, how is 6-6 success no matter which conference you play in? I don't see it.
Northwestern didn't deserve a bowl, and not getting blown out by BG doesn't show me any more that NU deserves one. I do find it interesting that NU now believes that simply competing with good MAC teams is their goal.
One of the charactistics I like about coach Joe is that he always tells it like it is. Just because NW is hyper-sensative about their record and don't like what coach Joe says is no reason for coach Joe not to express his honest opinion.
Is the bowl system supposed to reward a good team with an extra game?
Nope, its supposed to make money, times have changed the bowls are about money. They don't really pretend to be about a reward either, they know they are about money.
If it was supposed to be a reward dan I think the NCAA would have a post season.
:mad:
Coach Joe did not berate Northwestern but rather the system that allows a team like Northwestern at 6-6 to go to a bowl. As much as I despise them, NU did nothing wrong (except perhaps saying that they deserved a bowl). They were simply offered a bowl bid and accepted it. Criticizing them makes no sense. Criticizing the system is appropriate, and that's what Joe did. Randy Walker is just an overly self-conscious and sensitive SOB. :cuss:
I'm just annoyed that BG didn't blow the mildcats away like they should have. If anything, Joe's ranting about NU might get us a game with these guys. Nice to know we've got under their skin.
crazywilly Wrote:Is the bowl system supposed to reward a good team with an extra game?
Nope, its supposed to make money, times have changed the bowls are about money. They don't really pretend to be about a reward either, they know they are about money.
If it was supposed to be a reward dan I think the NCAA would have a post season. :mad:
The "postseason" is
supposed to be about rewarding success, in any sport.
I do realize that the current bowl structure takes that theme and morphs it into simply making money for local economies, but it starts with rewarding success, or there wouldn't be rules about having to take teams with winning records (or at least .500).
I understand how the bowls work currently, and I think it stinks, simple as that.
Dog Fan Wrote:Coach Joe did not berate Northwestern but rather the system that allows a team like Northwestern at 6-6 to go to a bowl. As much as I despise them, NU did nothing wrong (except perhaps saying that they deserved a bowl). They were simply offered a bowl bid and accepted it. Criticizing them makes no sense. Criticizing the system is appropriate, and that's what Joe did. Randy Walker is just an overly self-conscious and sensitive SOB. :cuss:
Joe may not have directly criticized NU, but I will. They are now 6-7. Does that
sound like success?
College football, IMO, is the best sport around because currently every game matters. IMO, you can't leave off the fact that NU stunk early in the season when they were playing teams that were worth a damn.
The dilution of the bowls has basically created room for extremely mediocre BCS teams while leaving access for non-BCS teams essentially minimal.
Dan i would agree with you except for the simple fact that this isn't an NCAA post season. So its not supposed to do anything but make money.
Calling bowl games a 'reward' vs. a 'money making venture' is really just a moot point. Why? Because we are on the outside looking in! NIU and/or the MAC aren't being rewarded or making as much money as any other conference.
Hopefully we will have at least one more bowl in Indy next year. If the MCB increases its payout to move up in the Big11 pecking order, do you think the new Indy bowl will take the MCB Big11 spot or try to align with a different conference?
If some other bowls don't shut down next year, making the Indy bowl an 'at-large' bid may work against us.
EoC
If I am not mistaken, I think we do play Northwestern in 2005. That should be a real grudge match. Unfortunately, we'll most likely be breaking in a new QB since it will be an early season game.
Ear of Corn Wrote:Calling bowl games a 'reward' vs. a 'money making venture' is really just a moot point. Why? Because we are on the outside looking in! NIU and/or the MAC aren't being rewarded or making as much money as any other conference.
Hopefully we will have at least one more bowl in Indy next year. If the MCB increases its payout to move up in the Big11 pecking order, do you think the new Indy bowl will take the MCB Big11 spot or try to align with a different conference?
If some other bowls don't shut down next year, making the Indy bowl an 'at-large' bid may work against us.
EoC
Any bowl game in Detroit or Indy needs to include at least one team with geographic ties. A Big Ten and MAC is possible but so is Big Ten and CUSA. With the CUSA defections the MAC has a strong chance of securing one of the bids. (Unless it is already a done deal). You can bet that they would love to have Indiana be one of the teams.
Again, my point is not the way the bowl system actually is. I understand why an individual bowl game exists - it's to promote the locality and pump some cash into a local economy.
But if that's all it was, there wouldn't be an NCAA criteria that a team have a winning record to be in one - otherwise, Notre Dame would always be in a bowl, even when they're 0-12.
The bowl system is Div 1A's version of the postseason, and any sport's postseason is supposed to reward success. In 1A FB, it's some quotient that involves success and supposed interest in your program.
I don't think the BE is too far a stretch to consider a tie-in with. I would rank my choices as such:
1-Big 11
2-BE
3-CUSA
4-at large
With the possiblity of the Liberty bowl rethinking its agreement with MWC, who knows if we can get in there. I wouldn't want the possibility of 3 bowls (GMAC, Indy, Liberty) with CUSA
Lets just secure this third bowl and work from there.
EoC
NIUBro Wrote:Ear of Corn Wrote:Calling bowl games a 'reward' vs. a 'money making venture' is really just a moot point. Why? Because we are on the outside looking in! NIU and/or the MAC aren't being rewarded or making as much money as any other conference.
Hopefully we will have at least one more bowl in Indy next year. If the MCB increases its payout to move up in the Big11 pecking order, do you think the new Indy bowl will take the MCB Big11 spot or try to align with a different conference?
If some other bowls don't shut down next year, making the Indy bowl an 'at-large' bid may work against us.
EoC
Any bowl game in Detroit or Indy needs to include at least one team with geographic ties. A Big Ten and MAC is possible but so is Big Ten and CUSA. With the CUSA defections the MAC has a strong chance of securing one of the bids. (Unless it is already a done deal). You can bet that they would love to have Indiana be one of the teams.
The initial rumor has the MAC against a Big East team - will include Cincy and Louisville in two years.
If the MAC wants more bowl games, it has to cozy up to a new, local bowl, and the Indy Bowl is perfect, much like Detroit. Yes, it stinks to not be in Florida in December, but a bowl game can produce a lot more positive effects than just getting a little sun in December.
Ignore the talking heads of radio. Boers, McNeil, and Whinestein, are going to cow-tow to any major football conference and/or team just so they can get an interview or a weekly spot. I think Whinestein told a NIU once that NW would beat NIU by 30 points......and no I am not kidding. Blame the MAC for us not getting a bowl....they negotiated the bowl deals and the TV deals.
Conference USA went 1-4 in their bowl games. God that makes me sick.
I really would like to see the other bid for the Indy bowl remain at-large.
The tie-ins are the real problem with college bowl system, not the lack of a definitive national champ.... :rolleyes: