After this weekend's games, here's a list of bowl eligible teams, with the number of "automatic" bids.

ACC: 6
Florida St, NC St, Maryland, Ga Tech, Virginia, Clemson, Wake Forest

BIG EAST: 5
Miami, Pitt, West Virginia, Va Tech, Boston College

BIG TEN: 7
Ohio St, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Penn St, Purdue

BIG XII: 8
Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa St, Kansas St, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma St

CUSA: 5
TCU, Tulane
still not settled: USM (6-5), Louisville (6-5), UAB (5-6), Cinci (5-6), East Carolina (4-6); ECU & Cinci have two regular season games left; the others one.

MAC: 2
Marshall
still not settled: Toledo (8-3), NIU (8-4), BGSU (9-2)

MTN WEST: 4
Colorado St, Air Force
still not settled: New Mexico (6-6), with one game left

PAC 10: 6
USC, Wash St, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, Oregon St, Oregon

SEC: 7
Georgia, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Arkansas, Tennessee
still not settled: Ole Miss (5-5), with one game left

SUN BELT: 1
North Texas
still not settled: New Mexico St (7-5)

WAC: 3
Boise St, Hawaii, Fresno St

Independents
Notre Dame
still not settled: South Florida (9-2)

Here are the definitely open slots and who could fill them:
BCS At-Large: Notre Dame and Iowa
Motor City: Oklahoma St, South Florida, or Wake Forest
Seattle: Oregon

Here are the possible open slots and who could fill them:
Hawaii: if this bowl's only choice is Cinci, who Hawaii just beat, or a 6-6 CUSA team, look for the bowl reps to twist CUSA's arm for South Florida
Music City: if Ole Miss loses to Miss St, a MAC team could get in.
San Francisco: if New Mexico loses to Wyoming, a MAC team could get in.
Tangerine: if Nebraska loses to Colorado and decides to stay home at 7-6, a MAC team could get in.
Humanitarian: if Texas A&M loses to Texas and decides to stay home at 6-6, a MAC team could get in.

Lastly, here is the "pecking order" of teams who in my opinion still need a slot to open up in some way to get a bowl bid
1) South Florida
2) Wake Forest
3) Bowling Green
4) Northern Illinois or Toledo
5) New Mexico St

Good analysis, Okie........although my "enthusiasm" for such scenarios has dropped considerably with my team (MUr) outta it, and BG's recent loss to USF which hurt them badly.

The year (98) that UNC got the Vegas Bowl bid ahead of a 10-1 MUr team they (UNC) had to beat NC State in the last game to go 6-5, which they did in an close upset. I remember watching that game thinking that it was over for our bowl hopes. I felt sort of the same watching Wisconsin pull ahead and then beat Minnesota........my honest thoughts were that if the B10 didn't fill that bowl then a MAC team would have a pretty decent shot a filling that slot. Now, after seeing how things are turning out (Miami not unexpectedly losing big to UCF with BG winning with a very low attendance) I have to think that it'll take a miracle to squeeze a 3rd MAC team into a bowl, and probably not worth speculating about.

The more relevant question is probably the following:

* Who will the MCB get for the MAC opponent?
* Which MAC team will the MCB take if Marshall (already GMAC bound) wins the MACC game?

Okie Chippewa Wrote:CUSA: 5
TCU, Tulane
still not settled: USM (6-5), Louisville (6-5), UAB (5-6), Cinci (5-6), East Carolina (4-6); ECU & Cinci have two regular season games left; the others one.


Lastly, here is the "pecking order" of teams who in my opinion still need a slot to open up in some way to get a bowl bid
1) South Florida
2) Wake Forest
3) Bowling Green
4) Northern Illinois or Toledo
5) New Mexico St

Wow, could CUSA get more complicated? since Cincy, UAB and ECU all play each other.

Ok, so it has to go w/ ECU losing to S. Miss and beating Cincy. Cincy has to beat UAB.

Clemson over S. Carolina was a gift.

So Wake Forest is a better selection than BG? You're probably right, but what a bunch of ****. WF has the 2nd smallest enrollment in Div IA, about 2500. They don't travel well either. Hey, I like Grobe, but choosing WF would be more _proof_ that this isn't about teams' records, talent or fans. It's about driving out the "mid-majors" so the power conferences can have the whole pie.

I, for one, want to see the Cincy-Hawaii rematch in a bowl. :D
Now that was Div. I football at its finest! I hope you all saw the conclusion of that one--made the MU-MU post game show look like a handshake line.

Jerri Palm has Texas A.M. in the MCB. This prediction must have something to do with the rumors of TAMU turning down the Humanitarian Bowl.

KC

P.S. Looks like the MCB will likely take Oklahoma State then, wouldn't you say? Not a very enticing match-up for MAC fans, but better than USF I guess.

axeme Wrote:I, for one, want to see the Cincy-Hawaii rematch in a bowl. :D
Now that was Div. I football at its finest! I hope you all saw the conclusion of that one--made the MU-MU post game show look like a handshake line.

I want to see a Cincy/Hawaii rematch in a CAGE! :D

HuskieDan Wrote:

axeme Wrote:I, for one, want to see the Cincy-Hawaii rematch in a bowl. :D
Now that was Div. I football at its finest! I hope you all saw the conclusion of that one--made the MU-MU post game show look like a handshake line.

I want to see a Cincy/Hawaii rematch in a CAGE! :D

I agree.........that one got very, very ugly!!!!

Dr. Torch:

Right... The only reason I listed Wake Forest over a MAC team for bowl selection is based on history. Remember 6-5 UNC chosen over 10-1 Miami despite the RedHawks beating the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill? A 10-1 Toledo staying home? Next could be a 6-6 Wake Forest (which barely beat 1-10 Navy at home last Saturday) being selected over 8-4 NIU, who beat the Demon Deacons.

I think the MAC needs a slogan. Here's a couple...

The Rodney Dangerfield League

1.5 million Alumni strong, but 99.9% of them follow the Big 10

Wake hasn't much more of a fan base than any MAC school, but it's in a BCS conference, so they would usually get the nod over a MAC school (for PR reasons that are more perception than reality). Now, all that said if the SEC vacates the Music City Bowl (which I kinda doubt, as doesn't that bowl pick before the Independence Bowl?), I would think that if BG beats UT they might have a shot at it.

It seems to me that BG's losses are the wrong ones for a MAC team. I think NIU or UT gets the 3rd bowl, which doesn't seem likely to happen anyway. ANY conceivable 6-6 BCS team will go before a THIRD MAC team. :(

MCB musings from the Detroit Free Press...

Given the list of teams mentioned as a possible MCB opponent, it becomes clearer that a lot of "trading" might go on behind the scenes. But we'll see. I have no doubt that USF is a very good team, but they'll draw flies in Detroit. And I have no precedence info to back this up... but despite their fan base "hungry" for a bowl, I just don't see mobs of Tampa residents (are they called 'Tampons'?) booking flights to Detroit over Christmas.

<a href='http://www.freep.com/sports/college/mociqb25_20021125.htm' target='_blank'>Motor City, anyone?</a>

I kind of hate to "dump" on USF, because they are similar to MAC programs in that they are more deserving of a bowl than a 6-6 type BCS team. But the problem I see is that they are a Florida school, and our lil' bowl game is in Detroit, MI.....hardly a mecca for a winter destination. The UCF fans may know better (although they are no doubt jealous of USF's good season), but how many USF fans would truly come to Detroit the day after Xmas to see 'em play another MAC team? I'd guess 4K tops.

As for Iowa State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State, even though their fans will mostly "throw up" on the concept of bowling in Detroit, I would guess that these schools would have a "hard core" base of fans that would support 6-8K coming up for the game. I guess it's arguable as to whether or not the casual MAC fans in the Detroit area that support the game would prefer to see a 9-2 type USF or a 6-6 Texas A & M. I guess Iowa State does have that Seneca Wallace, an exciting QB.........off the top of my head I would think that they'd be the best choice, but I look for the H-Bowl to nab them, leaving Oklahoma State for us.

Do the contracts that the SVB and Humanitarian Bowl allow for 6-6 BCS teams over a MAC team with a winning record. I know that the MAC's contract with the WAC gives us one of those bowls in the absence of an eligible BCS team. I know we have the contract with those two bowls for the GMAC's option of taking a WAC team in a trade for one of these bowls.