Krocker Krapp Wrote:What happens then? Does the Hawaii Bowl automatically select 7-4 or 6-5 Louisiana Tech to face an "inferior" 6-5 CUSA opponent? Or is the Hawaii Bowl then able to bypass the WAC deal, due to being "robbed" of Nevada, and select someone like New Mexico or another at-large team?

The best thing for the WAC is Nevada to a mainland bowl and La Tech to Hawaii.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:...is the Hawaii Bowl then able to bypass the WAC deal, due to being "robbed" of Nevada, and select someone like New Mexico or another at-large team?

No.

NO, he needs to sell Nevada so that he can get 4 WAC teams to a bowl. The only way that is going to happen is if Nevada goes to a non-WAC bowl. Hawaii doesn't really lose that much because the number of fans that will travel to Hawaii isn't that much different b/w Nevada and Tech. If you look at attendance and those figures, I think Tech actually has the upper hand. It's about getting more teams to bring in more revenue. That's why he must "sell" nevada to a non-wac bowl.

its basically new mexico, houston, and latech.

the wac is gonna try to sell nevada so tech can go to hawaii.

cusa is gonna try to sell memphis so houston can go to hawaii/fort worth/lafayette.

you would think the mwc would sell one of its better teams so new mexico could get one of their tie ins. but new mexico is a pretty good sell themselves because of their fan base. i think the mwc has already placed their other teams in bowls, so it is too late to try to sell colorado st. or tcu to the motor city bowl.

so who is more appealing to detroit?

6-5 new mexico with 36K attendence.

6-5 memphis with deangelo williams.

8-3 nevada with win over fresno.


we need to root for ucla to beat usc. the both teams get bcs bids and the vegas bowl opens up for nevada. if usc wins, we have to hope oregon gets the last bcs bid over ohio st.

Liberty Bowl could throw us all for a loop and invite Memphis...in that case, the WAC is sittin' pretty in my opinion...Memphis will be a much easier sell than Houston.

gaard Wrote:The best thing for the WAC is Nevada to a mainland bowl and La Tech to Hawaii.

No doubt. That's why Benson is trying to squeeze Nevada into a mainland bowl in the first place. Jay broke it down well.

johnnylightnin Wrote:Hawaii doesn't really lose that much because the number of fans that will travel to Hawaii isn't that much different b/w Nevada and Tech. If you look at attendance and those figures, I think Tech actually has the upper hand.

Hawaii Bowl reps have said they're not concerned with number of fans travelling (well, "not concerned" is probably the wrong way to put it, but they realize that NO team is going to bring very many fans, especially considering the game comes at the only true "busy" time for Hawaii travel). In a radio interview yesterday, Benson said the Hawaii Bowl made it clear that they want Nevada, which is not surprising with Nevada being co-champs and many people curious as to how they got there.

Even though it's irrelevant, I have to disagree that LaTech has any attendance advantage. Nevada has much more respectable attendance than reported numbers suggest. If you saw the Nevada/Fresno game, you should believe that statement...the stadium looked 80%-90% full, yet reported attendance was 55% of capacity. I've seen several crowds on TV this year that were distinctly smaller than the one at the LaTech/Nevada game, but that had higher reported attendance. Some people have claimed their tickets weren't collected...I don't know how much of a problem that is, but I'm confident that Nevada's reported attendance is misleading and not comparable to other numbers. Sorry for going on about this, but it's been a big source of confusion and frustration all year.

Quote:I'm confident that Nevada's reported attendance is misleading and not comparable to other numbers.

Except to those of Utah St. :rolleyes:

You may be right pack...we can both agree that the numbers who will travel to Hawaii are about equal for either school...I know I won't be able to make it.

La Tech could help out their cause a bunch by winning Friday night. A whole bunch.

Quote:Is it possible, if Oregon makes the BCS, that the Las Vegas Bowl could pick New Mexico and then trade with the WAC? This would send New Mexico to Hawaii to face a 6-5 CUSA team while Nevada plays BYU.

The idea was on the table early on because the Hawaii was interested in BYU, but that ended when the Las Vegas Bowl snatched them up.

jay2000 Wrote:its basically new mexico, houston, and latech.

the wac is gonna try to sell nevada so tech can go to hawaii.

cusa is gonna try to sell memphis so houston can go to hawaii/fort worth/lafayette.

you would think the mwc would sell one of its better teams so new mexico could get one of their tie ins. but new mexico is a pretty good sell themselves because of their fan base. i think the mwc has already placed their other teams in bowls, so it is too late to try to sell colorado st. or tcu to the motor city bowl.

so who is more appealing to detroit?

6-5 new mexico with 36K attendence.

6-5 memphis with deangelo williams.

8-3 nevada with win over fresno.


we need to root for ucla to beat usc. the both teams get bcs bids and the vegas bowl opens up for nevada. if usc wins, we have to hope oregon gets the last bcs bid over ohio st.

I actually read today I think in the RGJ or somewhere else that if UCLA beats USC that doesn't give UCLA a spot in the BCS because USC has already won the Pac-10 title because of tiebreakers.

wolf pack 1 Wrote:I actually read today I think in the RGJ or somewhere else that if UCLA beats USC that doesn't give UCLA a spot in the BCS because USC has already won the Pac-10 title because of tiebreakers.

I saw that somewhere else...that USC has the tiebreaker, so they're assured the Pac10's automatic spot even with a loss. However, if UCLA beat USC, the pressure to give the final BCS spot to UCLA would be HUGE (how do you deny a 1-loss team that's knocked off the #1 team?). There's no guarantee, but it is a possibility.

USC still gets the autobid?!?!?!?!?! USC will still be in the Rose Bowl folks. Mark it down. Unless they lose by 30, USC will still play Texas in the NC game even with a loss to UCLA...NO doubt!

Las Vegas Bowl now a possibility for UTEP

Matthew Aguilar
El Paso Times
Thursday, December 1, 2005

The UTEP football team's bowl future was still cloudy Wednesday and likely will not be decided until next week -- after the Conference USA championship game between Central Florida and Tulsa.

The two most serious candidates still are the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Dec. 21, and the Fort Worth Bowl on Dec. 23.

An outside possibility for UTEP (8-3, 5-3 in Conference USA) also could be the Dec. 22 Las Vegas Bowl, but only if Oregon is selected to play in a BCS game and the Pac-10 is unable to fulfill its commitment to that game.

"I'm a huge fan of Mike Price and Bob Stull, though we have not had specific conversations about the possibility of (UTEP) coming to Las Vegas," said Tina Kunzer-Murphy, executive director of the Las Vegas Bowl. "The Hawaii Bowl, the Fort Worth Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl are all operated by ESPN Regional, and they have a relationship with C-USA. It is a natural fit for us to have dialogue with them."

Kunzer-Murphy said the bowl prefers to have a Pac-10 team. California is looking like the most likely selection right now, but she knows things can change.

The GMAC Bowl and Fort Worth Bowl are the top two possibilities for UTEP -- though neither can make their selections until the Auto Zone Liberty Bowl makes its selection.

The Liberty Bowl likely will take the winner of the Central Florida-Tulsa game. The loser probably will go to the GMAC Bowl. That would put UTEP in the Fort Worth Bowl.

"The first thing that has to happen is the Liberty Bowl has to select first," said Jerry Silverstein, president of the GMAC Bowl. "They are going to wait until the championship game is played. Once that is played, they'll be able to determine their selection, and we'll be able to determine ours."

Silverstein said the teams that GMAC was looking at include UTEP, Tulsa, Memphis, Southern Miss and Central Florida.

Tom Starr, executive director of the Fort Worth Bowl, always has been interested in the Miners. Starr is a former executive director of the Sun Bowl.

"Obviously, we are very high on the Miners; we would like to try and put that together," Starr said. "But it is out of our hands a little. We have to wait until the two bowls above us pick."

Matthew Aguilar may be reached at maguilar@elpasotimes.com; 546-6166.


<a href='http://www.elpasotimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/SPORTS03/512010353/1002/SPORTS' target='_blank'>http://www.elpasotimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...353/1002/SPORTS</a>

Well if UCLA is in the top 12 of the BCS then they can have a wildcard spot if they beat USC otherwise they can't. But still I think Oregon should be in the BCS.