Jerry Silverstein, GMAC Bowl President, was just on the radio. Here's a synopsis of his interview:

MAC side:
They will wait for the result of the MAC Championship game but GMAC gets first choice this year. The GMAC Bowl has a great history of QB's and they think DL will be a top draft pick and NFL star. If CMU were to lose to Ohio they could still take CMU.

At-large side:

• Notre Dame is still a possibility but it all comes down to their decision. Not often does Mobile get the opportunity to have a shot at Notre Dame
  

• All 7-5 teams must be taken over 6-6 teams. Middle Tennessee is a good possibility
  

• Even though the NCAA and GMAC Bowl highly discourage this, you could see two MAC teams playing each other in Mobile due to 7 wins
  

• If Nebraska beats Texas, Boise State or a WAC team would be invited. But again, it all depends on the team's decision. $$, distance and fan base all come in to play with these decisions
  

Thanks for the info!

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  They will wait for the result of the MAC Championship game but GMAC gets first choice this year. The GMAC Bowl has a great history of QB's and they think DL will be a top draft pick and NFL star. If CMU were to lose to Ohio they could still take CMU.

I think that's a formality. GMAC wants Lefevour and CMU wants to go to Mobile. Perfect match.

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  Notre Dame is still a possibility but it all comes down to their decision. Not often does Mobile get the opportunity to have a shot at Notre Dame

I'm sure they'd like 'em, but I just don't see that happening.

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  All 7-5 teams must be taken over 6-6 teams. Middle Tennessee is a good possibility

The 7-5 issue is what will keep Notre Dame out of Mobile. MTSU may not be a "sexy" matchup for CMU, but would probably create a very entertaining game.

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  Even though the NCAA and GMAC Bowl highly discourage this, you could see two MAC teams playing each other in Mobile due to 7 wins

This would s*ck six ways to Sunday, both for the teams and the bowl. I'd bet a nickel that the MAC and the bowl folks won't let that happen.

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  If Nebraska beats Texas, Boise State or a WAC team would be invited. But again, it all depends on the team's decision. $$, distance and fan base all come in to play with these decisions.

Never a dull moment, eh? Boise State vs. CMU would be a great matchup, though it's obviously unlikely.

Thanks for passing this along. Personally, I think that CMU going to the GMAC and Ohio going to the Pizza Bowl are the best options for both schools. The CMU fans would probably like a postseason trip out of Detroit (and I hear that the GMAC Bowl people put on a great event) and Ohio wouldn't have a horrible drive.

My one bowl surprise (unofficial of course) is that Bowling Green is planning on going to the Humanitarian Bowl. If I were them, I'd want to try to get to the International Bowl just because that's close to home (so it's easy for the fans to attend) and Toronto is a much nicer town that Boise.

Really though, it's just nice to see that five MAC teams should be bowling. None of that 10-2 MAC team can't make a bowl game stuff.

Quote:Really though, it's just nice to see that five MAC teams should be bowling. None of that 10-2 MAC team can't make a bowl game stuff.

Very true. Although we really should start winning a few of these "extra bowls" we're getting. If 5 teams go bowling, we have to go at least 2-3.

Quote:Even though the NCAA and GMAC Bowl highly discourage this, you could see two MAC teams playing each other in Mobile due to 7 wins

Never should two teams from the same conference play each other in a bowl game. ( It would be ) Most of a bowl game's appeal is the different, unusual conference-vs-conference matchups those bring to the table.

If USM ends up in New Orleans, there is a good possibility Middle Tennessee will go to New Orleans and Troy will go to Mobile.

(12-03-2009 09:36 AM)MobileBama Wrote:  Jerry Silverstein, GMAC Bowl President, was just on the radio. Here's a synopsis of his interview:

MAC side:
They will wait for the result of the MAC Championship game but GMAC gets first choice this year. The GMAC Bowl has a great history of QB's and they think DL will be a top draft pick and NFL star. If CMU were to lose to Ohio they could still take CMU.
At-large side:

• Notre Dame is still a possibility but it all comes down to their decision. Not often does Mobile get the opportunity to have a shot at Notre Dame
  

• All 7-5 teams must be taken over 6-6 teams. Middle Tennessee is a good possibility
  

• Even though the NCAA and GMAC Bowl highly discourage this, you could see two MAC teams playing each other in Mobile due to 7 wins
  

• If Nebraska beats Texas, Boise State or a WAC team would be invited. But again, it all depends on the team's decision. $$, distance and fan base all come in to play with these decisions
  

Personally, I like hearing this because i'm pulling for us to go to the Pizza Bowl. it's a bowl a lot of Ohio fans (like me!) could go to and it should be against an opponent we'd have a good chance of beating (perhaps MTSU).