(11-23-2010 09:06 AM)exCincy Kid Wrote:  I'd like to see NIU get a good match-up somewhere as I believe they are the conference's best hope for an impressive bowl win. Toledo in Detroit would obviously make great financial sense as the Rocket fans will fill that stadium nicely, and we won't have a B10 team so the "away" team (Sunbelt) will bring few fans.

Looking more and more like we'll likely have 4 MAC team bowling, so I guess tonight's Miami-Temple game is a playoff of sorts, although I guess Miami could conceivably win and Temple could still get a bowl nod depending on the bowl's location and expectations for TV ratings and fans attending.

If Miami were to lose tonight and if LA-Monroe wins this weekend, I would hope the LCB would take a SunBelt team and work a deal then where Miami could go to the New Olreans Bowl in lieu of a SunBelt team. Otherwise, you'll see a 6-6 LA-Monroe in a bowl instead of a 7-5 Miami-ugh!! The SunBelt has only two bowl contracts {New Orleans and GoDaddy}. If a 6-6 LA-Monroe (assuming a 7-5 Troy and 7-5 FIU get picked first) takes an "at-large" over Miami, I'll be pissed.

FIU to LCB and Troy in the GoDaddy.com bowl. A 7-5 Miami to the New Orleans bowl???

(11-23-2010 09:10 AM)CMUprof Wrote:  

(11-23-2010 07:48 AM)BeatNavy Wrote:  We do have a conditional tie-in for 2010. We'll be invited to the Armed Forces Bowl if either C-USA or MWC not being able to fill their commitment. Unless TCU suffers a meltdown of truly epic proportion against New Mexico, the Horned Frogs will go to a BCS bowl and the MWC will therefore not have enough teams to fill their bowl commitments, and we'll be in the Armed Forces Bowl.

We also have a commitment as a backup in the Military Bowl, but the ACC and C-USA have enough teams for their bowl slots (unless somebody messes with the computers and the ACC gets two BCS bowl bids).

This will indeed be the first time that Army, Navy, and Air Force go to bowls in the same season, but it is not the first time that all are eligible. In 1996, Army and Navy went to bowl games, but bowl-eligible Air Force stayed home with a 6-5 record (all of their wins were over I-A teams).

There is no assurance that TCU goes to a BCS bowl. Only the top non-AQ team is guaranteed a spot. Should they go? Of course. Will they? Not so sure though I would hope so. Some people on the Big East boards were talking about the attendance issues that TCU has. I am not sure they have that big of a fan base and that is something that bowl committees will look at.

I'm fully aware that there is no assurance. I'd put the probability well above 99.99%.

And the probability that Army goes to the LCB at well below 0.00001%.

(11-23-2010 10:11 AM)mpurdy22 Wrote:  

(11-23-2010 09:06 AM)exCincy Kid Wrote:  I'd like to see NIU get a good match-up somewhere as I believe they are the conference's best hope for an impressive bowl win. Toledo in Detroit would obviously make great financial sense as the Rocket fans will fill that stadium nicely, and we won't have a B10 team so the "away" team (Sunbelt) will bring few fans.

Looking more and more like we'll likely have 4 MAC team bowling, so I guess tonight's Miami-Temple game is a playoff of sorts, although I guess Miami could conceivably win and Temple could still get a bowl nod depending on the bowl's location and expectations for TV ratings and fans attending.

If Miami were to lose tonight and if LA-Monroe wins this weekend, I would hope the LCB would take a SunBelt team and work a deal then where Miami could go to the New Olreans Bowl in lieu of a SunBelt team. Otherwise, you'll see a 6-6 LA-Monroe in a bowl instead of a 7-5 Miami-ugh!! The SunBelt has only two bowl contracts {New Orleans and GoDaddy}. If a 6-6 LA-Monroe (assuming a 7-5 Troy and 7-5 FIU get picked first) takes an "at-large" over Miami, I'll be pissed.

FIU to LCB and Troy in the GoDaddy.com bowl. A 7-5 Miami to the New Orleans bowl???

Sun Belt has a back-up agreement with the LCB and will fill that spot if they have a third bowl eligible team. Also, a flooded New Orleans immediately after Katrina would still be a better bowl destination than Detroit. What conference in its right mind would swap New Orleans for Detroit?

(11-23-2010 07:48 AM)BeatNavy Wrote:  We do have a conditional tie-in for 2010. We'll be invited to the Armed Forces Bowl if either C-USA or MWC not being able to fill their commitment. Unless TCU suffers a meltdown of truly epic proportion against New Mexico, the Horned Frogs will go to a BCS bowl and the MWC will therefore not have enough teams to fill their bowl commitments, and we'll be in the Armed Forces Bowl.

We also have a commitment as a backup in the Military Bowl, but the ACC and C-USA have enough teams for their bowl slots (unless somebody messes with the computers and the ACC gets two BCS bowl bids).

This will indeed be the first time that Army, Navy, and Air Force go to bowls in the same season, but it is not the first time that all are eligible. In 1996, Army and Navy went to bowl games, but bowl-eligible Air Force stayed home with a 6-5 record (all of their wins were over I-A teams).

If the MWC comes up short one bowl eligible team with TCU going to a BCS bowl, would the MWC vacate the Armed Forces Bowl or the New Mexico Bowl? I think I have seen it both ways.

Is there a less desirable bowl than Detroit?

Is there one who pays less or is in a worse location?

What at-large team would pick the LCB over another bowl, except for the financial considerations of the cost of going to Hawaii, for example.

(11-23-2010 11:25 AM)axeme Wrote:  Is there a less desirable bowl than Detroit?

Is there one who pays less or is in a worse location?

What at-large team would pick the LCB over another bowl, except for the financial considerations of the cost of going to Hawaii, for example.

Actually, this could be a nice bowl. The venue is very good, and with close by casinos, there is another reason to go. I can think of several reasons not to go, but they are all outside.

(11-23-2010 11:16 AM)niu79 Wrote:  If the MWC comes up short one bowl eligible team with TCU going to a BCS bowl, would the MWC vacate the Armed Forces Bowl or the New Mexico Bowl? I think I have seen it both ways.

Both Armed Forces and New Mexico Bowl are ESPN-owned, and I don't think their tie-ins to MWC have ever had a number attached to them ("MWC #5" or whatever). Las Vegas Bowl is also ESPN-owned with a MWC tie-in. I think of them as a package deal -- ESPN and the MWC will work together to put the "most favorable" MWC team in them.

Add to that the fact that we have an announced (backup) tie-in with Armed Forces, but no such announcement about either NM or LV...

...and the press release that appeared on goarmysports.com almost immediately after our game against Kent State ended: http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle....M_ID=11100 ....

(11-23-2010 11:33 AM)BeatNavy Wrote:  

(11-23-2010 11:16 AM)niu79 Wrote:  If the MWC comes up short one bowl eligible team with TCU going to a BCS bowl, would the MWC vacate the Armed Forces Bowl or the New Mexico Bowl? I think I have seen it both ways.

Both Armed Forces and New Mexico Bowl are ESPN-owned, and I don't think their tie-ins to MWC have ever had a number attached to them ("MWC #5" or whatever). Las Vegas Bowl is also ESPN-owned with a MWC tie-in. I think of them as a package deal -- ESPN and the MWC will work together to put the "most favorable" MWC team in them.

Add to that the fact that we have an announced (backup) tie-in with Armed Forces, but no such announcement about either NM or LV...

...and the press release that appeared on goarmysports.com almost immediately after our game against Kent State ended: http://www.goarmysports.com/ViewArticle....M_ID=11100 ....

If ESPN is calling the shots, then having Army in the Armed Forces Bowl would be make logical sense. If the decision were left to individual MWC schools, there would be no way that anyone would want to venture to Albuquerque if they could choose Dallas. Either way, Army will be in a bowl game this year and I hope they fare well. Looking forward to the Cadets in Dekalb on Sept.3 next year.

(11-23-2010 11:25 AM)axeme Wrote:  Is there a less desirable bowl than Detroit?

Is there one who pays less or is in a worse location?

What at-large team would pick the LCB over another bowl, except for the financial considerations of the cost of going to Hawaii, for example.

Depends on where you are coming from. Would Toledo draw more fans at the LCB or New Mexico Bowl or Humanitarian Bowl? How about asking the WMU fans that went to the Texas Bowl in 08 (all 32 of them)? Okay that was mean but it was a poorly attended game that all MAC teams would have struggled to send fans to; plus it was televised on the NFL network. So, not only was it far from their fan base but they also received very little exposure since so few could watch it.

I don't think it is the teams that have a say in which bowl they go to. Can they simply decline an invite to go to another bowl? I thought there is a pecking order that had to be followed.

Here are the stats for bowl ratings last year, LCB was right in the middle:

2009-10 Bowl Ratings

2 mac teams could stay home actually if a few name teams pull out 6 wins. i.e. if texas wins at home vs texas a & M, tenn beats kentucky, ucla or oregon st get to 6, etc... new mex would prefer kansas st or tex tech over a mac team. san fran could still end up w a pac 10 team. sec could fill its birmingham bowl slot and maybe have an extra bowl team.

(11-23-2010 12:02 PM)niu79 Wrote:  If the decision were left to individual MWC schools, there would be no way that anyone would want to venture to Albuquerque if they could choose Dallas.

Well, we all know that the decision isn't up to any individual school.

(11-23-2010 02:19 PM)BeatNavy Wrote:  

(11-23-2010 12:02 PM)niu79 Wrote:  If the decision were left to individual MWC schools, there would be no way that anyone would want to venture to Albuquerque if they could choose Dallas.

Well, we all know that the decision isn't up to any individual school.

as a fan i'd rather take a vacation to albaquerque than dallas. been to both and definitely know where i'd prefer to return.

(11-23-2010 09:10 AM)CMUprof Wrote:  There is no assurance that TCU goes to a BCS bowl. Only the top non-AQ team is guaranteed a spot. Should they go? Of course. Will they? Not so sure though I would hope so. Some people on the Big East boards were talking about the attendance issues that TCU has. I am not sure they have that big of a fan base and that is something that bowl committees will look at.

I think attendance is overrated for BCS bowls. Tell me what non-AQ school wouldn't magicly have fans come out the woodwork to see their school play in a BCS game. Plus, they don't need high attendances from the participating schools. There is a wait-list just to get tickets to those BCS games.

(11-23-2010 09:30 AM)msutter Wrote:  The MAC hasn't exactly been world beaters so far against the Sun Belt during Bowl play. A 3-1 advantage after last years double overtime victory is nothing to brag about.

I'd say a .750 winning percentage in the postseason against the SBC speaks for itself.

(11-23-2010 09:30 AM)msutter Wrote:  I wouldn't think beating a Sun Belt team would be a guarantee either. NIU nearly escaped losing to Western Michigan this year.

I'm quite confident WMU would beat every team in this year's SBC. Outside of the WMU game, NIU has beat every other opponents during its current eight-game winning streak by 11+ points.

The top five or six in the MAC would have little trouble beating the top team in the SBC.