1. The Liberty Bowl wants C-USA vs. SEC.
2. It looks like the SEC is refusing to play C-USA because of a few schools (Alabama, Auburn, Miss., Miss. St.) are afraid to get embarrassed by instate rivals. I've heard that Arkansas is against it too.
3. The Liberty Bowl will have to decide if it wants to keep C-USA champ or go with a #5, 6 or 7 SEC team. There are pros and cons with each, but the SEC may very well prevail.
4. If the SEC prevails then the Big East will benefit by the Liberty Bowl spot falling in their lap.

I don't blame the Big East. I don't really blame the SEC either, but I think some of their members are yella. It's not all of the SEC schools, just a few.

Such is life.

It is what it is.

Makes sense to me. Alabama and Auburn seem to go out of their way to avoid UAB. I am sure Tennessee wants no part of Memphis and likewise for UM and MSU avoiding So Miss. It looks like a chicken but as long as they dont have to play what they consider a "lesser" in state school, they can own recruiting in the state. Thats how it was for UL until the governor stepped in and mandated that UK and UL would play each year. Man I wish we had a playoff system.

dbacard Wrote:Makes sense to me.  Alabama and Auburn seem to go out of their way to avoid UAB.  I am sure Tennessee wants no part of Memphis and likewise for UM and MSU avoiding So Miss.  It looks like a chicken but as long as they dont have to play what they consider a "lesser" in state school, they can own recruiting in the state.  Thats how it was for UL until the governor stepped in and mandated that UK and UL would play each year.  Man I wish we had a playoff system.

Tennessee isn't a problem. We (Memphis) play them this year and have an ongoing series through 2015. Tennesee also has UAB, Southern Miss and UCF on future schedules. Bottom line is that Tennessee has a backbone and schools like Mississippi don't.

Mississippi and Miss. State fans like to talk about being better than Southern Miss, but they'd never play Southern Miss because they don't want to be proven wrong like has happened to Kentucky.

Both Mississippi and Miss. State dropped Southern Miss in the early1980's when they started losing more game than they were winning. The problem isn't playing C-USA schools. It's losing to C-USA schools.

Mississippi dominated the Memphis series for years and decided to discontinue it in the mid 1990's after Memphis won two in a row. The series then picked back up in the late '90s, but Memphis has won the last two and will probably be favored this year. There's already been talk about Mississippi dropping us again.

LSU just signed a series with Tulane, but nobody expects Tulane to be very competetive.

And that's the way it is for the underdogs of the world. You just have to be able to seize the moment when it comes. Large urban areas are usually not well liked by the rest of their state. I'm sure it's the same in Birmingham, Memphis, Tulane, etc. The large State Universities don't want to see these urban institutes thrive and people out in the state don't either. But every dog has his day...even underdogs. When that day comes, be ready to make the best of it...they won't be able to deny you forever.