UTSA - If BYU goes to the Independence Bowl, I think UTSA is a lock there
Western - Myrtle Beach
UTEP - New Mexico
FAU - Bahamas
UAB - Frisco (against an AAC School)
Marshall - New Orleans (against a SB School)
ODU - Mobile (against a SB School)

I think ESPN would attempt to orchestrate games against future conference rivals as a storyline.

(11-21-2021 10:41 PM)devyanks90 Wrote:  UTSA - If BYU goes to the Independence Bowl, I think UTSA is a lock there
Western - Myrtle Beach
UTEP - New Mexico
FAU - Bahamas
UAB - Frisco (against an AAC School)
Marshall - New Orleans (against a SB School)
ODU - Mobile (against a SB School)

I think ESPN would attempt to orchestrate games against future conference rivals as a storyline.

No one from the Sun Belt will go to the New Orleans Bowl other than Louisiana-Lafayette. I think you'll see Coastal Carolina in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. If South Alabama somehow beats Coastal Carolina on Saturday, they could land in the Lending Tree Bowl in Mobile or Troy if they beat Georgia State, but Conference USA does not have a direct tie-in to that bowl. The Mobile Lending Tree Bowl pivots the Sun Belt vs the Mid-American Conference, and neither league will be short of teams to fill that bid.

(11-21-2021 10:36 PM)All4One Wrote:  Does Conference USA have a rule like the Pac-12 that forbids any members from accepting a bowl with less than 6 wins?

Some scenarios out there see legitimately as many as six APR qualifying candidates due to the lack of 6-win teams to fill bowl bids. If this happens Middle Tennessee would be the first 5-7 team selected for a bowl due to their program's rank of #18 in the APR--the highest of all potentially 7-loss APR candidates outside of Washington. Washington, who is #1 in the APR, could've been selected with a win this weekend over Washington State to finish 5-7, but the Pac-12 has that league-wide rule.

Going to assume no as UNT(pretty sure it was them) went to to 1 as an APR candidate a couple years ago.

Doesn't matter how bad Western beat FAU last Saturday. If MT squanders scoring opportunities and has a couple of defensive gaffs like we did against ODU; then FAU goes bowling. As always, I'm gonna hope for "Little Middle" to pull one out. But, I'm not optimistic.

To answer the 6-6 question, your bowl eligible, it's just a matter of opportunity if the bowls or ESPN think it works.

Considering CUSA doesn't have many locked in slots, we are really at the mercy of other conferences not filling their requirements.

We could have as many as eight bowl eligible teams, and only six teams having slots.

For example, the AAC might have some open slots.

Cincinnati is a lock for the NY6 slot, and only four other teams are bowl eligible in the AAC.

If SMU and Tulane can take down Tulsa and Memphis, that would only leave four bowl eligible teams for the AAC. That could open up as many as two or three other bowl opportunities for Conference USA teams.

(11-22-2021 09:57 AM)rileylives Wrote:  For example, the AAC might have some open slots.

Cincinnati is a lock for the NY6 slot, and only four other teams are bowl eligible in the AAC.

If SMU and Tulane can take down Tulsa and Memphis, that would only leave four bowl eligible teams for the AAC. That could open up as many as two or three other bowl opportunities for Conference USA teams.

If Cincinnati is beaten by Houston in the AAC Championship game, Houston will go to the NY6 access over Cincy so long as Houston is the highest-ranked Gang of 5 Champion. UTSA could go if they smash North Texas and cruise in the CUSA Championship game, and Houston is unable to overtake them in the rankings.

(11-20-2021 08:46 PM)rileylives Wrote:  UTSA
UTEP
UAB
Marshall
Western
MTSU
ODU

I was REALLY close, in fact I'll give myself the win here. I did pick UNT to win, so technically, I landed all 8....