***Official What Bowl Are We Going To Thread***

[83Clone]

I think Boise State needs to be top 16 to be eligible for BCS, but that doesn't give them an automatic bid

[CyFan61]

If KSU and OU win out, no way they take Boise State as an at-large...one would think.

Check out this BCS rule:

3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

• A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,
• B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

Boise State will be ranked higher than the Big East champion and will be a co-champion of the Mountain West (which does not have any tiebreakers to determine a single champion).

So, if they are ranked in the Top 16, they will automatically make a BCS bowl and basically steal a spot from either Oklahoma or Clemson. Even after losing to a mediocre Michigan State team and San Diego State.

[cyman05]

If KSU and OU win out, no way they take Boise State as an at-large...one would think.

There is a VERY, VERY real chance that Boise or a 12-1 MAC champion sneak into the top 16 of the BCS standings and grab an at-large bid. As long as they're rated higher than a AQ conf. champion (see someone like Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Rutgers/Louisville), and they're in the top 16 or whatever, they get the automatic bid.

[Wesley]

Shreveport oir Nashville or Memphis or DC for us. Hope the later three.

About OU, if they play next week like the last two, @TCU can beat them.

We have clinched the ninth best record in our league. Guess the analysts were right. We needed to beat WVU to make a statement.

[CyForPresident]

Independence vs Louisana-Monroe would be a nightmare.

Let's go to Nashville.

[FDWxMan]

Kent State OR Boise State (but not both) are automatic if they finish 16th or better since they will be ahead of Big East.

It's a rule. Someone will be forced to take them.

[cyman05]

If the Big 12 only ends up with 1 BCS team (K-State loss to Texas), then here are the possible bowls looking to fill spots

-Beef O Brady’s (Big East spot).....St Petersburg, FL..Dec 21 vs. C-USA
-Pizza Bowl (Big 10 spot).............Detroit.................Dec 26 vs. MAC
-Military (Army)..........................DC......................Dec 27 vs. MAC
-Belk (ACC spot).........................Charlotte.............Dec 27 vs. Big East
-Independence (ACC, SEC spot)....Shreveport..........Dec 28 vs. MAC/Sun Belt/WAC
-Music City (ACC spot).................Nashville.............Dec 31 vs. SEC
-Liberty (SEC/Big East spot).........Memphis..............Dec 31 vs. C-USA
-Compass (SEC spot)..................Birmingham..........Jan 5 vs. MAC/Sun Belt/WAC

Some of these are still dependent on games next weekend...for example, if Georgia Tech beats FSU, Georgia Tech becomes bowl eligible (and in fact will be in the Orange Bowl). This is new rule for this year that 6-7 teams who lose in the Conf Championship game must only be selected after all 6-6 teams taken. Also, it's possible that the Liberty and Beef O Brady's come off this list with wins by Pitt and/or UConn next week.

If ISU isn't chosen in on the B12 bowls, the good news is that it will have 1st pick of all the above bowls if they are all still looking for teams. The only teams bowls will have to pick from are 3 MAC teams, 3 Sun Belt teams, and 1 WAC team. ISU will be by far the biggest draw of any of those, so ISU gets 1st pick if they fall to an at-large team.

Shreveport oir Nashville or Memphis or DC for us. Hope the later three.

I really don't want to see Shreveport. Nashville, Memphis, DC, or Charlotte would be good locations if Dallas doesn't work out.

[nj829]

If Baylor has a choice of basically staying home in a Dallas bowl or taking an at-large bid, which do you think they take? Plus, they just played in Dallas today and didn't bring a huge amount of fans, I would think the bowl would consider that as well.

[cyman05]

And if somehow Boise ended up with an automatic BCS bid from other conferences stinking, the New Mexico bowl in Albuquerque, NM would be open too but would be a disaster of a bowl.

[CyFan61]

If Baylor has a choice of basically staying home in a Dallas bowl or taking an at-large bid, which do you think they take? Plus, they just played in Dallas today and didn't bring a huge amount of fans, I would think the bowl would consider that as well.

I agree and don't think it is a lock that the HOD Bowl people will pick Baylor over ISU without a second thought. There is a shot at us going there and Baylor having to go at-large. I just don't know which school/team that particular bowl believes will be a better fit.

They might be concerned about the ticket sales, because the other team will be Purdue or Minnesota, both of which are a long ways away, so Baylor would be a safe pick to offset that.

[Jarrods79]

Check out this BCS rule:


Boise State will be ranked higher than the Big East champion, since both of the teams that will play for it lost today, and will be a co-champion of the Mountain West (which does not have any tiebreakers to determine a single champion).

So, if they are ranked in the Top 16, they will automatically make a BCS bowl and basically steal a spot from either Oklahoma or Clemson. Even after losing to a mediocre Michigan State team and San Diego State.

Yes, sorry...edited post. So then my question is, if there are no tiebreakers in the MWC, does a co-champion fit in this rule?

[IHavNoCyCash]

This discussion is really spread out so let's put it here.

Lots of options on the table, I've been doing some looking. Here's what I've found.

IF the Big 12 gets two into the BCS (which is likely if OU beats TCU and KSU beats UT next week), Iowa State is probably heading to Dallas for the Heart of Dallas Bowl. It's on January 1st, televised on ESPNU, against a Big Ten opponent - probably Purdue or Minnesota.

IF the Big 12 only gets one into the BCS, Iowa State is probably going to be an at-large selection, outside of the Big 12 lineup of bowls. The conference has 8 bowl ties, and 9 bowl-eligible teams. We're likely the odd man out. The question now becomes, which bowls are looking for teams?

The most likely outcome here is the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA on December 28th (a Friday). It's televised in the afternoon on ESPN. This bowl will not get teams from either of its tie-ins, so our opponent here would be another at-large team.

Iowa State would be the only major conference team to be an at-large, so our opponent here would certainly be a mid-major team. Some potential options include the MAC, which has a few more bowl-eligible teams than bowl slots (Bowling Green or Central Michigan) or the Sun Belt (Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, or Western Kentucky). Yeah, none of those options are at all sexy, but a bowl is a bowl and it would be nice to have a beatable opponent.

I'm hoping there are some more bowls out there that need some at-larges? I had earlier thought Military Bowl, but I had missed their contingency selection with the MAC. They'll still have an open spot if Rice loses to UTEP (Rice is up 17-14 at halftime), because they won't fill their C-USA spot, so keep an eye on that game tonight.

Any other games? I'm pulling for OU and KSU next week, because Heart of Dallas is better than the quagmire of these games, but I'm hoping there are better options out there in case we're stuck finding something else.

play Central Michigan in Shreveport....would laugh at this just to see the Hawk fans reactions.

[FDWxMan]

Yes, sorry...edited post. So then my question is, if there are no tiebreakers in the MWC, does a co-champion fit in this rule?

Yes, Boise will be 10-2, Fresno St and SDSU will be 9-3, though technically all three will be conference champs. According to MWC website they don't "officially" break the tie.

[cyman05]

Yes, sorry...edited post. So then my question is, if there are no tiebreakers in the MWC, does a co-champion fit in this rule?

Yes. In fact TCU was co-champions with Boise last year, and was within 1 or 2 spots in the BCS standings of grabbing an automatic BCS selection last year. Co-champions count if Boise is determined to be the conference champion through the conference tiebreaker process.

[CyFan61]

Yes, sorry...edited post. So then my question is, if there are no tiebreakers in the MWC, does a co-champion fit in this rule?

I believe that a co-champion does. I'm sure the bowl would challenge it if they could