Weekend Scenario

[OptionQB]

As I sit here in the Union lab at Midnight on Monday, there are 55 Bowl eligible teams, including all MAC schools and two from the Sun Belt. 8 others are fighting for their bowl lives in the next two weeks . . .

Those teams are:

Northwestern 6-5 @Hawaii 11/27 must win to get in
Nebraska 5-5 v. Colorado 11/26 need win to get in and probably save Callahan's job
Syracuse 5-5 @Boston College 11/27 must win to get in and spoil BCS for BC
South Florida is 4-5 need two wins in last two 11/27 v Memphis and 12/4 v Pitt
Southern Miss is 5-4 and need one win in last two 11/27 v. UAB or 12/4 v. Cal
Arkansas 5-5 @LSU 11/27 and need a win to get in
Hawaii 5-5 need two wins 11/27 v. N'Western and 12/4 v. Michigan State
TCU 5-5 v. Tulane 11/27

If this scenario holds true and Tulane is the only team to meet bowl eligibility . . . Troy and Akron would both get bowl games.

With Miami in the MACCG, I think BG is a lock for the Silicon Valley Bowl v. Fresno with a win v. UT tomorrow

[Flipper]

I think if we win against UT tommorrow the GMAC will snap us up right then and there. We're the most attractive MAC team on the board right now...

[factman]

Flipper is right on!!!!!!!!

[Warthog]

I agree with the fact that a win tonight makes us the #1 MAC team for a bowl. Given that, I think it might be best to take a wait and see approach to this. With so many bowls looking for teams to fill slots, it might be best to see what shakes out from all of this. I am NOT trying to diss the GMAC, Motor City, or any other bowl. Just that I would really like to see us get a game against a BCS team (Houston Bowl?) rather than one against another mid-major. And the payout would be better too.

[Schadenfreude]

I agree with the fact that a win tonight makes us the #1 MAC team for a bowl. Given that, I think it might be best to take a wait and see approach to this.

And, again, I'll submit that we don't have the power here.

The Motor City, GMAC and Silicon Valley bowls have contracts. It seems to me they are ahead of the others in the pecking order. If we get an invite from Detroit or Mobile or San Jose, it seems to me we have to smile and say "yes, thank you."

This idea of facing Colorado in Houston is very, very appealling. It's a warm location against a Bull Crap System team the Falcons can beat.

On the other hand, where the heck was the Houston Bowl when Northern Illinois needed a bowl game last year? Or when we needed a bowl game in 2002? Or when Toledo was 10-1 and ranked in 2000? Or when Miami finished 10-1 in 1998? Or when Miami finished 8-2-1 in 1995 with a win over the Big Ten champion? Or when we finished 9-2 in 1994?

The fact is, the bowls haven't been playing ball with us. I would find a perverse satisfaction in watching a bowl that has treated us so shabbily over the years have to match Akron against Colorado because they wouldn't work with us.

I learned long ago to place my fath in Chryst -- and I know he's going to do what's best for the league as a whole, long term.

Chryst needs to balance the fact that Bowling Green may be the MAC's best team -- and worthy of a strong opponent -- against the fact that bowls shouldn't be rewarded for screwing us year after year.

If we play Memphis in Mobile or Fresno State in San Jose, one or two other bowls out there might be insanely jealous. I'd take satisfaction in that.

In fact, when the dust clears, the MAC may emerge with three bowls locked in for 2005 and beyond. And that would be a Good Thing.

[1987alum]

Schadenfreude:

Do you think Chryst will be able to use this opportunity to put the squeeze on the bowls to give the MAC a fixed bid?

BTW, I think you're right on all counts. Get a bid, take the bid. Let's not get into a situation that makes us look arrogant or cocky ... like the BCS conferences tend to.

[Warthog]

I agree with the fact that a win tonight makes us the #1 MAC team for a bowl. Given that, I think it might be best to take a wait and see approach to this.

And, again, I'll submit that we don't have the power here.

The Motor City, GMAC and Silicon Valley bowls have contracts. It seems to me they are ahead of the others in the pecking order. If we get an invite from Detroit or Mobile or San Jose, it seems to me we have to smile and say "yes, thank you."

You have a good point there. We are in unprecedented territory here with the MAC looking to get multiple at-large bids so I am not sure who has the authority to make that decision? Does the MAC office find out what slots the MAC gets to fill and then negotiates with that bowl to make the best possible matchup? How does the Silicon Valley Bowl (and others I would assume) play in the decision making? The SVB has already made a deal to take a MAC team but was that deal for the third choice team or did the come in and say "We'll take a MAC team as long as it is Bowling Green (or another specific team)? :shrug:

Lots of questions, not many answers. Hopefully a win tonight will clear a lot of this up.

[Schadenfreude]

Schadenfreude:

Do you think Chryst will be able to use this opportunity to put the squeeze on the bowls to give the MAC a fixed bid?

I wouldn't call it a squeeze. It will be very friendly.

But any bowl game at the end of the pecking order of a behemoth BCS conference has to know this could happen again as long as we have 11-game seasons and so many bowls. (The Motor City knows this too, which explains its slick back up agreement with the Big East).

And I think all bowl agreements are up for renegotiation this off season.

I think we will end up with a third guaranteed bowl game. It could be a very complex arrangement... an agreement with two, three or four games guaranteeing that the MAC gets to play in one of them (and that the games may select an additional MAC teams if they wish or need to).

I don't know exactly how you would word the agreement. Perhaps it would be a rotation, with the Silicon Valley taking a MAC team in the first year, the Houston Bowl taking one the next year, etc.

I think we've shown our league can produce three reasonably bowl-worthy teams in any year.