Congressional Bowl and the MAC

[JoeFalcon]

Joe,

I'm a college football junkie as well. I just don't like seeing 6-6 teams in bowl games. And make it 3 out of 13 teams in the MAC...our friends at Temple count now.

How could I forget Temple when they remind us so often how superior their recruiting classes are every year? Now there's a program that would welcome and appreciate any type of bowl bid that might come their way, a scenario that might not be too far off with the progress they've made.

I'm guessing a majority of fans share your feelings about the bowls, but like J4H said, they just need a supportive community to host the teams and a million knuckleheads like myself to watch the game on TV and it's all good to them.

[Jacobs4Heisman]

It's clear our (the MAC's) level of play has risen over the last few years.

I don't think that's clear at all.

I do agree that bowl games are getting out of hand, but as long as they make money, they'll continue to be there.

Compare now to where we were 10 years ago. I think almost every year since about 2001-2002 MAC team has bumped off a BCS opponent, albeit some pretty weak ones. Maybe that happened in the 90's, but I don't think so, nor do I have the motivation to research. Some can prove me wrong if they want!

Boy, we have very different definitions of the word "few".

In the last 10 years, I might tend to agree with you. Last 5? Good Lord, no.

[BGorDeath]

Stewie doesn't seem to like the idea either....Read on McDuff....

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... index.html

[JohnnySwoop '85]

The answer is simple...according to NCAA Div I rules, when there are not enough Bowl eligible teams to fill the slots for Bowls...Notre dame gets an automatic berth before anyone else.

I'll take any bowl trip that we can get

[rc_ziggy84]

It's clear our (the MAC's) level of play has risen over the last few years.

I don't think that's clear at all.

I do agree that bowl games are getting out of hand, but as long as they make money, they'll continue to be there.

Compare now to where we were 10 years ago. I think almost every year since about 2001-2002 MAC team has bumped off a BCS opponent, albeit some pretty weak ones. Maybe that happened in the 90's, but I don't think so, nor do I have the motivation to research. Some can prove me wrong if they want!

Boy, we have very different definitions of the word "few".

In the last 10 years, I might tend to agree with you. Last 5? Good Lord, no.

Sorry for not being clear. But if you go back to '99 when we added our second bowl tie-in (that would be 9 years) I think our level of play has gone up since then. Yeah, I agree with what you implied that the MAC's peak year was probably 3 or 4 years ago, but what I mean to say that we're still ahead of where we were about 10 years ago.

With all of that said, including that the MAC's overall level has declined, there's no way I think we deserve a 4th bowl tie-in at this point. Two is great, three okay, but chances are one of those three games (probably the Int'l Bowl) is going to have a really weak team coming the MAC

[Falconfreak90]

Joe,

I'm a college football junkie as well. I just don't like seeing 6-6 teams in bowl games. And make it 3 out of 13 teams in the MAC...our friends at Temple count now.

How could I forget Temple when they remind us so often how superior their recruiting classes are every year? Now there's a program that would welcome and appreciate any type of bowl bid that might come their way, a scenario that might not be too far off with the progress they've made.

I'm guessing a majority of fans share your feelings about the bowls, but like J4H said, they just need a supportive community to host the teams and a million knuckleheads like myself to watch the game on TV and it's all good to them.

Joe,
I hear ya...I love the bowl season as well. I guess my main beef remains the 6-6 BCS teams in bowls...many that finished under .500 in their conferences. Every year, a couple deserving non BCS teams get left out because of it.

Temple isn't the only one blowing their horn about recruiting classes. Akron does it EVERY year..."This class is the best in the MAC!!" and then stumble home with a 4-8, 5-7 season. At least Temple is improving on the field...Akron just lingers there.

[hammb]

Joe,
I hear ya...I love the bowl season as well. I guess my main beef remains the 6-6 BCS teams in bowls...many that finished under .500 in their conferences. Every year, a couple deserving non BCS teams get left out because of it.

Pretty sure that there is a rule stating that Bowls are not allowed to select a 6-6 team unless all the 6-5 or 7-5 teams have already been taken.

Honestly as many bowls as there are now I don't think there are ANY deserving teams that get left out.

[JoeFalcon]

Joe,
I hear ya...I love the bowl season as well. I guess my main beef remains the 6-6 BCS teams in bowls...many that finished under .500 in their conferences. Every year, a couple deserving non BCS teams get left out because of it.

Temple isn't the only one blowing their horn about recruiting classes. Akron does it EVERY year..."This class is the best in the MAC!!" and then stumble home with a 4-8, 5-7 season. At least Temple is improving on the field...Akron just lingers there.

Great points FF.

Bowl bashing is fashionable these days because some of the participants are seen as undeserving, which is a perfectly logical view to hold when it comes to the mediocre BCS teams who get fat during the non-conference silly season and coast the rest of the way. Having a 10 win NIU team sit home in 2003 in favor of these pretenders was enormously offensive, and if nothing else, the current system should spare a comparably qualified team in the future from such an injustice. (For my own personal viewing tastes, the worthiness angle is immaterial as I can find something to enjoy about any Division I college football game.)

As for Akron, the 2003 dispatches from the Iraqi Ministry of Information hold as much credibility as their annual Signing Day releases. They always tell us about the schools the incoming prodigies rejected in favor of Zippy, ignoring any extenuating circumstances or possible reasons why such decisions could have been reached beyond the irresistible allure of donning the purple and gold.

If you remember a few years back, BG pulled the offer of a wide receiver prospect due to academics. The prospect ended up signing with Central Michigan, and sure enough, their release noted that he chose CMU “over” BG.