Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

We know Ohio, CMU & Temple are set and will be playing in a bowl, which leaves both BG & NIU (both 7-5) as the MAC's only other two teams who are bowl eligible. If things get tight in the bowl selections and you look between BG & NIU in terms of who is more deserving, the only area I think the Huskies have a leg up over BG is in the non-conference wins. While Purdue finished 5-7, NIU did beat them on the road and almost any time you beat a Big Ten school like that it's going to look more impressive to many than our win over Sun Belt Champ Troy. That said, the other factors I think favor BG. BG finished 6-2 in the MAC compared to 5-3 for NIU, BG won 6 of its last 7 games while NIU went 4-3 (including back-to-back losses to close out the year), and one of NIU's wins was against an FCS school (Western Illinois) while BG played none. Yes I am bias towards BG, but when you look at the entire body of work between these two, I don't see how BG isn't more deserving of a bid than NIU. I'd love to see both get in, but if only four MAC teams go, I sure as heck hope it's BG and not NIU.

BG gets the nod in my opinion. Here's why...

1. BG on a four game win streak
2. NIU lost last two games
3. Freddie Barnes star power
4. Tyler Sheehan legitimate pro prospect at QB
5. NIU victory against Western Illinois (non college bowl division school)
6. BG has better MAC record

I do think both will make a bowl.

We need both Hawaii (vs Wisconsin on December 5th) and Army (vs. Navy on December 12th) to lose, because if either or both win their last games, that will take away more bowl spots. Hawaii would stay at home and play in the Hawaii Bowl and Army will go to the Eagle Bank Bowl - which is where some projections have BG playing.

As I thought I understood it before, the MAC actually takes the place of the ACC team that wasn't eligible for this bowl, so Army becoming eligible isn't an issue as far as the MAC is concerned in this game.

I know it's just Wikipedia, but it seems to agree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EagleBank_Bowl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course, it would be nice if Army and Hawaii lost anyway, just to be sure.

I believe TG1996 is correct after looking again. If Army becomes eligible with a win that will push Conference USA bid out and the school in the last spot for a bid there is 6-6 Marshall. Our record would trump them for an at-large.

The big game to watch will be Wisconsin @ Hawaii.

TG1996 wrote:As I thought I understood it before, the MAC actually takes the place of the ACC team that wasn't eligible for this bowl, so Army becoming eligible isn't an issue as far as the MAC is concerned in this game.

I know it's just Wikipedia, but it seems to agree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EagleBank_Bowl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course, it would be nice if Army and Hawaii lost anyway, just to be sure.

The bowl's own website confirms that CUSA is Army's backup. But I can't find anything similar confirming the MAC is the ACC backup.

http://www.eaglebankbowl.org/wp-content ... kFacts.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AyZiggy97 wrote:

TG1996 wrote:As I thought I understood it before, the MAC actually takes the place of the ACC team that wasn't eligible for this bowl, so Army becoming eligible isn't an issue as far as the MAC is concerned in this game.

I know it's just Wikipedia, but it seems to agree: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EagleBank_Bowl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Of course, it would be nice if Army and Hawaii lost anyway, just to be sure.

The bowl's own website confirms that CUSA is Army's backup. But I can't find anything similar confirming the MAC is the ACC backup.

http://www.eaglebankbowl.org/wp-content ... kFacts.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't know that I've seen it on any "official" site, but I've read about the MAC backing up the ACC in several places.

Article about BG & NIU's bowl hopes:

MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – The scoreboard watching started just after the game.

Northern Illinois’ Director of Athletics, Jeff Compher, pulled out his cell phone while standing outside of the NIU locker room after the Huskies lost, 45-31, to Central Michigan.

He saw 6-5 Bowling Green leading Toledo with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.

“It would be great if Toledo could come back and win that game, that would help us,” Compher said. “At the same time, I still think the way we match up, even with identical records, we’ve got a very good chance.”

Bowling Green won, making the Falcons even with the Huskies at 7-5. By Sunday, it appeared there will be room for both in the college bowl scene.

The scoreboard watching continued all the way through early Sunday morning, with USC beating UCLA, leaving the Bruins 6-6.

Hawaii needs to win its last two regular season games to clinch a bowl berth, beating Navy.

Here are the good things that happened to NIU’s bowl chances on Saturday:

Oklahoma State lost to Oklahoma, likely leaving room in the BCS for two Big Ten teams and Boise State. That would leave an at-large spot open for the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl on the Big Ten side and make sure the at-large pool from the WAC doesn’t reach full capacity. This is assuming Texas beats Nebraska for the Big 12 title.

TCU won and will go to a BCS bowl, leaving an at-large spot open at the Humanitarian Bowl on the Mountain West side.

Notre Dame, UCLA, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette and Marshall all lost, leaving them all at 6-6. Seven-win teams must be picked for at-large bowls before six-win teams.

Here are the bad things that happened to NIU on Saturday:

If Hawaii pulls off a win over Wisconsin it will go to the Hawaii Bowl. The WAC at-large pool, all teams with at least seven wins, would grow by one.

Connecticut defeated Syracuse to become bowl eligible and fill the final Big East bowl spot.

As of Sunday, it looks like these will be the available at-large bowl slots, assuming 5-6 Army, which has a tie-in with the EagleBank Bowl, loses to Navy:

EagleBank Bowl (2 at-large spots)

Humanitarian Bowl (vs. WAC)

GMAC Bowl (vs. MAC)

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (vs. MAC)

That leaves two at-large spots potentially for MAC teams in the EagleBank and Humanitarian bowls, as MAC teams fill the other sides of the GMAC and Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

The at-large pool looks like this on Sunday with the presumption that Boise State is BCS bound and Hawaii loses to Wisconsin: 9-3 Middle Tennessee State, 7-5 NIU, 7-5 Bowling Green and 6-6 Notre Dame, UCLA, LA-Monroe, LA-Lafayette and Marshall.

Should Boise State somehow miss the BCS or Hawaii beats Wisconsin, 7-5 Idaho likely would join the at-large pool. If both scenarios happen, 7-4 Fresno State would join the at-large pool. The Bulldogs play at 3-8 Illinois on Saturday.

Barring a major shakeup in the BCS projections or wins by Hawaii, Army and Fresno State, it looks like NIU is going bowling, as are Middle Tennessee State, Bowling Green, Idaho and either Notre Dame or UCLA. The question for NIU is, where?

On Friday, Compher didn’t rule out the possibility for the Huskies to appear in a bowl with a MAC tie-in.

Should Temple negotiate a way to the EagleBank Bowl – comparatively, Washington D.C. isn’t a far drive from Philadelphia for Owl fans and ticket sales likely would see a dramatic increase – that would open a spot, presumably in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl or International Bowl. Pizza bowl officials have been at the past three NIU games, where NIU has gone 1-2.

“I still think there’s an opportunity at one of the three bowls aligned with the conference,” Compher said. “They’ve got to look at the matchups and who could be in that game. That could determine a lot for us.”

Otherwise it looks like an at-large opportunity is NIU’s best option.

“I think people realize what kind of team we are and what kind of team we’re capable of [being],” Compher said. “Once we get some guys healed up and back to more full strength, I think we can be competitive with anybody.”

The best I can make out of all of this in short is, if Wisconsin beats Hawaii and Navy beats Army, we're going to a bowl for sure.

The best I can make out is when I hear GC accept a bowl bid, we'll know for sure. BG deserves another game.

ROLL ALONG

I think BG has the edge of NIU for one big reason, Freddy Barnes. Barnes has a chance to make history, and what bowl wouldn't want that kind of exposure in the press. NIU may have a BCS win, but outside the MAC and Big 11 who could name it. I think we are bowling I just hope its at a game I could make it to.

Another BG/NIU/MAC bowl article: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles ... /index.xml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

BGSU33 wrote:Another BG/NIU/MAC bowl article: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/articles ... /index.xml" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It is AMAZING how rumors turn into "facts." Last week, we were all looking at how to get to Washington, DC. Now, it's what's the best way to get to Boise!?!