GMAC Bowl To Decide Tuesday On Which MAC School Gets Invite

[Mad_Bomber]

This is from Sunday's edition of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.


Tigers expect to get GMAC bid today
Eight-win U of M would face MAC foe Dec. 22 in Mobile, Ala.

By Phil Stukenborg
Contact
November 28, 2004

TAMPA, Fla. -- The University of Memphis football team, which ended its regular season Saturday with a 31-15 Conference USA victory over South Florida, expects to receive an invitation today to play in the Dec. 22 GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

It will be the second straight season in which the Tigers have gone to a postseason game following a 32-year bowl drought. Memphis's win Saturday gave the program back-to-back eight-win seasons for the first time since the early 1960s.


GMAC Bowl officials, including president Jerry Silverstein and selection committee chairman Murray Cape, are scheduled to attend a press conference Monday at the UofM's Athletic Office Building to officially present the invitation to Tiger athletic director R.C. Johnson and coach Tommy West.

Cape attended Saturday's game in Tampa and was prepared to issue the invitation in a joyous locker room setting, but was held back by several factors. Among them was discussion that a Boise State loss to Nevada, coupled with a Georgia loss to Georgia Tech, might move Louisville into a BCS bowl and open a spot in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl for Memphis.

But Boise State beat Nevada, Georgia held off Georgia Tech and Louisville, after crushing Cincinnati, 70-7, was extended a Liberty Bowl invitation as C-USA champion. Once the Louisville invite was official, it cleared the way for the GMAC Bowl, which has the second selection among C-USA teams, to choose Memphis, a team it has coveted from the start of the season.

Johnson, who huddled with Cape throughout the day Saturday, said he expects the U of M to bring the 10- to 12,000 fans it did last year to the New Orleans Bowl. Memphis beat North Texas, 27-17, in the game played at the Superdome.

The Tigers (8-3) will play a Mid-American Conference opponent in the GMAC Bowl, held at 42,000-seat Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.

Johnson said the team's back-to-back winning seasons, its appearances on national television (three of the UofM's last four games have been on ESPN or ESPN2) and it's high-scoring offense attracted several suitors. In addition to four of the five C-USA affiliated bowls expressing interest, the Independence Bowl in Shreveport made inquiries, too.

''We are a hot commodity,'' Johnson said. ''I think because of our offense and our fan base we are hot. And everybody knows Tommy and everybody talks about No. 18 (quarterback Danny Wimprine) and No. 20 (running back DeAngelo Williams).''

The GMAC Bowl sent representatives to most of the UofM's games this season. Silverstein attended the team's 30-26 nationally televised C-USA victory over Southern Miss.

Cape said the GMAC Bowl selection committee will meet tonight. He said four MAC teams -- Toledo, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) -- are possible opponents.

''Everyone of them is 8-3 and their championship game is in Toledo Thursday,'' Cape said. ''There's a good possibility that we'll choose before that game. Hopefully, by Tuesday, we'll have our two teams.''

[BGGrad01]

''Everyone of them is 8-3 and their championship game is in Toledo Thursday,'' Cape said. ''There's a good possibility that we'll choose before that game. Hopefully, by Tuesday, we'll have our two teams.''

If he shows up in Toledo for the MACC, he's going to miss a good game.