Bowl Ponderings.

[NWLB]

Bowl Numbers.

Lets figure this out a bit. Assuming we share with UCF and Marshall, the bowl games will bring in $4,500,000 in cash. That figures to about $321,000 per team if you divide it out evenly across the MAC. Of course a lot of the cash will be burned in shipping teams, alumni staff, and others to the game.

We will have 6 nationally televised games with the top half of the MAC playing mostly winnable games, from coast to coast.

The MAC will gain from having the networks hyping 6 games with conference members in them. More to the point, we have stories to hype with each team. Even if Bob Pruett said he considers his team a "CUSA program" as of now, if he wants the bowl money, he has to wear the MAC label one more time. Plus the networks will still hype them as being from the MAC.

The exposure for the MAC nationally and on the west coast simply can't be over valued. If one team were going, it would be nice, but not a long-term thing. Now three or four MAC teams may play out west. That is a lot of regional ink never spent on the MAC before. One program might not consider calling on recruits out there. But if five or six teams can leverage the hype, it might open a few doors nobody would knock on alone. There is talent out there that gets stuck between the PAC, WAC, and 1AA. If suddenly a kid has Akron, BG, NIU, and other MAC schools sending letters, making calls, the trip out here might not be a bad deal for a 1A scholarship. Especially after the hype the players in the MAC are getting.

Local papers, normally putting MAC football to bed for the year, are having to dedicate ink and staff to teams all over the place. This helps locally, and is especially great for the MAC in Akron and Kent.

If we were worried about lousy OOC results this year, here is a chance to bury them and rack up something better.

Special circumstances aside, Marshall leaving for CUSA because of 5 bowl bids, after a year when they bring up the rear of the MAC's 6 bids, is amusing.

If there is something outside of my own team that makes me happy about this, it is that the Zips can really get a boost out of this. Plus Kent had a decent year, and OU showed they are worth saving.

Even if it does not motivate bowl organizers, there is value in having new programs and their fans going to games expands the market for such things.

These games will ensure our commissioner is on national TV six times. The MAC should invest in some flashy, well produced TV spots, because they are going to air during six bowl games. MAC programs will have their ads promoted nationally six times.

Now if they can just win the games.

The full impact of this season, will take all summer to realize.

[1987alum]

Nathan:

Actually, it may take longer than the summer for the full impact to seep in.

Good points, though. All the hype can't hurt. In fact, I think it's valuable that the MAC is already getting a lot of ink & air time as folks try to figure out the bowl picture. There are a lot of people reading about MAC schools now that probably never heard of them. That means schools like Northern, Toledo, Akron, et al are getting in front of a whole new group of potential recruits/students even if they never play in that area.

[BelieveNBG]

It is imperitive that we have a winning record in these bowl games. We need to show that we can compete and beat these teams from the other conferences. If we lose alot of these games, we stand no chance as a conference to be selected as an at-large contender in future years if other teams are available. This is our chance as a conference to show that we belong in these games. This is our chance as a conference to gain respect.

GO BG!!!

[BGSUfanatUT]

I have complete confidence in winning the GMAC and MCB. The others will depend on who is ultimatly their opponent, but I think we have a very good chance to win 4+ of these games. Maybe even snag the conference bowl trophy dealy for the conf with the best bowl record.