Possible not good news for the MAC & bowl opportunities...

[BGSU33]

.....On his Thursday radio show, Ohio A.D. Jim Schaus hinted that the MAC tie-in with the International Bowl may be up in the air. Here’s another interesting football bowl change that could hamper the MAC, according to Schaus: “I think there is going to be a change in the way bowls are selected beginning next year. And that is that there is probably going to be a vote as to whether a six-win team will be treated the same as a seven-win team. Right now, you cannot take a six-win team if there has not been all the seven-win teams placed. Well, I think that is going to be reviewed. That is going to be discussed and voted on by the bowl committee, and I think there is a good chance that that is going to be changed. That is not a good change for the MAC if that happens.”

[footballguy51]

It will only be a matter of time before they decide that a BCS school with 4 wins played a really tough schedule and therefore deserves a bowl game, and that USC losing 3 games shouldn't eliminate them from the national championship game.

[MarkL]

There was speculation going into this past bowl season that the International Bowl was on its way out, just like the Silicon Valley Classic. Excellent operation up in Toronto, but just undesirable for much of the Big East, and the MAC has yet to really compete in that game. I mean, seriously, how many USF fans traveled to that game?

[orangeandbrown]

With passport requirements to get into Canada, scheduling a game on short news in Canada is really tough on fans and give everyone a good excuse not to go.

As for the other issue, I don't think anyone is too surprised. The big boys simply won't put up with teams not in the bowl games, and when you remember that none of this has anything to do with competition but with power and money, then you can't be too surprised.

Finally, the MAC's bowl record over the past three years will probably be used as Exhibit A.

[falconfan1]

While the International Bowl remains somewhat up in the air, don't forget that the Humanitarian Bowl seeks partners for its bowl. While it is very distant, it is an exceptionally well run bowl with tremendous community/state capitol style support.

Go Falcons!

[1987alum]

Finally, the MAC's bowl record over the past three years will probably be used as Exhibit A.

Right and that's tough to argue with.

[daspollak]

No bowl cares about a conference's bowl record, it is about the butts they can put into seats. OSU gets beat in three straight BCS games, but since they fill the stadiums they will always get invited to the BCS. If the MAC wants a larger bowl presence it needs to find a way to get people to those games. I would also like to see some of these games get moved back to before New Years. There is just a burn out after that day, and by then most students are back in school and most are back to work.

[Falcon Commander]

While the International Bowl remains somewhat up in the air, don't forget that the Humanitarian Bowl seeks partners for its bowl. While it is very distant, it is an exceptionally well run bowl with tremendous community/state capitol style support.

who the hell (from the midwest) can get to IDAHO, CHRISTMAS WEEK, for a football game? unless you are with the team or the univ or are extra rich ???

how many "fans" did WE have there, this year?

[Lord_Byron]

. . . I would also like to see some of these games get moved back to before New Years. There is just a burn out after that day, and by then most students are back in school and most are back to work.

Agreed. GMAC bowl on January 6 is a cas of tuesday-night regular season games on steroids.

Short of the fact that no one is thinking about a minor bowl game on the night before the BCS game-- people have gone back to work after their holiday break, if they are lucky enough to have one.

If we were in the game on that date, I don't honestly know if I'd take the vacation days so soon after the holidays.

[orangeandbrown]

No bowl cares about a conference's bowl record, it is about the butts they can put into seats. OSU gets beat in three straight BCS games, but since they fill the stadiums they will always get invited to the BCS. If the MAC wants a larger bowl presence it needs to find a way to get people to those games. I would also like to see some of these games get moved back to before New Years. There is just a burn out after that day, and by then most students are back in school and most are back to work.

I was suggesting that they would use our record as evidence, not that they really care about it. Beyond filling stadiums, though, remember that these bowls are really TV shows. I think ESPN has a stake in them and they are largely content for ESPN's air.

Finally, the post-New year's non-BCS bowls are a disaster for traveling.

[BGorDeath]

The commissioner of the Big 12 talked about this earlier in the year. His concern was getting Baylor into a bowl game. His basic emphasis that it is more important for a BCS team, no matter the record, to get into a bowl before a mid-major conference. No surprise here.

Personally, I could care less if BG gets to another bowl game (except for the extra practice time). The bowl system is so diluted that there is nothing special about going anymore. It is a money losing proposition. Yes, I know it gets you publicity for recruiting of students and athletes, but couldn't the money you lose be put to better use in the recruiting area?

[Mayo67]

While the International Bowl remains somewhat up in the air, don't forget that the Humanitarian Bowl seeks partners for its bowl. While it is very distant, it is an exceptionally well run bowl with tremendous community/state capitol style support.

who the hell (from the midwest) can get to IDAHO, CHRISTMAS WEEK, for a football game? unless you are with the team or the univ or are extra rich ???

how many "fans" did WE have there, this year?

I made it there all the way from Raleigh, NC! I'm not with the team, the university or rich, and my credit card balance went up considerably, but I couldn't pass up the chance to see the Falcons on the blue turf. It was absolutely one of the best games of the bowl season, even if it didn't turn out good at the end. I'm so glad I got to see Freddie break the reception record in person!

[falconfan1]

falcon comm, a tie in with the Humanitarian Bowl is better than NO third tie in. I realize it is impossible for MAC fans to travel in numbers to Boise in winter at that time. Yes I was there, but it is very, very tough. The point here is it could give the MAC a tie in. The Boise game is different for many reasons. The city of Boise embraces this game. That is crucial- very few bowl games have that kind of local "ownership". They want good exciting games and obviously nearly ANY team is going to traveling a very long weays to play in this game vs the WAC rep- and the WAC rep could easily be from far away too.

So they want great match ups. Not good for MAC fans live. But when you check the TV ratings and see that over 2.5 million people watched us play, you do get an idea of the impact the Boise game has on recruiting, publicity for BGSU etc.

Lastly, this bowl is extremely well run. The players and coaches are exceptionally well treated. And fans who do make the trip are made to feel special. Tough situation but if I am the MAC, I don't want two bowls I want three. Or four.

Just thinking out loud for now as I don't believe any announcements from any of our MAC or potential MAC bowls have been made.

Go Falcons!

[daspollak]

The commissioner of the Big 12 talked about this earlier in the year. His concern was getting Baylor into a bowl game. His basic emphasis that it is more important for a BCS team, no matter the record, to get into a bowl before a mid-major conference. No surprise here.

Personally, I could care less if BG gets to another bowl game (except for the extra practice time). The bowl system is so diluted that there is nothing special about going anymore. It is a money losing proposition. Yes, I know it gets you publicity for recruiting of students and athletes, but couldn't the money you lose be put to better use in the recruiting area?

Money can't buy good news for a recruit. A bowl game allows you to put your best foot forward, and show that you're a winner. I wonder how many kids came down to UT or BG this year and thought there was something special, because of the bowl game. For the most part bowl games are more break even then lose money. Only a few cases do schools really get burned.

[NWLB]

It has to do with paying the bills.

If you can't get TV for a game, or sponsors, or enough people to attend, the rest is moot. So yes, a conference with lousy results in bowl games can and does impact the issue here. If you can't get a team to travel, and most of the MAC can't, then you need local people to fill the seats, which they typically don't. And failing that, you need to have decent TV or sponsors to pay, which gets back to the other issues. At the very least, you need one or both teams to have a compelling story, which most MAC teams don't, most of the teams they play don't, and that hurts all of the above.

The MAC hasn't been doing well in OOC or Bowl games for years. It needs to worry less about how many bowls total and more about winning them.