What the bowl picture looks like right now

[BGSU33]

Per ESPN: The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets applied for a waiver on Monday that would allow the Yellow Jackets to participate in a bowl game if Georgia Tech finishes with a 6-7 record, just as UCLA did last year -- if the waiver is approved by the NCAA.

Guess we'll see if the NCAA sticks to the new changes they made in the offseason, or if they will fold. I feel the latter coming.

[Rollo83]

Wouldn't there have to be some type of "special circumstamces" to grant a waiver? Why make a rule if all you need to do is apply for a waiver to get around it? Makes no sense. Then again, it's the NCAA. They also suspended Indiana's Steve Alford for having his picture used in a campus calendar that was raising money for charity.

[AyZiggy97]

If, and its a big if, BG gets snubbed, the athletic dept. needs to take a long hard look at making BG a more attractive bowl team in the future. Likewise, fans and students who could have made games but didn't go need to understand that they're a reason why a team deserving of going to a bowl game, didn't go. Its all about butts in the seats and selling tickets for these games.

Can the athletic department do more, other than abducting students and carrying them through turnstiles at the Doyt? It seems to me that students are the only group that can really boost attendance and affect game day atmosphere. They had a pretty good showing against Kent and were loud. At some point there has to be pride in the school and the athletes who represent it. And if the team doesn't get another game in 2012 because of that shortfall then c'est la vie.

[Globetrotter]

If, and its a big if, BG gets snubbed, the athletic dept. needs to take a long hard look at making BG a more attractive bowl team in the future. Likewise, fans and students who could have made games but didn't go need to understand that they're a reason why a team deserving of going to a bowl game, didn't go. Its all about butts in the seats and selling tickets for these games.

Can the athletic department do more, other than abducting students and carrying them through turnstiles at the Doyt? It seems to me that students are the only group that can really boost attendance and affect game day atmosphere. They had a pretty good showing against Kent and were loud. At some point there has to be pride in the school and the athletes who represent it. And if the team doesn't get another game in 2012 because of that shortfall then c'est la vie.

It should be someones goal to help instill this. Maybe someone's entire job. There are more OSU fans at BG then BG fans.

[musicman2343]

If, and its a big if, BG gets snubbed, the athletic dept. needs to take a long hard look at making BG a more attractive bowl team in the future. Likewise, fans and students who could have made games but didn't go need to understand that they're a reason why a team deserving of going to a bowl game, didn't go. Its all about butts in the seats and selling tickets for these games.

Can the athletic department do more, other than abducting students and carrying them through turnstiles at the Doyt? It seems to me that students are the only group that can really boost attendance and affect game day atmosphere. They had a pretty good showing against Kent and were loud. At some point there has to be pride in the school and the athletes who represent it. And if the team doesn't get another game in 2012 because of that shortfall then c'est la vie.

I think they could do more, but I'm not sure where. The students get free admission with their ID. If I wasn't in band all my years, I would have still been there with free admission. Lower concession costs maybe? I don't know if that's a big thing for students...

I think it comes down to your statement of pride in the school. I'm not really sure a decent number of students have pride in the school. They'd rather stay at home and watch the teams from Columbus and Ann Arbor. Still one of the most infuriating times when I was in school was when we played at osu in 2006 and a couple band members cheered when they scored their first TD against us. I chewed them out and they said referring to osu, "It's my team." I was livid. I can't understand why anybody who went/goes to BG roots for another school to which they have no ties.

We were fortunate to not have any of those horrid weeknight games at home and we still couldn't half-fill the Doyt.

[footballguy51]

If, and its a big if, BG gets snubbed, the athletic dept. needs to take a long hard look at making BG a more attractive bowl team in the future. Likewise, fans and students who could have made games but didn't go need to understand that they're a reason why a team deserving of going to a bowl game, didn't go. Its all about butts in the seats and selling tickets for these games.

Can the athletic department do more, other than abducting students and carrying them through turnstiles at the Doyt? It seems to me that students are the only group that can really boost attendance and affect game day atmosphere. They had a pretty good showing against Kent and were loud. At some point there has to be pride in the school and the athletes who represent it. And if the team doesn't get another game in 2012 because of that shortfall then c'est la vie.

I think they could do more, but I'm not sure where. The students get free admission with their ID. If I wasn't in band all my years, I would have still been there with free admission. Lower concession costs maybe? I don't know if that's a big thing for students...

I think it comes down to your statement of pride in the school. I'm not really sure a decent number of students have pride in the school. They'd rather stay at home and watch the teams from Columbus and Ann Arbor. Still one of the most infuriating times when I was in school was when we played at osu in 2006 and a couple band members cheered when they scored their first TD against us. I chewed them out and they said referring to osu, "It's my team." I was livid. I can't understand why anybody who went/goes to BG roots for another school to which they have no ties.

We were fortunate to not have any of those horrid weeknight games at home and we still couldn't half-fill the Doyt.

To be fair, I rooted for OSU that year as well...in every game except the game against BGSU. I grew up as a Buckeye fan, and as long as the two teams weren't playing each other I saw no harm in supporting both. I attended every BG home game, and either watched the OSU game on TV or caught the score when I got home. Trust me, I never skipped out on a home game to watch OSU play, and when the two teams met I rooted for BG all the way.

[Falcon137]

Did BG have commercials for the Kent game in the Toledo area? Or was their idea of marketing youtube videos?

[Globetrotter]

If, and its a big if, BG gets snubbed, the athletic dept. needs to take a long hard look at making BG a more attractive bowl team in the future. Likewise, fans and students who could have made games but didn't go need to understand that they're a reason why a team deserving of going to a bowl game, didn't go. Its all about butts in the seats and selling tickets for these games.

Can the athletic department do more, other than abducting students and carrying them through turnstiles at the Doyt? It seems to me that students are the only group that can really boost attendance and affect game day atmosphere. They had a pretty good showing against Kent and were loud. At some point there has to be pride in the school and the athletes who represent it. And if the team doesn't get another game in 2012 because of that shortfall then c'est la vie.

I think they could do more, but I'm not sure where. The students get free admission with their ID. If I wasn't in band all my years, I would have still been there with free admission. Lower concession costs maybe? I don't know if that's a big thing for students...

I think it comes down to your statement of pride in the school. I'm not really sure a decent number of students have pride in the school. They'd rather stay at home and watch the teams from Columbus and Ann Arbor. Still one of the most infuriating times when I was in school was when we played at osu in 2006 and a couple band members cheered when they scored their first TD against us. I chewed them out and they said referring to osu, "It's my team." I was livid. I can't understand why anybody who went/goes to BG roots for another school to which they have no ties.

We were fortunate to not have any of those horrid weeknight games at home and we still couldn't half-fill the Doyt.

I don't get it either but we are the rare few.

[BGSU33]

Georgia Tech believes it’s going to a bowl game. Other parts of the college football world are less confident.

In one more chapter in the strange saga that has been the Yellow Jackets season, the school faces the possibility of playing in the ACC Championship game with the most disparate of outcomes – beat Florida State and go to the Orange Bowl or lose and stay home. This scenario is far from a certainty, but is not out of the question, either.

Tech has petitioned the NCAA for a bowl-eligibility waiver in the event that it loses to the Seminoles to fall to 6-7, which would drop the Yellow Jackets below the .500 standard necessary to go to a bowl game. School, ACC and bowl officials have been confident that the NCAA will grant the waiver.

“We have full confidence that, at the end of the day, we’re going to be playing in a bowl game among the ACC selections between Dec. 27 and the first of January,” acting athletic director Paul Griffin said, “and we’re doing everything we can to be prepared to play the first of January at the Orange Bowl. Beyond that, everything else is secondary.”

Tech could receive an answer from the NCAA prior to Saturday’s game against the Seminoles. Reports have suggested pushback against Tech being granted the waiver.

Monday, NCAA spokesman Christopher Radford debunked reported claims that Tech has no chance at bowl eligibility if it loses to FSU.

“I’ve seen a couple reports out there (stating) that it’s already been decided, that they will not be eligible for a waiver, and that’s not accurate,” he said. “There has been no decision or official movement either way at this point.”

Tech’s petition will go before the concisely-named NCAA Division I Legislative Council Subcommitee for Legislative Relief. The waiver request likely makes Tech’s case on why it is deserving of eligibility. Radford said his recollection of UCLA’s petition included the argument that it was only playing in the Pac-12 Championship game, and thus putting itself at risk to fall below .500, because USC was ineligible. Tech could make the same contention, as Miami’s self-imposed postseason ban enabled the Yellow Jackets to play for the ACC title.

Tech could also offer up UCLA as a precedent case and offer the line of logic that it shouldn’t be penalized for playing in a championship game. The argument against is that there are a sufficient number of bowl-eligible teams and that one of them shouldn’t be denied a bowl spot in favor of a team that requires a waiver to be considered.

How Tech’s petition will be received by the NCAA is uncertain.

“I quit trying to guess the NCAA years ago,” Football Bowl Association executive director Wright Waters said. “If I could figure out the NCAA, I would go buy lottery tickets.”

The Tech team is proceeding with the understanding that it will be playing in a bowl game regardless, either the Orange Bowl with a victory or most likely the Sun Bowl with a loss, as the Chick-fil-A and Russell Athletic bowls would almost certainly bypass Tech at 6-7. The Sun Bowl, where Tech played last December, is contractually obligated to invite the ACC runner-up if it’s available.

“We’ll worry about (not receiving the waiver) if that happens, I guess,” coach Paul Johnson said Monday. “I just go off what our athletic director tells me. He’s usually a better source than reporters.”

Griffin said that Tech would be willing to drop down past the Sun Bowl if it made sense for all involved parties. Given that the Jackets just went to El Paso, Texas, Sun Bowl officials probably wouldn’t protest such a maneuvering around ACC bylaws. Discussions on the matter have only been internal to this point.

The Jackets, of course, can skip the waiver rigmarole easily.

Said Griffin, “We’re planning to go to the Orange Bowl.”

[kdog27]

Maybe GT should just worry about beating FSU

[jpfalcon09]

And thus the problem with the NCAA, a 6-7 BCS school will get a waiver and potentially steal a bid away from a non-BCS school because the almighty dollar is the only thing that matters to them.

[Dayons_Den]

Odd that in March everyone loves an underdog, but with the BCS the prospect of Kent State in the Orange Bowl it turns in to the biggest disaster imaginable.

And it is also odd that the BCS talking heads say that bowls are all about generating money and selling tickets to the schools and locals- well Georgia Tech doesn't travel particularly well and their Paul Johnson offense is pretty boring.

[BGSU33]

If Georgia Tech beats Florida State and gets sent off to play in the Orange Bowl, maybe some much more worthy BCS teams should apply for a waiver to better represent a BCS bowl over some run-of-the-mill 7-6 team.

[jakehovs23]

Plus, who has Georgia Tech beaten that's even good? North Carolina MAYBE. That's about it...I'd put the Falcons up against any one of those teams that GT beat. With an 8-4 record, I'd give BG the edge. It's a shame bowl games aren't even about the game of football anymore...

[BGSU33]

It sounds like we won't know what is going on with the waiver until this weekend. A decision will need to be made before the game as to what to do after it in case FSU wins, but I'm thinking the NCAA is going to sit on its decision until it needs to say exactly what it is. It's very frustrating because the NCAA's new format clearly maps out what the pecking order is after changing it after UCLA used a waiver last season. Aside from what happens with the waiver, if both Pitt and UConn both lose, we should be in for sure, but I doubt both are going to lose. If one of them wins and the other loses, I think we're 50-50. If both Pitt and UConn win, I think we could be screw and could see Ohio doing it to us (by being selected over us). If both Pitt and UConn win, but GT loses and does not get the waiver, I think we're back on the fence. I also wish I knew what the bowls were thinking when comparing BG and OU. Is OU's win over PSU and once Top-25 ranking jumping out, or how they lost 4 of their last 5 and finishd just 4-4 in the MAC? Does BG winning 6 of its last 7 including beating OU in Athens with a 6-2 conference record look better? Or does the fact they had a better average attendance by a few thousand? Damn I wish a couple more teams would have lost last weekend and we knew we were in. This so reminds me of a few years ago when we needed just one game the last week to break our way to get to the MACC and didn't get it. Saturday can't get here soon enough.