yes plz
bowl games
Michigan v. South Carolina in the Outback Bowl
Filed under:
Michigan will face South Carolina in the Outback bowl per their official website. Should be some fun quotes from the OBC
Bowl Eligibility - Conference Breakdown (Nov 26)
Filed under:
[edited to fix Big Ten # and chart]
Another crazy weekend that really impacted the bowl games, and in particular, Georgia Tech.
Your recap of bowl affiliations by conference:
Big Ten – 8 affiliations
Rose, Heart of Dallas, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Buffalo Wild Wings, Meineke Car Care and Little Ceasars
ACC – 8 affiliations
Orange, Sun, Music City, Chick Fil A, Russell Athletic, Independence, Military and Belk
B12 – 7 affiliations
Fiesta, Cotton, Pinstripe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Alamo, Meineke Car Care and Holiday
Big East – 6 affiliations
BBVA Compass, Liberty*, Pin Stripe, Russell Athletic, Belk and Beef O’Brady’s
Conference USA – 6 affiliations
Heart of Dallas, Liberty*, Armed Forces, Hawaii, New Orleans and Beef O’Brady’s
MAC – 3 affiliations
Go Daddy, Little Caesars and Famous Idaho Potato
Mountain West – 5 affiliations
Armed Forces, Hawaii*, Las Vegas, Poinsettia and New Mexico
PAC 12 – 7 affiliations
Rose, Sun, Kraft Fight Hunger, Alamo, Holiday, Las Vegas and New Mexico
SEC – 10 affiliations
Sugar, BBVA Compass, Cotton, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Music City, Liberty*, Chik Fil A and Independence
Sun Belt – 2 affiliations
Go Daddy and New Orleans
WAC – 2 affiliations
Hawaii* and Famous Idaho Potato
At Large Bids – 5
BCS Championship, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange
Other Bids (Independent) – 3
Poinsettia (takes BYU eligible), Kraft Fight Hunger (takes Navy if eligible) and Military (takes Army if eligible)
* Liberty takes either CUSA or SEC team and Hawaii takes Mountain West or WAC team
In total, 35 bowl games meaning 70 slots that have to be filled by eligible teams. Let us see how each conference fairs in terms of eligible teams. This is likely the last entry for this season since I expect that after next weekend we will know all of the eligible teams AND where they will be going. However, one new addition.
Did someone say cha...
Chart!
It was requested that I add a chart to make it easier to see the eligible teams by conference. Hopefully the following chart will do the job:
Your conference-by-conference breakdown:
Big Ten
Eligible Teams:
Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin
Analysis:
As a conference, the Big Ten really wanted both Purdue and Michigan State to win for greater visibility during the bowl season. And they did just that each becoming bowl eligible with identical 6-6 records. With OSU and Penn State out of the bowl picture, it will mean tougher opponents for the remaining teams with the conference only fielding 7 of the 8 teams it needed to fill its obligations.
ACC
Eligible Teams:
Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, NC State and Virginia Tech
Analysis:
Virginia Tech reach a bowl game for the 20thstraight season with its victory of Virginia. Wake Forest, on the other hand, could not beat Vanderbilt and will remain home. Georgia Tech, by virtue of their lose to Georgia, now needs to win the ACC Championship game to guarantee themselves a bowl game. Otherwise, their 6-7 record will leave them hoping there will be an insufficient number of eligible teams requiring the NCAA to use its eligibility rules for such circumstances. The ACC currently has 6 teams eligible out of a required 8, but Georgia Tech’s status is up in the air.
Big 12
Eligible Teams:
Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia
Analysis:
It is still hard to believe we are this late into the season and still talking about West Virginia’s eligibility given how they started the year. Yet, at long last, the Mountaineers will be in a bowl game after defeating Iowa State. High scoring Baylor outlasted Texas Tech to also reach bowl eligibility. The Big 12 will finish with 9 eligible teams while only requiring 7 to fill its obligations.
Big East
Eligible Teams:
Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse
On the Cusp:
Pittsburgh (South Florida)
Analysis:
It is remarkable that, even though they are 7-5, Syracuse is actually in the BCS bowl conversation. Though they will not be selected, as the rule is based on where they wind up in the BCS rankings with Rutgers and Louisville, it still demonstrates the turnaround for their season. Pittsburgh defeated Rutgers given them a much easier road to bowl eligibility this week against South Florida. Assuming they win, the Big East will have 5 teams out of a required 6 obligations.
Conference USA
Eligible Teams:
UCF, East Carolina, Rice, SMU and Tulsa
Analysis:
Marshall lost in double overtime to East Carolina to fall out of bowl contention. SMU and Rice, on the other hand, both won their final games and are now eligible for a bowl. Conference USA finishes with 5 eligible teams while requiring 6 for their affiliations.
Independents
Eligible Teams:
BYU, Notre Dame and Navy
Analysis:
Notre Dame will be going to the BCS Championship. No other changes for the Independents. They finish with 3 bowl teams while having 3 affiliations.
MAC
Eligible Teams:
Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State, Ohio, Northern Illinois and Toledo.
Analysis:
As expected, Central Michigan defeated UMass and is now bowl eligible. The MAC finishes with 7 eligible teams while only having 3 bowl affiliations.
Mountain West
Eligible Teams:
Air Force, Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, Nevada
Analysis:
The MWC was already complete with 5 eligible teams to fill its 5 affiliations.
PAC 12
Eligible Teams:
Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington
Analysis:
The PAC-12 has eight eligible teams for seven affiliations.
SEC
Eligible Teams:
Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Mississippi, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
Analysis:
Missouri lost to Texas A&M meaning they will be staying home this bowl season while Ole Miss defeated Mississippi State to reach bowl eligibility. The SEC will have 9 eligible teams coming one short of its 10 obligations.
Sun Belt
Eligible Teams:
Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State and
Western Kentucky
Analysis:
Troy lost their last game meaning the Sun Belt is done with 5 eligible teams. They are affiliated with only 2 bowl games.
WAC
Eligible Teams:
Utah State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State
Analysis:
When it comes to bowl eligibility, the WAC is already set with 3 teams. They are affiliated with 2 bowl games.
Final Analysis
Of the 70 slots available, 71 teams have already qualified, which includes Pittsburgh who should become eligible this week. The impact of Pittsburgh winning will likely affect one of the WAC or Sun Belt bowl eligible teams.
With these numbers including Georgia Tech, it does appear that they will have to win their game against Florida State in the ACC Championship to maintain their eligibility. Ah the craziness of the ACC!
Last week, I predicted that the following schools would become bowl eligible after the past weekend:
Central Michigan(Won)
Michigan State(Won)
Purdue(Won)
Rice(Won)
Virginia Tech(Won)
Perfect score, though several other teams also became eligible (SMU, West Virginia, Mississippi). It means that there will be enough school eligible to fill all the bowl games, which organizers of some low-rated games are thankful for.
Bowl Eligibility - Updated Conference Analysis (Nov 19)
Filed under:
As much as I hate to say, I am rooting for Notre Dame this weekend against USC. I cannot stand to watch another SEC dominated BCS Championship game and the Irish are all that stand between that matchup coming to fruition once more.
Miami became bowl eligible this past weekend and made the smart decision to self impose a ban for this season. One just has to look at Ohio State to see why it was better to forego a bowl during a 6-5 season – you never know what the next season will bring. I am sure those in charge at OSU are lamenting that decision now.
Your recap of bowl affiliations by conference:
Big Ten – 8 affiliations
Rose, Heart of Dallas, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Buffalo Wild Wings, Meineke Car Care and Little Ceasars
ACC – 8 affiliations
Orange, Sun, Music City, Chick Fil A, Russell Athletic, Independence, Military and Belk
B12 – 7 affiliations
Fiesta, Cotton, Pinstripe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Alamo, Meineke Car Care and Holiday
Big East – 6 affiliations
BBVA Compass, Liberty*, Pin Stripe, Russell Athletic, Belk and Beef O’Brady’s
Conference USA – 6 affiliations
Heart of Dallas, Liberty*, Armed Forces, Hawaii, New Orleans and Beef O’Brady’s
MAC – 3 affiliations
Go Daddy, Little Caesars and Famous Idaho Potato
Mountain West – 5 affiliations
Armed Forces, Hawaii*, Las Vegas, Poinsettia and New Mexico
PAC 12 – 7 affiliations
Rose, Sun, Kraft Fight Hunger, Alamo, Holiday, Las Vegas and New Mexico
SEC – 10 affiliations
Sugar, BBVA Compass, Cotton, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Music City, Liberty*, Chik Fil A and Independence
Sun Belt – 2 affiliations
Go Daddy and New Orleans
WAC – 2 affiliations
Hawaii* and Famous Idaho Potato
At Large Bids – 5
BCS Championship, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange
Other Bids (Independent) – 3
Poinsettia (takes BYU eligible), Kraft Fight Hunger (takes Navy if eligible) and Military (takes Army if eligible)
* Liberty takes either CUSA or SEC team and Hawaii takes Mountain West or WAC team
In total, 35 bowl games meaning 70 slots that have to be filled by eligible teams. Let us see how each conference fairs in terms of eligible teams. The information below is broken down as follows: Eligible Teams (have 6 wins already) and On the Cusp (5 wins). I only have one teams left in the Still Have a Shot category. I have also provided the remaining schedule beside each team listed under On the Cusp.
Big Ten
Eligible Teams:
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin
On the Cusp:
Michigan State (Minnesota)
Purdue (Indiana)
Analysis:
Purdue took care of business against Illinois and now just has to win against Indiana. Michigan State lost another close one against Northwestern and is lucky that Minnesota is the last game on their schedule. A lose to the Gophers will leave the Spartans at home.
ACC
Eligible Teams:
Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech and NC State
On the Cusp:
Wake Forest (Vanderbilt)
Virginia Tech (Virginia)
Analysis:
Both Georgia Tech and Miami became bowl eligible this week, but the administrators at Miami immediately took their program out of the post season. Wake Forest and Virginia Tech still have a shot on the last Saturday of the season, but neither game is easy.
Big 12
Eligible Teams:
Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech
On the Cusp:
West Virginia (Iowa State and Kansas)
Baylor (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State)
Analysis:
Baylor’s huge upset of Kansas State puts them in a good position to become bowl eligible. They have two tough opponents, but as we saw this past Saturday, they can score and should be competitive. West Virginia almost pulled out a victory against Oklahoma, but they can rest easy knowing Kansas is still on the schedule though it is shocking that they are still not eligible given how their season started. Iowa State, on the other hand, reached six wins and is now bowl eligible.
Big East
Eligible Teams:
Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers and Syracuse
On the Cusp:
None
Still a Shot:
Pittsburgh (Rutgers and South Florida)
Analysis:
Look at Syracuse! Following a big win against Louisville, they followed that up by defeating Missouri to become bowl eligible. Pittsburgh was off, so I will keep them on the list, but they have a tough game this week. If they can get past Rutgers, their chances look good against South Florida.
Conference USA
Eligible Teams:
UCF, East Carolina and Tulsa
On the Cusp:
SMU (Tulsa)
Rice (UTEP)
Marshall (East Carolina)
Analysis:
Rice beat SMU to set up a big game against UTEP – win that, and they likely go to a bowl game. SMU has a tougher challenge against Tulsa this week. Marshall beat Houston, knocking them out of bowl contention, but like SMU, have a tough test against East Carolina. If all three can win this weekend, the C-USA will have six bowl eligible teams.
Independents
Eligible Teams:
BYU, Notre Dame and Navy
On the Cusp:
None
Analysis:
Nothing changed for the Independents – wait – scratch that. Notre Dame easily took down Wake Forest and are now in line to reach the BCS Championship after Kansas State and Oregon lost.
MAC
Eligible Teams:
Ball State, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Northern Illinois and Toledo.
On the Cusp:
Central Michigan (Massachusetts)
Analysis:
Central Michigan took care of Miami (Ohio) and should become bowl eligible this weekend against UMass. That will give the MAC seven bowl eligible teams.
Mountain West
Eligible Teams:
Air Force, Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, Nevada
On the Cusp:
None
Analysis:
Air Force obtained bowl eligibility by beating Hawaii become the 5thand final team from the MWC.
PAC 12
Eligible Teams:
Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington
On the Cusp:
None
Analysis:
Arizona State is the last team to become eligible after Utah lost to Arizona. That is eight eligible teams from the PAC-12.
SEC
Eligible Teams:
Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
On the Cusp:
Mississippi (Mississippi State)
Missouri (Texas A&M)
Analysis:
Arkansas and Tennessee lost eliminating both schools from bowl contention. Dooley was immediately fired and I think we can expect that John L. Smith will gone as well. Mississippi and Missouri also lost, but they each have one game remaining. I do not expect either to win, however, which would close the SEC with eight eligible teams.
Sun Belt
Eligible Teams:
Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State and
Western Kentucky
On the Cusp:
Troy (Middle Tennessee State)
Analysis:
Louisiana-Lafayette became bowl eligible by beating Western Kentucky. Troy did not win leaving them with one more chance to reach the post season.
WAC
Eligible Teams:
Utah State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State
On the Cusp:
None
Analysis:
When it comes to bowl eligibility, the WAC is already set.
Final Analysis
Of the 70 slots available, 62 teams have already qualified. I have a further 13 teams listed as On the Cusp. There is still a good chance that there will be enough eligible teams available, though only Pittsburgh remains on my Still a Shot list. Last week, I predicted that the following schools would become bowl eligible after the past weekend:
Air Force (Won)
Arizona State (Won)
Georgia Tech (Won)
Iowa State (Won)
Miami (Fla.) (Won)
Missouri (Lost)
SMU (Lost)
Five out of seven – not terrible. With Miami taking a bowl ban this year, the remaining bowl games are itching to see more teams become eligible. I believe the following teams will become bowl eligible this week:
Central Michigan
Michigan State
Purdue
Rice
Virginia Tech
If correct, that would leave three spots still available to fill up all the bowl games. Three teams play after this week: Pittsburgh (if they win this week), West Virginia and Baylor. Only West Virginia looks like a sure thing. As a result, if my predictions are accurate, there is the potential for a shortage of bowl eligible teams. I will look at this further in next week’s edition.
Bowl Predictions
Filed under:
Well, here it is! As promised, below are my bowl predictions. In order to not be tainted, I have not reviewed any other projections available on the interwebs. I also tried, as much as possible, to find information on the selection process and the in order in which certain games get to pick teams. I can tell, it gets a bit tricky as we get further away from the BCS Championship, especially when certain conferences with tie-ins run out of teams. If there is anything glaringly inaccurate or something I can add to make this more interesting/informative, please let me know! I look forward to the debates.
For the at-large selections in the BCS, the order this year is Fiesta, Sugar and Orange.
I am presenting these in the order in which they will be played, beginning with the first matchup on December 15 and have included each team's current record.
|
Game |
Matchup |
|
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl– December 15- Boise, Idaho |
Louisiana-Monroe (6-4) v. |
|
Rationale: Louisiana-Monroe and Bowling Green benefit from a lack of eligible teams from the power conferences and get to play on the blue field. |
|
|
New Mexico Bowl– December 15 – Albuquerque, New Mexico |
Western Kentucky (6-4) v. |
|
Rationale: Western Kentucky is selected as an at-large team from the Sun Belt. Arizona State is the 8thand last team selected from the PAC-12. |
|
|
Poinsettia Bowl– December 20 – San Diego, California |
Utah State (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: BYU was contracted to this game. An all-Utah bowl game is set up at Utah State from the WAC receives an at-large bid. |
|
|
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl– December 21 – St. Petersburg, Florida |
Ball State (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Ball State gets an at-large bid since the Big East does not have enough teams. Houston is the C-USA representative. |
|
|
Maaco Bowl Las Vegas– December 22 – Las Vegas, Nevada |
Fresno State (8-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Fresno State gets the nod as the 1stteam out of the MWC. Washington is the 6thteam from the PAC-12. |
|
|
New Orleans Bowl– December 22 – New Orleans, Louisiana |
Arkansas State (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Arkansas State gets chosen out of the Sun Belt and plays Ohio, the 6thteam from the MAC. |
|
|
Hawaii Bowl– December 24 - Honolulu, Hawaii |
Nevada (6-4) v. |
|
Rationale: Nevada goes to Honolulu as the 5thteam out of the MWC. SMU is the 4thteam out of C-USA. |
|
|
Little Caesars Bowl– December 26 – Detroit, Michigan |
Kent State (9-1) v. |
|
Rationale: Kent State gets the nod from the MAC, while an at-large pick goes to San Jose State, who take the B10 slot. |
|
|
Belk Bowl– December 27 – Charlotte, North Carolina |
Cincinnati (7-2) v. |
|
Rationale: Cincinnati will be the 3rdteam out of the Big East and will face Duke, the 5thteam from the ACC. Georgia Tech could go here, but I think the Belk Bowl organizers will like having a state home team. |
|
|
Holiday Bowl– December 27 – San Diego, California |
UCLA (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: UCLA gets the nod as the 4thteam out of the PAC-12, while West Virginia gets ahead of TCU and is picked as the 6thteam out of the B12. |
|
|
Military Bowl– December 27 – Washington, D.C. |
Toledo (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: I like Air Force to come east to replace Army in this game. They could also go to the Armed Forces Bowl. Toledo gets an at-large selection from the MAC to replace the missing ACC team. |
|
|
Independence Bowl– December 28 – Shreveport, Louisiana |
Boise State (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: Boise State, based on the pedigree they’ve earned over the last few years, gets an at-large selection and will play Virginia, the 7thand final team selected out of the ACC. |
|
|
Meineke Car Care Bowl– December 28 – Houston, Texas |
TCU (6-4) v. |
|
Rationale: TCU is the 7thteam out of the B12, but if things shake out right, West Virginia could fall here. Heaven help Minnesota if that happens, who will be the 6thteam selected out of the B10. |
|
|
Russell Athletic Bowl– December 28 – Orlando, Florida |
Rutgers (8-1) v. |
|
Rationale: Rutgers will be the #2 team out of the Big East and play NC State, the #3 team out of the ACC. |
|
|
Alamo Bowl– December 29 – San Antonio, Texas |
Oklahoma State (6-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Oklahoma State will be the 4thteam out of the B12, while Stanford will be the 3rdselection from the PAC-12. |
|
|
Armed Forces Bowl– December 29 – Fort Worth, Texas |
San Diego State (8-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Air Force could go here as well, but I have San Diego State getting selected from the MWC. Louisiana Tech, who has had a great year out of the WAC, gets an at-large selection since C-USA does not have enough teams eligible. |
|
|
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl– December 29 – Phoenix, Arizona |
Texas Tech (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Texas Tech is #5 out of the B12, while Michigan State gets that 6thwin and is the 5thteam out of the B10. |
|
|
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl– December 29 – San Fran., Calif. |
Arizona (6-4) v. |
|
Rationale: Navy is contacted to this bowl game, so their selection is easy. Arizona will be the 7thteam out of the PAC-12. |
|
|
Pinstripe Bowl– December 29 – New York, New York |
Iowa State (5-5) v. |
|
Rationale: Iowa State will be the 8thand final team from the B12. Syracuse will win one more to become bow eligible and be the last team out of the Big East selected. |
|
|
Chick-fil-A Bowl– December 31 – Atlanta, Georgia |
Clemson (9-1) v. |
|
Rationale: Clemson will miss out on going to the ACC Championship, but should still be pleased with this game. Mississippi State is the 7thselection from the SEC and falls here. |
|
|
Liberty Bowl– December 31 – Memphis, Tennessee |
UCF (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: UCF will be the C-USA Champion and will face Missouri, who will just become eligible in their season in the SEC. |
|
|
Music City Bowl– December 31 – Nashville, Tennessee |
Georgia Tech (5-5) v. |
|
Rationale: I have Georgia Tech going to Nashville as the 6thteam out of ACC. Duke could also go here, but I have them elsewhere. Vanderbilt will be the 8thteam out of the SEC. |
|
|
Sun Bowl– December 31 – El Paso, Texas |
Miami (5-5) v. |
|
Rationale: Miami does not win the ACC Championship, but still gets selected to a good bowl game. They face Matt Barkley in his final game for the Trojans. |
|
|
Capital One Bowl– January 1 – Orlando, Florida |
Wisconsin (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Wisconsin loses the B10 Championship, but still get chosen here. They play the loser of the SEC Championship. |
|
|
Gator Bowl– January 1 – Jacksonville, Florida |
Northwestern (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: I project Northwestern to be selected next after Michigan and get a tough opponent in South Carolina. |
|
|
Outback Bowl– January 1 – Tampa, Florida |
Michigan (7-3) v. |
|
Rationale: Michigan wins out, but does not get into the B10 Championship since Nebraska does not. Michigan has not been to the Outback bowl since 2002 and has a 3-1 record. Texas A&M falls just beneath LSU and gets selected here. A tough but exciting matchup for the Wolverines. |
|
|
Heart of Dallas Bowl– January 1 – Dallas, Texas |
Purdue (4-6) v. |
|
Rationale: Purdue could slide into a bowl game with victories over Illinois and Indiana. If they do, I have them here as the 7thand last B10 selected. Tulsa gets selected as the #2 team from C-USA. |
|
|
Cotton Bowl– January 4 – Arlington, Texas |
Texas (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: I have Texas as the number 3 team in the B12, and with two already going to a BCS game, they get the benefit. However, their opponent will be LSU, which should be the third best team out of the SEC. |
|
|
BBVA Compass Bowl– January 5 - Birmingham, Alabama |
Tennessee (4-6) vs. |
|
Rationale: Tennessee has some work to do to qualify, but I think they get it done and slide into this bowl game. East Carolina out of C-USA takes the place of the Big East team since that conference does not have enough teams eligible. |
|
|
GoDaddy Bowl– January 6 – Mobile, Alabama |
North. Illinois (9-1) v. |
|
Rationale: Northern Illinois gets selected out of the MAC while I have Middle Tennessee State as the #2 team out of the Sun Belt. Not overly exciting, but you can enter a contest to meet Larry the Cable Guy. |
|
[Ed - fixed due to missing Toledo]
BCS BOWLS
|
Orange Bowl– January 1 – Miami, Florida |
Florida State (9-1) v. |
|
Rationale: ACC Champion Florida State automatically qualifies plays against Big East Champion Louisville, which still has an automatic bid through 2013. |
|
|
Rose Bowl– January 1 – Pasadena, California |
Nebraska (8-2) v. |
|
Rationale: Nebraska gets in by virtue of winning the B10 Championship game over Wisconsin. Oregon State is my pick here based on (1) Stanford likely losing to Oregon and UCLA/USC losing to Oregon in the P12 Championship game. Oregon State played a daunting schedule, and though they lose to Oregon, they still remain ranked higher than the other three. |
|
|
Sugar Bowl– January 2 – New Orleans, Louisiana |
Alabama (9-1) v. |
|
Rationale: Alabama is automatically picked as the SEC Champion. The Sugar Bowl gets to pick second and takes Notre Dame, who even if they lose to USC, will still be ranked high enough to qualify. |
|
|
Fiesta Bowl– January 3 – Glendale, Arizona |
Oklahoma (7-2) v. |
|
Rationale: With Kansas State in the title, I think the Fiesta Bowl would prefer to maintain its B12 tie-in and take Oklahoma. The Fiesta Bowl also gets first choice of eligible at-large teams, and would have taken Notre Dame, but as a rematch is not desired Florida, being ranked higher than SEC Championship loser Georgia, gets picked instead. |
|
|
BCS Championship– January 7 – Miami, Florida |
Kansas State (10-0) v. |
|
Rationale: Current BCS rankings indicate this will be the matchup. |
|
Toilet Bowl sponsored by Scrubbing Bubbles (not really)
Picture – two teams of such ineptitude that they are selected to play for the title of Worse Team in College Football. The winner gets to go home with their heads held slightly higher. The loser wins the not-so-coveted bronzed toilet bowl brush.
In this section, I will present the two worse teams from the current year.
2012 Toilet Bowl – Southern Missippi v. Colorado
Colorado is an easy pick. From the their many appearances in Brian’s Schadenfreude articles, to their pitiful record (1-9) and ranks in total offense (ranked 114) and defense (ranked 118), the Buffaloes have earned home field advantage.
Unbeknownst to me, but coming into this season, Southern Miss had a run of 18 consecutive winning seasons. I found this out in an October blog entry on SMQ. The run is officially over as the Golden Eagles have failed to win a game this season having lost all ten of their games.
Honorable Mention:
Auburn – currently 2-8 and ranked 118thin total offense and 90thin total defense
Idaho – currently 1-9 and ranked 115thin total offense and 117thin total defense
Kentucky – two SEC teams? It’s true.
Kansas – Charlie Weis. I think that says it all.
Akron – 1-10 record at least gets a mention, but does anyone really care?
Final Analysis
I have Troy, Louissiana-Lafayette and Central Michigan as the odd teams out of the picture currently that are eligible or might achieve eligibility. We shall see what happens over the final two weeks. Several of the teams above cannot lose a game and I expect there will be significant changes before the bowl games are officially announced. Until then, debate away!
Bowl Eligibility - Updated Conference Analysis
Filed under:
What a Saturday! The BCS is thrown into turmoil and we are faced with the possibility of the SEC being shutout of the title game. Thank you Texas A&M.
A recap of bowl affiliations by conference:
Big Ten – 8 affiliations
Rose, Heart of Dallas, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Buffalo Wild Wings, Meineke Car Care and Little Ceasars
ACC – 8 affiliations
Orange, Sun, Music City, Chik Fil A, Russell Athletic, Independence, Military and Belk
B12 – 7 affiliations
Fiesta, Cotton, Pinstripe, Buffalo Wild Wings, Alamo, Meineke Car Care and Holiday
Big East – 6 affiliations
BBVA Compass, Liberty*, Pin Stripe, Russell Athletic, Belk and Beef O’Brady’s
Conference USA – 6 affiliations
Heart of Dallas, Liberty*, Armed Forces, Hawaii, New Orleans and Beef O’Brady’s
MAC – 3 affiliations
Go Daddy, Little Caesars and Famous Idaho Potato
Mountain West – 5 affiliations
Armed Forces, Hawaii*, Las Vegas, Poinsettia and New Mexico
PAC 12 – 7 affiliations
Rose, Sun, Kraft Fight Hunger, Alamo, Holiday, Las Vegas and New Mexico
SEC – 10 affiliations
Sugar, BBVA Compass, Cotton, Outback, Gator, Capital One, Music City, Liberty*, Chik Fil A and Independence
Sun Belt – 2 affiliations
Go Daddy and New Orleans
WAC – 2 affiliations
Hawaii* and Famous Idaho Potato
At Large Bids – 5
BCS Championship, Fiesta, Sugar and Orange
Other Bids (Independent) – 3
Poinsettia (takes BYU eligible), Kraft Fight Hunger (takes Navy if eligible) and Military (takes Army if eligible)
* Liberty takes either CUSA or SEC team and Hawaii takes Mountain West or WAC team
In total, 35 bowl games meaning 70 slots that have to be filled by eligible teams. Let us see how each conference fairs in terms of eligible teams. The information below is broken down as follows: Eligible Teams (have 6 wins already), On the Cusp (5 wins) and Still Have a Shot (4 wins. I have also provided the remaining schedule beside each team listed under On the Cusp or Still Have a Shot.
Big Ten
Eligible Teams:
Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Wisconsin
On the Cusp:
Michigan State (Northwestern and Minnesota)
Still a Shot:
Iowa (Michigan and Nebraska)
Indiana (Penn State and Purdue)
Analysis:
Minnesota took care of business and becomes bowl eligible for the first time since 2009 and the first under Jerry Kill. Michigan stays in competition for the Rose bowl, but Nebraska’s win over Penn State gives the Cornhuskers the advantage. Iowa and Indiana still have a shot, but they cannot afford to lose another game. Michigan State was idle, but still looks to be in good shape needing only one more win.
ACC
Eligible Teams:
Clemson, Duke, Florida State and NC State
On the Cusp:
Wake Forest (Notre Dame and Vanderbilt)
Miami (Fla.) (South Florida and Duke)
Georgia Tech (Duke and Georgia)
Still a Shot:
Maryland (Florida State and North Carolina)
Virginia Tech (Boston College and Virginia)
Analysis:
NC State took care of business against Wake Forest and becomes bowl eligible. Georgia Tech’s win over North Carolina puts them in great shape this week against Duke. A victory will see them get that coveted sixth victory. VT still has a shot, but cannot lose either of its last two games while Maryland’s chances are slime. Miami has two winnable games remaining and is still in good shape.
Big 12
Eligible Teams:
Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, TCU and Texas Tech
On the Cusp:
West Virginia (Oklahoma, Iowa State and Kansas)
Iowa State (Kansas and West Virginia)
Still a Shot:
Baylor (Kansas State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State)
Analysis:
West Virginia and Iowa State each lost this past weekend, but they play each other and Kansas, I expect both to become bowl eligible. Baylor is still in the hunt, but their schedule is daunting. I do not see them getting through that gauntlet with two wins.
Big East
Eligible Teams:
Cincinnati, Louisville and Rutgers
On the Cusp:
Syracuse (Missouri and Temple)
Still a Shot:
Pittsburgh (Rutgers and South Florida)
Analysis:
Syracuse’s huge upset over Louisville now moves them into the driver’s seat for reaching a bowl game. A win over Missouri or Temple will see them reach the postseason. The question now is whether the Big East can keep a team ranked high enough to reach a BCS game. It will be interesting to watch over the final two weeks – this league cannot afford any more loses by Louisville or Rutgers.
Conference USA
Eligible Teams:
UCF, East Carolina and Tulsa
On the Cusp:
SMU (Rice and Tulsa)
Still a Shot:
Houston (Marshall and Tulane)
Marshall (Houston and East Carolina)
Rice (SMU and UTEP)
Analysis:
Marshall really needed to beat UAB and their chances are now extremely slim. Houston is in a similar position. As they two schools play each other next week, only one will move forward with a change to get that needed sixth win. As expected, SMU took care of business and is now On the Cusp.
Independents
Eligible Teams:
BYU, Notre Dame and Navy
On the Cusp:
None
Still a Shot:
None
Analysis:
BYU got their sixth victory, which finalizes things for the independents. BYU and Navy know where they’ll be playing already, while Notre Dame remains in the hunt for the BCS Championship.
MAC
Eligible Teams:
Ball State, Bowling Green, Kent State, Ohio, Northern Illinois and Toledo.
On the Cusp:
NONE
Still a Shot:
Miami (Ohio) (Central Michigan and Ball State)
Central Michigan (Miami (Ohio) and Massachusetts)
Analysis:
With Western Michigan’s loss to Buffalo, only the winner of the Miami/Central Michigan game this weekend has a chance to reach a bowl game. I like Central Michigan’s chances much better since their last game is against UMass.
Mountain West
Eligible Teams:
Fresno State, San Diego State, Boise State, Nevada
On the Cusp:
Air Force (Hawaii and Fresno State)
Still a Shot:
New Mexico (Nevada and Colorado State)
Analysis:
New Mexico lost to Wyoming leaving them little chance to reach six wins with a game against Nevada this weekend. Air Force should become eligible this weekend against Hawaii. A loss pits their chances in defeating Fresno State, who looked strong in their win over Nevada.
PAC 12
Eligible Teams:
Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington
On the Cusp:
Arizona State (Washington State and Arizona)
Still a Shot:
Utah (Arizona, Colorado)
Analysis:
Ah Colorado – giving bowl eligibility to schools everywhere. This week it was Arizona to receive the reward. Washington would have been next, but they beat Utah to get their sixth win, which means they’ll likely finish the season with a winning record. Arizona State and Utah still have work to do. If Utah can pull off an upset against Arizona, they are likely assured a sixth win with Colorado on the schedule to close out the season.
SEC
Eligible Teams:
Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
On the Cusp:
Mississippi (LSU and Mississippi State)
Missouri (Syracuse and Texas A&M)
Still a Shot:
Tennessee (Vanderbilt and Kentucky)
Arkansas (Mississippi State and LSU)
Analysis:
Thank you Texas A&M for giving us the chance that the SEC might be shutout of the BCS Championship. Vanderbilt became eligible with their victory over Ole Miss while Missouri’s 4 Overtime victory over Tennessee moved them to On the Cusp. Tennessee cannot lost another game while Arkansas will likely fall off this list this weekend.
Sun Belt
Eligible Teams:
Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky
On the Cusp:
Louisiana-Lafayette (Western Kentucky, South Alabama, FAU)
Troy (Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee State)
Still a Shot:
None
Analysis:
The Ragin’ Cajuns came so close to defeating to Florida, but are still in great shape. Troy is also looking good after taking down Navy though their last two games are against the top teams in the Sun Belt.
WAC
Eligible Teams:
Utah State, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State
On the Cusp:
None
Still a Shot:
None
Analysis:
When it comes to bowl eligibility, the WAC is already set.
Final Analysis
Of the 70 slots available, 56 teams have already qualified. I have a further 14 teams listed as On the Cusp. There is still a good chance that there will be enough eligible teams available, though I bet bowl organizers would appreciate some of the Still a Shot schools to come through over the final two weeks. I predict the following schools will become bowl eligible this week:
Air Force
Arizona State
Georgia Tech
Iowa State
Miami (Fla.)
Missouri
SMU
As requested, on Thursday I will give you a breakdown of bowl matchups based on my own analysis. Stay tuned!
Ohio still gets 2012 bowl revenue...
Filed under:
So despite being banned from playing in a bowl game next year Ohio is still going to get their share of the B1G bowl pot. I guess it's not *THAT* big of a deal but I still think that's stupid. If you're banned from going to a bowl game I think the money should be split amongst the rest of the schools - you shouldn't get a massive financial windfall becasue you broke the rules!
Also, where in the world are they coming up with 400k??? As noted by Blue In Seattle just over a month ago the average payout per member school from the bowls is over 2.5M!
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/big-ten-bowl-payout
"Total Bowl Payout: $47,200,000 ($47.2M)
Total Travel Expenses borne by Big 10: $15,550,000 ($15.55M)
Big 10 profit after expenses: $31,650,000 ($31.65M)
Big Ten splits revenue equally amongst all its member schools (except new member Nebraska, which is subject to terms of a financial integration plan the conference will not disclose)
Thus:
$31,650,000 divided by 12 = a minimum of $2,637,500 per school (approximate, and best-case-scenario number gleaned from assuming that Nebraska will get an equal cut, which it will not.)"
*Edited for verbiage
