OT(?): Kent St. may automatically qualify for a BCS bowl

Submitted by Erik_in_Dayton on

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/11/28/bcs-computers-kent-state/index.html

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bcs-implications-niu-vs-kent-195333184--ncaaf.html

As the above links note*, Kent St. will go to a BCS bowl if it finishes in the top 16 of the BCS standings and finishes ahead of the champion of an AQ conference.  As of today, the Golden Flashes are 17th in the BCS rankings (see below) and ranked ahead of every Big East team.  They have the chance to up their rankings when they play No. 21 (in the BCS) NIU tomorrow. 

Arguments for Kent St. include the fact that they are 11-1 and that they beat the glorious football power that is Rutgers (yes, our Rutgers).  An argument against is that they lost 47-14 to Kentucky and that their best win was against the glorious football power that is Rutgers.  The fact that they are named The Golden Flashes is an argument both for and against, I think. 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/ncaa/polls/bcs/

What sayeth you about this?  To me, being in the top 16 and ranked ahead of an AQ champion is not much of a hurdle.   Of course, being the champion of the Big East isn't much of a hurdle either.  I wish the FBS had just scrapped all of the conference-related rules for the years left before the switch to the playoff. 

*Thanks to vnperk for pointing out that the first link only implies what I said above about the BCS rules.  The second link confirms it. 

ghost

November 30th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^

It would look pretty stupid if a team falls for beating an 11-1 team in a conference title game and is passed by teams who are not playing or someone like Boise. I don't have any sympathy for an Oklahoma team who has gotten the benefits of the doubt numerous times before because of name recognition and who almost lost to W.Virginia.

wiper

November 30th, 2012 at 11:23 AM ^

class of '04 here.

and while i'll be watching tonight and whatever bowl they make it to, i have to admit that in 4 years of living in kent i never made it to a football game. tailgated a couple times, then decided that we wanted to keep drinking instead of watch kent state play football. haha

did make the elite 8 in basketball when i was there, that was pretty damn fun.

meals69

November 30th, 2012 at 5:50 PM ^

Yeah, I played for him, he also recurited me while he was at ND. I was kind of excited when we hired him. I loved Coach Blackney, and it was hard to see him go, but I figured with meyer: at least he knew me. Man was I wrong! He picked people to "pick on" until they left the program. kept holding shit over our heads that had happened at BGSU before ANY of us came there. to top it all off, I played my entire last seaon with a separated shoulder and shreaded everything in there so bad it took 5 years AFTER reconstructive surgery before it was back to 100%...bastard pulled my scholly when I chose the use of my arm over my senior year. didn't even let me keep it the second half of my junior year, took it during winter break. I still pray to this day I'll run into him in a dark alley somewhere. From what I've heard, his ethics haven't changed any as far as his win at all costs, kids be damed mentality goes. I know ALOT of Ohio fans that weren't happy with his hire and regardless of his 12-0 season still aren't happy with him.

ghost

November 30th, 2012 at 6:38 PM ^

Who is going to jump them?  The computers are going to give them a boost for beating an  11-1 team. The teams right behind them in Coaches poll are Northwestern, Texas who is playing K-State and in the assumption it that they will lose.  Next is Utah St. who is done playing.  Louisville beat Rutgers, but they were way behind Kent State (who already beat Rutgers by a larger margin).  Right in front of them in the coaches poll is N.Illinois who they would jump over if they beat them.  Boise St., who is in front of them in both human polls plays at Neveda which won't help their ratings much, but is a game they could very well lose.

UMRecruitingFannatic

November 30th, 2012 at 10:41 AM ^

Well at least Delaney has reassured us that Rutgers will be a national power in a few years....

...ahahahahahaha.

And yes, I think Kent St. should have the opportunity to go, Big East isn't bringing much to the table this year.

vnperk

November 30th, 2012 at 10:43 AM ^

But the article doesn't seem to explicitly say that they'll automatically qualify if they meet those conditions. If that were the case, it wouldn't matter anyways, because I highly doubt any BCS bowl would want them.

Killewis

November 30th, 2012 at 10:52 AM ^

 

"3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will earn an automatic berth in a BCS bowl game if either:

  A. Such team is ranked in the top 12 of the final BCS Standings, or,

  B. Such team is ranked in the top 16 of the final BCS Standings and its ranking in the final BCS Standings is higher than that of a champion of a conference that has an annual automatic berth in one of the BCS bowls.

No more than one such team from Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, and the Western Athletic Conference shall earn an automatic berth in any year. (Note: a second team may be eligible for at-large eligibility as noted below.) If two or more teams from those conferences satisfy the provisions for an automatic berth, then the team with the highest finish in the final BCS Standings will receive the automatic berth, and the remaining team or teams will be considered for at-large selection if it meets the criteria."

Blazefire

November 30th, 2012 at 10:45 AM ^

If you really want to show that anyone has a chance to make the BCS if they play their guts out, getting a MAC or a C USA or some such team in is the way to do it.

Not to mention that the MAC has produced some of the most prolific, fun to watch offenses and daring, 'will keep up with anyone' game plans in recent history.

Blazefire

November 30th, 2012 at 12:48 PM ^

The thing is, you're faulting them in part because of their conference schedule. Well, they went undefeated in the MAC this year. This year, the MAC had a number of wins or close losses against big name teams. MAC had wins or close losses in the B1G (including a win over PSU), the SEC, Big East, Service Academies and big names from lower conferences.

Not necessarily a murderers row, but to say their schedule is a joke because they had to play MAC teams is misleading. The MAC is full of teams that big schools are afraid to schedule OOC because they never remember their place and always play well above level.

ShockFX

November 30th, 2012 at 2:32 PM ^

He said: "The thing is, you're faulting them in part because of their conference schedule."

No, I'm faulting them for losing to the worst team in the SEC by 30.

 

However, I'm cool with it. If the B1G isn't getting 2 bids, better to take one away from OU or someone and give to the little guy.

LSAClassOf2000

November 30th, 2012 at 11:12 AM ^

One thing that is interesting about this game is that Northern Illinois' Sagarin predictor is actually higher than Kent State's, and indeed, the model estimates NIU as a favorite by a TD.

As for the possibility of Kent State being the BCS at-large bid, I think this would be the first time for any MAC team since the inception of the BCS system that a representative of the conference was even within reach of going. Before that,  I think only teams that had gotten into a BCS bowl as a non-AQ at-large were TCU (in the MWC at the time), Utah (twice, as a member of the MWC), and Boise State (twice, at the time in the WAC).

ChopBlock

November 30th, 2012 at 11:19 AM ^

I really hope KSU gets their autobid and plays ACC Champ GaTech (6-6ish) in the shittiest BCS game of all time. That'd be an appropriate way to bid adieu off the wretchedness that is the BCS

MaizedOUTinoh

November 30th, 2012 at 11:47 AM ^

By a football team in 40 years. That team included a few good players. Saban, Lambert just to name a few. Yeungling put up a few busses as well to transport people. Josh Cribbs who is always giving back to the school put up 4 busses to the game. Go Flashes. Nice to see the turn around so quick.

Darth Wolverine

November 30th, 2012 at 12:15 PM ^

I'm a KSU alumnus (2005) and this would be great, but I thought the MAC doesn't have an automatic bid, regardless of rank.

Alton

November 30th, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^

I think it would be an amazing accomplishment for Kent State to get an invitation to a major bowl game and to qualify for the College World Series in the same year.

The last team from the Great Lakes area to accomplish that feat was Michigan in 1983 (third place in the College World Series in the spring, followed by a Sugar Bowl invitation in the fall).

Brodie

November 30th, 2012 at 1:59 PM ^

I think if you've ever supported a WAC or Mountain West team making the BCS, you have no right to complain when the rules allow for a team you don't find interesting to make it to the show. 

WolvinLA2

November 30th, 2012 at 2:44 PM ^

Kent St. needs UCLA to lose to get in (which is likely), and then Texas losing to Kansas St.  Both of those are likely, but if only one of the two happens, then Kent State is likely out, as UCLA would stay above them with a win and Texas would jump them after beating Kansas St.

Blazefire

November 30th, 2012 at 4:22 PM ^

It's not that NO eligible team from an AQ conference is ranked above them. It's that Any one AQ conference cannot fulfill it's obligations and they are ranked 16 or above. Basically, it's like this:

Big, SEC, PAC, Big Twelve, ACC each get one bid to a bcs game, with the other two bids being at large, for allegedly, the highest ranked team that was not a champion of one of those conferences (though it actually often goes to the msot attractive major at large, not highest ranked, necessarily). Those two at larges can be filled with any team, including AQ and Non-AQ teams.

HOWEVA, if an AQ conference champion is ranked BELOW 16, and that conference has no other teams ranked above 16, such as the Big East this year, then a Non-AQ team, such as one from the MAC, will be selected to take their place provided that team IS ranked above 16.

The empty spot does not become an At-Large spot, wherein the best or most attractive team available takes it. Here is the order of picking for a given BCS spot that is not an at large spot.

1. Is this the national championship game? If so, #1 or #2. If No, proceed to step 2.

2. Is the champion of the associated AQ conference available (they are available so long as they are not in the title game or suspended from post-season.) If yes, they recieve the bid. If no, the next best team from that conference recieves the bid. UNLESS!!!!

2A: Is the team selected in step 2 ranked 16 or higher in the BCS rankings?

2A1: Yes. the team recieves the BCS bid.

2A2: No, but there are no Non-AQ conference teams ranked 16 or higher. The team recieves the bid, even if they are ranked 50th and there are both AQ and non AQ teams ranked higher and available. That's how the Big East put a non-top 25 team into the Orange Bowl.

2A3: No, and there is a non-AQ team ranked 16 or higher. The Non-AQ team recieves the bid.

Things that cannot happen:

1. One AQ Conference can never recieve the bid of anotehr AQ conference due to rankings or other concerns. Each AQ conference has their own bid and a chance at one of two at larges.

2. A Non-AQ team can never reach a BCS bowl unless they are ranked HIGHER than an AQ conference's champion/highest ranked team, and that team is ranked lower than #16 OR if that Non-AQ team is ranked higher than 12 overall.

These rules were enacted because 100% impossible for a Non-AQ team not named TCU or Boise to reach the top ten where they have a legitimate chance at an At Large bid.