papabear16

December 5th, 2008 at 12:25 PM ^

It goes both ways. Boise also showed no interest in discussions with the Motor City Bowl for a matchup. Boise State is a good enough team as it - I don't know that I'd want to play them on their home turf if I could help it.

Maceo24

December 5th, 2008 at 12:58 PM ^

Don't forget that the MAC has a contract with the Motor City Bowl. I'm only guessing, but it's highly likely that there is a large financial obligation if the MAC champ goes anywhere other than a BCS game. I don't know about the Humanitarian Bowl's contractual affiliation.

VAWolverine

December 5th, 2008 at 12:31 PM ^

Boise should make the BCS instead of the effin Buckeyes.

Who in their right mind would want to go to an outdoor frozen tundra bowl game to play the home team on their blue turfed field? Not the hill I would want to die on. It's like M going to another Alamo Bowl...don't want to see it.

Yinka Double Dare

December 5th, 2008 at 1:03 PM ^

As a fan I'd rather go to an Alamo Bowl than a Capital One Bowl/Champs Sports Bowl. Orlando mostly blows if you aren't married with little kids. If not going to a BCS bowl (all of which are in travel spots that have plenty of fun), I'd rather go to the Outback, Alamo, or Insight bowls. San Antonio has the Riverwalk. Orlando, in the words of a high school friend of mine who lived there, said "it's like the bar scene at University of Illinois, except smaller and less fun".

For matchups in a non-BCS bowl obviously one would rather see Michigan in a CapOne bowl.

jamiemac

December 5th, 2008 at 1:02 PM ^

.....first heard about a possible Boise vs Ball St Motor City Bowl, I actually thought about changing my holiday plans so I get back to Toledo in time to go to this game in person.

Alas, it wont happen.....I dont blame Ball St for not wanting to go to Boise.....Broncos would destroy them up there on the Smurf Turf.....frankly, I think they would beat them by at least a TD on any field.

Sounds like Boise vs TCU in Poinsetta Bowl might be a go....that would be a cool game.

Not sure a Big 10 will go to the Motor City Bowl. IF OSU goes into a BCS Bowl, the conference wont have enough teams that are bowl eligible.

I expect one of the 10 teams that are bowl eligible from the ACC to end up in Detroit....NC St or Wake Forest, probably........maybe those of us in the Jim Grobe Mafia can go!!

Hannibal.

December 5th, 2008 at 1:35 PM ^

Ball State may, indeed, lose a game to Boise State but it still doesn't say good things about your program if you turn down your only legitimate opportunity to prove yourselves. You certainly lose any right that you once had to complain about not being selected for a higher game.

jamiemac

December 5th, 2008 at 1:44 PM ^

Boise or Ball St.

If Ball St, then I agree.

If Boise, I totally disagree. They've scheduled the Pac 10 every year onto their slate (usually Oregon or Oregon St) and travelled to UGA in 2005.

Plus, they've all but refused to be pigeon holed into the Humanitarian Bowl (the one in Boise), brokering deals in the past to play TCU (12/2003), Louisville (12/2004) and ECU (12/2007) in bowl games away from Boise, not to mention the famous Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl (1/2007).

Plus, playing TCU this year in a bowl might be harder than Ball St.

I dont think Boise is ducking anyone, although I wish they were a bit more open to playing Ball St somewhere else.....personally, I'd like to see Boise play Utah.

jamiemac

December 5th, 2008 at 2:07 PM ^

I like being on the same page with you.

Had to ask, only because I do think its a bit cheeky that Boise said, 'yeah, we'll play ya, but only up here.'

I think they can be sorta critiqued for that, but I had to get it out there that usually they're more open to going to different bowl games.

My sense is that they feel playing TCU would be a higher profile game for them, so they played a little extra hard ball on the Ball St plan.

Hannibal.

December 5th, 2008 at 2:29 PM ^

I'm not sure if Boise has any choice but to play Ball State at home since they probably have few (if any) choices for bowl games that both teams would be eligible for. I agree that a neutral field matchup between Ball State and Boise would be the best scenario, but that doesn't appear to be possible.

chitownblue (not verified)

December 5th, 2008 at 4:49 PM ^

I have an inkling that TCU is a better team than Ball State anyway - a win in that game would do more to boost Boise's resume than beating Ball St.