Michigan Won't Be Playing Texas A & M in a Bowl
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/news/story?id=5867920
We can cross off Texas A & M off the list. They are in the Cotton Bowl against some team from the ESS EEE SEE.
What does that leave us with now? Missouri, Oklahoma St., Nebraska, K-State, Baylor, Florida?
What say you?
November 30th, 2010 at 9:40 PM ^
Weren't they a possibility to play also?
November 30th, 2010 at 10:20 PM ^
I didn't think they'd fall to Gator.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:29 PM ^
I thought playing in the Outback was a possibility? Or is it a given that Iowa will be there? Also, where will Miss State end up?
December 1st, 2010 at 8:20 AM ^
I think it looks more like PSU to the Outback, unless Bama is the SEC rep as they wouldn't want those two teams to play again. I think Iowa's 3 game losing streak (4 of 6) could hurt them. There are reports of Ferentz losing the team, and that type of stuff is never good for bowl PR. I guess it all comes down to how the SEC falls after this weekend on who the Outback takes. Sure, UM still has a chance as we haven't been there is a while, but I still think it will be PSU or Iowa, and then it is a toss up between the Gator and Insight for UM and the team not picked for the Outback.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:52 AM ^
But apparently U of M is their second choice. If for whatever reason PSU doesn't go to the Outback, U of M will probably go. But since it's most likely PSU, Michigan has the best shot at the Gator bowl. Both of those bowls want us more than Iowa.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
Yes, and they won't, but Michigan could get picked for the Outback against them.
November 30th, 2010 at 9:40 PM ^
I guess they figured those fanbases had already seen Dallas and wouldn't want to come back?
And - will we get an early invite to the Outback bowl, since it's almost assured that the Big Ten puts 2 teams into the BCS?
November 30th, 2010 at 9:43 PM ^
Penn State accepted an Alamo Bowl early into the week in 2007.
Edit: http://blog.pennlive.com/lvsports/2007/11/penn_state_accepts_alamo_bowl.html
Accepted on a Friday before BCS selections. so... early but not as early as this
November 30th, 2010 at 9:45 PM ^
that they snatched it up before Nebraska or Oklahoma could? From my little knowledge of southern prestige, I am under the impression that the Cotton Bowl is a well known and respected bowl in the South.
November 30th, 2010 at 9:53 PM ^
When the Southwest Conference died, so too did the Cotton Bowl. It was essentially replaced in prestige by the Fiesta Bowl - which has been the mid-major/independent big time bowl game.
I vaguely recall a national title being decided at the Cotton Bowl in the Bowl Coalition days.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:00 PM ^
from the Southwestern Conference that have it out for you. I will +1 you for answering my question.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:09 PM ^
I guess this was before you were a kid, but before the Bowl Coalition ever came around, the Cotton Bowl for decades was one of the four major bowl games. The champion of the Southwest Conference received an automatic invitation to that bowl.
December 1st, 2010 at 9:50 AM ^
True story. I still feel like the Cotton Bowl should be more prestigious than the Fiesta Bowl. Then again, I grew up in Atlanta and have fond memories of various SEC teams (Georgia, in particular) playing in the Cotton Bowl and viewing it as a real achievement to get there.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:58 AM ^
I don't think there was a national championship Cotton Bowl game in the Bowl Coalition, but I recall Notre Dame playing Texas A&M sometime in the early nineties with a shot at the NC. I'm pretty sure that was the year FSU won Bowden's first NC by beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The controversy was the ND had beaten FSU in November in South Bend, but lost the next week to Boston College.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:19 PM ^
I think the Cotton Bowl is looking forward for a chance to rekindle an old SWC rivalry between Texas A&M and LSU. It didn't end favorably for LSU; A&M had won five in a row over LSU snd LSU cancelled the series against A&M because of the losses. In fact, LSU still owes A&M some penalty money for dropping the games.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:41 PM ^
LSU and Texas A&M may have once been rivals, but not in the Southwest Conference--LSU was never in the SWC. LSU has been in the SEC since 1932.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:45 PM ^
Oops, you're right. My mistake; if they were in the same conference, they couldn't just drop a series. Mental slip.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:24 AM ^
I think you are thinking of Arkansas as the old SWC rival to A&M. They left for the SEC in 1990.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:42 AM ^
No, I wasn't thinking of Arkansas. That one has already been rekindled in JerryWorld. My slip was saying an old SWC rivalry between A&M and LSU. I should have said SWC-SEC rivalry between the two. Here:
The rest of the article is behind a paywall, but one gets the idea.
November 30th, 2010 at 9:50 PM ^
The Gators in the Gator would be nice!
November 30th, 2010 at 10:07 PM ^
.....this is the most likely bowl game and opponent. The B10 will have two BCS teams, MSU to the CapOne, PSU to the Outback(based on their finish). That leaves us, Iowa, Northwestern and possibly Illinois(if they can beat FresnoSt.) in a group of 7-5 teams. The bowl tie-ins don't necessarily pick in the order of conference finish, so with Iowa dying a hard death with 3 losses to close the season, including losing to Minny, I think the Gator picks UM over them. I think only Illinois has the other hope for the Gator, but we beat them and this is our first bowl in 3 years, plus RR's first bowl at UM. And, since the most likely opponent would be UF, the matchup is an interesting one.
December 1st, 2010 at 6:27 AM ^
as things stand now. If Stanford stays at 4 they are guaranteed a spot and TCU would get the other at large. This eliminates the second Big Ten team leaving two 11-1 teams on the outside looking in.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:27 AM ^
Remember, there are 10 BCS spots, not 8.
(1) The #1 team
(2) The #2 team
(3-8) The 6 BCS conference champions
(9) The best non-BCS conference team
(10) The #3 team (or the #4 team, if the #3 team has already qualified by a rule above)
Since the #1 team is also a BCS conference champion, and the #2 team will be either a conference champion or the best non-BCS team, that leaves a space for another two teams. One of those teams will certainly be an 11-1 Big Ten team--much more likely to be Ohio State than Michigan State.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:32 AM ^
This is not true. There are 10 BCS spots. 6 are guarenteed for the BCS conference champions. This leaves 4 at large spots. Assuming Auburn and Oregon win, they play for the championship. TCU and Stanford get auto bids for being in the top 4, and TCU goes to the Rose and Stanford to either Fiesta or Orange. The other spots are to Neb/Okla winner, Big East winner, Fla St/Va Tech winner, and Wisky (B10 champ). If So Carolina beats Auburn, they get the Sugar Bowl bid as the SEC champ. If not, Arkansas most likely will get an at large as Auburn will be the SEC champ, but be in the MNC game. This leaves one at large open, and OSU should get this spot.
So, the barring any upsets, the games will look something like the following:
BCS Championship: Auburn vs Oregon
Rose Bowl: TCU vs Wisconsin
Orange Bowl: Va Tech/FSU vs Stanford
Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska/Okla vs UConn (or other crappy Big East team)
Sugar Bowl: Arkansas vs Ohio St
EDIT: Alton beat me to it, but the point stays the same.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:13 PM ^
Hell, I might even talk the ex wife in going to the Gator bowl with me. This will be my first bowl game. I sure hope they do. Flights to Fla from DTW are cheap.
I wonder if the ex will make me get two rooms?? Anyways:
GO BLUE
November 30th, 2010 at 11:30 PM ^
That's a really strange post. Do you want to talk about it?
November 30th, 2010 at 9:55 PM ^
now if this will increase the chances of seeing Oklahoma St. (gulp) and Nebraska (please no, we play them next year anyways) in the Insight Bowl.
December 1st, 2010 at 12:04 AM ^
November 30th, 2010 at 10:04 PM ^
I think it will be Michigan-Florida in the Gator. A matchup of underachieving (although Florida much more so) 7-5 teams with great brand Identities, Michigan always travels well into Florida.
Book your tickets now...
November 30th, 2010 at 11:15 PM ^
Does anyone know the best place to get Gator tix? I am only a fan.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:40 PM ^
Looks like the midfield, lower bowl tickets are sold out. The Score 4 packages go on sale in 25 minutes. They're all upper bowl 4 packs for $250 (Parking, tailgate, doggers, and soft drinks).
Otherwise, I think you can call this number: (904) 798-1700
Good luck. Go Blue!
December 1st, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
If Florida plays anyone in a bowl that is about seventy miles from their campus, tickets that didn't come through the respective athletic departments will probably sell out within two hours of becoming available on Ticketmaster. That is how fast it supposedly took the Capital One Bowl to sell out when Michigan played Florida.
December 1st, 2010 at 6:30 AM ^
Most of us expected a 7-5 0r 8-4 season and that was before T-Woolf went down. So how is 7-5 any different then what we expected?
November 30th, 2010 at 10:05 PM ^
With no conference tie-ins, it was able to match up the unbeaten, untied #1, 2 teams, Miami and Penn State. Both were independents back then. While they were the top two teams, it had to be one of the bigger upsets ever as Miami was really talented. It was an incredible game, still dont know how Paterno pulled it off.
The year before Michigan beat Nebraska in the Fiesta but we were the Big 10 runner-ups. Still, finished 10-1-1, ranked #2, Bo's highest finishing rank.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:25 PM ^
That was certainly the major breakthrough for the Fiesta Bowl, but it really started the process of becoming a major bowl in 1981. Prior to the 1981 season, there were only 4 New Years Day bowl games--the Cotton, Sugar, Rose and Orange. That's it--4 football games on New Years Day.
In 1981, the Fiesta Bowl moved to New Years Day. They increased their payout to near the level of the other 4 and started attracting teams that might otherwise have gone to the other major bowls.
If the Fiesta Bowl had not made the bold decision to move to New Years Day back in 1981, there is no way that they could have gotten that National Championship matchup in 1986. It could just as easily have been the Gator Bowl or the Peach Bowl to move into the vacuum when the Cotton Bowl and the SWC started their fade from significance in the mid 1980s, but the Fiesta Bowl had the vision to move to January 1 and had the money to attract the teams they wanted.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:30 PM ^
I didnt know any of that. My football fandom career started in earnest with the 1985 season. Thanks.
December 1st, 2010 at 9:09 AM ^
...I loved it when you could devote New Year's Day to watching games and then be done with it in one day. If one game stunk, then you just turned the channel. Having the BCS bowls stretched out over a week is just too long of a distraction.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:13 PM ^
usually have a bowl pool for just kicks and giggles or anything?
November 30th, 2010 at 10:26 PM ^
jhackney
We could set up a group on espn for the bowl pool.
I wanted Michigan to play A&M, it would have been a good barometer game. I also wish we could have played the Shermanator
November 30th, 2010 at 10:31 PM ^
Yea, I agree, I was hoping for A & M or Florida.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:41 PM ^
Brian for permission and seeing where it goes. I will post it a couple times before the bowls get under way if I get the green light.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:46 PM ^
How about someone starting a bowl pick'em on Yahoo only for Mgoblog members? It would be great to see how we all match up with football knowledge.
November 30th, 2010 at 10:47 PM ^
set up from ESPN. Just waiting to get permission from Brian and I will post.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:16 PM ^
cool beans. This will be fun. Are you going to limit to mgoblog members?
November 30th, 2010 at 11:20 PM ^
I will post the password if we get the ok.
November 30th, 2010 at 11:46 PM ^
be quite interesting if we play Florida this year. Especially after the alleged Calvin interview. I would love to play Urban Meyer and Florida again and try to establish a streak against those guys.
December 1st, 2010 at 1:52 AM ^
if he pulls off a win against a big brand-name opponent.
Of course if he loses, that's one more Michigan tradition he's "ruined" . . . our undefeated record against Florida and our stellar record against the SEC.
December 1st, 2010 at 7:06 AM ^
Were not playing in Gator. I have friend who works for Gator Bowl and he says Penn St will be playing in Gator.
December 1st, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^
I just talked to my friend, apparently Iowa losing last week changed everything. He told me Penn St is a lock for the Outback. Their is currently an Internal disagreement among the Gator Bowl Association as to select Iowa or Michigan. He tells me that Iowa actually travels to Bowls better that Mich but Mich vs Fla is the sexier match up. He gives a 50-50 shot right now. Sorry for the misinformation earlier, it was a week old.