Bowl Watch 2014-2015

[Dr Z]

The Zips can beat BGSU, and all this freaking out will end. Go Zips!

I hope so, I miss discussing and reading about Zips football.

[Lee Adams]

Remember this: winning 6 games isn't even a guarantee for anything. Hell, winning 7 games isn't a guarantee for crap, either. See Toledo last year.

Even if we become bowl eligible, losing to crap teams is not good.

Good point. 7 wins seems like a minimum for this team given the losses thus far. A loss to BG with a roadie at Buffalo(good QB) and a homie w/UMASS(good QB) would probably be living too close to the edge in getting to 7 wins. With what is going on with this team right now who knows which one will show up 11-4.

[GP1]

Can someone breakdown bowl scenarios for the MAC? And I don't mean internet projections.

Looking for which MAC bowls have discretion as to who they invite and whether or not having the best record gets a school into a bowl game.

[Staton14]

Can someone breakdown bowl scenarios for the MAC? And I don't mean internet projections.

Looking for which MAC bowls have discretion as to who they invite and whether or not having the best record gets a school into a bowl game.

I know that the MAC is GUARANTEED to have 5 teams in bowls, if there are 5 teams with six wins. Those five bowls are:

Bahamas Bowl (vs. American Athletic)

Boca Raton Bowl (vs. Conference USA)

Raycom Media Camellia Bowl (vs. Sun Belt)

GoDaddy Bowl (vs. Sun Belt)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (vs. Mountain West)

So far there are three teams eligable: WMU, NIU, and CMU.

Two others have 5 wins: BGSU, Toledo

Two have 4 wins: Akron and Ohio (Ohio has 5 losses, Akron has 4)

4 teams are already eliminated from bowl eligibility: UMASS, Miami, Can't, and EMU.

[GP1]

Does having a better record than another school guarantee a school a spot? Or, does getting to six wins and having a bowl that may really want you put you in a spot to get a bid to that bowl over a school with a better record?

[Staton14]

Does having a better record than another school guarantee a school a spot? Or, does getting to six wins and having a bowl that may really want you put you in a spot to get a bid to that bowl over a school with a better record?

I think it's just having a bowl that wants you. Toledo and Ohio were both 7-5 overall last year and Toledo had a better conference record. However, Ohio was in a bowl and Toledo wasn't.

[Balsy]

Does having a better record than another school guarantee a school a spot? Or, does getting to six wins and having a bowl that may really want you put you in a spot to get a bid to that bowl over a school with a better record?

The MAC has a contract with 5 bowls. Since they are those 5 bowls' contract with the MAC (not the individual schools) I'm assuming the top 5 teams in the MAC would be the ones going to those Bowls. That makes the most sense, considering most of the Bowls are long ways away from where any MAC fans might actually be able to travel to.

So our goal should be to worry about one of the 5 bowls the MAC has. This is, of course, all a mute point if the Zips just win out and go to the MAC CG.

[Aaron]

Does having a better record than another school guarantee a school a spot? Or, does getting to six wins and having a bowl that may really want you put you in a spot to get a bid to that bowl over a school with a better record?

The MAC has not reported what order bowls will select MAC members in, besides the GoDaddy Bowl getting first pick (usually conf champion).

If Wikipedia is to be trusted, the MAC is the ONLY conference not to publish their bowl tie-in selection order : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_bids_to_college_bowl_games

The latest NCAA rules state that bowls first must select conference affiliations, down to 6-6 teams. If no 6-6 teams from the conference is available, a non-conference team with a winning record must be selected before a non-conference 6-6 team. In other words, being 7-5 or 8-4 puts you above 6-6 teams, but being 9-3 doesn't put you above a team that's 7-5 if the bowl really wants the 7 win team instead.

In 2010, the NCAA changed the rules so there is nothing that favors 7-5 teams over 6-6 teams. Every year there are typically 9-10 teams bowl-eligible who don't get an invite (counting 6-6 as bowl-eligible), and the MAC is often the 'screwed' conference that has teams with better than 6-6 records stay home. We probably need to be one of the 5 'most desirable' teams in the conference to get a bowl; hopefully the Bowden name is attractive enough to Florida bowls to give us a leg up?

[Staton14]

The MAC has not reported what order bowls will select MAC members in, besides the GoDaddy Bowl getting first pick (usually conf champion).

If Wikipedia is to be trusted, the MAC is the ONLY conference not to publish their bowl tie-in selection order : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_bids_to_college_bowl_games

The latest NCAA rules state that bowls first must select conference affiliations, down to 6-6 teams. If no 6-6 teams from the conference is available, a non-conference team with a winning record must be selected before a non-conference 6-6 team. In other words, being 7-5 or 8-4 puts you above 6-6 teams, but being 9-3 doesn't put you above a team that's 7-5 if the bowl really wants the 7 win team instead.

So we really need 7 wins, because that puts us ahead of all the 6 win teams out there. And basically ensures us a bowl game (Except in rare occasions like Toledo last year).

[Balsy]

All we need to worry about now is winning out. We win out, we're guaranteed a bowl.

[GP1]

hopefully the Bowden name is attractive enough to Florida bowls to give us a leg up?

Link

Bowden had some pretty good success in the state of Alabama. Something tells me if we can get to six wins, this bowl is ours. Seven+ wins would open up more doors.

We are pretty new to this, but at a lot of schools, the talk of which bowl their school will play in goes on all year long. It's a good thing.

[tomzip]

What will be the worst is Can't playing in their bowl game aka the Akron game, and winning to keep us out. I would normally use the term for Cleveland teams (OIC), but maybe OIA? (only in Akron) Ok enough nightmares, Halloween is over

[GP1]

What will be the worst is Can't playing in their bowl game aka the Akron game, and winning to keep us out. I would normally use the term for Cleveland teams (OIC), but maybe OIA? (only in Akron) Ok enough nightmares, Halloween is over

We've been down this road already with Can't and we won the MAC East and went on to win the MACC. Playing them does not worry me.

[UAZip0510]

Updated projections on the original post

[Staton14]

So far there are 52 teams bowl eligible. There are 76 spots available (38 games).

[Balsy]

If the Zips win-out, they will squeak into a bowl game. On the MAC side it might help to get a little help from some of the other teams, dropping a couple of the final three.

[GJGood]

So we really need 7 wins, because that puts us ahead of all the 6 win teams out there. And basically ensures us a bowl game (Except in rare occasions like Toledo last year).

As I understand it the winning record thing, if it even still exists, only comes into play when looking to fill slots that another conference's tie-ins could not fill. It is entirely possible that a 6-6 team could leapfrog a 7-5 or 8-4 team within its own conference tie-ins. That is how Temple got left out as an 8-4 MAC school a few years ago. There were other MAC schools that made bowls that year at a less impressive 7-5 if I recall correctly. There is no rule stating that if you're in the top 5 of your league and they have five guaranteed slots that you get one of them. I believe the conference champion, and maybe the other division champion will get bids by rule but beyond that it is up to the bowls themselves to invite whichever team they want. You can be third best and get passed over by a 7th best bowl eligible team. I hate that it can be done like that but I think thats the way it is. I wish the bowl selection process would be changed for many reasons.

[GP1]

I believe the conference champion, and maybe the other division champion will get bids by rule but beyond that it is up to the bowls themselves to invite whichever team they want. I hate that it can be done like that but I think thats the way it is.

It's all how you look at it. I look at it from the perspective of local bowl committees.

It doesn't bother me one bit that a team with a better record would get left out in favor of the Zips because bowl games aren't real games except for the now playoff we have.

Here is how I see it. Bowls are community events that use an exhibition football game to raise money for a local charity. Because of that it is in their best interest, and more importantly the interest of the local charity, that teams generating the most attendance would be preferable regardless of record.

This is why I have a strong feeling that if the Zips can just get to 6 wins, they go to the bowl in Montgomery. Making a bowl would do wonders for the program and nobody would give a hoot that a team with one more win was left out. God knows I would have no sympathy while I was packing my bags for a couple of days in Montgomery and neither should anyone else on this board. Remember us not making a bowl game in 2004? Nobody was crying for us.

Let's say one of the scenarios comes true....Akron vs. Arkansas State. Not many people in Alabama or Akron are going to be making the trip, so it puts the bowl committee in a bad situation in terms of revenue generation. Bring in Terry Bowden...Former UNA and Auburn coach...all of the sudden there is local interest and ticket sales go up. Even better, Akron vs. Univ. of South Alabama (Sunbelt Conference). Local school and the Bowden factor.

Some bowls aren't about conference standings and this is one of those bowls. I would be surprised and extremely disappointed if we went 6-6 and didn't get an invite to this game.

[GJGood]

It's all how you look at it. I look at it from the perspective of local bowl committees.

It doesn't bother me one bit that a team with a better record would get left out in favor of the Zips because bowl games aren't real games except for the now playoff we have.

Here is how I see it. Bowls are community events that use an exhibition football game to raise money for a local charity. Because of that it is in their best interest, and more importantly the interest of the local charity, that teams generating the most attendance would be preferable regardless of record.

This is why I have a strong feeling that if the Zips can just get to 6 wins, they go to the bowl in Montgomery. Making a bowl would do wonders for the program and nobody would give a hoot that a team with one more win was left out. God knows I would have no sympathy while I was packing my bags for a couple of days in Montgomery and neither should anyone else on this board. Remember us not making a bowl game in 2004? Nobody was crying for us.

Let's say one of the scenarios comes true....Akron vs. Arkansas State. Not many people in Alabama or Akron are going to be making the trip, so it puts the bowl committee in a bad situation in terms of revenue generation. Bring in Terry Bowden...Former UNA and Auburn coach...all of the sudden there is local interest and ticket sales go up. Even better, Akron vs. Univ. of South Alabama (Sunbelt Conference). Local school and the Bowden factor.

Some bowls aren't about conference standings and this is one of those bowls. I would be surprised and extremely disappointed if we went 6-6 and didn't get an invite to this game.

I understand what you are saying but I still have a problem with a team not being chosen over a team they finished behind in conference and that they lost to in a head to head matchup. I understand the game itself is an exhibition and helps charities but going to a bowl also helps the program participating in it with added practice time and exposure. I hate to see a team CLEARLY more deserving of this reward being left out entirely in favor a team that did not earn it as much.

I still remember screaming in 2004 that Akron should have been going to the bowl in Fort Worth over Marshall, a team Akron defeated head to head and had the superior record to when comparing the two as well. That year still stands out to me as being the one where we most got snubbed. If I remember correctly Marshall actually accepted their invite to that game before the Michigan State- Hawaii regular season finale took place. If the heavily favored Spartans would've won that game the Zips would have been headed to Honolulu as UH would not have been eligible. I have always wondered if Fort Worth just assumed Akron was going elsewhere and went ahead and grabbed Marshall.

[GP1]

One more win and we might be on our way to Alabama. Getting my hopes up. Why do I do it to myself?

[LZIp]

Keep dreaming about that 6-6 bowl invite GP1. The only way it happens is if the conference lucks out and get 7 bids instead of the guaranteed 5.

[GP1]

Keep dreaming about that 6-6 bowl invite GP1. The only way it happens is if the conference lucks out and get 7 bids instead of the guaranteed 5.

Dreams are about all Zips football fans have.

[zippy5]

Keep dreaming about that 6-6 bowl invite GP1. The only way it happens is if the conference lucks out and get 7 bids instead of the guaranteed 5.

The 5th bowl doesn't get the 5th place team, they have 5th choice in the MAC. Are we more coveted than others, to skip over to choose us? I'm not going to worry about that yet.. But being in 7th place doesn't preclude us from a MAC bowl bid. Just worth mentioning, I guess.

[GP1]

Are we more coveted than others, to skip over to choose us?

"coveted" is too Biblical of a term for me. I would prefer the word "interested". We might have some interest from the bowl in Alabama. Outside of that, I don't hold much hope.

[Staton14]

Keep dreaming about that 6-6 bowl invite GP1. The only way it happens is if the conference lucks out and get 7 bids instead of the guaranteed 5.

WHo's to say Ohio is going to beat Miami next week to become bowl eligible. Could only be 6 teams, if we win. Or both Ohio and Akron could lose next week and things would take care of themselves haha.