Bowl Game Match Ups

[Alex]

2006-2007 Bowl Match Ups:

Poinsettia Bowl- Northern Illinois vs TCU
Las Vegas Bowl- BYU vs Oregon
New Orleans Bowl- Rice vs Troy
PapaJohns.com Bowl- East Carolina vs South Florida
New Mexico Bowl- New Mexico vs San Jose State
Armed Forces Bowl- Tulsa vs Utah
Hawaii Bowl- Arizona State vs Hawaii
Motor City Bowl- Central Michigan vs Middle Tennessee State
Emerald Bowl- Florida State vs UCLA
Independence Bowl- Alabama vs Oklahoma State
Holiday Bowl- Cal vs Texas A&M
Texas Bowl- Kansas State vs Rutgers
Music City Bowl- Clemson vs Kentucky
Sun Bowl- Missouri vs Oregon State
Liberty Bowl- Houston vs South Carolina
Insight Bowl- Minnesota vs Texas Tech
Champs Sports Bowl- Maryland vs Purdue
Meineke Car Care Bowl- Boston College vs Navy
Alamo Bowl- Iowa vs Texas
Chick-fil-A Bowl- Georgia vs Virginia Tech
MPC Computers Bowl- Miami vs Nevada

Cotton Bowl- Auburn vs Nebraska
Outback Bowl- Penn State vs Tennessee
Gator Bowl- Georgia Tech vs West Virginia
Capital One Bowl- Arkansas vs Wisconsin

Rose Bowl- Michigan vs Southern Cal
Fiesta Bowl- Boise State vs Oklahoma
Orange Bowl- Louisville vs Wake Forest
Sugar Bowl- LSU vs Notre Dame
BCS National Championship Game- Florida vs Ohio State

Some thoughts...

How does BYU go 10-2, win the Mountain West and play in the same bowl game they did a year ago at 6-5. The Mountain West needs to land themselves some better tie-ins. The Armed Forces Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl aren't exactly a great line up.

New Mexico doesn't belong in a bowl game. A loss to a 1-AA team should automatically disqualify you.

When San Jose State, Rice and Ohio all make bowl games in the same season, there might be a few too many bowl games. :lol:

Florida State not playing on New Year's Day or after for the first time in my lifetime at least. Even worse is they're playing their bowl game in a baseball stadium. When that happens you can pretty much say that your elite football program is nearing rock bottom. :P But UCLA-FSU should be a decent pre-New Year's match up. Two average teams from traditionally good programs.

Cal-Texas A&M is the best pre-New Year's match up of the bowl season so far. The Peach Bowl could end up topping it but it's definitely one of the best. Both have had their ups and downs this season and should be a pretty good match up with the Aggies being a solid defensive team and the Golden Bears with an explosive offense.

Nevada-Miami should be interesting. What could be better than watching the 'Canes get smacked around on the smurf turf by a WAC team.

[tobynosker]

Why did they invite Texas A&M to the Holiday Bowl so early?

Usually Big XII Conference bowl games feature the BCS bowl game, the Cotton Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, and then the Alamo Bowl.

If Nebraska pulls an upset this weekend and defeats Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship game, the Cornhuskers would play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Then, shouldn't:

Oklahoma or Texas go to the Cotton Bowl?
Oklahoma or Texas go to the Holiday Bowl?
Texas A&M go to the Alamo Bowl?

[The Pirate Bob]

I like the lineups of the top bowl games. I don't care at all about all the minor bowls. To me they are nothing but conselation prizes to mediocre and bad teams. The top 6 or 7 bowls should all be pretty good games and look evenly matched up and with 2 teams that usually don't get to play each other, which is what I like.

[Alex]

Why did they invite Texas A&M to the Holiday Bowl so early?

Usually Big XII Conference bowl games feature the BCS bowl game, the Cotton Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, and then the Alamo Bowl.

If Nebraska pulls an upset this weekend and defeats Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship game, the Cornhuskers would play in the Fiesta Bowl.

Then, shouldn't:

Oklahoma or Texas go to the Cotton Bowl?
Oklahoma or Texas go to the Holiday Bowl?
Texas A&M go to the Alamo Bowl?

Texas and Texas A&M are both 9-3 and the Aggies won the head-to-head match up so I have no problem with A&M potentially getting a better bowl bid than the Longhorns.

The loser of Oklahoma-Nebraska goes to the Cotton Bowl.

The Gator Bowl can select a Big 12 team in place of the Big East #2 team and Texas seems like an attractive candidate, especially if the Gator gets stuck with Georgia Tech. If GT wins the ACC, Clemson will probably get the bid since they'll fill seats. I doubt Wake would get another invite to Jacksonville. The fan and alumni base just isn't large enough to warrant selection over Clemson (and they lost the head-to-head match up). However, if West Virginia beats Rutgers, they could select WVU. West Virginia travels well and they'll need a school like that to fill the seats since GT is a weak traveler. Looks like it will either be the Gator Bowl or Alamo Bowl for Texas.

If the Gator manages to secure a combo of Texas/West Virginia vs Clemson, it will add to what should be a pretty impressive non-BCS New Year's Day line up and give the Gator its first really good match up in quite a few years. They've had some very weak offerings the past couple of years (N.C. State-Notre Dame, West Virginia-Maryland, West Virginia-Florida State and Virginia Tech-Louisville).

Cotton Bowl- Nebraska/Oklahoma vs Auburn
Outback Bowl- Penn State vs Tennessee
Gator Bowl- Texas/West Virginia vs Clemson
Citrus Bowl- Wisconsin vs Florida/Arkansas

Heck, some of those games might be better than the Fiesta Bowl that night which will be the OU-UNL winner against Boise State. At least the Rose Bowl should be pretty good- likely Michigan vs LSU.

[tobynosker]

Originally Posted by Alex
Texas and Texas A&M are both 9-3 and the Aggies won the head-to-head match up so I have no problem with A&M potentially getting a better bowl bid than the Longhorns.

I am not saying that I have a problem with Texas A&M possibly getting a better bowl bid than Texas. I just figured it would have been smarter of those involved with the Holiday Bowl to wait on handing out their invitation for after this weekend's Big XII Championship Game (and West Virginia/Rutgers), because you would much rather land Texas in your bowl-game than Texas A&M (when you consider exposure and the fans who more likely to travel and sell tickets).

[Alex]

I am not saying that I have a problem with Texas A&M possibly getting a better bowl bid than Texas. I just figured it would have been smarter of those involved with the Holiday Bowl to wait on handing out their invitation for after this weekend's Big XII Championship Game (and West Virginia/Rutgers), because you would much rather land Texas in your bowl-game than Texas A&M (when you consider exposure and the fans who more likely to travel and sell tickets).

Texas is obviously the traditionally stronger program but as far as traveling goes, it's probably even. A&M might even get a slight edge. While Texas-Cal might be a more attractive TV match up, Aggie fans are going to the fill the stadium considering that they are a very passionate and loyal fan base, didn't go to a bowl game last season and just beat Texas for the first time since '99 and are probably even more excited about the football team right now than usual (if that's even possible).

I'm not surprised at all to see the Holiday lock into A&M right away. If the Gator ended up getting stuck with Georgia Tech and A&M was still available, they probably would've tried to grab them up. That may have factored into the Holiday's decision.

[bama4256]

I can't wait to see that Florida St-UCLA matchup. YAWN!:thumbdown:

[UK_Cat]

Not one of those announced matchups holds my interest for any longer than it takes to read the names of the teams involved.

There is too many bowls. And every single one of them, except one, is completely meaningless for anything other than an additional month of practice for next year, and a big ugly tropy and some fan braggin rights.

90 percent of the bowls are as exciting as watching water polo.

[KevinBeane]

There is too many bowls.
90 percent of the bowls are as exciting as watching water polo.

I've covered this before, but when it comes to minor bowls that one doesn't care about, I never understood why people suggest they should stop holding them rather than just not watching if you don't care.

(Too be fair, UK_CAT didn't say exactly that, but he came close).

[da12ken]

90 percent of the bowls are as exciting as watching water polo.

Come on, UK_Cat. That's insulting to water polo.

[Alex]

Updated:

Wake Forest, by winning the ACC today, secured an Orange Bowl bid. Congrats to the Demon Deacons on earning their first BCS bid and my condolences to the Orange Bowl, who might possibly end up with the most horrific BCS match up to date.

Georgia Tech, by losing to Wake Forest, secured a Gator Bowl bid. Not good news for the Gator Bowl who would've much preferred to take Clemson and their traveling fans. I've read that the ACC swung a deal with the Gator Bowl to take GT over Clemson. Apparently the ACC will purchase all unsold seats. Depending on who the opponent is, that could end up being quite costly for the ACC. But no matter what, the Gator is guaranteed of an unspectacular match up for the the fifth straight season.

Southern Cal, by being Pac-10 champions but losing to UCLA and removing themselves from the national title picture, secured a Rose Bowl bid. Usually the Rose Bowl is a happy ending. For the Trojans, it will be bitter sweet.

Houston, by winning C-USA last night, secured a bid to the Liberty Bowl and Southern Miss, by losing to Houston in the C-USA title game, secured a bid to the GMAC Bowl where they will face Ohio.

[Alex]

Updated:

Troy will face Rice in the New Orleans Bowl.

Middle Tennessee will face Central Michigan in the Motor City Bowl.

West Virginia will face Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.

Oklahoma, by winning the Big 12, clinched a bid to the Fiesta Bowl.

[Dublin Mike]

Traveling the long (:D) road to Atlanta to see UGA vs Va Tech. Not a good match up for the Dogs, imo. But hey, the fun of going to the lower tier bowl games aren't the actual games, but the celebration beforehand. ;)

[themush]

Just looked up plane tix from Tampa to Glendale... probably not going to this one.

[Dublin Mike]

Just looked up plane tix from Tampa to Glendale... probably not going to this one.

I am pretty sure tix would be pretty difficult to come by, anyway Mush. Besides, you, at the title game? You would be so hammered it would take you months to make it home. :P

[themush]

Just found out how close Glendale is to Vegas so.... yeah, no way I could go out there w/o the old lady and what fun would that be?

[MountaineerDave]

I'm in West Palm Beach on 1/1/07, and I have to say, I'm giving some serious consideration to trying to schedule a hike up 95 to Jacksonville. I won't have my own vehicle, so there's that snag, but I'm still looking into it.

I'm not crazy about the Gator Bowl AGAIN, given how miserable we've been in the game (I believe WVU is 0 for 3 or 4 in the Gator Bowl), but this team's different. If White is healthy and Slaton's regained his confidence, Ga Tech can be added to the short list of Ga schools we've beaten in bowl games. (I'm smiling at you, Mike.)

Other games of interest to me and possibly only me (and fans of the schools involved) include:
papajohns.com bowl: South Florida v East Carolina
I still don't take the Bulls seriously. I know I should, they kicked my boys in the teeth and won. Still, it's two teams we played, and I'll be intrigued by how it plays out. I don't know if USF can beat ECU. We'll see.

Liberty bowl: Houston v South Carolina
I think South Carolina's overrated and overhyped, but I could be wrong. I think it'll be really interesting to see the C-USA's best up against a middling SEC team. And, of course, I'll be rooting for the Cougars.

Champs Sports Bowl: Purdue v Maryland
I'm interested because Maryland was the ACC's #3 or 4 team, and the best team we beat all year long. (Yes, better than Rutgers... don't get me started.) Purdue was pretty unspectacular most of the season. So, this gets at the question of just how bad the ACC is overall...

Cotton Bowl: Auburn v Nebraska
Two teams who seemed to garner more press than they deserved. I'm a complete nonbeliever in the 'Huskers simply because i think Callahan's a big goofball, but you never know. Can they push the Tigers around a bit? I won't be watching the end of course...

Capital One: Arkansas v Wisconsin
The team I was mostly sure was best in the SEC v the 3rd best Big 10 team. How can that not be interesting when there's so much certitude regarding the superiority of the SEC. I like Arkansas, not so much the Badgers, but it should be an interesting matchup all the same. I don't usually like red-on-red games, though.

Sugar Bowl:LSU v Notre Dame
I am expecting a Tiger 40 point win. Notre Dame is the worst team... by far... to receive a BCS bowl bid. LSU v almost anyone else would be more interesting... LSU v Texas, LSU v Boise State, it doesn't matter... I'd have preferred anyone else. And given that, I might want the Irish to pull an upset as a punishment to the LSU folks for lobbying so brazenly for a Rose Bowl bid prior to the Southern Cal-UCLA game. I think I read somewhere that UCLA won that game because God hates the BCS. Wrong. God hates Louisiana, and was just as pissed as I was that the Governor was making press released phone calls to Rose Bowl officials. :)

[buckeyefan78]

Just found out how close Glendale is to Vegas so.... yeah, no way I could go out there w/o the old lady and what fun would that be?

I considered it. I could get free food, transportation, and lodging from friends/family in Las Vegas, Flagstaff, or southern California if I wanted. All I would need to pay is the ticket to the game and possibly a share of my plane ticket.

But it's not Pasadena and it ain't a traditonal opponent so no. :(

[themush]

Buck, could you imagine the fallout if you and I watched this game sitting next to each other???:lol:

[Dublin Mike]

I'm in West Palm Beach on 1/1/07, and I have to say, I'm giving some serious consideration to trying to schedule a hike up 95 to Jacksonville. I won't have my own vehicle, so there's that snag, but I'm still looking into it.

I'm not crazy about the Gator Bowl AGAIN, given how miserable we've been in the game (I believe WVU is 0 for 3 or 4 in the Gator Bowl), but this team's different. If White is healthy and Slaton's regained his confidence, Ga Tech can be added to the short list of Ga schools we've beaten in bowl games. (I'm smiling at you, Mike.)



And I was laughing as I read it Dave. ;)

I am expecting a Tiger 40 point win. Notre Dame is the worst team... by far... to receive a BCS bowl bid. LSU v almost anyone else would be more interesting... LSU v Texas, LSU v Boise State, it doesn't matter... I'd have preferred anyone else. And given that, I might want the Irish to pull an upset as a punishment to the LSU folks for lobbying so brazenly for a Rose Bowl bid prior to the Southern Cal-UCLA game. I think I read somewhere that UCLA won that game because God hates the BCS. Wrong. God hates Louisiana, and was just as pissed as I was that the Governor was making press released phone calls to Rose Bowl officials. :)

I don't mind it that much. I always enjoy watching Notre Dame get crushed, regardless of the opponent.