It looks like the SEC and Big 12 will fall short of their bowl commitments, but the ACC, Big Ten and Pac 10 look to have more bowl eligible teams than bowls.
I have updated my bowl predictions on MDG CFB, and I project Fresno State in the Houston Bowl opposite Nebraska.
Other bowls that are possible, besides the WAC tie-ins MPC and Hawaii, are: Independence vs Missouri, Poinsettia vs Utah, Fort Worth vs Houston, Music City vs Iowa.
These are just projections, but the outlandish scenario I see possible for the Bulldogs is the Insight Bowl in Phoenix. The Insight pairs the Pac 10's 4th place team vs the Big East's 3rd.
Right now I project the Big East to have only 3 bowl eligible teams to fill 4 bowl commitments. Notre Dame is considered a Big East team for bowl selection, but I project the Irish to be in the BCS. Notre Dame must win out in order for the Insight scenario to pan out.
West Virginia as BE champ will be in the BCS, Louisville will play in the Gator as the BE 2nd place team, leaving 3rd place Rutgers to travel cross country to play in Phoenix. The 4th bowl in Charlotte will be left open if Pitt, USF or UConn can not win at least six games. It is a good possibility that it will not happen.
The Big East might entertain the thought of placing Rutgers in the Mieneke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte for increase ticket sales and travel reasons, and sell off their spot in the Insight. The New Jersey school has only played in bowl game in their history, the Garden State Bowl back in 1978 and that was played at Giants Stadium.
Fresno State would be an excellent choice opposite a Pac 10 team. Bulldog fans will travel to Phoenix in the tens of thousands to see Fresno State play a Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, or even a rematch with a Kellen Clemons less Oregon.
I doubt it will happen, but I have seen crazier things happen.
2 comments:
I believe a Oregon or Cal match up with the dogs would be a nice draw...any of the other likely 4th place teams would be a joke...See Stanford UC Davis game.
Stanford has shaken off their embarassing loss to UC Davis to win three Pac 10 games in a row at Washington State, at Arizona, and vs Arizona State, a game they led 45-14 at one point...granted Stanford must win two of its last five(all against teams above .500)to be bowl eligible, but Walt Harris has turned the season around like he has done before in his career, see Pitt 2001
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