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Well, that was quite an afternoon and evening. I got to spend the day tracking and hunting bowl matchups, and somewhere around 5 PM word got out that Boise State and TCU would be relegated to playing each other. We also found out that for no reason whatsoever, Cincinnati had jumped TCU in the rankings, Florida stayed above Boise despite getting stomped, and that at least six voters in the two polls still think Texas is the best team in America.
The BCS is, of course, patting themselves on the back because they always think they’re doing great. But they’ve missed out on chances to set up much more interesting and competitive bowls, but eschewed them in order to protect their big brands.
So, lets set the BCS games aside and look at what should be some of the best bowls this season that won’t get as much hype, and a couple I’m not so enthusiastic about. This isn’t going to be an in-depth breakdown, just a first reaction…
Quality Matchups
Wyoming vs. Fresno State, New Mexico Bowl, December 19- Wyoming is only 6-6, but they’ve played tough against some really good teams, while Fresno wrapped up at 8-4. Fresno should be a favorite, but I think the game could be pretty even.
Temple vs. UCLA, EagleBank Bowl, December 29- Temple could play Army if they beat Navy, but I think this is a great game for the Owls. UCLA is not that great and they’re coming across the country to play in Temple’s back yard. Looking forward to this one.
Bowling Green vs. Idaho, Humanitarian Bowl, December 30- This one could total in the 100s. Bowling Green has an insane passing attack, and Idaho has shown the pass defense of a tire hanging from a tree. A still one. But the flipside has been true- Idaho can move the ball, while BGSU’s D has been suspect too.
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I’m just going to be updating this at the bottom as solid sources and official announcements start letting us know who’s going where, with in the realm of non-BCS teams and their bowls.
What we know so far: Navy to Texas, UCF to St. Pete, and SMU to Hawaii.
First in we get confirmation that ECU is to [...]
Assuming that voters don’t revolt and put TCU ahead of Texas, here’s how the BCS picks are going to be played out, along with my predictions. I’ve also thrown in a couple of C-USA predictions too, since they’re the only league who’s champion has changed from my last batch.
First pick: Sugar, replacing Alabama: Florida.
Second: Fiesta, replacing [...]
That was quite a night of football. The refs gifted Texas the Big 12 victory, with what I think was in inaccurate ruling of a horse-collar tackle (last I knew, you had to drag the guy down by the horse collar, not just touch it and let go), and a pair of bogus pass interference calls [...]
It wasn’t quite the shootout I expected, but Central Michigan won a defensive battle over Ohio to claim the 2009 MAC Championship last night. An early turnover from Dan LeFevour in the red zone kept the game scoreless for much of the first quarter, but their offense got on track and eventually led into halftime 17-7. [...]
The MAC Championship game is just hours away, set to kick off at 8 PM tonight on ESPN2. The conference has been flying under the radar this year for the most part, but suddenly they have a 10 win team and another 9 win team squaring off for the title, in what should be a very watchable matchup. The MAC game is again held at Ford Field, the indoor stadium home to the Detroit Lions. Central Michigan (10-2/8-0) is back in the title game for the third time in four years, after missing out a year ago. CMU won the game in 2006 and 2007. This is the first appearance for Ohio (9-3/7-1) since 2006, their only other title game to date.
Storylines
For Central Michigan, you’ll be hearing a lot about Senior QB Dan LeFevour. He currently sits 2nd on the active career passing yardage list, behind some guy named Colt from Texas, but is also ranked 18th on the active career rushing yardage list too- the highest ranked QB of only two on that list. In total, he is in first place in the individual total offense active list, well ahead of McCoy overall. This is his last conference game, and his biggest spotlight of the season, at least since they beat Michigan State in the early going. If the game does get out of hand and the commentators are forced to talk about other things, they’ll probably discuss his draft chances before moving quickly on to the SEC or Big 12 games.
Ohio’s story will focus on coach Frank Solich, last remembered by the general public as getting fired by Nebraska after an 8-3 season. Since then, he’s worked toward making Ohio a consistent contender in the MAC, and while they did win the East back in ’06, it’s been a bit up and down. Still, the team has bounced back from a 4-8 season last year, and this is the second 9 win season under Solich, something they hadn’t had otherwise since 1968. Read Post
We’ve made it through 12 games in 13 weeks and now it’s time to put a bow on the 2009 season in C-USA and the MAC. The MAC preview is coming this afternoon, to get you ready for tonight’s game. The Conference USA Championship Game kicks off at noon Saturday on ESPN2. The Houston Cougars (10-2/6-2) come to Greenville, NC to take on the East Carolina Pirates (8-4/7-1). The Pirates host the game on account of a better record in league play, despite Houston’s better record overall. The teams did not meet in the regular season.
Storylines
Houston’s story has been pretty well documented- wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech vaulted them into the top 25, only to lose to UTEP, perhaps the most inconsistent team in the league. They got back on track by beating Mississippi State and only lost once more, on the road at UCF. They come into the weekend ranked 21st and are hoping to see QB Case Keenum get a trip to New York for the Heisman ceremony.
East Carolina has had a lower profile this year than they usually do. Rarely does a year go by without a signature win for the Pirates over one of their regional rivals, but this year they lost to West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. Their only conference loss was on the road at Southern Methodist, a 28-21 affair. Their coach, Skip Holtz, is a rising start and his name has even come across in at least one rumor tied to Notre Dame. Expect to hear the name in conjunction with several jobs as they start to break open at the more mid-level BCS schools. Read Post
While most of the drama has subsided in the WAC, there’s still that chance of an upset of Boise State is spending too much time worrying about bowl selections, and one game that nobody is going to watch will have huge ramifications on many teams nationwide.
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Well, it looked like Western Kentucky might finally win their first game as a full-fledged 1-A program, but it was not to be. With a chance to send their embattled coach on his way with a W, the Hilltoppers led the Red Wolves 17-3 at halftime, but Arkansas State came back and won the thing at [...]
A quick look at coaching statuses around the non-BCS Universe. At the moment, we’re at six openings, with Marshall’s coach resigning yesterday and Akron sneaking one past me over the holiday weekend. Perhaps more importantly, though, is that the axes are falling fast and furious at the big schools, which usually sets off a chain reaction [...]
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