Some may not care to hear this...

[hawkeyescott]

That rule is gone. Last year a 8-4 Temple sat at home with no bowl bid.

But these BCS bowls are going to sell out regardless if Stanford or Nebraska/Michigan get taken, right? Stanford may not have a big fan base but they have a wealthy one. With Luck I would think Stanford would be a much bigger TV draw.

Nebraska or Michigan would get better TV ratings then Stanford with Luck because I think there are a lot more alums/fans around the country that would watch Michigan or Nebraska in a bowl then there are casual fans that will watch Luck and Stanford in a BCS bowl.

A Nebraska/OU Fiesta bowl would probably be the biggest TV draw of all the bowls behind the National Championship.

 

[burky247]

I think Iowa should go to the Alamo Bowl. I know they're not affiliated with the Big 10 anymore. I know we don't deserve to go to a bowl that good. But that shouldn't stop us. Barta should just put out a statement saying "we've decided to accept an invite to the Alamo Bowl". Then the team, the fans, the cheerleaders, and the band all head to San Antonio and they are just forced to deal with us.

 

[JonDMiller]

So the first and third place team in the big ten get in over Standford ? Really ? I assumed the original post meant Mich St loses somewhere. No shot the BCS takes Mich or Neb as a third place big ten team. Over Standford or a couple other schools for that matter.

Some folks are failing to understand the process. Of course there is a way that Michigan and Nebraska go over Stanford and other schools.

Bowls are about fans in the stands (not necc tickets sold, because they take care of that with mandatory buys) and tv draw.

Michigan and Nebraska will be huge fans in the stands draw and historically are solid to great TV draws. Stanford 'might' be a decent fans in the stands draw for one BCS bowl, the Fiesta...maybe...and are not a historic great TV draw. The Andrew Luck factor helps them this year, but the historic cachet of Nebraska and Michigan is just as compelling if not more so.

Then when you start to envision how the other Top 14 might look, two SEC teams are already gone..two B12...only one Non-AQ will make it...so it quickly boils down (at least for this week) to Stanford vs the Michigan-Neb winner as long as that school wins its last game, too.

 

[JonDMiller]

Yeah the Big ten is the only teams that travel. Standford has no fan base neither does Clemson or Virgina Tech. This they take the team that travels better is for the smaller bowl games. One could argue Boise and Houston belong before Neb/Mich.

You are failing to view this from the BCS bowl's point of view. Take notions of who deserves to be there or who belongs there out of your thought process.

 

[JonDMiller]

Assuming NW & Purdue get to eligibility...
If you are one of these lesser bowls, and your choices include those two & Iowa, typically I think Iowa is probably the easy choice due to fan base. But I think what actually may happen is NW/Purdue fan bases will be energized & excited to go to ANY bowl, where Iowa fans could not care less about it. More fans probably making plans for next years opener in Chicago honestly.

Purdue especially.

If the Gator bowl picked a 6-6 Iowa over 7-5 Purdue or 8-4 PSU, those people should be fired. That's just ridiculously stupid.

That's what a lot of people were saying about last year's bowl game in a far more disappointing season than this one. Didnt turn out that way.

 

[treychase]

Some folks are failing to understand the process. Of course there is a way that Michigan and Nebraska go over Stanford and other schools.

Bowls are about fans in the stands (not necc tickets sold, because they take care of that with mandatory buys) and tv draw.

Michigan and Nebraska will be huge fans in the stands draw and historically are solid to great TV draws. Stanford 'might' be a decent fans in the stands draw for one BCS bowl, the Fiesta...maybe...and are not a historic great TV draw. The Andrew Luck factor helps them this year, but the historic cachet of Nebraska and Michigan is just as compelling if not more so.

Then when you start to envision how the other Top 14 might look, two SEC teams are already gone..two B12...only one Non-AQ will make it...so it quickly boils down (at least for this week) to Stanford vs the Michigan-Neb winner as long as that school wins its last game, too.

I think you're underestimating just how poorly the Big Ten is viewed nationally.
People outside of the B1G footprint consider it garbage. Just ask them

 

[ssckelley]

Then it could come down if Oklahoma beats OSU. If OSU wins then obviously they get a bid and then you have Oklahoma getting a BCS bid as a 2nd team from the B12.

 

[JonDMiller]

I think you're underestimating just how poorly the Big Ten is viewed nationally.
People outside of the B1G footprint consider it garbage. Just ask them

That may be. However, when you look at the teams, or in this instance, 'team' that a B1G team may be competing with, that notion becomes moot. This process is a lot 'simpler' than some are making it out to be.

Once the BCS standings come out tonight, this mapping will become clearer.

 

[JonDMiller]

Then it could come down if Oklahoma beats OSU. If OSU wins then obviously they get a bid and then you have Oklahoma getting a BCS bid as a 2nd team from the B12.

If OU wins, things get real interesting...because Okie St has been passed over for BCS bowls in the past due to lack of name cachet and size of fan base.

 

[ssckelley]

How about a 10-3 Wisconsin Jon?

 

[83Hawk]

I'm still not convinced a 6-6 Iowa team gets a bowl invite.

 

[Gohawks123]

This is grasping at straws...pure and simple. A unbelievable amount of things have to go right for Iowa to go to the Gator Bowl at 6-6. Could it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Almost no chance. How about we just win the next two games so we don't leave any doubt?

 

[JonDMiller]

This is grasping at straws...pure and simple. A unbelievable amount of things have to go right for Iowa to go to the Gator Bowl at 6-6. Could it happen? Sure. Will it happen? Almost no chance. How about we just win the next two games so we don't leave any doubt?

I never said that it would happen, but it is a possibility if the Big Ten is in a two-up

 

[JonDMiller]

How about a 10-3 Wisconsin Jon?

If they are in the Top 14, most definitely a factor..but don't think they would be in Top 14 at 10-3 and losing last game.

Which is why all of this is very speculative.

 

[treychase]

I'm still not convinced a 6-6 Iowa team gets a bowl invite.

I don't think they do if Purdue & NW get to eligibility.

 

[OverratedD]

I think the Andrew Luck TV draw would be enough to get Stanford selected ahead of Nebraska or Michigan. I think more likely is Oklahoma beating OkSt and the Cowboys getting left out because they have zero fanbase.

What are you talking about??? I live in Oklahoma and OK St. has a pretty big fanbase which is willing to travel. Not only that, but their alumni have a lot of oil & gas money and in these economic times they will spend money to see the team in a BCS game.

 

[ssckelley]

I don't think they do if Purdue & NW get to eligibility.

If you truly believe this then you have no clue how bowl games work.

 

[Gohawks123]

Just win the next two games. I don't want to back into the Gator Bowl at 6-6 and get blown out by an SEC team.

 

[hawkfaninTX]

Any result of the last two games gets us to a bowl, mark it down.

 

[JonDMiller]

What are you talking about??? I live in Oklahoma and OK St. has a pretty big fanbase which is willing to travel. Not only that, but their alumni have a lot of oil & gas money and in these economic times they will spend money to see the team in a BCS game.

In 2010 Okie State was 10-2 entering the bowls. They didn't get a sniff from the BCS and went to the Alamo, despite being 14th in the BCS standings which means they were eligible to go to a BCS bowl. They've never trumped anyone for a BCS slot.