ChristopherRyanWilkes

This isn't necessarily true, they announced ODU to Bahamas this week. They ask the teams their preferences beforehand and start planning. Otherwise they'd have less than a day to fit everyone into a bowl. I wouldn't be so sure LaTech is set on HoD against a fill-in team either.

The above are all possible including Quick Lane because of big conferences needing fill-ins. Quick Lane might be possible just because it would be an easier match-up for us, but still taking on a 6-6 P5 opponent.

Same. 5 minutes from my apartment, and fittingly HoD was 5 minutes from my former apartment when they played in it too.

In no particular order probably: 1. Vegas 2. Armed Forces 3. Quick Lane 4. St. Petersburg 5. HoD 6. Arizona Or not.

The thing is Navy might not even be in this game. If that is the case there might be a good chance we play in it. They could fill-in two teams from the teams not going to conference bowl games. That could even end up being two 5-7 teams, such as UNT vs. Texas.

To be clear, this is just a projection correct?

Well he quickly achieved their "next step" of reaching a bowl game. Shows how little they probably researched for this. I'd say objectively a B at the very least.

Yeah. Way too cold in December too. Well it's ACC vs Big 10 so I'm guessing filling in for one of those two. Maybe either Indiana or Boston College as the opponent. Hadn't seen that one projected but someone else mentioned it too. ETA: it would be ACC. So Boston College or NC State. Can't imagine us getting "rewarded" with a P5 opponent when we couldn't get one in 2013, but you never know.

Hm I hadn't heard that one yet. Did they mention the possible opponent?

So CBS has updated their bowl projections. No longer the Arizona Bowl but still in Arizona. Has us going up against Baylor in the Cactus bowl....

More likely scenario is that we trade to get a better bowl game for LaTech and if both South Alabama and ULL win this week we play one of them as a Big 10 fill-in.

Even if we want to, the bowl committees and conferences don't. They will not want an extremely lopsided match-up. Bad for TV ratings, attendance, etc. That's why although Las Vegas and Armed Forces would be viable options, they will be too lopsided for them to even consider it more than likely.

Yeah this is much more plausible as a fill-in. The MWC #1 will want at least a P5 opponent. I bet they trade the Arizona bowl to get UNT in it and MissSt as a fill-in for Vegas.

I'm a Fort Worth homer but Joe T's is extremely overrated. Only been there once, avoid it when I can. Great for out-of-towners I guess, but even then I can think of better places. The cash thing is infuriating and they've already been busted for tax evasion once because of it. I believe it. All things being equal I'm sure we'd be in Arizona in a heartbeat. I just think there's some politicking the conferences have to do to make it happen first. Which if we are going through the trouble of that I'd rather HoD vs a Sun Belt opponent but it is what it is.

Maybe there's a bylaw I'm missing but Tucson would have to be a trade too. Vegas would be likely but MWC will not want to send their #1 there to face us. So we may be working with them to get us a decent matchup in Arizona so they don't have to put their #1 against us.

Which bowl do we trade? So far we have ODU to Bahamas, WKU likely to Boca, USM likely to NOLA. I doubt any conference wants Hawaii bowl and see MTSU there. Wonder if there's a scenario we could trade to get LaTech a decent opponent and have us play South Alabama or ULL in the HoD bowl as a Big 10 fill-in. I forgot how much fun speculating about bowl games is, btw.

We won't get Hawaii more than likely. They have to fill conference games with bowl eligible teams before going to alternates such as UNT. Look for MTSU to go there, as they don't have many good geographic options. Hence why they got stuck with Bahamas last year.

The problem with this projection is it lists CUSA/Mountain West/Sun Belt as the tie-ins. It's a MWC/Sun Belt bowl, both of which have enough teams to fill this game and their others. Maybe the author has some source that says MWC is willing to trade this game to CUSA so that we don't get crushed in a game like the Vegas bowl or Armed Forces.

You're right. So that basically eliminates the Arizona Bowl unless both SBC team lose. The bowl projectors really don't research G5 bowl games and many have Arizona bowl as a CUSA bowl, hence the confusion.

Just so everyone knows why the bowl projections shifted from Arizona bowl last night to Vegas/Armed Forces bowl today... If either one of USA or ULL wins Saturday (very likely), SBC will have at least 5 teams for 5 bowl tie-ins including the Arizona bowl. When Hawaii won last night, the MWC got to 7 teams for 7 bowl tie-ins, including the Arizona bowl as well. Unless Boise State leap frogs Western Michigan for a New Year's 6 game, Arizona Bowl will be Sun Belt vs. MWC per tie-ins and not in need of a fill-in. From what I can tell at least two conferences will be short of fulfilling their bowl obligations--the Pac-12 and Big 12. Two bowls low on the todem pole for them, Armed Forces for Big 12 and Vegas for Pac-12 are showing up as potential candidates for a 5-7 APR straggler fill-in team such as UNT. I don't know much about selection order or how that works, but the bowls have to extend an offer to us before either MissSt or UT from my understanding.

I mean, at this point if it's not Navy it could be Boise State or MWC #1. No parties happy about it but the only teams available for fill-in are 5-7 APR teams right now.

It's interesting because it was assumed that would be the premier bowl destination in CUSA for the champion because of the Big 10 opponent. Now, it's looking like it could be a G5 opponent and a not very good one at that. I am betting WKU wins the championship and takes the Boca Raton regardless. LaTech may not want HoD when they hear about the opponent.

You don't think Arizona will be filled by the existing conference tie-ins? Wouldn't that take Boise State going to New Years 6 or both SBC teams losing? I think Western Michigan should have the NY6 locked up and I don't see both USA and ULL losing.

Another projection for Las Vegas. Vice Sports, who are pretty good in my opinion. UNT vs. Wyoming. https://sports.vice.com/en_us/highlight/your-week-14-college-football-bowl-projections

Some other random one has UNT vs. Navy in Armed Forces. Sorry, lost the link. If it is Vegas, it's MWC #1 regardless of conference champion. So likely Boise State.