BIG GAME HUNTING - Insight into minimal control CUSA schools have over bowls

meangreanmick · December 4, 2017

If you haven't read this from FAU, its interesting. They declared days ago they wanted the best opponent/competition, weren't interested in the Boca bowl, and were trying to court other bowls as well outside of CUSA. They are the conference champion and essentially got none of the things they publicly stated they wanted - big opponent, out of town bowl, etc.

http://fauowlaccess.com/floridaatlantic/fau-big-game-hunting/7801/2017/11/30/

untjim1995 · December 4, 2017

It sucks to be at the bottom of the totem pole...and that’s where CUSA is, only above the SBC in the minds of college football’s fans and media.

MCMLXXX · December 4, 2017

Troy beat Akron by 5. FAU will beat them by 55. Kiffen will have FAU ready to play (if he is still there).

TreeFiddy · December 4, 2017

So, the teams themselves really have no control over where they go unless the bowl extends an invite, even the conference champ.

We need to have a good turnout in NOLA and kick some Trojan tail and so we can grow the show. Climb the ladder.

Rudy · December 4, 2017

Blame the CUSA office for this, not the AD and Prez.

MattMakesLoans · December 4, 2017

Great find. FAU not going where it wants really highlights the gap between P5 & G5.

TheColonyEagle · December 4, 2017

Pretty much proves on the field doesn't matter. It's perception, eyes and dollars.

FAU could go 12-0 and beat 2 SEC teams but if their attendance and proof of an ability to travel doesn't show....Bowls don't want them.

Sucks.

untjim1995 · December 4, 2017

4 minutes ago, TheColonyEagle said:

Pretty much proves on the field doesn't matter. It's perception, eyes and dollars.

FAU could go 12-0 and beat 2 SEC teams but if their attendance and proof of an ability to travel doesn't show....Bowls don't want them.

Sucks.

This is exactly why i want the P5s to split away from the rest of us. We have great seasons and get rewarded with spare bowls most people don’t care about. We are the only level of football that can’t ever win a national championship. It’s just wrong. I get why the P5s and their media/bowls dont want to share the pie. I just hate this FBS level including teams that aren’t equal in any way.

MeanGreenTexan · December 4, 2017

As much as we’re disappointed, I can’t imagine how FAU die-hard fans feel about theirs.

@FAU Connoisseur, you’re a good dude. Would love to hear your thoughts on your bowl game.

Felozano · December 4, 2017

That sucks for FAU. They have a good team. It would have been nice to see them play “best available”

untjim1995 · December 4, 2017

14 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

As much as we’re disappointed, I can’t imagine how FAU die-hard fans feel about theirs.

@FAU Connoisseur, you’re a good dude. Would love to hear your thoughts on your bowl game.

Yep, all 4 dozen of them...

TreeFiddy · December 4, 2017

Did not realize until doing a little research that when WKU won the conference last year they selected Boca as their destination of choice (and got it).

BigWillie · December 4, 2017

36 minutes ago, TreeFiddy said:

Did not realize until doing a little research that when WKU won the conference last year they selected Boca as their destination of choice (and got it).

Yes, my understanding was that conference champ got to choose the bowl they wanted out of the CUSA tie-ins.

Is it that they can choose it, but the bowl still has to say OK?

GrandGreen · December 4, 2017

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

It sucks to be at the bottom of the totem pole...and that’s where CUSA is, only above the SBC in the minds of college football’s fans and media.

This article just doesn't pertain to CUSA, I suspect that every conference has the same issues. I am not sure that any team is just invited to any bowl. This is all based on negotiations with the bowls, tv, conferences and probably last the teams. The four playoff teams were invited based on some committee's decision not the wishes of the top teams of the year. About the only power the teams have is just to turn out the invitation that has been decided they will get. That has been a disaster for some teams.

TreeFiddy · December 4, 2017

12 minutes ago, BigWillie said:

Yes, my understanding was that conference champ got to choose the bowl they wanted out of the CUSA tie-ins.

Is it that they can choose it, but the bowl still has to say OK?

That is what an earlier article indicated. The teams submit their preference and then the conference tries to work with the bowls to get things matched up, but ultimately the bowl has to be willing to invite the team and the team would in turn have to be willing to accept the invitation. However, it is a bit of a misnomer to say that the teams get to pick their bowl.

MeanGreenTexan · December 4, 2017

As much as we’re disappointed, I can’t imagine how FAU die-hard fans feel about theirs.

@FAU Connoisseur, you’re a good dude. Would love to hear your thoughts on your bowl game.

Mean Green Matt · December 4, 2017

7 hours ago, TreeFiddy said:

That is what an earlier article indicated. The teams submit their preference and then the conference tries to work with the bowls to get things matched up, but ultimately the bowl has to be willing to invite the team and the team would in turn have to be willing to accept the invitation. However, it is a bit of a misnomer to say that the teams get to pick their bowl.

It sounds like NT isn't specifically to blame unless the argument is made we should have sold ourselves better to the Indy bowl. The only thing that bothers me (and maybe I missed it) is I don't remember NT publicly stating it wanted a P5 matchup until after the initial poor fan reaction a few days ago. Before that the line was that NT wanted a destination bowl.

untbowler · December 4, 2017

Sorry but FAU has no one to blame but themselves and their dismal attendance record, if they would have packed the stadium this past weekend or averaged over 20k a game they would be going somewhere bigger but if you have no fans, you get what you get. Sucks for them because they are having a great season.

Mike Jackson · December 4, 2017

1 hour ago, untbowler said:

Sorry but FAU has no one to blame but themselves and their dismal attendance record, if they would have packed the stadium this past weekend or averaged over 20k a game they would be going somewhere bigger but if you have no fans, you get what you get. Sucks for them because they are having a great season.

I get this but should it be about the quality of the teams and no the pocket books of the fans? I think the last round of Conference realignment our the wheels in motion for destruction of the FBS as we know it today. The greedy programs at the top in quest for more money will make moves to get larger shares of the pie. However those moves will accelerate the shrinking of the pie they are cutting up. When you leave half of your teams out in the cold (post season AND regular season) you are not going to bring more students into FBS fandom through devotion to their school because there is no hope. Even the mediocre P5 teams get the shaft for no other reason than greed. School like Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, Kansas State, Iowa State, Cal, Washington State, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Virginia should regularly be hosting be hosting blue blood out of Conference programs like Florida, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Clemson, Florida State, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Michigan. Then over the years we could stop talking about stupid “eyeball tests” and look at regular season inter-conference game data and say well the numbers that show (with home and home scheduling to eliminate advantages) this x conference has been the best. Bowl games don’t really matter now cause top players are going sit out of them more and more going forward.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Mike Jackson

MrStrange18 · December 4, 2017

1 hour ago, untbowler said:

Sorry but FAU has no one to blame but themselves and their dismal attendance record, if they would have packed the stadium this past weekend or averaged over 20k a game they would be going somewhere bigger but if you have no fans, you get what you get. Sucks for them because they are having a great season.

I was just about to bring this up.

This is a small part of what burns me about losing to them. They are the 'Fightin Lanes," they have a great team, something to be excited about... and no one there seems to care.

Even with our past issues with attendance, I think we would have packed Apogee for a CUSA Championship game.

I hope we get to see that happen this next season!

This is why they are bowling at home. No one wants to invite them to one that the fanbase would have to travel to. They cant drive down the street to their home stadium. Imagine the turnout if they had to go to a different state.

GMG!

aztecskin · December 4, 2017

Yep.

NT is in a tough spot, but at least we have the history to draw from. On this board we have fans that saw Mean Joe, Patrick Cobbs, Lance Dunbar, and Jeff Wilson.

We have generations of fans to draw from and mobilizing that group -- while difficult -- is achievable. The HOD Bowls of the last two years had 38K. Apogee had 26K back-to-back weeks. Despite taking a beating in Boca twice, NT is still in a better spot from this perspective.

wardly · December 4, 2017

3 hours ago, MrStrange18 said:

I was just about to bring this up.

This is a small part of what burns me about losing to them. They are the 'Fightin Lanes," they have a great team, something to be excited about... and no one there seems to care.

Even with our past issues with attendance, I think we would have packed Apogee for a CUSA Championship game.

I hope we get to see that happen this next season!

This is why they are bowling at home. No one wants to invite them to one that the fanbase would have to travel to. They cant drive down the street to their home stadium. Imagine the turnout if they had to go to a different state.

GMG!

They don't have the fan base at home, let alone to travel. There were an announced 14,000 in attendance. However, at last years WK-MTSU championship game there were about half that many fans in attendance. FAU's team got the short end of the stick and can probably put up 100 on the ZIPS if they want to.