Combined CBS / Yahoo / SB Nation / WaPo Bowl Rankings (#1 - #39)

[vpackrats]

I know we have 4 threads going on right now with the #1 - #39 Bowl Rankings from various sites so I suppose this is my attempt to tie all 4 threads into 1 big one.  For purposes of this I'm only listing 3 bowls:  New Orleans Bowl / Independence Bowl (for obvious reasons based on the 10+ threads about this bowl) & the Frisco Bowl (only because I know we like to do SMU comparisons).  The results are pretty interesting to say the least.  Here you go:  

Washington Post:

New Orleans Bowl #15  /  Frisco Bowl #33  /  Independence Bowl #37

CBS Sports

New Orleans Bowl #15  /  Frisco Bowl #30  /  Independence Bowl #39

Yahoo

New Orleans Bowl #22  /  Frisco Bowl #33  /  Independence Bowl #39

SB Nation

New Orleans Bowl #24  /  Frisco Bowl #29  /  Independence Bowl #38

My take?  The national sportswriters that "don't have a dog in the hunt" so to speak, all convincingly rank the New Orleans Bowl as being a waaaay better bowl matchup than the Independence Bowl.  Heck, there are 39 bowls so the Indy Bowl finished last, last, next to last & 3rd from the bottom in the rankings.  All this to say, all the weeping & nashing of the teeth that's occurred on this board over the past 72 hours because we lost our chance to gain the national attention of the sportswriters, well, it's not exactly working out for SoMiss right now.  And, no, I don't think us replacing them would have shoved us up to where we are now in our matchup.  I think these outlets have it about right.  GMG!  Beat Troy!

[Mean Green Matt]

If the Indy bowl is removed there's not even a rational argument in my opinion against the NOB being the best choice for us. 

I personally would still trade the NOB for a shot at Florida State despite these lists, but am basically over the fact that it is not happening. The sport writers are definitely going to see more intrigue in a 9-win team playing a 10-win team, but as far as NT capturing the casual, on the fence fan, here in DFW I think FSU is more significant. Obviously regardless of how it worked out, winning and having a big showing of fans is the most important thing. 

[BTG_Fan1]

7 minutes ago, Mean Green Matt said:

If the Indy bowl is removed there's not even a rational argument in my opinion against the NOB being the best choice for us. 

I personally would still trade the NOB for a shot at Florida State despite these lists, but am basically over the fact that it is not happening. The sport writers are definitely going to see more intrigue in a 9-win team playing a 10-win team, but as far as NT capturing the casual, on the fence fan, here in DFW I think FSU is more significant. Obviously regardless of how it worked out, winning and having a big showing of fans is the most important thing. 

The arguments against the NO bowl is 1 thing.. the SBC tie in.. People are fine with Troy because it’s a solid team, but most fans/alumni have no idea where it is or anything.. Playing someone like FSU is a national name, while Troy is not.. 

If we did remove the Indy bowl NO is a top 2/3 bowl depending on what you are trying to do.. NM is #1 because it provides a close game compared to other locations, and it’s against the MW which is viewed as a superior conference to CUSA.. I would have liked it but Colorado State is way ahead of us and likely did to us what FAU has done.. NO and Boca are 2/3 and can either can be made into a case for 2.. NO is closer to home than Boca but many fans view it as back to the old roots because of the SBC tie in, with SBC viewed as below the CUSA. Boca is in a recruiting hot bed and vs a MAC opponent, which again is viewed slightly above CUSA..

Yes the NO is a nice match up but the normal UNT likely has 0 interest in Troy because it’s not a major name... We need to go out and win if we want to rebound carry this seasons preformance over and into the offseason.

[TreeFiddy]

I went ahead and pulled the info for all the CUSA bowls:

CBS Sports 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl -- North Texas vs Troy
#24 Bahamas Bowl -- UAB vs Ohio
#25 New Mexico Bowl -- Marshall vs Colo St
#28 Camelia Bowl -- Middle Tennessee vs Arky St
#30 Frisco Bowl -- LaTech vs SMU
#34 Gasparilla Bowl -- FIU vs Temple
#35 Cure Bowl -- Western Kentucky vs Georgia St
#37 Boca Raton Bowl -- Fla Atlantic vs Akron
#39 Independence Bowl -- Southern Miss vs Florida State

SBNation Watchability Index:
3.1 Boca Raton Bowl
2.9 New Orleans Bowl
2.3 Frisco Bowl
2.2 Bahamas Bowl
2.0 New Mexico Bowl
2.0 Cure Bowl
2.0 Camellia Bowl
1.6 Independence Bowl
1.4 Gasparilla Bowl

Washington Post 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl
#21 Bahamas Bowl
#29 New Mexico Bowl
#30 Boca Raton Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#35 Gasparilla Bowl
#37 Independence Bowl
#38 Camellia Bowl
#39 Cure Bowl

Yahoo! 1 - 39
#22 New Orleans Bowl
#23 Bahamas Bowl
#26 Boca Raton Bowl
#30 New Mexico Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#34 Gasparilla Bowl
#35 Camellia Bowl
#38 Cure Bowl
#39 Independence Bowl

ETA: Adding a link to Sport Illustrated article ( Click Here ) that ranks all the bowl teams 1 - 78.  Troy comes in at #33, North Texas at #52, and FSU at #69.  Troy ended up being the highest rated CUSA opponent in any of the CUSA bowls.

ETA2: adding Sporting News

Sporting News
#21 New Orleans Bowl
#29 Bahamas Bowl
#30 Boca Raton Bowl
#31 Camellia Bowl
#33 New Mexico Bowl
#37 Frisco Bowl
#38 Gasparilla Bowl
#39 Cure Bowl 
#40 Independence Bowl

Edited December 5, 2017 by TreeFiddy

[PlummMeanGreen]

Looks like we're more sexier than we thought?💃🕺🏼

 

[vpackrats]

49 minutes ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

Looks like we're more sexier than we thought?💃🕺🏼

 

Yep, I think that judging from the full & complete list (thanks TreeFiddy) that we're pretty sexy for the Conference USA bowl choices.  I know lot of you thought this was the equivalent of waking up in bed next to Rosie O'Donnell after an all-night bender in Vegas but in reality we woke up next to Lisa Kudrow.  I'm not going to go all the way and say we have a Jennifer Aniston or Courtney Cox type-bowl here but it's sure not Rosie O or Lena Dunham as some on here were implying.  

Edited December 5, 2017 by vpackrats

[meaniegreenie]

1 hour ago, TreeFiddy said:

I went ahead and pulled the info for all the CUSA bowls:

CBS Sports 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl -- North Texas vs Troy
#24 Bahamas Bowl -- UAB vs Ohio
#25 New Mexico Bowl -- Marshall vs Colo St
#28 Camelia Bowl -- Middle Tennessee vs Arky St
#30 Frisco Bowl -- LaTech vs SMU
#34 Gasparilla Bowl -- FIU vs Temple
#35 Cure Bowl -- Western Kentucky vs Georgia St
#37 Boca Raton Bowl -- Fla Atlantic vs Akron
#39 Independence Bowl -- Southern Miss vs Florida State

SBNation Watchability Index:
3.1 Boca Raton Bowl
2.9 New Orleans Bowl
2.3 Frisco Bowl
2.2 Bahamas Bowl
2.0 New Mexico Bowl
2.0 Cure Bowl
2.0 Camellia Bowl
1.6 Independence Bowl
1.4 Gasparilla Bowl

Washington Post 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl
#21 Bahamas Bowl
#29 New Mexico Bowl
#30 Boca Raton Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#35 Gasparilla Bowl
#37 Independence Bowl
#38 Camellia Bowl
#39 Cure Bowl

Yahoo! 1 - 39
#22 New Orleans Bowl
#23 Bahamas Bowl
#26 Boca Raton Bowl
#30 New Mexico Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#34 Gasparilla Bowl
#35 Camellia Bowl
#38 Cure Bowl
#39 Independence Bowl

ETA: Adding a link to Sport Illustrated article ( Click Here ) that ranks all the bowl teams 1 - 78.  Troy comes in at #33, North Texas at #52, and FSU at #69.  Troy ended up being the highest rated CUSA opponent in any of the CUSA bowls.

Also SI has:

FAU at 28
and
Iowa just one spot ahead of us at 51.

Edited December 5, 2017 by meaniegreenie

[meaniegreenie]

And Akron at 56.
The FAU team that curb-stomped us twice is playing a team that lost to the team we're playing.  Crazy.

[SilverEagle]

3 hours ago, vpackrats said:

Yep, I think that judging from the full & complete list (thanks TreeFiddy) that we're pretty sexy for the Conference USA bowl choices.  I know lot of you thought this was the equivalent of waking up in bed next to Rosie O'Donnell after an all-night bender in Vegas but in reality we woke up next to Lisa Kudrow.  I'm not going to go all the way and say we have a Jennifer Aniston or Courtney Cox type-bowl here but it's sure not Rosie O or Lena Dunham as some on here were implying.  

Maybe, but it took some research for many on this board (who are long term fans) to feel somewhat better about the perception of the bowl game. My concern is attracting the long term ambivalent North Texas alums so that they get to see that things have really changed in Mean Green country. A game closer by would have given them that opportunity. And yes, i know it wasn't our call.

So, win this game and then sell the hell out of our potential for next season.

And speaking of potential. This season would make for a much better highlights DVD than the ones that were being sold during the four year NO bowl run.

This bowl gives us fewer extra practice days. Extra practice days are always presented as a plus  for the next season. But the shorter turn around should give the coaches a better opportunity to recruit while other coaches are still getting their teams ready for a later starting bowl. 

Edited December 5, 2017 by SilverEagle

[SilverEagle]

2 hours ago, meaniegreenie said:

And Akron at 56.
The FAU team that curb-stomped us twice is playing a team that lost to the team we're playing.  Crazy.

And speaking of FAU. Has anyone gone over to their message board and congratulated them on being selected for the "kissing your sister Bowl"

[Green Lantern]

Why is anyone legitimately surprised by this? The game features two of the top G5 programs this year in what should be a compelling matchup and it kicks off Bowl season. Going to be a great weekend!

[Aldo]

11 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

The arguments against the NO bowl is 1 thing.. the SBC tie in.. People are fine with Troy because it’s a solid team, but most fans/alumni have no idea where it is or anything.. Playing someone like FSU is a national name, while Troy is not.. 

If we did remove the Indy bowl NO is a top 2/3 bowl depending on what you are trying to do.. NM is #1 because it provides a close game compared to other locations, and it’s against the MW which is viewed as a superior conference to CUSA.. I would have liked it but Colorado State is way ahead of us and likely did to us what FAU has done.. NO and Boca are 2/3 and can either can be made into a case for 2.. NO is closer to home than Boca but many fans view it as back to the old roots because of the SBC tie in, with SBC viewed as below the CUSA. Boca is in a recruiting hot bed and vs a MAC opponent, which again is viewed slightly above CUSA..

Yes the NO is a nice match up but the normal UNT likely has 0 interest in Troy because it’s not a major name... We need to go out and win if we want to rebound carry this seasons preformance over and into the offseason.

Most college football fans have no idea where North Texas is! 

Troy has been a very good team for a couple of seasons. They lost to #2 Clemons 30-24 before beating LSU this season. It was no accident, and LSU wasn't caught sleeping. Do you think LSU cares where Troy is from after getting beat?

Just because you're not paying attention doesn't mean other people aren't. Troy's a solid team with two seasons of built respect (20-5 record) and they've been talked about. North Texas is last year's Troy.

We haven't earned that respect yet and to pretend that just because you don't know where Troy is makes them a lesser team is silly.

[Aldo]

5 hours ago, SilverEagle said:

 A game closer by would have given them that opportunity. And yes, i know it wasn't our call.

North Texas was given this opportunity twice in the last 5 seasons and they showed up.

[BTG_Fan1]

44 minutes ago, Aldo said:

Most college football fans have no idea where North Texas is! 

Troy has been a very good team for a couple of seasons. They lost to #2 Clemons 30-24 before beating LSU this season. It was no accident, and LSU wasn't caught sleeping. Do you think LSU cares where Troy is from after getting beat?

Just because you're not paying attention doesn't mean other people aren't. Troy's a solid team with two seasons of built respect (20-5 record) and they've been talked about. North Texas is last year's Troy.

We haven't earned that respect yet and to pretend that just because you don't know where Troy is makes them a lesser team is silly.

When did I say people know or knew where UNT was? I’m talking about our fan base and not some other schools.

I have said from the start that Troy was a solid team but the fact they are from a worse conference than us hurts the view of the bowl.. we playing the SBC just 2 6 win teams on our conference. Do fans care wheee it is located at Clemson or LSU, who cares and those fans are not coming to a UNT game.

I have paid attention but the fact that we on are, does not mean the general fan(s) are...I’m sure a number of Alumni as well have no idea where Troy is and are disappointed after a big year, we the scraps. I have given props to Troy and said they are likely a tougher team than FSU, or Tech but TROY is not going to spark a fan base like those 2 other schools would have. 

I have been very high on Troy and even said that if CUSA was looking to expand, they should be considered (but likely wont be because of grades).

Edited December 5, 2017 by BTG_Fan1

[HoustonEagle]

I tend to think we will get our ass kicked in this bowl game.  Still I am going  prepared for the worst, hoping for the best.  Will cheer my ass off and will certainly be playing to win the post game. Chill out and enjoy the experience folks.  

[Aldo]

1 hour ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

When did I say people know or knew where UNT was? I’m talking about our fan base and not some other schools.

I have said from the start that Troy was a solid team but the fact they are from a worse conference than us hurts the view of the bowl.. we playing the SBC just 2 6 win teams on our conference. Do fans care wheee it is located at Clemson or LSU, who cares and those fans are not coming to a UNT game.

I have paid attention but the fact that we on are, does not mean the general fan(s) are...I’m sure a number of Alumni as well have no idea where Troy is and are disappointed after a big year, we the scraps. I have given props to Troy and said they are likely a tougher team than FSU, or Tech but TROY is not going to spark a fan base like those 2 other schools would have. 

I have been very high on Troy and even said that if CUSA was looking to expand, they should be considered (but likely wont be because of grades).

• Having only been in CUSA for a handful of seasons *most* fans know who Troy is. I don't judge you for not knowing who they are, and I only call on you because you keep making sweeping statements.
• Troy is propping us up in terms of the national cfb landscape in this matchup
• OBVIOUSLY P5 > G5 but we don't have that kind of sway. And to expect that after our second winning season in a decade is honorable but premature.
• Troy is going to garner attention, but we need to worry about North Texas garnering North Texas attention first instead of relying on other teams. This should be a well attended, well viewed matchup.

Now you know where Troy is. Now's the time to worry about beating Troy. 

[Greenrex]

 

[golfingomez]

FSU Starting Safety Derwin James is skipping the Indepence Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2018/story/_/id/21678805/derwin-james-florida-state-seminoles-declares-nfl-draft-skip-bowl-game

Edited December 5, 2017 by golfingomez

[TreeFiddy]

17 hours ago, TreeFiddy said:

I went ahead and pulled the info for all the CUSA bowls:

CBS Sports 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl -- North Texas vs Troy
#24 Bahamas Bowl -- UAB vs Ohio
#25 New Mexico Bowl -- Marshall vs Colo St
#28 Camelia Bowl -- Middle Tennessee vs Arky St
#30 Frisco Bowl -- LaTech vs SMU
#34 Gasparilla Bowl -- FIU vs Temple
#35 Cure Bowl -- Western Kentucky vs Georgia St
#37 Boca Raton Bowl -- Fla Atlantic vs Akron
#39 Independence Bowl -- Southern Miss vs Florida State

SBNation Watchability Index:
3.1 Boca Raton Bowl
2.9 New Orleans Bowl
2.3 Frisco Bowl
2.2 Bahamas Bowl
2.0 New Mexico Bowl
2.0 Cure Bowl
2.0 Camellia Bowl
1.6 Independence Bowl
1.4 Gasparilla Bowl

Washington Post 1 - 39
#15 New Orleans Bowl
#21 Bahamas Bowl
#29 New Mexico Bowl
#30 Boca Raton Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#35 Gasparilla Bowl
#37 Independence Bowl
#38 Camellia Bowl
#39 Cure Bowl

Yahoo! 1 - 39
#22 New Orleans Bowl
#23 Bahamas Bowl
#26 Boca Raton Bowl
#30 New Mexico Bowl
#33 Frisco Bowl
#34 Gasparilla Bowl
#35 Camellia Bowl
#38 Cure Bowl
#39 Independence Bowl

ETA: Adding a link to Sport Illustrated article ( Click Here ) that ranks all the bowl teams 1 - 78.  Troy comes in at #33, North Texas at #52, and FSU at #69.  Troy ended up being the highest rated CUSA opponent in any of the CUSA bowls.

ETA2: adding Sporting News

Sporting News
#21 New Orleans Bowl
#29 Bahamas Bowl
#30 Boca Raton Bowl
#31 Camellia Bowl
#33 New Mexico Bowl
#37 Frisco Bowl
#38 Gasparilla Bowl
#39 Cure Bowl 
#40 Independence Bowl

Updated with Sporting News.

[meaniegreenie]

5 hours ago, HoustonEagle said:

I tend to think we will get our ass kicked in this bowl game.  Still I am going  prepared for the worst, hoping for the best.  Will cheer my ass off and will certainly be playing to win the post game. Chill out and enjoy the experience folks.  

Yeah, the only reason I have to be concerned about how playing "lowly" Troy is going to affect our national perception is the very likely case that we get a second national TV beating just 2 weeks apart.

I'm hoping this isn't the case and I don't think they have the same level of athletes as FAU, but it could happen.

[BTG_Fan1]

10 hours ago, Aldo said:

• Having only been in CUSA for a handful of seasons *most* fans know who Troy is. I don't judge you for not knowing who they are, and I only call on you because you keep making sweeping statements.
• Troy is propping us up in terms of the national cfb landscape in this matchup
• OBVIOUSLY P5 > G5 but we don't have that kind of sway. And to expect that after our second winning season in a decade is honorable but premature.
• Troy is going to garner attention, but we need to worry about North Texas garnering North Texas attention first instead of relying on other teams. This should be a well attended, well viewed matchup.

Now you know where Troy is. Now's the time to worry about beating Troy. 

I'm well aware of Troy, but fans who do not come to games but that would go likely do not...
Troy is propping us up, but the SBC tag is the only negative point that most fans have.. 
The question isn't about me knowing where troy, it is the fan that is on the fence about re-upping for next year.. It's about the "young" alumni that have interest in UNT, and most of all its for the fans that are in their 40-60s that join the MGC or get season tickets.. 

UNT needs this win, and the AD office even knows it because i've talked with multiple people personally about it.. Winning is kind of a page-turning moment potentially. 

[greenminer]

Interesting to see FSU's bowl rated near the bottom.