New Mexico Bowl is the best C-USA option!

ipd054 · December 3, 2018

C-USA BOWL 2018 SYNOPSIS
Conference USA secured guaranteed commitments for six bowl spots for the 2018 season, as well as maintaining two secondary agreements. The Bahamas, Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton, Hawai’i, New Mexico, and R+L Carriers New Orleans bowls are joined by a spot in either the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla (Tampa Bay) or Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowls as the primary agreements. The Frisco Bowl and the Walk-On’s Independence Bowl (should the ACC or SEC not be able to provide a bowl-eligible team) serve as secondary bowls. There is no set selection order among C-USA’s bowl partners.

C-USA was given the Gasparilla Bowl and not the HOD by ESPN (assumption). With a game in Dallas off the table and with the Independence Bowl selecting and AAC team (Duke) our options became very slim without some trading. The first rule of trading is you have to have something to trade. What could C-USA offer?

Boca Raton - UAB chose this bowl per conference rules.
Bahamas - FIU already filled C-USA spot
Hawaii - LaTech already filled C-USA spot

Open Options

Gasparilla - 1,162 miles from Denton - Thursday Game
New Mexico - 609 miles from Denton - Saturday game to kick off the Bowl Season v. MWC
New Orleans - 542 miles from Denton- Same Saturday as NM v. SBC and we were there last year.

If I am any other conference commissioner other than the belt I do not think I would trade. So UNT is left with the three options above. Which would you chose?

A game we have not been to vs a Coaches Poll top 25 team?
A game vs the best team in the belt (who is supposed to be a worse conference than the C-USA) (did not have good results last year in this scenario)?
A game vs the 4th place team in the AAC on a Thursday night 1,200 miles away from campus?

Given the above options (that only take into account the C-USA tie-in's and the lack of a tradable commodity), I think we did the best out of all of the other C-USA teams. It is a low pressure game as we will be underdogs and few if any will pick us to win but it will be reported as UNT v #23 Utah State. If we win huge upside and we upset a top 25 team (would be the top story of any bowl games played on Saturday) (heck the Dallas Morning news might even give credit to Mac for a great win) if we lose, we were beat by a ranked opponent.

When you are dealt a hand you play that hand to win. I feel that the C-USA was dealt a blah hand by ESPN and Wren played that blah hand to be a winner with limited options.

Would I have prefered HOD for my convenience? YES, but if it was not offered to C-USA we came out smelling like roses compared to the rest of the C-USA. We have a new to us bowl with a possibility to reach 10 wins against a top 25 team. Let that sink in. I for one would have signed up for that option before the season started.

This is a great bowl for the Mean Green!

NorthTexasWeLove · December 3, 2018

Wait. Should I be happy or depressed by this? I'm confused.

ipd054 · December 3, 2018

I would say both.

Happy by the fact that we are in the best possible situation for a 2018 C-USA bowl

Depressed by the fact that we are in the best possible situation for a 2018 C-USA bowl

golfingomez · December 3, 2018

i don't know why so many are unhappy with the New Mexico bowl against the #23 team in the country...

ya'll need to be making a weekend out of this... New Mexico is fantastic.

greenminer · December 3, 2018

45 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Wait. Should I be happy or depressed by this? I'm confused.

I can't think of a time you gave a shit about what you should do. You seem more like a I'm-gonna-be-angry-no-matter-what type.

PlummMeanGreen · December 3, 2018

55 minutes ago, golfingomez said:

i don't know why so many are unhappy with the New Mexico bowl against the #23 team in the country...

ya'll need to be making a weekend out of this... New Mexico is fantastic.

Are they ranked #23 or #25?

PlummMeanGreen · December 3, 2018

Again...North Texas has never played a Top 25 school in any bowl game. That is progress in my mind’s eye & one which would be nice to continue with SL or a new HFC, but with us being the ranked team.

GMG!

Edited December 3, 2018 by PlummMeanGreen

NorthTexasWeLove · December 3, 2018

44 minutes ago, greenminer said:

I can't think of a time you gave a shit about what you should do. You seem more like a I'm-gonna-be-angry-no-matter-what type.

You're right, I don't give many of those.

However, I'm not angry. I'll be there.

GrandGreen · December 3, 2018

There is a segment on here to bitch and moan no matter what the subject.

None of us know how bowl games participants are chosen other than the main player in the minor bowls is ESPN. ESPN is all about viewership not attendance. My guess is ESPN contributes to the Bowl payout, but makes no more money if it is a sellout or an empty stadium.

NT probably got the best match possible judged by quality of opponent. New Mexico is not a destination location but not that far either.

97and03 · December 3, 2018

They are 23 in the Coaches Poll. They are not ranked in the AP or CFP which include multiple four loss teams (and a five loss team in the CFP) over USU. A little bit obvious bias there, wouldn’t you say?

46 minutes ago, PlummMeanGreen said:

Are they ranked #23 or #25?

Jason Howeth · December 4, 2018

Bump, because this original post is 🔥.

NorthTexasWeLove · December 4, 2018

3 minutes ago, Jason Howeth said:

Bump, because this original post is 🔥.

It was a good post. To point out again, Utah State will not be a ranked team during the games broadcast. ESPN places a ranking beside a teams name via the CFB playoff ranking. So unless the casual fan is a poll Nazi, which I highly doubt, not many people will know they are 23rd in the coaches poll.

Jason Howeth · December 4, 2018

2 minutes ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

It was a good post. To point out again, Utah State will not be a ranked team during the games broadcast. ESPN places a ranking beside a teams name via the CFB playoff ranking. So unless the casual fan is a poll Nazi, which I highly doubt, not many people will know they are 23rd in the coaches poll.

The announcers will mention that USU was ranked there, though, so it's not like someone who causally watches the game won't hear about it. Watchers will know, CFB junkies will know, and school fans will know. And hey, that's about the most attention UNT gets these days.

Edited December 4, 2018 by Jason Howeth

rhaprez03-04 · December 4, 2018

NorthTexasWeLove · December 4, 2018

2 minutes ago, Jason Howeth said:

The announcers will mention that USU was ranked there, though, so it's not like someone who causally watches the game won't hear about it. Watchers will know, CFB junkies will know, and school fans will know. And hey, that's about the most attention UNT gets these days.

Yeah...I guess. But it's spinning reality a bit. If they beat us they will definitely end up in both coaches and AP. Maybe we can blast them and take their spot.

Jason Howeth · December 4, 2018

1 hour ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Yeah...I guess. But it's spinning reality a bit. If they beat us they will definitely end up in both coaches and AP. Maybe we can blast them and take their spot.

We won't take their spot, but I imagine some votes a win over Later Tech might have us in there right now.