North Texas To Play In Rose Bowl ?

NT80 · July 29, 2009

Non-BCS teams can make Rose Bowl

11:14 PM CDT on Monday, July 27, 2009

Associated Press

CHICAGO – Some tweaking to the Bowl Championship Series rules gives greater access to the Rose Bowl to teams outside the six conferences with automatic BCS bids.

"Under certain circumstances, they can play their way into the Rose Bowl, which hasn't been true in the past," Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Monday at Big Ten media day. "Standards have been, I think, lightened to access the BCS."

The Big Ten and Pacific-10 champions are contractually bound to play in the Rose Bowl unless one of those teams qualifies for the national championship game.

Starting with the 2010 season and running through the 2013 season, the first time the Rose Bowl loses one of its conference champions and a team from one of the non-automatic qualifying leagues earns a BCS bid, the Rose Bowl must take that team.

Since the BCS was implemented in 1998, a team outside the automatic qualifying leagues has never played in the Rose Bowl.

The Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-10 champions receive automatic bids to the five BCS games.

The champions from the Mountain West, Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Sun Belt and Mid-American do not get automatic entry into the big-money BCS games but can play their way in.

MeanGreen61 · July 29, 2009

oldguystudent · July 29, 2009

Would a 12-0 Sunbelt team honestly get a BCS bid? I think the rules are that you have to beat one BCS team to be eligible, but with the remaining strength of schedule, I think an SBC team would have to have at least two victories over ranked, BCS teams.

This is a slap in the face of the Rose Bowl people though. The Rose Bowl has consistently been the most elitist of all the bowls, and was reluctant to even join the BCS in the first place because it threatened their beloved Pac 10/Big 10 matchup and the huge sums of money it brings.

UNTflyer · July 29, 2009

Would a 12-0 Sunbelt team honestly get a BCS bid? I think the rules are that you have to beat one BCS team to be eligible, but with the remaining strength of schedule, I think an SBC team would have to have at least two victories over ranked, BCS teams.

First, I'll preface my comment by saying this all gets solved with a true playoff where all conference champions get a spot.

Now...

Yes, any team that goes 12-0 should get a BCS bid. But, if North Texas goes 12-0 they will not get one. You have to be ranked in the top 12 to get a BCS berth, and the media and coaches polls will NEVER do that to a Sun Belt team.

NT91 · July 29, 2009

If NT were to post wins over..lets say UT and Bama and have avg wins over the SBC teams of 40 pts or more.

They would be in the top 12.

CMJ · July 29, 2009

Well, at least I wouldn't have to travel very far for the game!

NorthTexan95 · July 29, 2009

First, I'll preface my comment by saying this all gets solved with a true playoff where all conference champions get a spot.
Now...
Yes, any team that goes 12-0 should get a BCS bid. But, if North Texas goes 12-0 they will not get one. You have to be ranked in the top 12 to get a BCS berth, and the media and coaches polls will NEVER do that to a Sun Belt team.

If NT goes 12-0 in 2011 when we have three big away games then it would be possible.

eulesseagle · July 29, 2009

Boise State.......TCU..........Utah. There is always a chance.

aprice · July 29, 2009

Boise State.......TCU..........Utah. There is always a chance.

I wish I knew how to embed this video in here.

Arkstfan · July 29, 2009

Would a 12-0 Sun Belt make it?

Here are the BCS standings going into the last Saturday of the season last year.

http://msn.foxsports.com/id/9812962_37_1.pdf

Utah was #6, Boise #9, and Ball State #12.

Utah non-conference: @Michigan (barely beat a dreadful Wolverine team), @Utah State (bad WAC), Weber State (pretty good FCS last year), Oregon State (ended up pretty good). So they got two "name" wins but only one quality non-conference win (ie. an FCS that finished .500 or better). Past reputation coupled with a strong MWC got them in position.

Boise State non-conference: Idaho State (1-11), Bowling Green (6-6 with a couple nice wins), @Oregon (nice season), @Southern Miss (rough start finished 7-6). really more impressive non-conference performance than Utah in my opinion but the bottom of the WAC was just horrible.

Ball State non-conference: Northeastern (2-10), Navy (8-5, lost to some bad teams), Indiana (3-9), WKU (bad). Clearly the weakest non-conference slate and the 8 MAC wins, I give credit for playing in the tougher division having to get past Central and Western Michigan but not a better league schedule than Boise.

Ball started off behind the 8 ball because they hadn't been ranked in the past and had lost their bowl after a middling season in 2007. The deck was clearly stacked against being ranked. Didn't crack the AP poll until they reached 6-0.

Despite an unimpressive conference slate and unimpressive non-conference slate they were at the magic number of 12 in the BCS standings when they lost to Buffalo. To get in as a non-AQ you have to be ranked 12 or better, be conference champion, AND be the highest ranked non-AQ champion. If Ball State had beaten Buffalo, they would have met two out of three and would have had to pray for Utah and Boise to get upset.

A 12-0 Sun Belt would crack 12 in the BCS poll, after that it is just a matter of whether any non-AQ conference champs were rated ahead.

SilverEagle · July 29, 2009

I hate to break this to you 61, but everyone outside the Mean Green family thinks that that is our fan mantra anyway....about every season.

I really miss the X-files.

Edited July 29, 2009 by SilverEagle

UNTLifer · July 29, 2009

Would a 12-0 Sunbelt team honestly get a BCS bid? I think the rules are that you have to beat one BCS team to be eligible, but with the remaining strength of schedule, I think an SBC team would have to have at least two victories over ranked, BCS teams.
This is a slap in the face of the Rose Bowl people though. The Rose Bowl has consistently been the most elitist of all the bowls, and was reluctant to even join the BCS in the first place because it threatened their beloved Pac 10/Big 10 matchup and the huge sums of money it brings.

Considering who the Sun Belt teams play in non-conference and who they would have beaten to earn a 12-0 record, they better be playing in the national championship game.

KRAM1 · July 29, 2009

Considering who the Sun Belt teams play in non-conference and who they would have beaten to earn a 12-0 record, they better be playing in the national championship game.

EXCELLENT POINT.

oldguystudent · July 29, 2009

Considering who the Sun Belt teams play in non-conference and who they would have beaten to earn a 12-0 record, they better be playing in the national championship game.

However, when Appalachian St beat then #5 ranked Michigan, instead of rewarding App St with a top 25 ranking, they dropped Michigan down to number bazillion and three.

TheTastyGreek · July 29, 2009

However, when Appalachian St beat then #5 ranked Michigan, instead of rewarding App St with a top 25 ranking, they dropped Michigan down to number bazillion and three.

If I remember correctly, D-1AA teams were not eligible for votes in the polls. App State's win caused the ranking systems to revise their policies to allow any team to receive votes. Didn't go into effect until the week after that win, but I do believe that App State did get some top 25 votes then.