ESPN Still has us in the HOD bowl.

[pogWo4life]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections

[UNTflyer]

The Big Ten has seven bowl eligible teams. Why would we play Buffalo or Washington? The #7 team is Michigan.

[Snowy]

SBNation does not have us in the HOD bowl:

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/11/24/5139644/bowl-projections-2013-predictions

[Eastwood Eagle]

SB nation is apparently full of dumbasses. Why would the HOD take Rice over UNT? Rice will travel 10 fans.

[untbowler]

do we all believe that RV/DMac want to spend bowl season in Dallas and not somewhere more foreign and away from home?

[drex]

Never underestimate the politics of bowl selections...I have maintained all along that SMU money will keep us out of the Heart of Texas Bowl...time will tell.

[UNT90]

Never underestimate the politics of bowl selections...I have maintained all along that SMU money will keep us out of the Heart of Texas Bowl...time will tell.

Just curious why a bowl with no affiliation with the AAC would be worried about what SMU wanted?

[10Eagle10]

Rose Bowl Presented by VIZIO, Jan. 1: Ohio State
Capital One Bowl, Jan. 1: Michigan State
Outback Bowl, Jan. 1: Wisconsin
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Dec. 28: Nebraska
TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl, Jan. 1: Michigan
Texas Bowl, Dec. 27: Minnesota
Heart of Dallas Bowl, Jan. 1: Iowa
Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Dec. 26: Not filled

[Green59]

The Big Ten has seven bowl eligible teams. Why would we play Buffalo or Washington? The #7 team is Michigan.

The Big Ten does have seven bowl eligible teams. However because both of the ESPN writers have two Big Ten teams getting BCS games then every team moves up a slot shutting out the HOD game.

[JesseMartin]

It doesn't matter where RV/Mac want us to go...if we get an offer, take it. As far as the SBNation projection, I guess MTSU would travel fairly well to Annapolis; probably not as well as they would to St. Pete's but whatever. I do agree that Rice and UNT wouldn't travel as many fans to this set as the combined travel would be if we got HoD and Rice got pretty much any bowl. They don't travel a ton of people but most of them have the money to go just about anywhere so you'd probably get the same turnout from them no matter which bowl they were offered. And if they did take into account preferences of fans (since that's who they get ticket money from), they'd probably consider the fact that Rice alums would likely be more interested in traveling to Florida or Hawai'i than to Dallas.

[10Eagle10]

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/89142/big-ten-bowl-projections-week-13-5

all 4 ESPN writers/bloggers/bowl "experts" now agree...the B1G will have 2 BCS teams. This will leave us with a non-power conference team in the HOD. I know a lot of us want HOD, but I want to play a "major" team. Since Liberty is out now, I would love it if we could go to D.C. and play an ACC team in the Military Bowl. Count me in for attendance. However, if the HOD replaces the B1G with a Pac12 or ACC team then I'm back on board the HOD train

BCS bids by league:

B1G - 2

SEC - 2

ACC - 2

Big12 - 1

Pac12 - 1

AAC - 1

NIU or Fresno St - 1

[GrayEagle]

SB nation is apparently full of dumbasses. Why would the HOD take Rice over UNT? Rice will travel 10 fans.

Because if Rice wins next week they will finish ahead of us and will have the choice. Rice could allow us to have it but that would probably send them to the Hawaii Bowl with their two fans and the payout is considerably less. Would we do it?

I don't think that it matters now whether we beat Tulsa or not if Rice wins.

The reason why Heart of Dallas won't get a B1G team is because two of their teams will be in the BCS playoff...probably Ohio State and Michigan State. The HOD is sixth on the payout list ahead of only the Little Caesar's Bowl. After this year the Big Ten will add Rutgers and Maryland and at least the odds go up on landing a team from that conference.

Here's the way it's looking now...

Liberty Bowl - East Carolina

Heart of Dallas Bowl - Rice

Military Bowl - Marshall

Beef O'Brady's Bowl - Middle Tennessee

New Orleans Bowl - Tulane

Hawaii Bowl - North Texas

We could get Beef O'Brady if they prefer us over the MUTS (if we can sell more tickets).

[Harry]

I would be happy for the Hawaii Bowl for the players and coaches but not getting into the HOD bowl would be a bummer.

[UNTflyer]

We are NOT going to the Hawaii Bowl.

[MeanGreenRoadrunner]

I'm hoping for the HOD. It would be great for UNT fans to make the bowl game in huge numbers. As for other bowl games, excluding the Hawaii Bowl, what comes into play is how well the school travels. Since I'm new to UNT, can y'all tell me how well UNT has traveled this year? Or how well they travel overall?

What did UNT fan numbers look like at Tulane and La Tech? Those two standout due to driveability within a day.

[meangreanmick]

do we all believe that RV/DMac want to spend bowl season in Dallas and not somewhere more foreign and away from home?

They want to be where they can get the most fans to support them.

[meangreanmick]

Because if Rice wins next week they will finish ahead of us and will have the choice. Rice could allow us to have it but that would probably send them to the Hawaii Bowl with their two fans and the payout is considerably less. Would we do it?

I don't think that it matters now whether we beat Tulsa or not if Rice wins.

The reason why Heart of Dallas won't get a B1G team is because two of their teams will be in the BCS playoff...probably Ohio State and Michigan State. The HOD is sixth on the payout list ahead of only the Little Caesar's Bowl. After this year the Big Ten will add Rutgers and Maryland and at least the odds go up on landing a team from that conference.

Here's the way it's looking now...

Liberty Bowl - East Carolina

Heart of Dallas Bowl - Rice

Military Bowl - Marshall

Beef O'Brady's Bowl - Middle Tennessee

New Orleans Bowl - Tulane

Hawaii Bowl - North Texas

We could get Beef O'Brady if they prefer us over the MUTS (if we can sell more tickets).

Its not the teams choice, so Rice doesn't get to pick it. The bowl picks it. All the teams can do is accept it or decline it.

[UNT 90 Grad]

They want to be where they can get the most fans to support them.

This. And the HoD Bowl Committee wants the $$$, so they want the team that will bring the most fans, not necessarily the highest team in the standings.

[wardly]

DMN has Rice to HOD bowl.

[UNTLifer]

DMN has Rice to HOD bowl.

Does the DMN even acknowledge that we exist?

[wardly]

Does the DMN even acknowledge that we exist?

Probably not. Bleacher Report has N.T. vs. Michigan in H.O.D., Rice vs. Navy in Ft. Worth "Bell" Bowl.Who knows where we will end up but a win at Tulsa would really help our cause regarding H.O.D.Personally, I would rather go to St. Petersburg than freeze my butt off in the Cotton Bowl, but hey,that's just me.I just don't see us in Hawaii,New Orleans,Maryland, and of course Liberty Bowl, so it appears we are down to Dallas and St. Petersburg.Not bad choices.

[GrayEagle]

Yep, sorry I was thinking of the P5 conferences for a minute. However, if Rice is the Western Division champ and HOD does not choose them don't you imagine that would cause some future ill-will? Wouldn't the other West Division teams and the East Champion (if they lost the championship game) feel that if North Texas is bowl-eligible they're always going to get the HOD nod because thay can sell more tickets?

Edited November 25, 2013 by GrayEagle

[meangreanmick]

Those are possible considerations. Who traditionally went to hawaii for cusa? I remember smu going, were they 2nd place team?

From rice perspective, I think it depends on what they see as highest profile bowl as to whether they would feel slighted. At this point it doesnt appear thay a big Ten team will be in HOD so they might prefer another bowl anyway.

There's is really no telling, I've seen 5 different updated predictions today and all 5 were different.

Edited November 25, 2013 by meangreanmick

[Mean Green Matt]

Yep, sorry I was thinking of the P5 conferences for a minute. However, if Rice is the Western Division champ and HOD does not choose them don't you imagine that would cause some future ill-will? Wouldn't the other West Division teams and the East Champion (if they lost the championship game) feel that if North Texas is bowl-eligible they're always going to get the HOD nod because thay can sell more tickets?

Do you think the HOD bowl cares? Their goal is to make money. Have you noticed ULL goes to the New Orleans bowl every year....I wonder why that would be? The HOD bowl doesn't have a CUSA connection every year anyway....at least not at this point. It is Big 12(10) vs. Big 10(12) next year.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Mean Green Matt

[Green P1]

Isn't the HOD Bowl still pissed at us because of our Homecoming Queen????