ESPN Still has us in the HOD bowl.

[Coffee and TV]

Anyone else feel like if we make HOD Bowl it's our duty to host the away fans with a good ole Texan time? I'm talking Traildust, Billy Bob's and the like. Joints I would never personally frequent except to live out a stereotype.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Coffee and TV

[Huff]

The Sporting News shows us playing Vs Ball State in The Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl. I am not sure how they came up with that one since this bowl game is not one that Conference USA normally goes to. They also show Colorado State Vs Bowling Green in the Beef O Brady Bowl. Since Bowling Green is not a Conference USA team that one also makes no sense to me. Strange..... Either they are very confused or I am. Maybe both.

[Rudy]

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?

Fine with me. I'd rather have them for a rivalry.

[wardly]

Phil Steel has us in H.O.D. vs Washington State,Jerry Palm has us in Military Bowl Vs.Syracuse. The Orangemen must beat 7&4 B.C. to qualify. Go figure.

[Eagle1855]

We are NOT going to the Hawaii Bowl.

I am definitely not going to the Hawaii Bowl.

[houstonmeangreen]

Phil Steel has us in H.O.D. vs Washington State,Jerry Palm has us in Military Bowl Vs.Syracuse. The Orangemen must beat 7&4 B.C. to qualify. Go figure.

It really doesn't matter which bowl we go to...that is...if we played like we did against UTSA...we will get our asses kicked...sad to say....right DT ? Mac?

[bdan2002]

We also have to remember that the other bowls:

New Orleans

Heart of Dallas

Hawaii

Beef O'Bradys

Can choose from teams 2-5

#6 - Goes to the Military Bowl in DC - and right now, we are #6 in CUSA, and we fill other spots an necessary.

Basically, we HAVE to the win this weekend - other scenarios include -- Either Rice losing (both 6-2 and we have tie breaker) or Tulane losing (us 6-2, them 5-3) or UTSA losing (6-6, 5-3 -- only have 6 wins when there are 7 win teams in conference).

[SouthBendGreen]

Any bowl but the NO Bowl. I DO NOT want to play a Sunbelt team.

[untbowler]

Any bowl but the NO Bowl. I DO NOT want to play a Sunbelt team.

I would be afraid of ULL as well they are solid this year, beggers can't be choosers when you have not been to a bowl in nearly 10 yrs

[meangreanmick]

We also have to remember that the other bowls:

New Orleans

Heart of Dallas

Hawaii

Beef O'Bradys

Can choose from teams 2-5

#6 - Goes to the Military Bowl in DC - and right now, we are #6 in CUSA, and we fill other spots an necessary.

Basically, we HAVE to the win this weekend - other scenarios include -- Either Rice losing (both 6-2 and we have tie breaker) or Tulane losing (us 6-2, them 5-3) or UTSA losing (6-6, 5-3 -- only have 6 wins when there are 7 win teams in conference).

I believe that is the order the bowls choose in, its not that #6 team goes to that bowl. #1 goes to Liberty, but after that the bowls choose in a certain order for CUSA. We are not one of the big boy conferences where most of the teams pull a large travel following and can fill up a stadium regardless of location, so in the mid-major conferences it is more about lining up the teams with bowls based on likelihood of attendance as well has having a marketable match-up.

[meangreener]

I'd bet money we end up in the HoD bowl. That bowl would be the best possible situation for us. We complain about disconnected alums...that's how you connect them.

The only DFW team bowling playing at the Cotton Bowl.

Think about that.

Edited November 25, 2013 by meangreener

[PlummMeanGreen]

I would be afraid of ULL as well they are solid this year, beggers can't be choosers when you have not been to a bowl in nearly 10 yrs

Most would agree that the 2013 version of the Mean Green is better than that of 2012; yet last year's Mean Green beat ULL in a nationally televised game. Wonder what the differences of the 2 teams are this year?

For North Texas to have to play any SBC school in a bowl game would be so anti-climatic, but with the loss last Saturday who the hell knows where we'll be sent.

HOD or Bust!

Edited November 25, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[Mean Green Matt]

#6 - Goes to the Military Bowl in DC - and right now, we are #6 in CUSA, and we fill other spots an necessary.

Why on earth would this be the case. I have no knowledge on whether it is or isn't, but it would be completely illogical.

[Mean Green Matt]

Most would agree that the 2013 version of the Mean Green is better than that of 2012; yet last year's Mean Green beat ULL in a nationally televised game. Wonder what the differences of the 2 teams are this year?

For North Texas to have to play any SBC school in a bowl game would be so anti-climatic, but with the loss last Saturday who the hell knows where we'll be sent.

HOD or Bust!

ULL is a good team...they've had some close calls against some really bad teams (I believe they were down by 21 or 28 to NMSU at one point but came back to win). We've laid an egg against some bad teams too. I'll tell you this I wouldn't want to be playing them in New Orleans.

[PlummMeanGreen]

ULL is a good team...they've had some close calls against some really bad teams (I believe they were down by 21 or 28 to NMSU at one point but came back to win). We've laid an egg against some bad teams too. I'll tell you this I wouldn't want to be playing them in New Orleans.

No doubt they've got a fine team, but playing a school from a conference we just left would be tantamount to one going back to an ex spouse and thinking..........."what the hell am I doing back here all over again?" BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,rest assured, if playing ULL were our only bowl choice I don't think our AD would turn it down, either.

Edited November 25, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

[Mean Green Matt]

No doubt they've got a fine team, but playing a school from a conference we just left would be tantamount to going back to an ex spouse and thinking..........."what the hell am I doing back here again all over again and so soon anyway?" BUT,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,rest assured, if playing ULL were our only bowl choice I don't think our AD would turn it down, either.

Playing in New Orleans in front of 40,000 hammered Cajuns doesn't sound like a recipe for success for NT...it does however sound like a recipe for good tailgating food. I'd rather do that than play in Hawaii though...

[Eastwood Eagle]

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 is how it works. The individual bowls pick they want to play in their bowl games if there are no other tie in obligations.

ETA - Scooped a page ago.

I find it hard to believe HOD will pick another team besides us. I think common sense will prevail with their decision.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Eastwood Eagle

[untbowler]

Most would agree that the 2013 version of the Mean Green is better than that of 2012; yet last year's Mean Green beat ULL in a nationally televised game. Wonder what the differences of the 2 teams are this year?

For North Texas to have to play any SBC school in a bowl game would be so anti-climatic, but with the loss last Saturday who the hell knows where we'll be sent.

HOD or Bust!

I believe ULL's starting QB was out that game or am I thinking of the other UL school?

[Mean Green Matt]

I believe ULL's starting QB was out that game or am I thinking of the other UL school?

Not sure about the QB. They were missing a RB to the flu I believe.

[JesseMartin]

HoD gets the #2 choice, not the #2 team. If they got the CUSA runner-up, they would have to wait until the 7th to find out. If they aren't waiting, that means they know who they want...and since the Liberty gets the champion, HoD gets top choice of all the rest. Hence, if they aren't waiting until the championship game, they want a team that isn't one of those two. So it will probably be us, though if Rice loses to Tulane they may take them instead. But since the #1 team isn't picked but has to win, this is the first "choice" selection in the pecking order.

[GrayEagle]

The B1G has been the host of the Ticket City/Heart of Dallas Bowl for the last four years and this will be their last. It is also the first time that they or any other participating conference wasn't able to furnish a team. I don't have a clue as to who will replace a Big Ten team but my favorite would be Washington State. The Pirate has started the process of turning WSU around and the bowl could be two Cinderella stories if we are chosen.

After this January 1 C-USA will be the host and the opponent will be the Big 12 in odd years and the Big Ten in even years. If/when we lose the Liberty Bowl, I see this bowl as being C-USA's #1 bowl

P.S. A fun fact is that the Heart of Dallas Bowl is headquartered in downtown Fort Worth.

Edited November 26, 2013 by GrayEagle

[untjim1995]

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.

I'm sorry but if SMU's political connections can do what you are "maintaining", we might as well just quit playing football. If a school that has 36k students and over 200k alumni cannot overcome a non-AQ private school's influence within its own market, then we might as well just give up. SMU left the conference that has a tie-in to this bowl, which should be enough for the CUSA leadership to easily overcome with anyone on the HoD board that thinks Rice would be a more "appropriate" team to host. That would be complete 100% Bullshit if it worked out that way. I firmly believe ECU goes to the Liberty, Marshall goes to the Military, UNT goes to the HoD, Tulane goes to the NO Bowl, MUTS goes to the BBVA Compass Bowl, and Rice goes to the Hawaii Bowl.

If the HoD bowl passes on us for their bowl game, that bowl will be passing up its easiest money that it could ever make. And if they did, RV and Lee Jackson should go off as much as possible in every media form on the HoD bowl and let them clearly know that we will never accept an invite to their bowl game in the future. If we cannot get any respect in this market with our best team in 10 years and one that is 45 minutes up the road with this big of a fanbase to appeal to, again, we might as well just accept that we will never get overthe hump in the college football world if our own market won't even give us a chance to play a 3rd tier bowl game in our backyard basically. Look, in the history of this bowl, Tech vs Northwestern brought about 25k, UH vs Penn State brough about 30k, and OSU vs Purdue probably brought about the same. If they can get UNT versus Iowa, they will get at least 40k. The only thing that kills us with potential HoD attendance is if they are forced to pick an at-large team from the MAC or the SBC, as in Buffalo or Texas State.

[ragpicker]

I'm sorry but if SMU's political connections can do what you are "maintaining", we might as well just quit playing football. If a school that has 36k students and over 200k alumni cannot overcome a non-AQ private school's influence within its own market, then we might as well just give up. SMU left the conference that has a tie-in to this bowl, which should be enough for the CUSA leadership to easily overcome with anyone on the HoD board that thinks Rice would be a more "appropriate" team to host. That would be complete 100% Bullshit if it worked out that way. I firmly believe ECU goes to the Liberty, Marshall goes to the Military, UNT goes to the HoD, Tulane goes to the NO Bowl, MUTS goes to the BBVA Compass Bowl, and Rice goes to the Hawaii Bowl.

If the HoD bowl passes on us for their bowl game, that bowl will be passing up its easiest money that it could ever make. And if they did, RV and Lee Jackson should go off as much as possible in every media form on the HoD bowl and let them clearly know that we will never accept an invite to their bowl game in the future. If we cannot get any respect in this market with our best team in 10 years and one that is 45 minutes up the road with this big of a fanbase to appeal to, again, we might as well just accept that we will never get overthe hump in the college football world if our own market won't even give us a chance to play a 3rd tier bowl game in our backyard basically. Look, in the history of this bowl, Tech vs Northwestern brought about 25k, UH vs Penn State brough about 30k, and OSU vs Purdue probably brought about the same. If they can get UNT versus Iowa, they will get at least 40k. The only thing that kills us with potential HoD attendance is if they are forced to pick an at-large team from the MAC or the SBC, as in Buffalo or Texas State.

Good points, untjim. I'm not sure everyone realizes how important the HOD Bowl would be for this program at such a critical point in our development. We need local press and even the DMN could not ignore the HOD Bowl. Playing in the REAL Cotton Bowl would be great for recruiting and a wonderful opportunity to finally (with some good promotion) get our apathetic Dallas-Ft Worth Alumni into a football game. If our loss to UTSA has cost us a HOD bid then that loss just may be more costly than we thought.

[UNT90]

Phil Steel has us in H.O.D. vs Washington State,Jerry Palm has us in Military Bowl Vs.Syracuse. The Orangemen must beat 7&4 B.C. to qualify. Go figure.

The Pirate vs Coach Mac.

What could have (or not) been vs what is

Very interesting, although I think this would be a terrible matchup for our defense

[NTXCoog]

#1 goes to Liberty, but after that the bowls choose in a certain order for CUSA.

Are you sure about that? Discussion on The American board says that the SEC is contractually obligated to play an AAC team in a bowl. If the SEC does not have enough teams to fill it's BBVA bowl slot which has SEC vs AAC, then the Liberty will be SEC vs AAC instead of CUSA.

Right now there are 9 SEC teams bowl eligible. Assuming 2 BCS bids (pretty much a given), they do not currently have enough teams to fill the BBVA spot. Miss State is 5-6 right now and plays Ole Miss on Thanksgiving. If Miss State wins and becomes bowl eligible, the SEC has enough to fill the BBVA slot. If Miss State loses, the CUSA spot in the Liberty is taken by an AAC team.

That's why on the original link Troy vs ECU is listed as a possibility for the BBVA bowl, and Houston vs Vanderbilt is listed as possibility for the Liberty.