I'd guess television ratings are actually a bigger factor against MAC teams getting into bowl games than is putting butts in bowl game seats.

And I'm not going to let this thing go with Purdue. How can people rank Purdue and not Bowling Green?

The Motor City Bowl is and should remain a MAC bowl game.

However, you also have to realize, most bowls are played down south...and when geography plays a factor... most will take a school with a worse record that's got a bigger fan base then a better team with a worse record.

Example 1: The Cotton Bowl in 02 I'll be the first to say UA got the edge. Georgia had the better record, and beat us that season in Athens. When the chips fell down though... the Cotton Bowl knew at LEAST 45,000 Arkansas fans would make it to Dallas...something that wasn't a guarantee with UGA fans. Cotton Bowl takes us....Georgia ends up in Nashville.

Example 2: Ole Miss goes 7-4 and beats 6-5 Alabama. Only one more SEC-tied bowl game is left...the Independence. Ole Miss has the better record, and beats Alabama, but the Tide's fan base is much bigger than Ole Miss, and Alabama gets the nod. Ole Miss stays home.

Bowls not only are political, they are also a business. They look for the best slotted teams for more fans and $$$$ a lot of the time. That's why, and take a look, when you see all the SEC bowl games...they aren't ever SEC #4 or SEC #5...it's just SEC now. Bowls pick who they want. Unfortunately for the MAC, their fan bases are much smaller than those of most of the BCS schools. That's just facts talking here. If Toledo and UA had the same record, most bowl reps are gonna take UA..because Arkansas has a 72,000 seat stadium...a radio network with affiliates in 4 states and can be heard in 7 states, and will put at least 30,000 in the stands...sometimes up to 50,000. That's a bigger fan base traveling than the capacity at Toledo's Glass Bowl (26,248 according to nationalchamps.net).

I'm not saying it's fair...the MAC does get screwed. But this isn't just perception. Bigger fan bases will get the nod 99.9% of the time.

WPS

And PS... I also don't think Purdue is a Top 25 team. Your question ranks right up there with how do the coaches rank Texas ahead of Arkansas after we beat them in Austin by double digits?

calling_the_hogs Wrote:The Motor City Bowl is and should remain a MAC bowl game.

However, you also have to realize, most bowls are played down south...and when geography plays a factor... most will take a school with a worse record that's got a bigger fan base then a better team with a worse record.

Yeah, but the GMAC bowl is played in Mobile, Alabama and it was sold out! Explain that one to me.

Which two teams played in the GMAC?

Marshall and Louisville

TJRocket Wrote:Marshall and Louisville

Hey, it speaks! :eek:

Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I didn't even think to look at that! That, HF4L, is :ownd: :laugh:

And one of those wins I remember well, it came against Marshall in that crap bowl up in Detoilet.....and yes, that was with crybaby Randy Moss. :wave:

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

How's that for a fellow Augustan 10Man? :D

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

By the way GDawgs, how about we rip that damn "C" off Billy Bennett's jersey. :mad:

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

So what does that prove? Other than the game against Marshall in the MCB in '97, a game that Ole Miss only one by something like 4 points in the final minutes, who were the other 3 games against?

Let's see, Toledo has the following all-time records against these BCS schools:

Penn State - Toledo leads 1-0
Pittsburgh - Series tied 1-1
Purdue - Toledo leads 2-1
Miami Fl - Miami leads 1-0 (Toledo lost just 24-14...Miami won the national championship that year)
Temple - Toledo leads 4-2


Miami has beat LSU, either once or twice. I am sure that LSU has beat Ole Miss before!

Quote:Miami has beat LSU, either once or twice. I am sure that LSU has beat Ole Miss before!

Ole Miss beat Florida last year. Who beat UGA. Who beat Arkansas. Who beat Ole Miss.

I'm assuming you had a point with that closing statement.

rocketfootball Wrote:Other than the game against Marshall in the MCB in '97, a game that Ole Miss only one by something like 4 points in the final minutes, who were the other 3 games against?

Ok, here ya go......Ole Miss vs. the MAC

1991 Ole Miss 38 Ohio 14.....No big story here. OU sucked big time, having a 2-8-1 record that season.

1993 Ole Miss 44 Northern Illinois 0....Northern Illinois had the so-called Golden Boy RB Leshon Johnson. I remember being at this game, hearing all about this RB from NIU. Didn't hear much from him in this game, though. Come to think of it, haven't heard much of anything from him since.

1997 Ole Miss 24 Central Florida 23......Close game, but only because Culpepper was there. Still, another Ole Miss victory, though. I remember this game well, too, and was impressed with Culpepper.

1997 Ole Miss 34 Marshall 31 (in the toilet bowl)....Randy Moss gave us a scare, but still another Ole Miss victory over the MAC.



The only reason I'm posting this is because you asked, not really anything to gloat about. :rolleyes: Just pointing out numbers. The Ohio game? Bah! But the rest of them featured a premier player from each of those MAC teams. Also keep in mind, that three of those games were during the worst years at Ole Miss, as we were on probation because of our idiot former coach. In other words, we beat those MAC teams listed with a considerably low number of scholarship players.....

RebelKev Wrote:

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

How's that for a fellow Augustan 10Man? :D

Hey, I stick up for my SEC bretheren.

RebelKev Wrote:

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

By the way GDawgs, how about we rip that damn "C" off Billy Bennett's jersey. :mad:

Arghhhhhh...

That guy's so fragile. :bang:

GDawgs88 Wrote:

RebelKev Wrote:

GDawgs88 Wrote:Hey Dr. Torch, according to my research the little ol' Rebels are 4-0 vs. MAC teams.

How's that for a fellow Augustan 10Man? :D

Hey, I stick up for my SEC bretheren.

That's right!

I forgot to add that I think in that '97 toilet bowl against Marshall that Pennington was also the QB, if I'm not mistaken. He may have been a FR, but I think he was the QB??????

rocketfootball Wrote:Miami has beat LSU, either once or twice. I am sure that LSU has beat Ole Miss before!

LSU is 2-1 vs. Miami (OH).

Quote:Also keep in mind, that three of those games were during the worst years at Ole Miss, as we were on probation because of our idiot former coach.

So you are saying a three point win over Vandy is the mark of a good season? :)

This is an unusually strong year for the MAC. I maintain Mississippi would not win either division this year.

Where is your Alabama game this year?

rocketfootball Wrote:

calling_the_hogs Wrote:The Motor City Bowl is and should remain a MAC bowl game.

However, you also have to realize, most bowls are played down south...and when geography plays a factor... most will take a school with a worse record that's got a bigger fan base then a better team with a worse record.

Yeah, but the GMAC bowl is played in Mobile, Alabama and it was sold out! Explain that one to me.

Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile only seats 40,000....meaning that after you count the 2,000-3,000 locals/sponsors that attend the game... each team only had to bring about 18,000-19,000 fans to Mobile. They did that. Good for both of those teams.

The factor though is, SEC teams will send a lot more than 19,000 fans to a bowl game. We played Texas in the 2000 Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, and outnumbered their fans 2 to 1. We sent over 35,000 to Orlando for the Citrus (now Capital One) Bowl in 1998. Georgia fans sent 40,000 to New Orleans, etc., etc.

I understand your argument and your point. I sympathize with it. The fact remains that despite all you say about fan support, the fan bases in the BCS schools are much bigger, and the bowls recognize it and reward those teams more because of it...it fattens the wallets of the bowls themselves. That's a fact.

WPS

10MAN Wrote:

rocketfootball Wrote:Other than the game against Marshall in the MCB in '97, a game that Ole Miss only one by something like 4 points in the final minutes, who were the other 3 games against?

Ok, here ya go......Ole Miss vs. the MAC

1991 Ole Miss 38 Ohio 14.....No big story here. OU sucked big time, having a 2-8-1 record that season.

1993 Ole Miss 44 Northern Illinois 0....Northern Illinois had the so-called Golden Boy RB Leshon Johnson. I remember being at this game, hearing all about this RB from NIU. Didn't hear much from him in this game, though. Come to think of it, haven't heard much of anything from him since.

1997 Ole Miss 24 Central Florida 23......Close game, but only because Culpepper was there. Still, another Ole Miss victory, though. I remember this game well, too, and was impressed with Culpepper.

1997 Ole Miss 34 Marshall 31 (in the toilet bowl)....Randy Moss gave us a scare, but still another Ole Miss victory over the MAC.



The only reason I'm posting this is because you asked, not really anything to gloat about. :rolleyes: Just pointing out numbers. The Ohio game? Bah! But the rest of them featured a premier player from each of those MAC teams. Also keep in mind, that three of those games were during the worst years at Ole Miss, as we were on probation because of our idiot former coach. In other words, we beat those MAC teams listed with a considerably low number of scholarship players.....

1991 vs Ohio
Umm, Ohio was 2-8-1 that year! They even lost to Eastern Michigan! :laugh:

1993 vs Northern Illinois
Umm, NIU went 4-7 that year and they were not in the MAC then. They were in the Big West Conference with teams like Arkansas State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Pacific, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Louisiana Tech. They didn't play any MAC teams that year, and they only went 3-3 in that sorry a$$ conference!

1997 vs UCF
UCF was not in the MAC at the time, and that was just like their 1st or 2nd season up from I-AA. They went 5-6 that year, and also lost to Louisiana-Monroe that season.

1997 vs Marshall
Your only game against a decent MAC team. However, it was Marshall's first year in I-A football too. Marshall went 10-3 that year.

Since NIU and UCF were not in the MAC at those times you are technically just 2-0 against the MAC. You played one terrible team and one good team.