RE: Reason #2 to play CUSA Conference Championship Game on New Year's Day.
It is very difficult to call today's college sports amateur sports. It is a business, operated much like the NFL. The proposal to play the CUSA Championship game on New Year's Day mirrors the NFL, a "Super Bowl" that is a NFL conference championship game.
UCF played 9-3 Ball State in St. Pete Bowl this year. CUSA's Conference Champion, 10-3 Tulsa, will play Iowa State that went 3-6 in B12 in the Liberty Bowl. Neither St. Pete or Liberty Bowl game does much for me, regarding playing a prestigous opponent. And, I question in B12 will have 9 elgible bowl teams like they did this year. Louisiana Tech came within a breath's hair of playing in Liberty Bowl.
Let's do a what if. What if UCF vs Tulsa Championship game this year was played on New Year's Day and in the city of Mobile. From a Conference Championship game perspective, the prestige and fun of this game is greatly enhanced. The reverse is also true. The game is enhanced to the public perception, being played on New Year's Day. To me, a 9-3 Tulsa playing a 9-3 UCF on New Year's Day trumps any "prestige" CUSA bowl played.
Not only in the CUSA Conference Championship game enhanced, now its other teams are enhanced in their bowl games. A 8-4 ECU would now probably play 6-6 (3-6 in B12 Conference play) Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl, rather than the PreXmas New Orleans Bowl. I think ECU fans would be greatly pleased and turn out in great numbers.
Why are we CUSA so smitten with playing a 6-6 BCS team in a bowl, probably with a 3-6 conference record, in a bowl game? If a CUSA team wants to play a prestigous BCS team during the season, do it in Nonconference scheduling.
Louisiana Tech was mocked for turning down the Independence Bowl against ULM. But, really, other than the extra practice time, what did Louisiana Tech gain by playing this Independence Bowl? Win and the reaction is so what? La Tech should have won this game. Lose and La Tech is criticized and mocked. The situation here, in a way, applies to all the minor bowls.
All the CUSA bowls need to be reviewed and evaluated. My perspective is choose a fun site (like Mobile, San Antonio, New Orleans, Hawaii) first as a fun place to go as a reward to team and fans, and then try to upgrade the opponent as much as possible.
Nbe-14/16 whatever, MWC-9/10/12/14 whatever, SBC, and MAC will probably play a lot of bowl games against CUSA. If CUSA can reorganize its bowls and put its bowls in attractive cities (Miami with FIU, San Antonio with UTSA, maybe Carolina with UNCC), then CUSA can have the opportunity to get the better teams from its NonAQ fellow conferences, an upgrade of opponent.
Together, with playing the CUSA Conference Championship game on New Year's Day, will help to set up a conference wide attractive set of bowl opponents with a worthy opponent for each CUSA team.
(This post was last modified: 12-24-2012 08:55 AM by Tallgrass.)
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