Cal is up 12-0 approaching halftime.

[615dawg]

Can't get it in the end zone but the Bears are dominating UCLA.

A UCLA loss probably puts us in the Independence Bowl against our friends from Georgia Tech, as Texas is unlikely to accept a 5-7 bowl bid. A UCLA loss combined with a UTSA, Hawaii, ULL or South Alabama loss definitely does.

 

[rynodawg]

TN up early on Vandy. If all the current scores hold, can definitely see Indy Bowl lobbying hard for Vandy to go anywhere else, and us to Shreveport. I'd gladly take it.

 

[Rezdog]

Would we accept an invite?

 

[615dawg]

Vanderbilt would go to Birmingham if they win.

If they lose, they would have the first choice between Birmingham and Shreveport. Heart of Dallas is a distant third place option. That game is played at the old Cotton Bowl.

 

[missouridawg]

Would we accept an invite?

. Yes. Mullen told bowl reps this after the game. No way we turn it down.

 

[615dawg]

We'd better.

Nebraska did it last year. Texas will probably decline this year because of their coaching situation. If they decide to go, we need this Cal score to hold up and one more of the remaining four games.

Of course I did see where Georgia Tech is the probable ACC team headed to Shreveport. Maybe we need to lobby for Birmingham or Dallas.

 

[00Dawg]

It may work out differently than that.

Assuming Vandy loses, USC is the 10th place team and was in Shreveport two years ago, so Birmingham will grab them.
What I'm not sure of is if Vandy's higher APR would automatically put them in Shreveport over us or not.
The NCAA altered the rules so that conference-affiliated bowls had to pick other conference's 5-7 teams with higher APR's first before their own.
Applying the same thing within the conference leads me to believe Vandy might have something resembling an automatic berth in Shreveport.

 

[615dawg]

If that's the case, we could end up in the Heart of Dallas Bowl playing a C-USA team or the Camellia Bowl playing a MAC team.

I guess Dallas playing Southern Miss or Middle Tennessee > Montgomery playing Ohio

 

[tatedog]

If our reward is playing USM, then sorry but I pass. No offense to USM but we'd likely forget today quickly after that.

 

[rynodawg]

Unsure on that part too. No idea if the bowl is forced to pick the SEC team with higher APR,, or if they would ask the SEC to get Vandy placed somewhere else so they could select State. The latter makes sense if possible.

 

[615dawg]

The reward is 15 more practices for a young team.

I can guarantee you that any bowl a 5-7 team ends up in is going to be ******

 

[civildawg88]

Do we want vandy to lose? Or does it really matter?

 

[tatedog]

Don't mind the ****** bowl, but I'd rather play Bama again than play USM.

 

[615dawg]

Does not matter. They have the highest APR of 5-7 teams. So they will take a spot as a 6-6 team or they will be the first 5-7 team taken.

There are five games that matter.

Tonight:
Cal needs to beat UCLA
Charlotte needs to beat UTSA
U Mass needs to beat Hawaii

Next Week:
ULM needs to beat UL Lafayette
NM State needs to beat South Alabama

If one of those five happens, we are likely in unless Texas unexpectedly takes a bowl spot (all indications are that they will decline as a 5-7 team with a new coach coming in). If two of the five happen, we will be offered a spot somewhere ******.

 

[615dawg]

USM is one of 3-4 possibilities for that game. I just used them as filler. Don't focus on that.

Heart of Dallas Bowl is played in the old Cotton Bowl Stadium against a lower tier C-USA team. It could be a battle of 5-7 teams with North Texas. Could be MTSU or Louisiana Tech. Maybe even Old Dominion. Or Southern Miss.

The point being, of all the places we could land at 5-7, that is the best. We'd get a Power 5 opponent in Shreveport - that's the only saving grace there.

Montgomery against a MAC team would be the one that I would be disgusted about.

A young 5-7 Nebraska team went to a bowl last year and won. They are 9-3 this year. That's what we need.

 

[civildawg88]

I would go to Birmingham and maybe Dallas. The others are just in terrible cities

 

[BulldogBlitz]

i'd not be happy with a dallas bowl since we just moved from texas. that's a long haul now.