| FTBL As of today, SEC Bowl projections...

[TerryP]

I'm basing this on how the records stand today...and taking a few assumptions on how a few games will be played out the remainder of this season.

It would take a weird conclusion of the rest of this season for the first few of these bowl games to work out differently.

Based on the standings today:

• Winner of the SECCG goes to the NC.
• Loser to the Sugar Bowl.
• Georgia to Capital One. The Cap One Bowl gets the second pick unless a team plays for the NC. In this case, with the winner of the SECCG likely to play in that game, Cap One ends up with the 3rd ranked team in the overall SEC standings.

It gets a little interesting here.

The next three bowls in line are the Cotton Bowl, the Outback Bowl and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl game. The Cotton and the Outback have first preference for teams out of the West and East respectively.

Based on that, we can safely assume that

• LSU plays in the Cotton Bowl.
• South Carolina to Outback.

While the conference is debating on who gets the nod to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, in a way the Music City Bowl would have a say in the matter.

It would be a safe assumption to think that the Chick-Fil-A Bowl officials would pick Ole Miss (not eligible yet, but should be with a win over La.-Monroe this weekend.)

BUT, if they do pick Ole Miss that would leave Kentucky looking at the Music City Bowl. In a normal year that would be fine, but the question comes up as to whether they want UK in Nashville two years in a row.

Granted, the Independence Bowl did select Alabama two years in a row, but do the officials of the Music City Bowl listen to what the SEC office wants? You might think yes, but the SEC offices tried to push the Cotton Bowl officials to take LSU in 2005 and their officials said "No, we are sticking with Alabama."

So, that leaves us with this (and this is my opinion,)

• Ole Miss goes to Atlanta to play in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl game.
• Kentucky returns to Nashville for the Music City Bowl.

Vanderbilt needs to win one of its next three games to become bowl eligible. The face UK Saturday night, Tennessee the following Saturday and then close the season out with a game against Wake Forest.

If they win one of those games, they'll be invited to Shreveport to play in the Independence Bowl.

The SEC still has a tie in with the Papa John's.com Bowl in Birmingham. The problem is that Mississippi State and Tennessee have no chance of becoming eligible.

Auburn, at 5-5, could with a win against Georgia or Alabama.

Arkansas would have to win at Mississippi State and against LSU to qualify.

Both of these two scenarios seem a long shot leaving the Papa' Johns.com Bowl looking outside the SEC for one of their opponents.

Here's where it gets interesting. You would think Ole Miss would get the nod to the Chick-Fil-A bowl based on conference record. But, that would put Kentucky in the Music City Bowl

 

[TerryP]

A little addendum to this post...this time talking about the job Coach Moore does and how he did a fantastic job in 2005 and the LSU officials...well, basically screwed the pooch.

Coach Moore approached the Cotton Bowl officials early on about them inviting Alabama to play in the Cotton. That happened before the LSU vs Alabama game that year when the Western Divisional winner was still up in the air.

When LSU the game versus Alabama, that put them in ATL for the SECCG. When they lost the SECCG in '05 they "should" have been the team invited to play in Dallas.

BUT, the LSU officials didn't take the time that Coach Moore had with the Cotton officials earlier on in the season and they found themselves on the outside looking in.

Les Miles and the LSU AD, Skip Berman, made a trip to Dallas to lobby their officials to invite LSU instead of Alabama. Officials in the SEC offices contacted the Cotton Bowl officials as well and tried to influence them to pick LSU as well.

But, the Alabama Athletic Department and the Cotton Bowl officials had already reached a "gentleman's agreement" on Bama playing in Dallas.

LSU officials were thanked for their interest but told by the Cotton Bowl committee that they were sticking with Bama.

SEC officials were told, no.

 

[imported_RollTideRandy]

the question comes up as to whether they want UK in Nashville two years in a row.

UK has already went to Nashville two years in a row. If they go again, it would make THREE years in a row.

Done a little research on this topic already as "The Expert" will probably touch on it this week. :wink:

 

[TerryP]

the question comes up as to whether they want UK in Nashville two years in a row.

UK has already went to Nashville two years in a row. If they go again, it would make THREE years in a row.

Done a little research on this topic already as "The Expert" will probably touch on it this week. :wink:

Ah, Clemson in 2006!

That makes that bowl game selection one to watch to an ever greater degree. Wow.

I would suspect Ole Miss fans would be a little disappointed, perhaps a bit irate, at a trip to Nashville instead of ATL...even though it's been 4 years since they've been to a bowl game. (2003 vs Okie State in the Cotton, I think?!?!)

Thanks Randy!!

 

[JacobGibson05]

I think Auburn going to the papajohns bowl would be worst then them not making a bowl :lol:

 

[4th-and-1]

papa john's.... better ingredients. better pizza

lololol


back to the topic, i think the second place sec team is going to get the shaft on their opponent in the sugar bowl. assuming everything goes as planned. i would really like to see oregon state win out and USC get a little taste of the sec. other than that it looks like it will be ohio state or a non bcs conference team. i wish the third big 12 team would be allowed to play. i just want to see how those high powered offenses really match up..

 

[Kirk Van de Graaff]

Doesn't the Liberty Bowl get a SEC team as well?

 

[imported_Porter]

Doesn't the Liberty Bowl get a SEC team as well?

Yep, but some of the SEC Bowls are going to miss out on getting SEC teams.

 

[ExiledTidefan]

I hope that this lack of SEC teams with bowl eligibility doesn't throw us under the bus in BCS calculations going forward. There is going to be quite a stink come up if UF beats Bama in the SECCG and someone like OU gets overlooked because UT and them both only have one loss.

Still, I've changed my mind about the need for a playoff in college football. This thing that D1-A football has going is unique in the sports world, and it's why the sport is so great.

 

[TerryP]

I hope that this lack of SEC teams with bowl eligibility doesn't throw us under the bus in BCS calculations going forward. There is going to be quite a stink come up if UF beats Bama in the SECCG and someone like OU gets overlooked because UT and them both only have one loss.

Still, I've changed my mind about the need for a playoff in college football. This thing that D1-A football has going is unique in the sports world, and it's why the sport is so great.

Someone will get the shaft it appears.

I figure we'll have Big12 Champ vs SEC Champ in the NC game.

That leaves four teams taking up half of the remaining BCS slots and four at-large bids.

*SEC Runner-up.
*Big12 South team. (I don't see Mizzou, unless they win the Big12 CG, gets an invite to the BCS bowls)
*Utah (if they remain undefeated)
* Here's the question! Do you take a 3rd Big12 team? A second Big10 team?

What's totally screwed up, at face value, is you are looking at a Big East team going to a BCS bowl but as of today not having a team in the top 20 in the BCS standings. The ACC is a little better, but not much with it being between FSU and UNC it appears now...highest ranked in the BCS polls is UNC at 16.

 

[plakemper]

It will not be a 3rd Big 12 Team.
The BCS At-Large Eligibility states "No more than two teams from a conference may be selected, regardless of whether they are automatic qualifiers or at-large selections."

The BCS at large teams will probably be:
*SEC Runner Up
*Big 12 South Runner Up
*Utah
*USC(If Oregon State wins out and wins the PAC-10) or Ohio State or Boise State