There are two articles that are must reads for Georgia fans wondering where our bowl destination lies. The first is an interview with the CEO of the Rose Bowl on the AJC's site. The key quote is this:
"We are very cognizant of the long-time partnership between the Big Ten and the Pac-10, and we try to give special preferences to those," said Mitch Dorger, CEO of the Rose Bowl. "But we are not obligated to disadvantage the game in order to keep that [partnership] alive."As a refresher, the Rose Bowl will have the #1 pick of available at-large teams if Oklahoma beats Missouri. In that scenario, the Rose will essentially have to pick between UGA with its high ranking, sexxxy winning streak, great record, warm and fuzzy coach, and big traveling fan base OR Illinois with its low ranking, three loses, knuckle dragging coach, thieving basketball fans who smoke in non-smoking rooms, eat crackers in bed and pee on the toilet seat. I think the choice is obvious.
Groo at DawgsOnline points out that Jim Delany, Big 10 Commissioner and resident pain in the ass for the SEC, worked with the Rose to create a contract that gives them all sorts of most favored nation status exemptions. In other words, the Rose will have plenty of excuses at their disposal if they want to screw us and pick the Fighting Zookers. He theorizes that the Rose At-Large selection will simply come down to a power struggle between SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and Delany.
Dec. 2nd's Bowl Selection Show will be must see TV if Oklahoma beats Missouri. Well...it'll be pretty intriguing regardless.
See Also:
-- Dawgs in the BCS - DawgPost.com
-- Bowls and Recruiting - OnlineAthens
-- Stewart Mandel says Illinois to Rose - SI.com
PWD
26 comments:
What I think will be interesting is the polls. Right now, "The Fighting Zookers" aren't BCS eligible. In a normal year, they almost certainly would be after next weekend because teams ahead of them will lose while they are done. From a what-is-good-for-the-game standpoint, USC v. UGA is the best matchup from any rational point of view: TV will have major ratings from both coasts in most major markets, the NCAA will have an honest to goodness game - maybe even better than the MNC, and the coaches and traditions of both schools make for a lot of side stories. In spite of all this, there is Delaney and his contract to gum things up. The value of this game to the TV folks is pretty big, imo, and might be enough to make it happen. Still, while it's nice for the Rose folks to say they aren't bound, but.... well, anyway, if the pollsters could look through the mist they could solve the problem just by not elevating Illinois.
All that said, I have come to like Ol' Zook, and if it can't be us, it may as well be him.
My response to Delaney?
Florida/tOSU on one big screen, Michigan/AppSt. on another, both on endless loops.
The Big 10 is a joke. Two BCS bids? No, no, a thousand times no. USC/Illinois would be watched by no one.
I wonder, though -- is there any possibility that the Capital One's desire for a Zook Bowl (Illinois v. Florida) could have any influence in this? That'd be a ratings bonanza, and it'd be a better game than a near-certain USC beatdown in Pasadena.
The Pac 10 and Big 10 live in their own little world with the Rose Bowl. There is no way the Rose Bowl will take UGA, when there is a Big 11 team to fill the empty slot. The only way UGA makes that game is if Illinois is ineligible due to the polls.
"USC/Illinois would be watched by no one."
According to TV market size, LA is #2 & Chicago is #3, so I am guessing somebody would be watching the game. But as the Zook/Florida game would make for a much more compelling story.
One thing that's never brought up whenever somebody starts talking about the "great Big 10 vs. Pac 10 tradition in the Rose Bowl" is how many times the Big 10 has actually played in it. In 93 Rose Bowls, the Big 10 has played in only 61 of them, for a percentage of around 66% (Pac 10 has played in 97%). Meanwhile the SEC has had at least one representative in the 73 Sugar Bowls 64 times, or 87% (this isn't even counting when the SEC had 2 teams in). The SEC has played in the Sugar (64) more times than the Big 10 has played in the Rose (61) but you don't here people whining about tradition when the Sugar chooses to go a different way.
Jason-
LA is USC territory, but Chicago couldn't care less about Illinois.
Doug-
A fine point. Seeing how ABC is televising both, I'm thinking Disney will give the Rose a stern talking to if it snatches a truly un-BCS team and pits them against USC.
The important thing in the TV equation, which may make a difference, is the Atlanta TV market. It's known as THE College Football Market...and is very very important to advertisers.
Chicago isn't a college TV market at all. That's why UGA is considered very important on a national scale. When it's on TV, it owns a top 10 TV market in the US like no other can.
Am I the only one scared of the following nightmare scenario?
1. LSU hammers UT, allowing Illinois to move to 14 in the BCS, and vaulting LSU past us.
2. OU beats Missouri, putting OSU in the championship game.
3. VT beats BC in the ACC championship game.
The Rose takes Illinois to preserve tradition, and the Orange Bowl takes Florida, using the excuse that it wants to avoid a VT-UGA rematch.
Anon 1:43
So long as we reach #3 in the BCS and there is no SEC team in the title game, we are guaranteed to go to a BCS game.
That's the Kansas State rule.
Anon - 1:43 pm
Yes. You are the only one. If Missouri loses, we're moving up to #3.
LSU would have to jump from #7 all the way to #2 to jump over us.
That's just not going to happen. It's not like they're going to beat the 85 Bears on Saturday. They're going to beat a 9-3 UT team.
If we're in the Top 3, we're going to the BCS via automatic qualification.
If we're in the Top 4 and LSU is #3, we're STILL an automatic qualifier.
For us to get left the following would have to happen:
1. Missouri would have to win
2. WVU would have to win
3. Kansas who is off this week would have to move up 2 spots in the Harris Poll and 1 spot in the Coaches poll while NOT PLAYING. AN we would have to fall one spot in each. Thus knocking us to 5th in the BCS and out of automatic qualifier status
4. AND VT would have to beat BC
5. AND the Orange would have to pick #9 or #10 UF over #5 Florida.
6. AND the Fiesta would have to turn us down.
So you're saying there's a chance?
Yes. Remote, remote, remote chance.
And no. It's not going to happen because KU can't leap frog us without playing anyone on Saturday.
PWD
Plus, the reason why Kansas State got dumped in '98 is because the BCS bowls were worried about their fanbase (they STILL play in a Vandy-esque stadium).
Not so for the Dawgs.
Also...
Why would you turn down a VT/UGA rematch? It was one of the better bowls last year, sold out the Georgia Dome, and both teams are even better this year. It would be a solid game.
PWD,
I know that if we make it to the Rose Bowl, we will likely play USC. And at the OB we would play VT/BC. Who would be the likely foe at the Fiesta Bowl if we somehow end up there?
I'm not PWD, but i'd wager we'd see Arizona State in the Fiesta if we ended up there somehow.
Fiesta Match-ups would either be:
vs. Oklahoma or Arizona State or maybe Kansas?
To play OU...OU must win the Big 12 and the Rose must pick Illinois over us. Then the Orange must turn us down thus FORCING the Fiesta to take us or Hawaii (two automatic qualifiers with picks after the Orange if OU wins the Big 12)
To play ASU...Missouri wins Big 12. Fiesta choses us over Kansas. Kansas is selected by Orange with next pick.
To play Kansas...Missouri wins Big 12. Fiesta takes Kansas. Orange turns us down (which wouldn't happen). Fiesta is forced to pick between UGA and Hawaii with next to last BCS pick.
So what happens if Mizz and WV both lose this weekend, along with BC winning the ACC? Where do you think UGA would go?
If Mizz and WVU both lose this weekend, we're playing Ohio State for the National Title.
Boomer Sooner!! Please Please Send us to the Rose. They wont pass us up.
if UGA is an automatic BCS qualifier, the Orange (or any other BCS bowl) can't choose Florida, due to the 2 teams per conference rule, right?
In your "Georgia or Hawaii" scenario for the Fiesta, could they pick Hawaii and the Sugar match Georgia vs. LSU? I don't think the SEC would let that happen, but...
I was being sarcastic.
There isn't a bowl in America that wants Hawaii other than the Aloha (or whatever it's called).
They won't bring 5,000 fans to NOLA. Or anywhere else for that matter.
Chicago has nothing to do with college football. In fact, the people in Chicago live in such a bubble I don't even think they know what is going on. Unless they are stupid, they pick UGA.
Here's Chicago baby!
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/index.shtml#mea=2489
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/
video/index.shtml#mea=2489
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