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Topic: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Topic: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

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bobcat72
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Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/23/2012 9:51:17 PM

Looking at the way the records are shaking out, it is a virtual certainty that we will be participating in a bowl game. Also, any talk that we won't accept a bid is crazy - so please don't bring that up.

That said, what are your thoughts??

Would you still attend the game? What sort of opponent/location gives us the best chance to succeed (if any)? How do you "rally the troops" for one last game after such a disappointing finish to the season?

And, of course, where do you think we're going?

I'm as disappointed as anyone, but it's time to start moving on. There's still one more game to play.

Pataskala
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/23/2012 10:42:10 PM

We'll be the #6 MAC team. Can't help but believe that Toledo will go to Detroit. The MAC champ will be in Mobile and the runner-up goes to Boise. I think we're looking at one of three destinations: N'awlins Bowl if CUSA doesn't get enough; Beef O'Brady's in St. Pete; Compass in Birmingham. Music City is another possible. In any event, I think it'll be tough to get an Ohio crowd there. If we had been 1-4 and ended up 8-4 there would be a lot of interest. But the past five weeks have taken a lot of the luster off this season. We would do best against a team that has an average passing game and can't defend the run. At this point, I'd settle for UTSA, which has yet to beat a 1A school that's won more than two games this season.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.

OUE+Z Grad
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/23/2012 10:48:50 PM

bobcat72 wrote:

First of all, I would say that I am happy that our season doesn't end today and hasn't ended in November since posting a 4-8 record in 2008. Not that I wouldn't follow bowl games, but to know my team is is one means something. One thing I feel good about is that, for the most part, teams in the MAC earn their way to a bowl. Finishing 8-4 is disappointing, but we had to win to get to a bowl. With that said, I will celebrate and buy a Bowl Champions t-shirt no matter what bowl it is if we win. You can't say the same about a lot of BCS schools. For instance, Ohio State usually is playing in BCS bowls every year. Last year, if they'd beaten Florida in the Gator Bowl to finish 7-6, I doubt there would have been a huge demand for Gator Bowl Champions t-shirt. The season would've still been viewed as a disappointment. And if you want to talk about this year, we should be thrilled that we have the chance to play in the post season, unlike Ohio State whose season will come to an end tomorrow. All they can do is wonder if they had the shot to play for a National Championship.

Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but I honestly would like to see us play a team we can beat. I think of the New Mexico Bowl last year when Temple matched up with Wyoming. They outmatched Wyoming easily and won the bowl game. I'd be more concerned going up against, for instance, a 7-5 West Virginia squad. Regardless, I think Ohio can look at this and say, "We have a chance to end the season the way we started." Over the break before the bowl, Ohio can get some guys healthy and come out and show that they are the same team that took it to Penn State in Happy Valley. Maybe they can prove that it was more about injuries than anything else and they'll be ready to regain the respect of the nation that they had for the first seven weeks. I'll admit, though, this task would be easier if they played a BCS team and beat them as opposed to a Sun Belt team, as I said earlier.

As for what bowl game Ohio goes to, it's so hard to say. I study probably 6 or 7 projections and it seems that most prognosticators believe MAC teams will fill slots in the same bowls. There's just no agreement to which MAC team will fit where. I've seen Pinstripe Bowl, Heart of Dallas Bowl, Hawaii Bowl, Military Bowl Beef O' Brady's Bowl just to name a few. I have no scientific justification for saying this at all, but it just seems the Beef O' Brady's Bowl in St. Pete, FL makes sense.

Last Edited: 11/23/2012 10:51:58 PM by OUE+Z Grad

Brufus
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 7:31:52 AM

I don't think it will happen, but what do you guys think the chances are that we end up in the Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Georgia Tech?

bobcat28
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 7:31:58 AM

Latest rumor is Military Bowl vs Sun Belt.

Bobcat1998
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 10:30:35 AM

Any Bobcat fan who says we shouldn't go to a bowl is absolutely insane and is not a true fan. We expected a special season and we had one for seven games, but even in those games did anyone REALLY think we were going undefeated? Barel beat Akron, Buffalo, UMass. I don't like blaming injuries but come on, my computer screen saver at work is a pic of the four captains and NONE of them played every game this year! Carrie and Thompson out for year and G. Moore and T2 out as well. I went to OU from 94-98. I appreciate this team and after a tough MAC season, I think a bow game will be just fine. The MAC was rated the fourth best conference by CNN/SI so I wouldn't discount us against any Conf USA, Sun Belt, Mt. West, WAC, Big East or Big 10 school.

fansince49
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 12:04:50 PM

I don't believe that we're safe in assuming that we are going to be selected for a bowl game. I hope that I'm wrong, and you're right, but here's my reasoning:

Records are one thing, but team performance is another. There are at least a half dozen MAC teams which are bowl-eligible. One story of yesterday's game had bowl scouts in the stands scouting Kent. If you had been scouting the Bobcats for any bowl, in any of our last five games, what would your conclusions have been?

Mine would have been, first, how on earth did this team win seven games, especially Penn State, in front of 106,000 fans at home? For the last half of the schedule, we've been playing progressively worse and worse while other MAC teams, like CMU, BSU, and BGSU have been playing better and better. If you were any of these scouts, would you rather have for your bowl a team on the rise, playing winning football, or a team beset by several serious problems, and struggling to solve any of them?

I'm a 53-year OU fan, and not a scout, and I sure hope you're right.

Last Edited: 11/24/2012 12:07:59 PM by fansince49

JSF
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 12:28:46 PM

The mistake is the assumption that bowls care about how well a team plays half as much as how many tickets they'll sell.

"Loyalty to a hometown or city is fleeting and interchangeable, but college is a stamp of identity."- Kyle Whelliston, One Beautiful Season.

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sargentfan
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 4:15:41 PM

No matter whether you think we deserve a bowl game or if you think we will have a chance to win it. These kids still put in the time and did enough to warrant a bowl game. Remember that consistently making a bowl game is huge for recruiting especially when recruits hear from players what swag they got from the bowl games they attended. Plus the extra practice can't hurt for this team.

Monroe Slavin
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 4:47:10 PM

sarge--remind me to re-post that later for you for those who keep not grasping it.

Where's the band?!
WHERE"S THE BAND?!

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JSF
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 4:52:15 PM

sargentfan wrote:

Plus the extra practice can't hurt for this team.

I dunno, everything else has.

Turney13
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 8:32:29 PM

Independence	Dec. 28	Shreveport, La.		Louisiana Tech* vs. Ohio*

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Casper71
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 9:45:42 PM

Given that we ended poorly and won't sell many tickets, my guess is it will not be a good bowl that selects us. In fact, while I am sure we will go we may be the least desireable of teams out there.

Like others, I just hope it is somebody we cn be competitive against.

Sony7
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 10:29:52 PM

Say what you want about the OHIO fan base, but when we were on top and winning (and not playing on Wednesdays etc.) Our fan base came out. Didn't see that with Kent against us this week. Anyone have final ticket sales in the MAC for the year. I'm sure the Bobcats will be on top or near the top of the league.

Go Bobcats!

SONY7

World B. Free
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 10:45:39 PM

Actually in isn't a certainty that Ohio would be in a bowl. I think there could be a scenario in which they won't. Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong. Tonight Rice got their sixth win, and Ole Miss got a big upset to become bowl eligible. So now there are 70 teams with 6 wins.

The issue is there are three more teams who also could get in. ga Tech has six wins but they would need to win the ACC championship vs. Florida State to finish with a winning record, so it's unlikely. However two Big East teams, Pitt and uConn, have five wins each and we need to wait until next week to see if one or both make it.

if 71 make it, Central Michigan goes home.
If 72 are in, I would assume Western Ky is out with only seven wins.
But if 73 are eligible, Ohio would sweat it out because several other Sun Belt teams also have eight wins and will be wanting at large bids. And none of them have lost four of their last five games.

As bad as the kent state game was...I STILL want one more chance for the Cats to take the field. They've deserved a better fate. Injuries have killed them, but some of the underclassmen HAVE to step up. To have such an incredible win vs. Penn State to open the season,and to end the season so poorly...I want the team to have one more chance to close the year on a high note.

Michael

UpSan Bobcat
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 11:34:35 PM

Right, 70 teams are eligible at this very moment, just enough to fill all the spots. A lot of teams that needed to pull off upsets of varying degres did. Three teams are still in question:

Georgia Tech (6-6): needs to beat Florida State (10-2) in ACC title game to become eligible.
UConn (5-6): needs to win home game vs. Cincinnati (8-3). Upset Louisville today to stay alive.
Pittsburgh (5-6): needs to win at South Florida (3-8). Upset Rutgers to stay alive.

I think World's analysis is right on. Central Michigan probably would be the first team out of the bowl picture if one of these three teams becomes eligible. After that, Western Kentucky at 7-5 is most likely out. Then, it'd probably be Ohio or maybe an 8-4 Sun Belt team (fourth place).

catfan28
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/24/2012 11:43:19 PM

As I posted in the other thread, they don't have to pick in order of wins. Temple, 8-4 in 2009, was passed over by a slew of 6-6 and 7-5 teams.

I don't see any way a bowl picks 6-6 Central Michigan over us. But it's certainly possible that Western Kentucky could go before us at 7-5. Our finish isn't doing us any favors.

I'd like to think that we're ahead of WKU as an attractive bowl team, but I think it's pretty neck-and-neck. If there's 72 teams eligible, we're sweating it out to the end.

MonroeClassmate
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/25/2012 1:49:47 AM

So, if Ohio was invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl held in Birmingham, Alabama on January 5th--which players might return to action from the injury list?

Bcat2
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/25/2012 9:44:28 AM

MonroeClassmate wrote:

So, if Ohio was invited to the BBVA Compass Bowl held in Birmingham, Alabama on January 5th--which players might return to action from the injury list?

Mr. Scott would be a blessing, Herman and Carlotta would be great.

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Pataskala
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RE: Thoughts on the Bowl Game...

Posted: 11/25/2012 8:32:05 PM

I was just thinking -- Ohio was the first team to get bowl eligible this season. It would be a shame, ironic, weird if we don't go to a bow.

We will get by.
We will get by.
We will get by.
We will survive.

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