More Bowl Projections -- ESPN

[George S. Patton]

http://espn.go.com/college-football/bowls/projections

[Pony Soup]

i love that no one seems to predict us going to hawaii

[skyscraper]

Interesting they both put Nevada in Hawaii and Idaho in the Humanitarian, since lately some folks think the opposite could happen.

[SCHOOPS]

Interesting they also have Tulsa going to the Armed Forces Bowl. Someone hasn't done their homework.

[Wuba]

Interesting they also have Tulsa going to the Armed Forces Bowl. Someone hasn't done their homework.

I agree. They probably spend hours on the BCS bowls and 5 minutes on the rest.

[Dooby]

I am not picky, but my current gripe is that Hawaii is not going to be bowl eligible this year, but may be next year. Then, the Hawaii bowl will again try to engineer the matchup they wanted last year and this year, but couldn't get: SMU v. Hawaii. Eventually, I want to be able to go.

[Lefty]

As much as I'd love to go to Hawaii (and Memphis, because that would mean we're conference champs), I'd say Fort Worth (of course) and Mobile would be easier for a lot of fans to travel to.

[Garret]

Interesting they both put Nevada in Hawaii and Idaho in the Humanitarian, since lately some folks think the opposite could happen.

When Hawaii played Idaho this year, the Hawaii media reported that Idaho already had an agreement with the Humanitarian Bowl to go to that bowl if they were bowl eligible. I don't know why so many ponyfans seem to think that Idaho would be going to Hawaii when sending Idaho to the Humanitarian makes the most sense for the WAC.

[Garret]

As much as I'd love to go to Hawaii (and Memphis, because that would mean we're conference champs), I'd say Fort Worth (of course) and Mobile would be easier for a lot of fans to travel to.

Bowls care about teams with proven track records of having big home crowds and fans that travel in the tens of thousands to bowl games. Given that, SMU isn't going to be high on the wish lists for bowls outside of Hawaii.

[Garret]

I am not picky, but my current gripe is that Hawaii is not going to be bowl eligible this year, but may be next year. Then, the Hawaii bowl will again try to engineer the matchup they wanted last year and this year, but couldn't get: SMU v. Hawaii. Eventually, I want to be able to go.

I would love to see that matchup, but things will need to get a lot better for Hawaii next year for Hawaii to make the Hawaii Bowl. The schedule alternates years with Hawaii playing at home and on the road against Boise State and Fresno State...and next year Hawaii is on the road against both of them. Toss in a home opener against USC and then back-to-back road games at Army (LONG distance trip) and Colorado, and that is a brutal 3-game opening stretch.

edit: While SMU has been playing with a mostly freshman and sophomore OL, for much of this season Hawaii started all seniors on the OL.

[huskerpony]

As much as I'd love to go to Hawaii (and Memphis, because that would mean we're conference champs), I'd say Fort Worth (of course) and Mobile would be easier for a lot of fans to travel to.

Bowls care about teams with proven track records of having big home crowds and fans that travel in the tens of thousands to bowl games. Given that, SMU isn't going to be high on the wish lists for bowls outside of Hawaii.

I'm pretty sure they would gladly take a local team over in Ft Worth too.

Toss in a home opener against USC and then back-to-back road games at Army (LONG distance trip) and Colorado, and that is a brutal 3-game opening stretch.

Don't worry about CU. They will either have a first-year coach, or still have the Hawk trying to play his kid at QB.

[Garret]

As much as I'd love to go to Hawaii (and Memphis, because that would mean we're conference champs), I'd say Fort Worth (of course) and Mobile would be easier for a lot of fans to travel to.

Bowls care about teams with proven track records of having big home crowds and fans that travel in the tens of thousands to bowl games. Given that, SMU isn't going to be high on the wish lists for bowls outside of Hawaii.

I'm pretty sure they would gladly take a local team over in Ft Worth too.

The main reason that C-USA has the tie-in with the Hawaii Bowl is because the Hawaii Bowl wants JJ. That is why the Hawaii Bowl got second choice, to insure that they could get SMU. Without that bowl spot, C-USA would have 5 bowl spots and SMU would probably NOT go to a bowl with a 6-6 record...even the bowl in Fort Worth would probably not pick SMU in that scenario.

I'm sure that SMU will beat Tulane, but when the deals were done before this season SMU/JJ were looking for a way to insure that a 6-6 team would have a bowl spot. To ignore that and to ignore the fact that there was a high probability that a 6-6 SMU team would be left without *any* bowl without the Hawaii Bowl tie-in is really ignoring a lot.

[RGV Pony]

Garret-any insight as to whether the Hawaii bowl would go the Fresno St route vs the Nevada route? Besides the obvious, it seems like if the goal is a JJ love fest, Hawaii fans might be more passionate and turn out to see JJ (hopefully) defeat a UH archrival as opposed to Nevada

[davidpaul123]

I am not picky, but my current gripe is that Hawaii is not going to be bowl eligible this year, but may be next year. Then, the Hawaii bowl will again try to engineer the matchup they wanted last year and this year, but couldn't get: SMU v. Hawaii. Eventually, I want to be able to go.

I think this year they really NEED June as a mechanism to sell tickets if Hawaii does not become bowl eligible. If Hawaii is eligible next year there wont be as much of a need, although they still might want the matchup.

[Garret]

Garret-any insight as to whether the Hawaii bowl would go the Fresno St route vs the Nevada route? Besides the obvious, it seems like if the goal is a JJ love fest, Hawaii fans might be more passionate and turn out to see JJ (hopefully) defeat a UH archrival as opposed to Nevada

I've been hearing Nevada, not Fresno State. I could e-mail the Hawaii Bowl Executive Director, but then I would feel obligated to keep his answer secret so that wouldn't do you much good. Maybe I'll contact Hawaii's Athletic Director, who was the Hawaii Bowl Executive Director until he became AD last year...his former assistant is now the head of the Hawaii Bowl.

One factor might be that Fresno State played at Aloha Stadium earlier this year while Hawaii played at Nevada this year so the Hawaii fans have not seen Nevada yet this year. Plus, if any Fresno State fans made the trip to Hawaii to cheer their team on earlier this season, then they might not be able to make a second trip to Hawaii this year. That was a complaint from Boise State fans in 2007, where BSU lost their final regular season game at Hawaii and then played their bowl game in Hawaii shortly afterwards.