Star-Telegram: Fort Worth Bowl Stuck on Hold

[MrMustang1965]

BY WENDELL BARNHOUSE

While a handful of bowls have started inviting teams and moving toward match making, the Fort Worth Bowl is stuck on hold.

The best-guess speculation leads to a game between New Mexico of the Mountain West Conference and Houston or Tulsa of Conference USA. But it could be Dec. 4 before the matchup is set.

The bowl’s contract calls for a game between teams from the Big 12 Conference and C-USA. But for the third (and last) year of the deal with the Big 12, it appears that league won’t have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill its commitment.

If Kansas beats Iowa State and/or Texas A&M upsets Texas this weekend, the Big 12 would have enough eligible teams and either Kansas or Missouri would end up in Fort Worth for the Dec. 23 game at Amon Carter Stadium.

If no Big 12 team is available, the Fort Worth Bowl would turn toward the Mountain West and invite New Mexico. The Fort Worth Bowl and the MWC are contractually obligated to each other starting in 2006.

UT-El Paso, Houston and Tulsa are the possible teams available from C-USA. The Liberty and GMAC bowls choose ahead of Fort Worth from available C-USA teams.

If UTEP beats SMU, the Miners would face Central Florida in the C-USA championship game on Dec. 3. The winner would go to the Liberty, the loser to the GMAC.

In that case, Tulsa (7-4 and co-champs of the C-USA West) would be available. Houston (5-5) needs to beat Rice on Saturday to become bowl-eligible. The Cougars are coached by former Stephenville High School coach Art Briles.