Hawaii Bowl or Bust

SMU 86 · Post by **SMU 86** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:29 pm

Last year USM went to the Hawaii Bowl after winning the conference. And since this is June's last year to go to the Hawaii Bowl (unless the BE forms an alliance with the Hawaii Bowl) I think we do it. But we have the team to win CUSA regardless of the bowl.

NY Pony · Post by **NY Pony** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:43 pm

CUSA will screw us and put us wherever they feel like, assuming we're bowl eligible.

SMU 86 · Post by **SMU 86** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 3:51 pm

That's fine but we should still win the conference.

BigT3x · Post by **BigT3x** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:11 pm

NY Pony wrote:CUSA will screw us and put us wherever they feel like, assuming we're bowl eligible.

New Orleans bowl, here we come.

NY Pony · Post by **NY Pony** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:32 pm

If we're not in a BCS game, I'd be happy anywhere that I can afford to make it to and that provides a good opponent.

CalallenStang · Post by **CalallenStang** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 8:53 pm

SMU 86 wrote:Last year USM went to the Hawaii Bowl after winning the conference. And since this is June's last year to go to the Hawaii Bowl (unless the BE forms an alliance with the Hawaii Bowl) I think we do it. But we have the team to win CUSA regardless of the bowl.

USM went to Hawaii Bowl because Liberty Bowl exercised their contractual option to take a Big East team instead of a CUSA team. Had Liberty Bowl wanted to take a CUSA team, USM would have gone there. Since they didn't, USM chose the bowl that the coaches felt was most rewarding to the players amongst the remaining CUSA bowls.

Charleston Pony · Post by **Charleston Pony** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:18 am

Hawaii Bowl would not be a bad way to finish up with CUSA, but I'd much prefer a Liberty Bowl game against someone from the SEC

LA_Mustang · Post by **LA_Mustang** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 12:54 pm

It makes me sick when athletes, coaches or fans aspire for anything other than to be the best. Being the best in division I college football requires you to play in a BCS game, which the Hawaii bowl is not. If we win every game on our schedule, we will play in a BCS game, no question. So saying this season is Hawaii Bowl or bust is insult to season ticket holders and donors. I hope the players and coaches feel the same way.

Hilltopper · Post by **Hilltopper** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:03 pm

CalallenStang wrote:USM went to Hawaii Bowl because Liberty Bowl exercised their contractual option to take a Big East team instead of a CUSA team. Had Liberty Bowl wanted to take a CUSA team, USM would have gone there. Since they didn't, USM chose the bowl that the coaches felt was most rewarding to the players amongst the remaining CUSA bowls.

I didn't think it was the Liberty Bowl's choice. I thought the Liberty Bowl invited USM, which in turn chose Hawaii over Memphis. My understanding is that the C-USA champion is not contractually obligated to go to Memphis, but is qualified to do so and always has until last year.

Hilltopper · Post by **Hilltopper** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:11 pm

And as for having the team to win C-USA, why do you say that? I'm not saying we don't, but to me, there are too many questions left to be answered to make such predictions. Some of you who are close enough to see practices can offer some answers, but I don't see how anyone can know what we have at quarterback, on the offensive line, at receiver, in Banjo and Crawford's places in the secondary, at defensive line depth, etc. Everything PP has written has made it sound like Gilbert is the real deal, and if Lowe is a real SEC-caliber tackle, that makes the entire line better. As for the other positions, I don't know enough to have an educated opinion. I hope you're right and hope we do win the conference. But it seems early to say we SHOULD win it. Plus, what will the team's health and confidence be like after the non-conference games? What if we're 1-3 when the C-USA games start? I hope we're not, but it seems possible to me.
Lot of questions still left to answer.

CalallenStang · Post by **CalallenStang** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:43 pm

Hilltopper wrote:
CalallenStang wrote:USM went to Hawaii Bowl because Liberty Bowl exercised their contractual option to take a Big East team instead of a CUSA team. Had Liberty Bowl wanted to take a CUSA team, USM would have gone there. Since they didn't, USM chose the bowl that the coaches felt was most rewarding to the players amongst the remaining CUSA bowls.

I didn't think it was the Liberty Bowl's choice. I thought the Liberty Bowl invited USM, which in turn chose Hawaii over Memphis. My understanding is that the C-USA champion is not contractually obligated to go to Memphis, but is qualified to do so and always has until last year.

No.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports ... e-usa.html

And according to a Hattiesburg American post readable here: http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=536289&page=3

C-USA not likely to have team in Liberty Bowl
11/29/2011 2:36 PM CST

It appears likely that Conference USA will not have a team in the Liberty Bowl for the first time since the league’s inception as a football conference in 1996.
A bowl provision states that C-USA must vacate the Liberty Bowl if the bowl’s other conference tie-in, the SEC, has nine bowl-eligible teams.
"Right now, we’re at that number nine," C-USA associate commissioner Alfred White said today. "That number calls for us to vacate the Liberty Bowl in favor of the game in Birmingham."
That doesn’t mean that the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham will be the postseason destination for Southern Miss. C-USA features other tie-ins including:

* The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas

* The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla.

* The R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

* The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl

* The Ticket City Bowl in Dallas

* The league also has a conditional tie-in with the Military Bowl in Washington, D.C.

C-USA could still get a team into the Liberty Bowl if Georgia upsets LSU in the SEC title game on Saturday, putting potentially three SEC teams into BCS bowls.
White said that C-USA could also find a more favorable bowl destination for a team like Southern Miss (10-2) if other bowls outside of the league’s tie-ins are willing to do trade-offs.
Southern Miss plays at Houston at 11 a.m. on Saturday to determine the champion of Conference USA.
The Cougars (12-0) are essentially a lock for a BCS bowl bid if they beat USM.
For Southern Miss, its postseason destination is much more unclear with the Liberty Bowl probably off the table.

SMU 86 · Post by **SMU 86** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 2:37 pm

Hilltopper wrote:And as for having the team to win C-USA, why do you say that? I'm not saying we don't, but to me, there are too many questions left to be answered to make such predictions. Some of you who are close enough to see practices can offer some answers, but I don't see how anyone can know what we have at quarterback, on the offensive line, at receiver, in Banjo and Crawford's places in the secondary, at defensive line depth, etc. Everything PP has written has made it sound like Gilbert is the real deal, and if Lowe is a real SEC-caliber tackle, that makes the entire line better. As for the other positions, I don't know enough to have an educated opinion. I hope you're right and hope we do win the conference. But it seems early to say we SHOULD win it. Plus, what will the team's health and confidence be like after the non-conference games? What if we're 1-3 when the C-USA games start? I hope we're not, but it seems possible to me.
Lot of questions still left to answer.

All the other teams in CUSA have similar questions except we have a coach that has been acknowledged as the best in CUSA by a publication. We can do this. We should as we will have all Coach Jones' players now. Have some confidence in Coach Jones and his staff. We have tough OOC games for the next few years and if we can't win CUSA this year with all the transitions at UH, USM, and Tulsa how can we expect to win the BE title? If PP says it sounds like GG is the real deal then I am going to go with that. I would not lower my expectations. They can and should do it. I have confidence in them. Let's get behind them team not give them a reason to lose.

max the wonder dog · Post by **max the wonder dog** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 3:26 pm

Bottom line -- the Liberty Bowl needs the SEC more than the SEC needs the Liberty Bowl, so the SEC calls the shots.

The SEC didn't want to risk one of their teams losing to So. Miss., which competes directly with Ole Miss and Miss State for recruits.

ontheedgeofmyseat · Post by **ontheedgeofmyseat** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:13 pm

I like Dave Campbell's prediction...SMU v. Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl.

Rebel10 · Post by **Rebel10** » Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:24 pm

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl ├óΓé¼┬Å@HawaiiBowl

Phil Steele projects #SMU to face San Diego State in Hawaii Bowl: http://ow.ly/c9CXO