NO "Beirut Bowl". Please.....

FordtoTolbert · Post by **FordtoTolbert** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:02 pm

...I'm sorry, but I have not waited 20+ years to head over to New Orleans to watch SMU grapple with Arkie State, as ESPN has projected. I have been to NO 10x, and really have no desire to go there now, especially with all the BS going on there now...throw ASU into the mix, and it really does become a "been there done that" scenario.

Honestly, I am having somewhat of a diffucult time getting all charged up about being 6-6 / 7-5 and going to "any" minor bowl. For crying out loud, as Stallion outlined yesterday, we have defeated the #'s 101 / 107 / 112 / 98th ranked teams in the NCAA pool. My position is this......we need to be playing for the C-USA Championship, or finish 8-4 for me to get all giddy. Actually, finishing 8-4 and playing for the C-USA crown are probably the same thing......now THAT'S something to get fired up about.

We need to think big. The 6-6 New Orleans Bowl RAH RAH talk is disappointing to me.......FINISH 8-4 boys!!!

SMU Football Blog · Post by **SMU Football Blog** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:09 pm

If SMU gets an invite to the cereal bowl, you will shut up and like it!

J.T.supporta · Post by **J.T.supporta** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:13 pm

How about the Barcardi 151 Drink til You Puke BOWL...???

Cadillac · Post by **Cadillac** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:14 pm

SMU Football Blog wrote:If SMU gets an invite to the cereal bowl, you will shut up and like it!

No kidding, a trip to the toilet bowl would be refreshing...

-CoS

DiamondM75 · Post by **DiamondM75** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:16 pm

J.T.supporta wrote:How about the Barcardi 151 Drink til You Puke BOWL...???

Isn't this the bowl we have attended for the past 20 years? I know I have been there every bowl season since the DP.

J.T.supporta · Post by **J.T.supporta** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:17 pm

Yes, I have participated in that bowl for the last decade and my liver cant take anymore of it.

FordtoTolbert · Post by **FordtoTolbert** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:30 pm

Oh, I see....like the "Dummy Down We Still Really Suck at 6-6 Bowl"..cool, count me in.....

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:39 pm

A bowl game may or may not be your cup of tea, but one of the perks is that it allows an additional 30 days of practice that non bowl teams do not get. If you have never played that may not seem like much, but it is meaningful, especially when your main competition is getting it and you are not. Any bowl will be good. I really do not think we will get much better offers whether we win 6/7/ or 8 games. The only opportunity I see for us getting a "good" bowl is winning out and winning the Conference Championship and getting the Liberty. And I do not foresee that at this time.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:44 pm

I was about to say the same thing. Most coaches stress how important this extra practice time can be and they spend nmuch of the first two weeks of so analyzing young talent. Its like having two spring practices. It would be nice to have a "signature win" though in a dream season. Right now that could be Tulsa which is No. 23 in the initial BCS rankings.

BrianTinBigD · Post by **BrianTinBigD** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:45 pm

Finish 8-4 and you still wind up in garden spots like Mobile, Birmingham, Fort Worth, or New Orleans. If we ain't conference champs then we don't get to go to the garden spot that is Memphis. Here is my best guess at what CUSA winds up with in the bowls:

New Orleans - Sun Belt Champion vs. CUSA 4 or 5 - Payout $325K
Birmingham - CUSA 4 or 5 vs. Big East 4 or 5 - payout unknown but it should be pretty pathetic.
Armed Forces - MWC 3 or 4 vs. CUSA 2 or 3 - payout $750K
GMAC - MAC or WAC spare vs. CUSA 2 or 3 - payout $750K
Liberty - CUSA Champ vs. SEC 6 - payout $1700K

Hawaii bowl is if we have a 6th team qualify and the PAC 10 only has 5 teams. We can hope for that scenario since that pushes the NO bowl and Iron Bowl further down the list of viable options. There looks like there will only be 5 teams from CUSA that qualify if we manage to win 2 more. Just don't see UAB or UCF getting the required number of wins in the East.

FordtoTolbert · Post by **FordtoTolbert** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:45 pm

A bowl game is definately my cup of tea, and I certainly appreciate the "extra 30 days" of practice. But, if you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly.....I would be highly disappointed if we go to NO at 6-6 or 7-5..actually, I believe we need to go at least 7-5, more likely 8-4 to find our way to a bowl game. I do think we have a shot at Memphis and the Liberty Bowl, I have to hold out hope for this...otherwise, I am luke warm about extra practices and bowl games in Toledo...

perunapower · Post by **perunapower** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:46 pm

FordtoTolbert wrote:Oh, I see....like the "Dummy Down We Still Really Suck at 6-6 Bowl"..cool, count me in.....

I'm not saying I would be satisfied with a 6-6 season; I would be satisfied with 8-4 or 9-3. 6-6 is disappointing given our potential, but getting the additional revenue of a bowl game and having that step forward would put us lightyears ahead of where we were last year.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:50 pm

there won't be ANY extra revenue from the bowl game except perhaps if we go to Ft Worth or the Liberty Bowl. Expenses generally are greater than revenue from these bowls and doesn't CUSA have a 10,000 minimum guarantee? I know some bowls do. That type of situation could actually cost the university mucho dinero.

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:51 pm

We have a decent opportunity for a bowl if we can win 6 or more games due to tie ins. But if we finished 9-3 I do not think we could do much better than what we see now. If and when we get many wins and look really good, then the lack of fans traveling comes into play with the selection committees. For the foreseeable future, we have to take what we can get. I suggest you adopt a second team in the BCS running and go to their bowl game if you want a really good one.

Stallion · Post by **Stallion** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:52 pm

At 9-3 we probably would be hosting the CUSA Championship which might be the kind of challenge our alumni really need. A feel good championship at home.