Bear Down Wildcats

For the first time in NCAA history, an insufficient number of deserving bowl-eligible teams (i.e., 6-6 record or better) are available to fill all the bowl games which make-up the current landscape (40 bowls plus the National Championship Game). As a result, a specific group of 5-7 teams ranked according to Academic Progress Rate was granted waivers to expand the bowl-eligibility pool and ensure no bowl game would go dark. Today, we have come to the unfortunate realization another dubious milestone has been reached - two teams from the same conference will face each other in a bowl game later this month. Neither of these developments is good for college football.

While the expansion of the pool to provide additional teams was a necessary step at the end of this season to protect the college football bowl partners, and one which the Mountain West supported for at this moment, a conference match-up in a bowl game did not have to happen. The NCAA decision to allow 5-7 teams to be added to the pool on an equal footing with 6-6 teams was flawed. Our Conference representatives argued steadfastly for an approach whereby all 6-6 teams would first be placed according to primary and secondary agreements among the conferences and bowl games. Our position was that only then would the safety net of 5-7 teams be activated for those games which had not yet secured participants - rather than allow those teams to fulfill conference agreements and usurp 6-6 teams from conferences with back-up agreements. The Mountain West cast its vote against the recommendation of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee (which did not include that parameter), and subsequently also voted in opposition to the action of the NCAA Council to approve that recommendation.

Understanding the implications of the NCAA verdict on Monday and with the knowledge neither of the primary or back-up conferences contracted as opponents in one of our bowl games would be able to provide a team, the Mountain West began immediately to work in earnest toward identifying a solution that would place teams in a manner that could avoid a conference match-up in a bowl game. We exchanged dozens of phone calls, texts and e-mails over the course of six days with numerous bowl games, other FBS conferences, the NCAA staff, the Football Bowl Association and our partners at ESPN Events. We spoke individually with our directors of athletics and convened that group collectively on multiple conference calls. We engaged throughout the week with members of the MW Board of Directors.

The Mountain West explored every possibility for placing the teams in question. We suggested swaps, alternative financial arrangements and creative options. Unfortunately, no one was willing to adjust and those efforts were to no avail. Following the outcome of last night's games, it became clear there were 80 teams for 80 bowl slots and the only two openings still available for a pair of MW teams would match them in the same game.

It is a travesty the Mountain West has been forced into this situation. Clearly, the system is broken. There is an excess of bowl games due in part to a disparate allocation of openings vs. conference bowl histories. The result is teams with sub-.500 records participating in bowl games. There is consensus change is needed and this year's outcome must not be repeated.

However, that is a discussion for another day. At the moment, we need to focus our attention on the more than 1,000 Mountain West football student-athletes, band members, cheerleaders and others who will be able to enjoy a postseason opportunity in the weeks ahead. We will work diligently with our bowl partners to ensure those young people have the best experience possible.

UAEebs86 wrote:5-7 teams getting placed in bowls before 6-6 teams were gone is complete bullshit.

azgreg wrote:

UAEebs86 wrote:5-7 teams getting placed in bowls before 6-6 teams were gone is complete bullshit.

Agreed. This game should have 5-7 teams above all others.

azpenguin wrote:The MW commissioner has no room to complain because he was one of the big pushers to add more bowls so that the conference could get more slots. The old "be careful what you ask for, you just may get it" adage applies here.

I'll go to the game, but I'm skeptical that it will be around next year due to the backlash about too many bowls. There will be less bowl games next year. The reason I think this game is likely to be one of this victims is not so much that it's new, but because it doesn't have a TV deal to really speak of (the broadcast setup they have is not exactly lucrative.) If it had carriage on ESPN then I'd think it would have a good shot at surviving. Things can change, though, in the future, and it would be nice to see it stick around.

The worst
Arizona Bowl: Cowtown custom-made cowboy boots

Are you kidding me? This is the only gift the players are getting in return for spending Christmas in Tucson, Arizona? Cowboy boots are fine, but they're a very specific kind of fashion choice that the vast majority of people either can't or don't want to pull off.

This is what makes gift cards great. You don't have to account for the taste and fashion preferences of a diverse group of 200 kids who've come from all across the country to play football. I'm willing to bet most of these get left behind in the hotel room.

UAEebs86 wrote:5-7 teams getting placed in bowls before 6-6 teams were gone is complete bullshit.

azgreg wrote:This can be real ugly. CSU and Nevada ticket sales have been slight.

oops!

Merkin wrote:

azgreg wrote:This can be real ugly. CSU and Nevada ticket sales have been slight.

oops!
NSFW!

CatsbyAZ wrote:Anyone with ticket advice? Can I just walk up and buy a ticket at the gates? For maybe $15 each?

Since I'm in Tucson this week I'm thinking about attending as a sort've support-Tucson gesture. Problem is I havent yet found anyone else to go with.

scumdevils86 wrote:asuhater is around campus and said he only saw a couple hundred people around the stadium waiting for the gates to open just a few mins ago. i bet there's less than 15k at this game. 10k even.

CatsbyAZ wrote:They didn't even change the UA logo at mid-field:

Irish27 wrote:I doubt this bowl will return next year.

wyo-cat wrote:What a garbage halftime show. My god!

wyo-cat wrote:The studio show....Jim Donnan. Wow. Bad.

azcat49 wrote:RR should be happy about how our fans turn out for his game LOL.

As an aside I was told we had a major sponsor but the NCAA denied there sponsorship. It was Tilted Kilt.

CatsbyAZ wrote:

azcat49 wrote:RR should be happy about how our fans turn out for his game LOL.

As an aside I was told we had a major sponsor but the NCAA denied there sponsorship. It was Tilted Kilt.

oh goodness, why!?!?!

As it is, I'm taking after WYO and watching the game with a beer on my couch with a lab that's actually my parent's very moody black cat.

Sage&Silver wrote:These two teams sold an average of 25,000 tickets per home game last season.

I think this is a pretty good crowd for these two schools.

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

Sage&Silver wrote:These two teams sold an average of 25,000 tickets per home game last season.

I think this is a pretty good crowd for these two schools.

It actually is impressive. Neither teams has any geographic tie here, and they've pulled more than a lot of bowl games for teams with larger fan bases.