Bowl talk

Ken Hoffman, Motor City and International Bowl executive held court at the half.

Here is the skinny, major changes. If the BCS takes Ohio State as the second Big 10 team, that opens up an at large spot in Motor City opposite Ball St. If that is the case, the Motor City Bowl is strongly leaning towards putting a Big East team there. The candidates are UConn and Rutgers most likely.

The International Bowl is likely to get a 6-6 at large team in the present scenario.

What does that mean? It is shaping up to be UConn in Motor City or Papajohns.com and not Toronto.

"That is where I am thinking," Hoffman said about switching a Big East team from Toronto to Detroit. "If there is some 6-6 team (that makes sens) in Detoiot (then Detroit will take it).

Why? The Motor City Bowl doesn't want a 6-6 team (unless it is Notre Dame) playing against Ball St. in the Motor City Bowl.

It's looking like UConn either in Detroit or Birmingham.

This is going to take awhile. The games tonight matter because it depends on what Charlotte and the Sun do. Also, nothing can be moved until the BCS picks and opens up the Motor City Bowl for the swap.

Pretty complicated.

Big East bowling, and where UConn goes

After about three weeks of confusion, we have almost everything been pinned down in regards to Notre Dame and the Big East's agreement with the Sun Bowl.

Thank Syracuse for maybe taking the Sun Bowl away from Notre Dame. If the Irish lose to USC, and Rutgers defeats Pitt, then the Sun Bowl must take a 7-5 or greater Big East team over 6-6 Notre Dame.

Check out ESPN Big East blogger Brian Bennett for the explanation.

Watching the 24-23 in the lobby of the hotel in Tampa it was perhaps the worst loss ever for the Irish. Syracuse is just a flat out bad football team.

No one ever expected Syracuse to win and all the other scenarios written were assuming a 7-5 Notre Dame team. I am not sure the Sun Bowl knew the rules.

Now, we are going to go status quo and if USC beats ND and Rutgers beats Louisville I am figuring this arrangement.

BCS: Cincinnati
Sun: West Virginia
Meineke: Rutgers (Scarlet Knights would have earned this game). All bets are off if Pittsburgh beats WVU and then UConn. They may end up in the Sun Bowl in that scenario.
Toronto: UConn-Pitt winner
Birmingham: UConn-Pitt loser
St Pete: South Florida

If ND wins and Rutgers wins
BCS: Cincinnati
Sun/Gator: Notre Dame
Car Care: West Virginia
Toronto: UConn-Pitt winner
Birmingham: Rutgers
St Pete: South Florida

Candidates to get shipped are the UConn-Pitt loser or Rutgers

If Rutgers loses we have trouble
BCS: Cincinnati
Sun: Notre Dame
Meineke: West Virginia
Toronto: UConn-Pitt winner
Birmingham: UConn pitt loser
St. Pete: South Florida

At large. I would expect 6-6 Rutgers to get placed. Not sure if 6-6 Louisville ends up anywhere. We'll see.

As far as UConn, I think by virtue of their loss to USF on Sunday they are locked into either Toronto or less likely Birmingham.

UConn's bowl prospects are quite limited at this time. A 9-3, 5-2 record might have enticed the Sun Bowl (unlikely) or perhaps a return trip to Charlotte (I find no enthusiasm for it). not now though.

The likely scenario is Toronto or Birmingham. I am leaning towards Toronto in almost all scenarios. If Pitt beats UConn on Dec. 6, then it's possible they would go to the Car Care bowl and that would send Rutgers to Birmingham (they were in Toronto last year) and UConn to Toronto.

IF Pitt beats WVU and UConn, they could be headed to the Sun. Car Care jumps at WVU, and Rutgers to Birmingham and UConn to Toronto.

I would give UConn and Toronto a 75 percent chance of happening. It's either going to be Pittsburgh or UConn in Toronto. No other teams makes sense.

Jan. 3 is cold for Toronto, but that is a Saturday, and how about New Year's in Canada? It could be worse.

One thing is clear. The bowl situation needs an overhaul. Incoming Big East commish John Marinatto has a lot of work to do this summer.

Kiss the Sun/Gator goodbye

It looks like 6-6 Notre Dame can, and will, jump over any Big East team and be in the Sun Bowl.

Via the Associated Press.

I surmise that the ND agreement supercedes the NCAA rule that all 7-5 teams in a conference must be bowling before a 6-6 conference team fills a spot. ND has its own agreement, and the Big East is the tag along.

Of course Notre Dame plays by its own rules.

Here is the money quote:

If the Gator Bowl passes on Notre Dame, Bernie Olivas, executive director of the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, is ready to invite the Irish even if they lose their last two games.

"Notre Dame is coveted by everybody, including by us," he said. "We'd probably be excited by a 6-6 Notre Dame team. El Paso is like 80 percent Catholic, 80 percent Hispanic, and you wouldn't believe how many calls we're getting here: 'Is Notre Dame coming? Is Notre Dame coming?"

Also, Gator said if it is not ND, it will be Big 12. Some pretty good Big East team just found a great season all but certain to end up in Birmingham against a Sun Belt team. UConn could win its final two, move into the Top 20, and end up in Birmingham or St. Pete.

The only out is ND to win its final two and the Cotton Bowl takes the Irish.