Times: Bowl picture murky for USF Bulls and Big East

[Joe]

It will be interesting but I have this feeling that USF will be in St. Pete again.

[cubuffsdoug]

Bowl picture murky for USF Bulls and Big East

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, November 17, 2009

TAMPA — With three weeks left in the regular season, the Big East's bowl picture remains as murky as ever, with Notre Dame and the BCS complicating the projections of which team might play where.

USF needs one more win to be bowl eligible, and despite online models that have the Bulls playing all the way up in Toronto or returning to St. Petersburg, the most likely match is the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. Many questions remain before anything can be official.

• Will Notre Dame take the Big East's spot in the Gator Bowl? If Connecticut beats the slumping Fighting Irish this week, it becomes more likely that the Big East runnerup (perhaps Pittsburgh) plays in Jacksonville. If the Irish (6-4) get a seventh win this weekend or at Stanford, they will still be a tempting pick for the Gator, even against a nine- or 10-win Big East option.

• Could the Big East land a BCS at-large spot? It's unlikely, but if Cincinnati and Pittsburgh were to win their remaining games until their Dec. 5 meeting and the Panthers won a close game at home, you wonder if a one-loss Cincinnati team with a hot coach could get the nod for the Sugar Bowl's final BCS pick over two-loss teams such as Iowa, Oklahoma State or Penn State.

• Does anyone benefit from USF returning to Tropicana Field? The Bulls can't want their bowl experience for the second year in a row to be a 45-minute drive across the bay. Central Florida makes sense on the Conference USA side of the bowl, which should help the second-year game with attendance. That would allow the bowl to line up a northern Big East team on the other side.

The Big East has the same payout for its lowest three bowls, in St. Petersburg, Birmingham and Toronto, so it can arrange the teams to find the optimal matches for all three games.

The most likely scenario has Rutgers and USF left for bowls in Birmingham and St. Petersburg, and rather than repeat last year's pairings, the league would be more likely to send the Bulls to Alabama and bring the Scarlet Knights to Tropicana Field.

Link

I see the situation playing out more like USF to Papa John's or International.  This is how I see the chips falling into place:  If Pitt wins out I believe both Pitt and Cincy get BCS bids because of the poor play from other BCS conference (2 or more losses).  Anyway, I don't think ND gets to 7 wins so that clears up a lot for the BE.

-Either Pitt or Cincy or both to BCS games

-If only one goes the other heads to the Gator

-If WVU doesn't win one of their last 2 they are out of the Meineke.  They could be Papa Johns or St. Pete.  If the Gator has trouble taking ND at 7-5 why would they take WVU with the same record that close the season on a down note with 3 straight losses.

-If RU wins their last 3 then Meineke is most likely otherwise it one of the bottom 3 for them.

-USF could be sent to Toronto because the BE doesn't care.  It's the last year of a contract with Toronto so it wouldn't surprise me how the BE treats this bowl.  Most likely USF stays home for St. Pete or Papa Johns.

-If Uconn wins 2 of the last 3 they could be in any of the bottom 3 bowls (Toronto, Papa Johns or St. Pete

[The_Reaper]

I hate to say it folks, but somebody has to. I really do not think we deserve a bowl this year. maybe it would add some incentive for success the whole year much like it did when we were younger. The strive to have a great record with the hopes of being in a bowl always spurned the best out of the team. Now, it's like well if we have a mediocre season, we still get to go to a bowl.  The $$$ is good for the school, but the team is not deserving...at least not this year in MHO.

[SANJAY]

Hate to tell you Reaper, but half the teams who play in bowl games do not deserve to go bowling.

[Bull94]

It will be interesting but I have this feeling that USF will be in St. Pete again.

if you see us in st pete then who goes to the international? a good traveling WVU or a 9-3 rutgers who was there 2 years ago?

we could be in st pete for the attendance if UCf doesn't go.

[smazza]

international? not looking good

[Rizman]

international? not looking good

Bong hit again? looking good

[Cow Pie]

I hope we get put into the Pizza Bowl... hopefully they improved from last time.

[Triple B]

I hate to say it folks, but somebody has to. I really do not think we deserve a bowl this year. maybe it would add some incentive for success the whole year much like it did when we were younger. The strive to have a great record with the hopes of being in a bowl always spurned the best out of the team. Now, it's like well if we have a mediocre season, we still get to go to a bowl.  The $$$ is good for the school, but the team is not deserving...at least not this year in MHO.

So if we finish 9-3, with wins over FSU and Miami, you don't think the team would be deserving of a bowl .... That's preposterous.

[IncrediBULL]

international? not looking good

Bong hit again? looking good

crack pipe