Superaggie79
11-16-2006, 09:49 AM
http://www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2006/11/16/Sports/Going.Bowling-2463604.shtml?norewrite200611160947&sourcedomain=www.thebatt.com
Going Bowling
Postseason possibilities for football are up in the air
By: Ryan Mulligan (http://www.thebatt.com/)
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: Sports (http://www.thebatt.com/news/2006/11/16/Sports/)
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper657/stills/rui16306.gifSpencer Selvidge - THE BATTALION
A&M QB Stephen McGee runs for a touchdown against Nebraska at Kyle Field on Saturday. A&M has one remaining game at Texas on Nov. 24.
The Aggies who celebrated the Kansas State upset win over Texas last weekend might not understand one fact: it was detrimental for Texas A&M's postseason bowl hopes.
The Wildcats only have three conference losses, and a win over 5-5 Kansas this weekend will ensure at least a tie with the Aggies in the Big 12 rankings.
If A&M loses to Texas, its Big 12 ranking could plummet even further. At the moment, the Aggies are tied for fourth, but a loss could send them to seventh.
For starters, assume A&M beats Texas. The best the Aggies can place is fourth, so the BCS bowl, Cotton Bowl and Holiday Bowl will go to Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, respectively, pending the outcomes of their forthcoming games, including the Big 12 championship. But, an A&M win should lock up a spot in the Alamo Bowl, traditionally given to the fourth place Big 12 team.
The Gator Bowl has an option to take a Big 12 team twice every four years, and this bowl could be considered better then the Alamo Bowl. But the other option for the Gator Bowl is a team from the Big East, a conference that currently has two one-loss teams and an undefeated team. So the Gator Bowl will likely take a Big East team, and the Sun Bowl will get a Big 12 team as a result.
If A&M loses to Texas, a variety of outcomes are possible.
Assuming the Big 12 north games result in the favorites winning out, then Kansas State will beat Kansas, and Missouri will beat Kansas and Iowa State. This would mean both Kansas State and Missouri will have three conference losses and would be ahead of A&M in the standings.
If Texas Tech beats Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Red Raiders will also finish ahead of the Aggies. But, if OSU beats Tech, then upsets Oklahoma the following week, Oklahoma State will only have three conference losses and finish ahead of A&M.
So, for the Aggies to avoid finishing seventh in the conference, one of the following must happen: Kansas State loses to Kansas, Missouri loses one of its games, or OSU beats Tech and then loses to Oklahoma. If all happens, A&M is back in a tie for fourth with Kansas State.
Because a plethora of outcomes are possible in the next two weeks, it is difficult to predict A&M's bowl with a loss to Texas. But the remaining possibilities would be the Insight Bowl, Independence Bowl and Texas Bowl.
If Kansas wins one of its two games, nine Big 12 teams will have the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. Another bowl could take a Big 12 team with an at-large bid, but A&M will likely go to a Big 12 affiliated bowl regardless of what happens with Kansas.
Another positive thing about bowls to remember is this: they aren't automatic, the teams are bid on by the individual bowl committees. Though the conference champion always goes to the BCS bowl (typically the Fiesta Bowl), the second place team in the Big 12 does not always go to the Cotton Bowl; the Cotton Bowl gets the second pick. Thanks to A&M's reputation for selling out bowl games, a head-to-head match-up would probably benefit A&M, especially against fans that don't travel well, like Kansas State.
Nothing will be known for sure until after the Big 12 Championship on December 2, but it is never too early to speculate.
Going Bowling
Postseason possibilities for football are up in the air
By: Ryan Mulligan (http://www.thebatt.com/)
Issue date: 11/16/06 Section: Sports (http://www.thebatt.com/news/2006/11/16/Sports/)
http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper657/stills/rui16306.gifSpencer Selvidge - THE BATTALION
A&M QB Stephen McGee runs for a touchdown against Nebraska at Kyle Field on Saturday. A&M has one remaining game at Texas on Nov. 24.
The Aggies who celebrated the Kansas State upset win over Texas last weekend might not understand one fact: it was detrimental for Texas A&M's postseason bowl hopes.
The Wildcats only have three conference losses, and a win over 5-5 Kansas this weekend will ensure at least a tie with the Aggies in the Big 12 rankings.
If A&M loses to Texas, its Big 12 ranking could plummet even further. At the moment, the Aggies are tied for fourth, but a loss could send them to seventh.
For starters, assume A&M beats Texas. The best the Aggies can place is fourth, so the BCS bowl, Cotton Bowl and Holiday Bowl will go to Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska, respectively, pending the outcomes of their forthcoming games, including the Big 12 championship. But, an A&M win should lock up a spot in the Alamo Bowl, traditionally given to the fourth place Big 12 team.
The Gator Bowl has an option to take a Big 12 team twice every four years, and this bowl could be considered better then the Alamo Bowl. But the other option for the Gator Bowl is a team from the Big East, a conference that currently has two one-loss teams and an undefeated team. So the Gator Bowl will likely take a Big East team, and the Sun Bowl will get a Big 12 team as a result.
If A&M loses to Texas, a variety of outcomes are possible.
Assuming the Big 12 north games result in the favorites winning out, then Kansas State will beat Kansas, and Missouri will beat Kansas and Iowa State. This would mean both Kansas State and Missouri will have three conference losses and would be ahead of A&M in the standings.
If Texas Tech beats Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Red Raiders will also finish ahead of the Aggies. But, if OSU beats Tech, then upsets Oklahoma the following week, Oklahoma State will only have three conference losses and finish ahead of A&M.
So, for the Aggies to avoid finishing seventh in the conference, one of the following must happen: Kansas State loses to Kansas, Missouri loses one of its games, or OSU beats Tech and then loses to Oklahoma. If all happens, A&M is back in a tie for fourth with Kansas State.
Because a plethora of outcomes are possible in the next two weeks, it is difficult to predict A&M's bowl with a loss to Texas. But the remaining possibilities would be the Insight Bowl, Independence Bowl and Texas Bowl.
If Kansas wins one of its two games, nine Big 12 teams will have the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. Another bowl could take a Big 12 team with an at-large bid, but A&M will likely go to a Big 12 affiliated bowl regardless of what happens with Kansas.
Another positive thing about bowls to remember is this: they aren't automatic, the teams are bid on by the individual bowl committees. Though the conference champion always goes to the BCS bowl (typically the Fiesta Bowl), the second place team in the Big 12 does not always go to the Cotton Bowl; the Cotton Bowl gets the second pick. Thanks to A&M's reputation for selling out bowl games, a head-to-head match-up would probably benefit A&M, especially against fans that don't travel well, like Kansas State.
Nothing will be known for sure until after the Big 12 Championship on December 2, but it is never too early to speculate.