Iowa won't jump MSU

Maybe that's not much of a newsflash, but it's been a topic of discussion this week and I feel solid in saying as much at this point.

   Understand, I have no on-the-record information from anyone that would allow me to write that in a news story. But that's the beauty of blogs, isn't it? Let's call this educated speculation.
    I thought MSU should have tried to make a deal with the Outback Bowl this week, mostly to get a jump on ticket sales/airline reservations, and to ensure a New Year's Day spot. It's obviously not happening. A lot of things have to happen for that to be possible, including the Big Ten giving its blessing, the Capital One bowl agreeing to release MSU, and the MSU and the Outback working things out.
    Everyone is waiting. Oregon vs. Oregon State is the game. Oregon wins, Ohio State probably gets a BCS bid, MSU plays in the Capital One Bowl (and then it's Iowa vs. Northwestern for the Outback, and I wouldn't just hand it to Iowa).
    Oregon State wins, Ohio State definitely doesn't get a BCS bid. The Buckeyes head to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando and MSU gets the Outback Bowl in Tampa. That's what's going to happen.
     Iowa has some compelling arguments for a leapfrog. The Hawkeyes are playing well, with a win over Penn State and a 55-0 blowout of Minnesota (although two of the last four were a loss at Illinois and a tight home win over Purdue). Shonn Greene has emerged as a star. Iowa fans have a great reputation for traveling.
     But that just isn't enough to overcome what Jim Delany wants, which is for the bowls to follow the pecking order. It might be enough to get Iowa past Northwestern, even though the Wildcats won at Iowa and have a better overall record. It won't get Iowa past MSU.
    MSU has a better overall and Big Ten record. Its schedule is stronger. Iowa played Minnesota instead of Ohio State. And of course, the Spartans beat the Hawkeyes. MSU is ranked in all the polls, Iowa is not. Plus, MSU has about 14,000 alumni living  in Florida and brought more than 20,000 to Orlando last year for the Champs Sports Bowl. And -- don't discount this -- MSU is one of four Big Ten teams that has never played in the Outback Bowl. Newness is seen as a big positive in Bowl World.
    The performance of MSU's fans a year ago probably clinched this for the Spartans.
    So I'm speculating that, as of the end of the Oregon-Oregon State game on Saturday, you will know where MSU will be playing on New Year's Day. If Oregon State wins, AN OUTBACK DEAL SHOULD BE MADE AND ANNOUNCED IMMEDIATELY.
    But it probably won't happen unless the BCS officially releases Ohio State ... and that would cut into the drama of that BCS selection show on Dec. 7, wouldn't it?

Comments

[Stone]

Joe,

You should tell us the economic impact of getting a 2nd team in the BCS. If the Bucks make the BCS, that means more $ for each school's bowl payout. I imagine all 11 schools wont have a problem spending that extra jack.

Whether its Our House.com, Capital One, or the Bail Out Bowl, it'll always be the Citrus Bowl to me.

[Spartan 81]

The only thing that worries me is that Drew Sharp advised Outback commitee members that MSU 9-3 record was a fraud and that they would perform at a 6-6 level in any major bowl. Sharp also stated Bowls want out of town guests in hotels not day trippers who lived in Florida and that our auto economy would keep fans away.

[csimon]

Go Oregon State! Tampa Bay beckons.

[JMoist]

Drew Sharp should sit on a rusty spear...

[bradford]

drew sharp is a fraud. his writing ability is about my level. in elementary school.

i think it would be kind of interesting playing south carolina in the outback. spurrier is always interesting. and it would match up dantonio with his alma mater. either jan. 1 game is good though.

[Big Ten Bill]

There is NO WAY Ohio State will get a BCS bid. I just about guarantee it, ESPECIALLY if Boise State finishes 12-0.

Regardless of the Pac-10's action, the Buckeyes have embarrassed themselves on the BCS level two straight years, a la Notre Dame in 2005 and 2006.

If Boise State finishes 12-0 again, the BCS will take them over a 10-2 Ohio State team, simply because they know Boise State will travel, and they know Boise State will make a better game than the Buckeyes.

Also, you have to consider the SEC title game loser and one of the Big XII South teams will also get at-large bids -- as will Utah. That last spot, if it isn't USC's due to Oregon State's Rose Bowl tiebreak, will go to a 12-0 Boise or a 13-0 Ball State team before it goes to a two-loss Ohio State team -- which gets torched in any big game it plays away from Columbus.

And if the BCS does pick Ohio State over an undefeated Boise or Ball State, watch the lawsuits start to fly ... the BCS will be killing itself legally if it chooses Ohio State.

Watch.

[xwing]

big ten bill:

there wouldn't be lawsuit just upset poeple. boise state is only ranked one spot ahead of osu in the bcs standings. picking osu would comply with the selection procedures that the bcs has. it is not just about which school would travel either it is also about tv ratings for tv sponsers. osu is a much bigger draw than boise state.

[xwing]

i agree with joe too. no way does iowa jump msu. that would be crazy. it would be different if they weren't in the same conference but if you look at the of both teams no way does iowa get it over msu. you can compare the teams apples to apples and iowa doesn't match up to msu. that 4th and half of yard decker made could be the play of the year for msu. i heard that dantonio gets a 100k bonus for making it to a new years day bowl. dantonio should take decker out for dinner or something :)

[zing]

Big Ten Bill...the BCS has ZERO legal obligation to undefeated teams and clearly you don't understand the rules of selection. Only one non-BCS conference team gets in. That will be Boise State..period. Ball STate can go suck their own. Ball State played a who's who of nobodies. Great year, congrats to them but they are not going to find themselves in Tempe, New Orleans, Miami or Pasadena. If you're a bowl committee do you want 11-1 Ohio $tate and a guranateed sell out or 12-0 Ball State?

If we had a playoff system. Then there wouldn't be any issues. Barack needs to create a cabinet position for dealing with this subject matter.

[Spartan 81]

My problem with Drew Sharp is that he is entitled to his opinion but when he starts telling bowl scouts in the pressbox that tand this is a quote my cousin was in the pressbox. "You are much better served taking Iowa" that bowl scouts from Florida who do not know Sharps history just see a major market sportswriter breaking bad on the local team and think theres something to it. Sharp is entitled to his opinions, he is not entitled to openly lobby for Iowa to scouts.

[Chicago Sparty]

Don't Read Drew Or Other "Blue Wall" writers such as Parker, Foster and Wojo. They will always be bias against MSU and pro UM and it is just they way it is so why read their garbage or write about it on this site which is the best source for MSU info?

[Cmoney]

Drew Sharp sucks all that is good out of sports articles. He is SO bias its offensive and unprofessional…and he doesn’t even know it (or care to).

I sometimes wonder what he said of Dr.Izzo in the beginning when State was a .500 team.

[mikewright]

If they play an SEC team in either Florida bowl it is likely to be a long afternoon for MSU. They should try for the Independence or Poinsettia Bowl and a matchup with which they can compete. Did Ringer really average only 4 yards a pop this year?? Wow.

[Big Ten Bill]

If you disagree with someone, at least get your facts straight when trying to argue a point, kids. Or learn to spell, for that matter. Why should anyone take you seriously when you have no credibility as a writer?

1) "Only one non-BCS conference team gets in." Zing, there is no limit on non-BCS schools being selected. Only one non-BCS school is guaranteed an automatic spot, yes. But non-BCS selections are not limited to one. If a non-BCS school is in the Top 14 and has nine wins, they can be selected just like any other team. Please don't tell me I "clearly don't understand the rules of selection", when you're citing non-existent "rules" yourself.

2) When zing writes "the BCS has ZERO legal obligation to undefeated teams", s/he fails to note I made no such argument myself. This is an obvious straw man argument. Reading is fundamental; seriously, if you can't even copy my argumentative points correctly, you shouldn't be typing on your keyboard at all.

3) Also, zing, Ohio State is not 11-1; they're 10-2. Can more of your facts be wrong? Probably, but I have better things to do than argue against someone who has no facts to place in the discussion.

4) Ohio State is not a bigger draw than Boise State, especially considering TV ratings. It may seem that way here in Big Ten country, but the rest of the nation has no interest in seeing the Buckeyes get blown out again in a big game. And like Gonzaga or George Mason in the basketball tournament, everyone tunes in to see the "underdog" -- just like they did for the Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2007, when Boise beat Oklahoma.

5) The only reason non-BCS schools have the "in" they do now in the BCS is because of threatened legal actions against the BCS for exclusion way back when. If Boise is overlooked in favor of Ohio State, there will be more threats of lawsuits -- and with Obama having already chimed in on the issue on national TV -- the BCS will not risk that kind of negative legal attention. And eventually, a lawsuit will bring down the BCS for its discriminatory policies. It's only a matter of time.

Of course, all of this is moot if Boise loses its final regular season game at home this week. :)

[MayoSpartan]

So true Chicago SPARTY!

Even favourably titled articles of MSU football are layered with backhanded compliments.

GO GREEN !!!

[VegasMike]

As I said last week, it comes down to the Oregon/Oregon St game. Although the Big 10 would make more money if Ohio St had the second BSC berth, I think it would be better for their image to be able to win the top 3-4 games against other conferences. Now I'm not going to guarantee a victory in the Outback Bowl, but I like our chances much more against S. Carolina than Georgia. I also like S. Carolina, since Dantonio went to school there. On a side note, I met up with a U of M buddy that flew out here to Vegas last night. We were at the Mandalay sports book, and he was in awe. I told him the best part was he could go lay some money down on U of M's bowl game!!! He wasn't amused.

[xwing]

big ten bill:

these are the only two requirements that the final at large team must have to be selected:

1. Has won at least nine regular-season games, and
2. Is among the top 14 teams in the final BCS Standings.

i personally think it is messed up that teams can play a whole regular season and go undefeated and still not have a shot to play for a championship but that is the bcs i guess.

[NMichSpartan]

Our last big bowl was against Spurrier too.

[sdp000]

I am a Spartan. I had great seats at the MSU - Iowa game. At this point in the season, Iowa has a better team than either MSU or NW.

That said, I do believe that MSU will play well in their bowl game. Hoyer can make-up for last year's loss to BC. BC had a great team and if Hoyer plays average, MSU wins that game.

[SpartinInYork]

Great blogging control folks. What MikeWright writes or thinks doesn't matter anymore.

[dave]

My friend (MSU HRI grad) tells me the Spartans will be in the Outback bowl done deal. He is GM of a 5 star hotel in Tampa/Westshore districe. Hope he is right!

[james v.hixson]

the naysayers are gonna say what they want about m.s.u. football team.the true fans are grateful that they are going bowling two years in a row.i felt the spartans should have won by 7 or 14 points against california earlier in season and lose to o.s.u.and p.s.u. by 2 touchdowns each had they done things diffrently.however,they did better than i would have imagined.i had the spartans around 7-5 or 8-4 with a bowl game.spartan nation should be grateful that they have a coach like dantonio whom is dedicated and not wanting to look for a bigger paycheck like saban did.settle on having a buddy instead of a balanced coach like williams or a bulls-=t artist that took credit for wins and criticized players for games lost like john loser smith.the 03-06 teams should have won the 4-5 games in 03 and 04 that ended up being in defeat even when defense is better than what west coast offense methods smith was having team do.the team has been doing better like before saban left and hopefully be compared to the teams like munn's and daughterty's if it stays on right track.the bowl game spartans gets,they should win it and continue their good progress and quiet the naysayers including certain sportswriters.go spartans and its too bad that the football team doesn't play the grizzlies of missoula ,montana rather than the montana state bobcat's of bozeman, montana.they would be good matchups eiether way.now the football team is on the right track.lets get ready for basketball and hockey and root for the spartans then.

[spartanjj]

I live in Tampa. Orlando is about to get another taste of spartan fans at the old spice classic. Seems to be a lot of Spartans here for this. That should help.

[Bubba]

THESE SECOND TIER BOWLS ARE ALL THE SAME, YOU GUYS ARE SPLITTING HAIRS COMPARING OUTBACK TO CAPITAL ONE TO POULAN WEED WACKER BOWL. NO RECRUIT IS GOING TO DECIDE NOT TO COME TO MSU BECAUSE THEY WENT TO THE CHILI BOWL INSTEAD OF THE CAMPBELL'S SOUP BOWL. GET A GRIP. UNLESS IT IS THE ROSE OR THE CHAMPIONSHIP BCS GAME, THEY ARE ALL THE SAME. LETS JUST GET SOME TALENTED PLAYERS AND WIN THE BIG TEN.

[Rob]

Everybody assumes the SEC will get two teams in the BCS but if Alabama beats Florida everyone in that conference but Bama will have two losses like Ohio State. If that happens the Buckeyes with losses to PSU and USC would deserve a bid more than Florida who lost to an unranked Ole Miss.