UH's Bowl Picture: Still Cloudy
Bowl Announcement Expected Soon
According to one poster on Coogfans.com, the announcement was supposed to be for tonight, but was put off ... allegedly over TCU's uncertainty about where they wish to play (reportedly, its either the GMAC, Houston, or N.O. Bowl). The difference for us would appear to be whether this puts us in New Orleans on the 16th or Ft. Worth on the 23rd.
New Orleans already has one team from Texas ... and from the DFW region, at that: North Texas is already there. Plus, the Frogs don't want their players to have a conflict over final exam week: Dec. 15-19. That desire is creating the arms-length standoff with the GMAC in Mobile ... so why then is N.O. still mentioned? The GMAC battle is getting so tense that a Washington Post report has this quote from GMAC Bowl President Jerry Silverstein:
Silverstein said his bowl had no contingency plans because he fully expected TCU to come if invited. "I sympathize with them," Silverstein said. "I never would ask a school to disrupt anything. But we have a bowl to put on. We are honorable people and hope they can resolve any problems they have."
Brilliant ... college athletics can rest comfortably on its laurels of true amateurism ... "we have a bowl to put on" now trumps academic concerns. Not since watching an ESPN commentator note how former University of Houston quarterback David Klingler was damaging himself by staying in school to get his degree have I wanted to pummel someone over a college sports issue.
Kevin Whited is a little less than generous to TCU, essentially making the case that "this is what you signed up for ... so deal with it." Fair enough ... but there's always an out. That's why its called an invitation, isn't it? If the homely looking chick that sits in the back of the room eating her own boogers gives you a Valentine's Day card, there's nothing that suggests you have to date her. (No ... not a real story ... thanks for inquiring.) What would be fair to ask, however, is who else might offer an invite if TCU passes on the GMAC. In the unseemly chance that nobody did, would this greatly upset very many people? I'll ask that you differentiate in your calculations those who would claim their alma mater as an alma 'martyr' despite not having any intentions of either making the trip or watching the game on TV.
UPDATE: Jerry Wizig has the latest.
Comments
Every C-USA AD approved the bowl tie-ins before the season, knowing full well when final exams were going to be held. It obviously wasn't a consideration then. C-USA has a deal with that bowl for its #2 team, and every AD agreed to that deal. Now, TCU wants either the Hawaii bowl (nicer trip than Mobile) or the Fort Worth Bowl (no travel expenses). If they don't get their way, they probably bolt for the Mountain West, hurting C-USA. If they get their way, they've effectively ended C-USA -- why should any other team abide by the conference's agreements? Except other ADs already have -- otherwise Dave Maggard would have jumped on a potential Houston Bowl matchup with Texas Tech.
It's really too bad TCU is gonna get their way, because a Fort Worth bowl matchup of Tulsa and Houston would be ten times more interesting than TCU and Tulsa. Kragthorpe v. Briles in a battle of rookie coaches presiding over turnarounds at their respective schools would be fun.
Posted by: kevin whited | November 30, 2003 10:01 PM