Ags - Bowl Tickets

God I hope we don't get matched with a BDF team. Imagining our secondary against WVU or OK State gives me heartburn

I know that seems to be a very popular pick for us but I tend to think it's unlikely. It seems to be against virtually every parties interests.

The SEC decides who goes, not the bowl. And there will be multiple SEC schools that want that one while we have little to no interest. I think the Texas Bowl will probably end up with Arkansas if they get bowl eligible.

The SEC schools travel too well so I don't think the point of them taking over the selection process was to assign the local school to bowls. My guess is we will ask (and receive) a game against the B1G or ACC. We've only had 3 games out of state this year as is. The Bowl game should definitely be out of state imo.

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I'm not under the same impression you are about other SEC teams that well to Houston. LSU could pack it, but Ole Miss, Auburn, & UGA are going to see this as a downer.

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it is a downer. It's a shitty bowl. But it's not like the option is Rose or Texas Bowl. It's Memphis or Houston or Birmingham or Jacksonville or some other meh bowl. They are all downers.

Also when you say Houston would be a downer, you are viewing it thru an Ags eyes. UT, UF, USC, or UGA probably all would be happy vs Jax or Orlando yet again. One of the big reasons the SEC took over selection is a lot of schools were incredibly tired playing the same teams in the same destinations for shitty bowls because the bowls kept selecting the local team who they knew would sell tickets, leaving matchups that were pretty undesirable to the fans -- pretty much exactly like A&M vs mediocre Big 12 school.

The SEC will ask the schools what bowl games they prefer. We'll want an ACC or B1G school. UGA will probably want a Big 12 school (they already played Clemson and will play GT and have played a B1G 3 years running). Mississippi may be completely open but may prefer Hou or FL for recruiting. LSU probably wants a FL bowl since they played in Hou already this year.

My point is everyone has their preferences. It seems everyone is just deferring to A&M is near Houston so we'll go there. That was the old world where the bowls picked. But in the new world, it'll probably be something like "congrats, you had a meh season! Please tell us your top 3 choices among these shitty bowls." Then the SEC will assign it based on what the schools actually want.

I would be okay with playing Texas this year in the bowl because I'm pretty sure we would absolutely skull frick them if the good A&M showed up

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the Texas Bowl gets 3rd pick from the Big 12 so I think they will get a better team than a potential 6 win Arky.

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TCU & BU make the playoff/committee bowls
KSU to Alamo
OU to Russell

So the leaves the OSU/tu winner & WVU for the Texas.

RC, your post made me think. Is the SEC going to match teams up to get more wins. I mean say Texas picks tu for the bowl. Is the SEC going to send Ark or LSU, one of the worse bowl eligible teams to save someone like Auburn or Ole Miss for a tougher match up.

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The Texas Bowl gets 3rd pick from the Big 12 so I think they will get a better team than a potential 6 win Arky

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sort of. They get the 3rd pick after the Access Bowls. It's quite likely the Big 12 gets 2 in (TCU + Baylor). Then the order goes

1. Alamo
2. Russell Ath
3. Texas

That makes the Texas Bowl Big 12 #5 in a 10 team league and I think that's going to be pretty normal as the Big 12 will likely get 2 in top 12 most years. Assuming no shockers, Alamo will probably take KSU. Russell will take OU. That leaves WVU at 6-4. They'll probably finish 7-5 and about 5th place. The other options are Texas and OSU, who are playing this week and the winner is likely staring at 6-6 while the loser won't get bowl eligible. The other 3 are out.

Honestly 6-6 Arkansas is pretty much exactly who they match up with

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If Baylor drops another game I doubt the Cotton Bowl or Fiesta would take them

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you are again looking at this from the "old world" point of view. The Committee decides who plays where, not the bowls. If the committee still sees them as top 12 teams, they almost certainly will be chosen. And if Baylor falls out, K-State (the likely team that beats them) catapults in (they are sitting at 13 now)

Fan bases aren't on the list of factors the committee looks at. Its all about that poll on Tuesdays unless there is a bowl tie in. I know Sugar & Orange both have SEC tie ins.

you are right and I'm looking at this from a point of view that it's Big 12 #5. And while that's probably the default at the moment, I certainly can't rule out it could change.

We'll see. I just don't think we're going to want Houston given we open in Houston next year and we play 90 miles away. And we don't really want a Big 12 opponent. And I don't see any real reason that will be forced given most of the other schools in the pool wouldn't mind Houston or a Big 12 opponent at all, given the options.