Illinois would like to create a bowl mess
Saturday ended with seven Big Ten teams having reached bowl eligibility, and who would have guessed 11 weeks ago that Illinois would not be one of them? As everyone knows by now, the Illini must win at Northwestern next week to have any chance of being selected for a bowl game.
That much we know.
Before the Illini lost to Ohio State, an Alamo Bowl official told me that the Illini would be an attractive option if they finished 6-6, preferably with a win over the Buckeyes. But now it appears that seven Big Ten teams will finish with an overall record of 7-5 or better. Wo where would that leave Illinois?
The selection order for the Big Ten’s bowl partners is as follows: Rose Bowl, Capital One Bowl, Outback Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Insight Bowl and Motor City Bowl.
If Illinois wins its regular season finale, it will have to wait awhile before the bowl mess is sorted to find out where or if a game is interested. The selection rules are complicated and not worth explaining in depth.
The Illini would be best served by winning and having two Big Ten teams advance to BCS bowls. That would leave six conference bowl partners and six bowl eligible teams. But if they finish 6-6 that doesn’t mean they would automatically be relegated to the Motor City Bowl.
For instance, the Alamo and Champs Sports bowls both can pick any eligible Big Ten team except one that has two fewer wins or two more losses. So a 6-6 team could go over a 7-5 team.
The Insight and Motor City bowls don’t have restrictions and can pick a 6-6 team over an 8-4 team if that’s what is deemed best for their games.
There are an abundance of other guidelines that only serve to make the situation more confusing. But suffice to say, an Illinois win could create numerous possibilities that will take time to sort through.
“Per NCAA Bylaw 30.9.2.1 an institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be selected for participation in a bowl game if 1) the institution or its conference has a primary contractual affiliation, which existed prior to the first contest of the applicable season, with
the sponsoring bowl organization. In the case of a conference contractual affiliation, all conference teams with winning records must be placed in one of the contracted bowl games before any institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be placed in a contracted bowl game; and 2) all contractual affiliations have been fulfilled and all institutions with
winning records have received bowl invitations (either through a contractual affiliation or as an at-large selection).”
In other words, a 6-6 team cannot be selected before a 7-5 or 8-4 team, the only exception is if all 7-5 or better B10 teams are taken, then a 6-6 team can be taken by a bowl with a Big Ten tie-in
I’m wondering if that bylaw is either outdated or has been trumped by other guidelines. I will try to clarify in coming days.
I had several conversations on the topic Saturday, along with reporters from other newspapers, with bowl and Big Ten officials. They were very clear that there are situations where a 6-6 team can be picked over a 7-5 team and in some instances over an 8-4 team. The Alamo Bowl official told me his game is allowed to take a 6-6 team over a 7-5 team under any circumstances, and if the Big Ten has two teams in BCS games, they can take a 6-6 team over an 8-4 team. I’m not saying that would happen but it’s allowable.
that’s interesting… I certainly hope that what you say is true… of course Illinois needs to take care of business on Saturday first…
You misunderstand the status of a 6-6 team. Bowl eligibility is defined as a winning record. 6-6 is not a winning record. A 6-6 team gets in under an exception. The rule is printed verbatim below. 6wins are outright “bowl eligible” only in an 11 game season. They are only “eligible” if there are not enough teams with winning records and CANNOT be selected ahead of one of these teams!
From the NCAA rules:
30.9.2.1 Exceptions - 12 Game Season. During each year in which an institution is permitted to participate in 12 regular-season football games, an institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be selected for participation in a bowl game if that institution is a member of a conference with which the bowl organization has a contractual affiliation, and there is no other team in that conference qualified for selection per Bylaw 30.9.2. If the conference with which the bowl is affiliated has no other institution that is qualified for selection or a team with a 6-6 record, the bowl may invite a team with a 6-6 regular-season record from another conference with which it does not have an affiliation only if there is no other team with a 7-5 record available in Division I-A. Additionally, a bowl game without a conference affiliation may invite any team with a record of six wins and six losses if there is no team with a 7-5 record available in Division I-A. During a season in which an institution competes in 13 regular season contests, the institution must establish a record of seven wins, six losses or better to qualify for bowl selection.
I guess all I can say is to not read these various bylaws that are being quoted here. There are numerous situations where a 6-6 team can go over a 7-5 team and in some scenarios over an 8-4 team. This is straight from the mouths of a high-ranking bowl selection committee member and a Big Ten official.