Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl?

[DSUrocks07]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... bowl-bound

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... e-bowl-bid

First team from the MAC to earn a BCS berth.

[JohnStOnge]

How absurd. I know the Orange Bowl people are going to try to put a happy face on this but they've got to be pretty pissed off. Or whoever gets this dog. They lose to 4-8 Iowa. They beat 1-11 Kansas by 7. And they're going to a BCS Bowl because they won the pathetic MAC.

Me, I wish there was no such thing as college bowls and college football at all levels just had playoffs like very other level of football does.

[tampajag]

Northern Illinois, come on down!

[CAA Flagship]

How absurd.

I blame Obama.

[dbackjon]

Yet, FSU has had a equally pathetic schedule/resume...

[Gil Dobie]

Jerry Kill's recruits on that NIU team.

[BlueHen86]

More power to NIU.

The BCS is rigged against them and the crash it anyway. NIU is more deserving than Louisville and Wisconsin.

[wkuhillhound]

Awesome progress for inclusiveness and not elitism. It is always good!!

Way to go Northern Illinois!

[BDKJMU]

More power to NIU.

The BCS is rigged against them and the crash it anyway. NIU is more deserving than Louisville and Wisconsin.

L'Ville and Wisconsin are AQ's. And the only reason Wisoconsin is even getting an AQ is because Ohio State and PSU are on probation. Just about very season there is an undeserving AQ. Big difference between an AQ and an At Large.

[SDHornet]

NIU played by the broke dick rules and earned their spot in a BCS game. Well done.

[BDKJMU]

As far as At Larges go, according to the rules NIU should be in. But do they deserve to be in?
-Have a loss by 1 to a 4-8/2-6 Iowa team that is a bad loss.
-The other BCS game they played was a win over a 1-11 Kansas team.
-Have one win over a ranked team at the time- Kent State, and zero wins over teams currently ranked.
-Have only 2 wins over I-A teams with winning records: Kent State, Ball State, and Toledo.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/...linois-huskies" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now UGA and Tex A&M are screwed by the no more than 2 teams from any league rule. Looking at Oklahoma:
L now #5 K State 24-19
W now #23 Tx 63-21
L now #1 ND 30-13

In addition they have 5 wins over 7-5 Big 12 teams: @ TX Tech, Baylor, @ WVU, Ok State (then ranked #21), @ TCU.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/...lahoma-sooners" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So to sum it up:
Wins over teams with winning records: OK 6, NIU 3
Teams that were ranked at the time: OK 2, NIU 1
Teams currently ranked: OK 1, NIU 1
Bad losses: OK 0, NIU 1

OK obviously plays in a much tougher conference to boot. I don't care about OK, but its nuts to think NIU is MORE deserving that OKlahoma.

[BDKJMU]

8 non BCS teams that have gotten in:
04' Utah 11-0
06' Boise State 12-0
07' Hawaii 12-0
08' Utah 12-0
09' Boise State 13-0
--- TCU 12-0
10' TCU 12-0
12' NIU 12-1

See what sticks out there?

I want the deserving little guy to get a shot. If a non BCS team goes 12-0 or 13-0 with a quality win over a team that finishes ranked I think they should get a BCS bid period, even over a 2 loss BCS with a better resume.

If a non BCS goes 11-1 or 12-1, with 2 quality wins over a team that finishes ranked and one loss, even a bad one like NIU had, I think they should get a BCS bid period, even over a 2 loss BCS with a better resume. But NIU just didn't have that 2nd quality win.

[BDKJMU]

Saying NIU is deserving of a BCS is like saying Lehigh was deserving of the playoffs....

[SDHornet]

As far as At Larges go, according to the rules NIU should be in. But do they deserve to be in?

Yes. Hate the game, not the player.

/thread

[BlueHen86]

More power to NIU.

The BCS is rigged against them and the crash it anyway. NIU is more deserving than Louisville and Wisconsin.

L'Ville and Wisconsin are AQ's. And the only reason Wisoconsin is even getting an AQ is because Ohio State and PSU are on probation. Just about very season there is an undeserving AQ. Big difference between an AQ and an At Large.

Yeah, the at larges have to earn it, the AQ's get a free pass.

NIU is more deserving than Louisville and Wisconsin.

[BlueHen86]

Saying NIU is deserving of a BCS is like saying Lehigh was deserving of the playoffs....

No it's not. NIU met the required criteria in order to qualify. They earned their BCS bid, nobody handed it to them. Lehigh needed a committee to hand them a berth, and that didn't happen.

[wkuhillhound]

It would have been the same scenario if Kent State would have won the game. Kent State was ranked 17th at that time. They certainly would have been rated higher than Wisconsin and Louisville so what difference would it have made? Northern Illinois earned their berth and Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M did not plain and simple. Also, Northern Illinois would have made the BCS berth with the new system in 2014 also, so stop whining and get with the program.

[tampajag]

Yet, FSU has had a equally pathetic schedule/resume...

the ACC was down, but come on it wasn't on par with the MAC. I agree Savannah St shouldn't have been there but that was a late replacement for WVU bolting to the Big XII. There's no way Clemson, UF, or NC State are equal with anyone on NIU's schedule.

That being said I have no issues with the Huskies being in the Orange Bowl, I expect a great game (as long and EJ doesn't get stupid)

[89Hen]

Northern Illinois earned their berth and Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M did not plain and simple.

And the country is better for it.

[bluehenbillk]

The MAC was probably as strong as it's ever been this year. NIU deserves it & I think they're gonna put their foot right up FSU's ass in January.

[tampajag]

The MAC was probably as strong as it's ever been this year. NIU deserves it & I think they're gonna put their foot right up FSU's ass in January.

why do you think that? UF is the only team to really push FSU around and NIU isn't built that way. I see a close game into the fourth quarter.

[dal4018]

How absurd. I know the Orange Bowl people are going to try to put a happy face on this but they've got to be pretty pissed off. Or whoever gets this dog. They lose to 4-8 Iowa. They beat 1-11 Kansas by 7. And they're going to a BCS Bowl because they won the pathetic MAC.

Me, I wish there was no such thing as college bowls and college football at all levels just had playoffs like very other level of football does.

Did you see Kirk Herbstreit go berserk after hearing that Northern Illinois is playing Florida St???

[dal4018]

Northern Illinois earned their berth and Oklahoma, Georgia, LSU, and Texas A&M did not plain and simple.

And the country is better for it.

As stated before tell this to Kirk Herbstreit!!!

[89Hen]

And the country is better for it.

As stated before tell this to Kirk Herbstreit!!!

I was being facetious?!?!?!

[dal4018]

As stated before tell this to Kirk Herbstreit!!!

I was being facetious?!?!?!

Okay thanks then your hoping for blowout???