It’s in our contract with them. So, it makes sense. But, BYU has a bigger fan base than Wyoming. And, the reason why the Poinsettia Bowl folded was lack of money. So, you can cry money corruption all you want but it takes money to live and grow any business.
No, it is not… MWC team was contracted to go there, BYU did not have a bowl connection this year, ESPN got the Potato bowl to pick BYU over Wyoming.
Sorry dude, that is FACT…
You just confirmed what I said. It was ESPN that picked BYU because of the contract BYU had with ESPN.
Also when Fresno State beat Boise State for the MWC Championship on the Boise Blue then Fresno got the Las Vegas Bowl and Boise got the Frisco Bowl instead of BYU. Yes, BYU got the Spuddy Buddy Potato Bowl over Wyo because of the ESPN contract clause with BYU and of course because of $$$$, one of the biggest issues of these bowls these days.
Bowls are a business and have to make money or they end up like the Poinsettia Bowl. I don’t know why people think Bowl games were never about the money until recently?
Of course, bowls always were about making money… However, the greed of today far outweighs the greed of 35 to 40 years. Also, back then, many football team players voted not to go to bowl games with a 2 loss season. It was NOT just the HC or the coaching staff. A 6 - 6 record should not be in a bowl game, BYU or not. I think it is embarrassing. Only a handful of people will care about the spud bowl.
Greed? Please explain what the greed is and who is greedy?
As far as a team voting to not participate in a bowl? Who? How many? I do seem to remember someone did that but one and only one team.
I tend to think coaches are actually get paid what the market will bear. At some point, change will happen. It always does.
Scott, ESPN had a contract to televise the game, not a contract who played in it… The Spud bowl broke it contract with MWC to allow BYU to play in it.
Amen to that… $$$ talks…
The contract with BYU supersedes the MWC contract. See, of the 13 bowls ESPN sponsors and controls, BYU’s contract stipulates they get one of those 13 bowls if they are bowl eligible. They chose the Potato Bowl.
Scott, twice now within just a few days you have essentially called me a liar. So off the top of my head: Nebraska, Michigan, Ohio State and Notre Dame teams voted (in different years) to decline bowl invitations. There were others also but that was 40 to 55 years ago and I don’t remember which ones specifically. You seem like (from your posts) you think you are a know it all, morally superior man than the rest of us, which seems incongruous with calling me a liar. If that really is your moral high ground, enjoy while its available to you.
Has nothing to do with lying. Memories tend to get crossed up as we get older. I just don’t think it was a huge number. It was more like a few who lost sight of their school’s needs in funding and their conferences (except for Notre Dame). A very few…
Back in 1977 BYU finished 9-2 and tied Arizona St. for the WAC title and would have gone to a bowl game but the team and coaches decided to play some games in Japan instead. It was a far bigger deal to make a bowl in 1977 than today because there weren’t that many compared to today and a 6-6 team from a minor conference would never get an invitation at the time. Arizona St. beat BYU in 1977 but they had the same conference record and shared the title. ASU got an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl because they beat the co-champion. The FIesta bowl had a contract at the time to take the WAC champion. In 1976 Wyoming went to the Fiesta when they shared the WAC title with BYU but they beat the Y. BYU went to the Tangerine Bowl which could pick anybody they chose to pick. At that time there were far less bowls and only a few of them had contracts with conferences. Most of the bowls could invite whoever they felt would make a good match up and draw a good crowd. Over the years the number of bowls has gotten to a ridiculous level and all of them have contractual tie ins with conferences for at least one of the participants and usually both.
The point of this long rambling post is that teams did sometimes choose to forgo a bowl game for various reasons. Notre Dame in the mid sixties had some great teams but their school would not go to bowl games until the late 60s. The Notre Dame reasoning what that their players were students first and practices to prepare for bowl games interfered with semester final exam studies. I think their first bowl game was against Texas in 1970 in the Cotton Bowl after the 1969 season… In 1967 Army was being talked about as an opponent for Wyoming in the Sugar Bowl (yes Wyoming, they were undefeated that year) but the West Point administrators decided they would not accept a bowl berth because they thought it was in poor taste for the cadets to be playing in a bowl at the height of the Vietnam War. Army lost to Navy and would not have gone anyway but the decision was made before the Army Navy game. Navy never had an issue with going to bowl games and went to a few in the 60s.
Times have changed. The Potato Bowl gets BYU 6-6 and Western Michigan 7-5. What a marquee match up!!! Not too many years ago neither team would have had any expectation of making a bowl. Now both are thrilled to be in a bowl and would have been kicking and screaming if they had been left out. After all they were both eligible. I will watch the game because it is BYU and as a fan of BYU I have an interest and hope BYU wins if for no other reason than to finish with a winning record and get some momentum for next season. I will watch for the same reason I watch BYU play Massachusetts or McNeese St. or any other team. I always have an interest when it it BYU.
Do you know what you are talking about?
No contract ESPN has supersedes another contract… Duh!
Just a few more examples:
Buffalo Declined the 1958 Tangerine Bowl
ND Decline Invitation to 71 Gator Bowl
Missouri declined 2015 Independence Bowl
Ball State Declines Invitation to 2008 Humanitarian Bowl
2018 Michigan State Declines Bowl
It does if the Potato Bowl is under contract with ESPN and the conferences understand they are second fiddle. And that’s how it is set up. That’s why BYU is playing.
And, it’s terrible that their pride is so evil that they will turn down money that supports other sports and departments. Also, it hurts fans and students who enjoy going to and watching their teams in a bowl.
Nice post Reed, I too will also watch the game as I always do. I have some friends whos kids play for the Y so I am rooting for them.
As someone else already said on this thread, With the way BYU basketball is trending, it is going to be a long winter. I do think that BYU football is headed back up after the Detmer experiment and the emergence of Z Wilson but BYU basketball is in a tail spin and I doubt that it will turn the corner until Rose gets let go.
I think they could do away with all but 15 or so bowls and invite only teams with 7 or more wins and the bowls would mean more but as long as they make money for the sponsors there will be a bunch of bowl games. I guess there is no real harm in it but outside about 10-15 of the bowls none have any interest to anybody other than for the fans of the schools that get invited.
Most of the bowls have about the same meaning as the NIT in basketball. It is better than nothing but not indicative of whether a team is good or not by virtue of a bowl invitation. Basketball is even worse because 68 make the NCAA. How much does an NIT bid to a 32 team tournament mean anymore? After the NIT picks their teams there is the CIT and the CBI. You don’t even have to be a top 100 program to go to some kind of tournament. Again there is no harm in this but no real meaning in making a tournament outside the 68 team NCAA tourney.
Everyone should get a medal of some kind even if it’s only a participation award. It’s the liberal socialist thing to do and politically correct:-) Just be mediocre and you will be recognized. That’s why playing in a conference is a good thing because everyone is playing for an opportunity to win a championship at their level of play.