College Bowl Games that you think should have happened

[SabresRule]

When it comes to selecting who goes to the bowl games, there is a lot of backlash and teeth-gnashing when some teams get selected and some teams don't.

Can you guys ever recall an instance when a bowl game should have had a different matchup?

Here are mine:

1994 Orange Bowl- Nebrasks should have played West Virginia, not Florida State.

Let's do the math:

Nebraska, Notre Dame, and West Virginia were all undefeated late in the 1993 season.

After the Irish were upset by BC, it seemed simple; last two undefeated teams play for the title, right?

WRONG!

The voters put in Florida State, a team that had already LOST LATE IN THE SEASON, in. A lot of people felt that this was sympathetic, because SOOOOO many people wanted Bowden to win it all.

1998 Orange Bowl- Nebraska vs. Michigan.

Recently, Big-10 runners-up have played in the Rose Bowl. Given the controversy over that year's split national title, I realized that they could have sent Michigan to play Nebraska and put Ohio State against Washington State in the Rose Bowl.

1999 Fiesta Bowl- Tennessee vs. anyone else.

I felt that Tennessee deserved a better opponent then a Florida State team that backed into the title game.

2002 Rose Bowl- Miami vs. Oregon.

Couldn't Oregon have leapfrogged Nebraska after the loss?

Then again, though, it was fitting Miami beat up Nebraska in Pasadena.

WORST. HEISMAN WINNER. EVER.

2007 Sugar Bowl- Arkansas vs. Notre Dame.

Arkansas had a better record than LSU, played in the title game, yet LSU got the right to beat up on Notre Dame? LSU didn't even WIN THEIR OWN DIVISION!!

1995 Fiesta Bowl- Colorado vs. anyone else.

Notre Dame was 6-4-1. Colorado deserved a better opponent. I won't go any further than that.

Those are my choices. What are yours?

 

[mattsarz]

Copying an old topic you started at DBSForums eh? I'll try to give the same answer I did there, throwing a reality in there.

1. West Virginia got completely punked by Florida in the Sugar Bowl. I think they got it right. The Mountaineers barely slipped by a few opponents.

2. How did FSU back in in 1999? They were 11-1, won their conference coming into the bowl game and unlike the Mountaineers, won those games by a wide margin and won some very solid non-conference games against vs. Texas A&M at Giants Stadium (11-3), at Miami (9-3), vs. Florida (10-2) and vs. USC (8-5).

They actually beat people, particularly OOC. No one is putting together that type of OOC schedule anymore.

3. LSU beat Arkansas that year. LSU and Arkansas both had 10-2 records going into the SEC title game. Arkansas lost the SEC title game AND lost to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl. LSU slapped around Notre Dame. They got it right.

 

[satjay]

Michigan/Nebraska 1997.....A split national champion in Tom Osbourne's final season. A sympathy vote perhaps??

 

[salsadancer7]

1991 ....Both Washington Huskies and THE U ended up undefeated and untied at 12-0 but played OTHER teams because there was no BCS.

2000 ....11-1 'Canes should have played undefeated Oklahoma and not 10-2 Florida State(Florida State was 10-1 and their lone loss was against Miami).

 

[jwfgeol]

2004 season. Auburn should have played USC in the national championship. Instead, Oklahoma got punked.

 

[mattsarz]

2004 season. Auburn should have played USC in the national championship. Instead, Oklahoma got punked.

Or Utah, who was very strong that year, making the BCS under the old, tougher guidelines for the non-AQ conferences.

 

[mccoyrj]

2004 season. Auburn should have played USC in the national championship. Instead, Oklahoma got punked.

2003 season as well. It should've been LSU vs. USC (ranked no. 1 in both polls). Oklahoma just had their arses handed to them by Kansas in the Big12CG and should never have been in the title game. BCS's bad days.

 

[Jimbo]

Michigan/Nebraska 1997.....A split national champion in Tom Osbourne's final season. A sympathy vote perhaps??

THIS is the only time a real and 1 game should be added.(Michigan / Nebraska)

The year the Buckeye played Florida, it should have been Michigan and OSU playing for the MNC, Michigan was ranked higher going into the week and lost to the then # 1 OSU team and got screwed by the polls because they were afraid to have a Big Ten MNC game.


Also, There's not a year yet that ND deserved to be in a BCS game.

Jimbo

 

[satjay]

THIS is the only time a real and 1 game should be added.(Michigan / Nebraska)

The year the Buckeye played Florida, it should have been Michigan and OSU playing for the MNC, Michigan was ranked higher going into the week and lost to the then # 1 OSU team and got screwed by the polls because they were afraid to have a Big Ten MNC game.


Also, There's not a year yet that ND deserved to be in a BCS game.

Jimbo

That OSU/Michigan game...was one heck of a game....All so called experts were saying michigan had there shot, get a conference championship game then talk to us

 

[mccoyrj]

...The year the Buckeye played Florida, it should have been Michigan and OSU playing for the MNC, Michigan was ranked higher going into the week and lost to the then # 1 OSU team and got screwed by the polls because they were afraid to have a Big Ten MNC game...

Jimbo

The only thing wrong with this logic is that both OSU and Michigan were soundly beaten in bowl games that year. Placing both in the MNC would've been to a slap in the face to better teams. I think they got it right.

 

[Jimbo]

The only thing wrong with this logic is that both OSU and Michigan were soundly beaten in bowl games that year. Placing both in the MNC would've been to a slap in the face to better teams. I think they got it right.

So if LSU and Florida are ranked #1 and # 2 at the end, they should NOT be allowed to play for the MNC ?

Thats where OSU and U of M were.

According to your reasoning.

There was NO telling that OSU was going to get beat going into the game.

I really think that they DO NOT want two teams from the same conference in the MNC game ever.

Jimbo

 

[Jimbo]

That OSU/Michigan game...was one heck of a game....All so called experts were saying michigan had there shot, get a conference championship game then talk to us

No need for the " WE WANT MORE MONEY " game, thats all it is, a way for them to make another pay day, they did just fine 5-10 years ago when they did not have one.

Jimbo

 

[mccoyrj]

So if LSU and Florida are ranked #1 and # 2 at the end, they should NOT be allowed to play for the MNC ?

Thats where OSU and U of M were.

According to your reasoning.

There was NO telling that OSU was going to get beat going into the game.

I really think that they DO NOT want two teams from the same conference in the MNC game ever.

Jimbo

I looked at this thread a little different than you did Jimbo. The thread title is "College Bowl Games that you think should have happened." Based on what I know of the outcomes of the bowl games that year, I don't think that tOSU and Michigan should have played for the MNC. But I agree with you - the BCS gurus wouldn't like having two teams from the same conference in the MNC. However, if there is ever a decent playoff scenario developed (a big if), they may have to live with that outcome.