How are the bowl matchups decided ??!?!??!

[RG3]

i understand that it's sponsors wanting to pick certain matchups, but wouldn't it be best if the ncaa hired a college football handicapper to keep the lines all under 7 pts ???

this would lead to more exciting games and i'm assuming more excitement = better ratings !!!!

[BigDofBA]

Bowls have tie-ins to conferences. Example, the Cotton is the Big 12 #2 against the SEC.

In the case of the BCS, it's a bit screwy.

ACC Champion - Orange
SEC Champion - Sugar
Big 10 Champion - Rose
Pac 12 Champion - Rose
Big 12 Champion - Fiesta

After that it depends on if the conference champ is in the national title game. There are also at large spots.

In the case of the Orange Bowl, since they are hosting the championship game, they got the last pick of the at large teams. Thats why they got stuck with NIU.

You can google this to see all of the tie-ins.

Big 12 teams always goto the Fiesta, Cotton, Alamo, Holiday, etc.

[RG3]

Bowls have tie-ins to conferences. Example, the Cotton is the Big 12 #2 against the SEC.

In the case of the BCS, it's a bit screwy.

ACC Champion - Orange
SEC Champion - Sugar
Big 10 Champion - Rose
Pac 12 Champion - Rose
Big 12 Champion - Fiesta

After that it depends on if the conference champ is in the national title game. There are also at large spots.

In the case of the Orange Bowl, since they are hosting the championship game, they got the last pick of the at large teams. Thats why they got stuck with NIU.

You can google this to see all of the tie-ins.

Big 12 teams always goto the Fiesta, Cotton, Alamo, Holiday, etc.

yea, i understand the process for the top tier bowls, but i'm mainly referring to the ones that are not in the top 5 bowls, ie buffalo wild wings or Chick-fil-A bowls

[BigDofBA]

Chic-fil-A is always the SEC against the ACC #2.

The Outback Bowl is always SEC/Big 10.

I could keep going on forever. Basically, the same conferences typically play in the same bowls every year. The exception is the BCS bowls because the conference champ may be #1, thus playing in the title game. With that said, the BCS bowls "try" to take champs from the appropriate conferences as I noted above.

Buffalo Wild Winds is Big 10/Big 12. It used to be the insight bowl.

I wish the bowls would have kept their old names: Citrus, Peach, etc. it was easier to keep up with.

[RG3]

Chic-fil-A is always the SEC against the ACC #2.

The Outback Bowl is always SEC/Big 10.

I could keep going on forever. Basically, the same conference typically play in the same bowls every year. The exception is the BCS bowls because the conference champ may be #1, thus playing in the title game. With that said, the BCS bowls "try" to take champs from the appropriate conferences as I noted above.

Buffalo Wild Winds is Big 10/Big 12. It used to be the insight bowl.

ah, makes sense. i just wish there was a way to make some of the games that are 17+ pt spreads switch some teams around without having teams from the same conf play against each other.

[BigDofBA]

One year my unranked Sooners played #5 Oregon in the Holiday Bowl.

The matchup made no sense. A top 5 team against an unranked team....

With that said, USC was the Pac-10 #1 playing in the Rose Bowl and Oregon was the Pac 10 #2 playing in the Holiday bowl.

Meanwhile, OU was third in the Big 12 so they had to goto the Holiday Bowl. OU won that game by the way...Anyway, that's why you see some weird matchups.

One year a top 5 Cal team had to play and unranked Texas Tech team in the Holiday bowl as well. Needless to say, the Holiday Bowl has dropped some it's luster. I believe the Alamo takes the Pac-12 #2 or #3 now. That's why Oregon State was there this year playing Texas.

[RG3]

ah, are ALL bowl games pretty much decided by this system ???

[RG3]

i'm a longhorn, i didn't understand why we were playin oregon st at first, but yea, this makes sense