Sun back into play for USF

[kdawgy_orlando]

Looks like $460.00 - $510.00 for flights right now.  Hotel $80.00 - $160.00.  Plus eats and drinks and what not.

[Mag Pie]

It it's Sun for us I doubt i'll be able to make it.  Flights are way too expensive and driving isn't doable.

[8u11`o3]

Looks like $460.00 - $510.00 for flights right now.  Hotel $80.00 - $160.00.  Plus eats and drinks and what not.

This bowl may not be good for many USF fans, but it is better for our program than PJB/MCCB/Int'l.

[Guest JulmisteForPrez]

Anywhere but Toronto!

Can you imagine playing Bowling Green in December..........IN CANADA?!?!?!

:throwup2 :flush :throwup2 :flush :throwup2 :flush :throwup2

The International Bowl is the WORST of the 19,000 bowls.........BAR NONE.

[WoolyBully]

Here's some more from the Connecticut based website:

week ago, I spoke with the Sun Bowl's selection committee chairman John Folmer, and left the conversation feeling strongly that if UConn beat Syracuse, the Huskies would be chowing down Tex-Mex cuisine on New Year's Eve in El Paso, Texas (that is, provided they didn't win the BCS berth by knocking off West Virginia).

Folmer said last week that his bowl followed a strict criteria based on rankings rather than head-to-head. So if UConn finished ahead of the Bearcats in the Big East standings, which they would clinch with a win over the Orange, his committee would weigh that strongly against the fact that Cincinnati defeated the Huskies. As of last week, the committee was split between UConn and Cincinnati. But Folmer encouraged me to call him again after the committee's weekly meeting on Monday to see if anything had been cleared up.

So on Tuesday morning, I called Folmer again to see how the meeting went. Seems the committee is still very much undecided on what they want to do, but left me with the impression that UConn isn't such a sure thing for El Paso any more. In fact, the committee criteria just might favor Cincinnati, provided the Bearcats take care of Syracuse in the season finale. Folmer also mentioned South Florida has worked its way into the conversations after stomping Louisville on Saturday. And Rutgers hasn't been completely eliminated from the discussion just yet, though it seems unlikely they'll win the 10-person committee's majority of votes.

"The general consensus is there could be three teams that finish 9-3," Folmer said. "It's going to be a tough decision to make. Some guys are saying 'Why Connecticut?' Some are saying 'Why not Connecticut?' At the end of the day, it's going to come down to who comes out with the highest-ranked team. Then the question is, which ranking do we use? Do we use our own ranking? Do we use the BCS? Do we use the AP top 25 or the coaches poll?"

Folmer reiterated that the committee won't need to take into account the usual factors that go into other bowl game's decisions. Namely, attendance. The Sun Bowl doesn't really care which schools have a history of traveling well because they're going to sell the place out no matter what.

"It's probably going to come down to who is the highest-ranked team," Folmer said. "That could hurt Connecticut. Then again, it might not hurt them. We took an informal poll three times, and all three times the outcome was different because someone was influenced by someone else's argument."

To me, it now sounds like a UConn loss and Cincinnati win will mean Cincinnati gets the nod (where they may face off with Oregon, now looking like a sure bet for the Pac-10 opponent in El Paso). UConn is currently the higher ranked team in every way, but Cincinnati is close enough that it will overtake the Huskies in all the ranking systems (except, of course, for the Big East standings).

Here's the 'X' factor for UConn. Folmer doesn't get a vote this year. But as the chairman, he's the deciding voice if there's a 5-5 deadlock in the committee's official vote. And Folmer makes no bones about where he is leaning. He definitely likes UConn. "Me personally, I like UConn a lot," Folmer said.

And while Folmer says it won't matter which team travels the best, he also noted the Sun Bowl's ticket office has received more calls from UConn fans with questions about tickets and looking for travel information than any other school under consideration. "That says a lot about the fan interest in the program," Folmer says. "Our staff hasn't taken a lot of calls, but between 12 and 15 from UConn as opposed to one or two from Rutgers, none from Cincinnati and none from South Florida. That tells you something."

If the Sun does indeed pass on UConn, expect Charlotte to waste little time extending an invitation. Will Webb, the executive director of the Meineke Car Care Bowl, told me today it's still too soon for him to definitively commit to saying UConn would be the top choice in Charlotte. But he was in attendance at the Runway in 2005 for the UConn-Louisville game, prepared to invite the Huskies if they pulled off the upset to become eligible.

"I hope UConn wins and goes to a BCS bowl," Webb said. " That said, we are very interested in them. It's early, but they are very high on our radar and we are excited about the possibility of having them."

As for the ACC end of the Meineke, Webb says his bowl is looking into the possibilities of choosing from Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Florida State or the Maryland/North Carolina State winner.

I suppose my job doesn't become much easier if the Huskies simply beat West Virginia on Saturday (though it will be more exciting). Still have to figure out if its the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl.

Sooooo....lots and lots of wiggle room. Really....think these guys would ever say "Oh, hell no, we're definately not interested in school-x. We're definitely going to go some other route!". Nahhh...they love everyone. :satan

[Mag Pie]

I don't think many fans would go to this game so I don't know why guys will Stampede.

I think many more would go to the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

[joe7f]

I thought I found a 350 dollar fare and then I realized I would be in El Paso 4 minutes before kickoff...

**** Sun Bowl starting at noon...

So far $400 on USAir is my best find.

--Joey

[BullDoug]

If you were going to rent a car in El Paso, consider flying into Dallas and driving 9 hrs to El Paso.  You can find a ticket to Dallas for $280-$350 from TPA.  The difference in two tix will pay for the car and you can see the Sixth Street Museum (JFK Assasinasion Museum) or go to a Cowboy Game on the last Sunday of the NFL season.

[Jamie]

If you were going to rent a car in El Paso, consider flying into Dallas and driving 9 hrs to El Paso.  You can find a ticket to Dallas for $280-$350 from TPA.  The difference in two tix will pay for the car and you can see the Sixth Street Museum (JFK Assasinasion Museum) or go to a Cowboy Game on the last Sunday of the NFL season.

Sorry, the Cowboys are in Washington on December 30... but if you get here early enough, there's a hockey-basketball doubleheader on the 29th - Mavericks play the Hawks at noon, Stars play the Blues at 8:00pm.