2010 Bowl Schedule: Who Got Screwed by the Bowl Matchups?
The 2010 bowl schedule has at long last been released. With the waiting over, we can finally digest what the games will look like.
Every year, there are some games that pit a powerful team against a much lesser opponent. This year is no different. When you have many bowls picking from a set list of conferences, the matchups many times suffer.
Instead of seeing a No. 4 team facing a No. 5, you get a top-10 team facing a tenuous No. 25 seed or lower.
So it is with these teams. They may have made it into a bowl. But that is just the beginning of their nightmare.
Then there are those teams that really should be playing in more prestigious bowls. Whether it be for geography, fan preferences or just overall feeling, the various bowls passed on them.
Here are 10 teams that were totally shafted by the bowl selection process.
10. Temple
1 of 10
Temple had a great season for their small program. They had a winning season and beat the Connecticut Huskies. Yet, with all that, they are staying home this bowl season.
The pain will be greater considering they will be watching the team they beat, Connecticut, on national television in the prestigious Fiesta Bowl. I can imagine the players thinking to themselves, didn’t we beat those guys?
9. Florida State: Chick-Fil-A Bowl
2 of 10
South Carolina vs. Florida State
The Florida State Seminoles had a fine season. What do they get for all of their hard work? An assured grind against a better South Carolina team. The Gamecocks are much better than their record boasts.
Untimely effort had them sink to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Now the Seminoles must face a very deep and unbelievably balanced team where a much lesser opponent should be standing.
While it’s nice to know you are still working during bowl season, it is another thing to have to face an onslaught like they are sure to on New Year’s Eve.
8. Illinois: Texas Bowl
3 of 10
Illinois vs. Baylor
By facing Baylor in Texas, the Illini face two uphill battles. For one, they do not travel well. Illinois tends to drift off as they did against Fresno State most recently. Traveling to Texas during the holidays may be too much for coach Ron Zook to manage.
He may be on the way out anyway.
The second is they are facing a team that for all intents and purposes is playing at home. There will be a very loud and populous contingent of Baylor faithful at the game. Baylor is already a tough opponent; now they have the roar of the crowd on their side.
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7. Washington: Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
4 of 10
Nebraska vs. Washington
It is a blessing and a curse that Washington made it into a bowl. They ran off three consecutive wins to get here and now they face an almost certain loss.
Nebraska is a top-tier team that had aspirations for much loftier goals. The fact that their conference was stacked leads them to the Holiday Bowl. There they will meet up with a Washington team that boasts no defense that can handle their onslaught.
Not to mention we have already seen what Nebraska can do to the Huskies. They demoralized Washington at the beginning of the season 56-21 at Washington. What do you think the Cornhuskers will do on neutral ground?
6. Arizona: Valero Alamo Bowl
5 of 10
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona
You get what you deserve. Arizona had higher hopes a few weeks back. The Pac-10 juggernauts have fallen on very trying times. The once-prolific offense has stunted and Arizona has fallen from the ranks of the BCS with four straight losses.
Now they are left to pick up the pieces against a surging Oklahoma State team. The once-powerful Wildcats will struggle to assert themselves. Oklahoma State will run away with this one. It will not help the Arizona program to get embarrassed on national television.
5. Syracuse: New Era Pinstripe Bowl
6 of 10
Kansas State vs. Syracuse
Being from the Big East is not a mark of distinction. The fact is, bowls annually pilfer teams from this conference and run them out on national television to get trounced. Syracuse, who did quite well this year, has to face a more seasoned Kansas State team.
Kansas State has played tougher opponents on bigger stages. The bright lights of New York will be the only thing for this team to look forward to.
4. Connecticut: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
7 of 10
Connecticut vs. Oklahoma
I could easily put Oklahoma as the screwed team here. They should not be playing on the same field as the Huskies. But the fact that they are at a fairly prestigious bowl kills that argument.
The team with a nightmare on their hands is Connecticut. West Virginia slips out to another bowl, so selectors were obligated to take them. This is what you get when you tie your game to the Big East.
Connecticut should have no shot in matching Oklahoma on either side of the ball. The Sooners are bigger and deeper. The Huskies sure have their hands full on this seemingly random pairing.
3. Boise State: Maaco Las Vegas Bowl
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Utah vs. Boise State
It seems like every year around this time, Boise State is shafted out of a BCS bid. This year it was of their own doing.
Their one loss to the prolific running Nevada Wolf Pack came at the wrong time, whereas bigger programs are afforded a loss. The Broncos' margin for error is sadly razor-thin.
They may be a small program but I would argue they are still very much one of the top-tier teams in the nation.
Now they are relegated to a second-tier bowl game against Utah. Utah has already shown they cannot match wits with an elite team, as they did in their blowout loss to TCU.
2. TCU: Rose Bowl
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Wisconsin vs. TCU
TCU joins Boise State as perennial outsiders. With little to no powerhouses scheduled, TCU had to hope either Oregon or Auburn faltered. Not that it would have helped any if they did. I could have seen Stanford jumping them in the end. Anything is possible in the BCS.
But this is not to say that they should have played in the national title game. I do think we have a great match between Oregon and Auburn. What I do think is that teams like TCU are hurt by not having a playoff in college football. They played a magnificent season.
It is a sorry sight that we all assume at the beginning of a season that they will be left out in the cold. It seems that TCU really just plays for reputation with no hope of actually making it to a title game.
1. Michigan State: Capital One Bowl
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Alabama vs. Michigan State
Michigan State tied Wisconsin and Ohio State for the Big Ten title. Then due to arbitrary subjectivity, they were ousted from a BCS game. The other two teams get bids while the Spartans are left to lick their wounds in the Capital One Bowl.
It is some consolation that they get a worthy opponent that is sure to get fine ratings nationally. But the fact is, the Spartans were once the hottest team in college football.
Now they are told that they are not as good as the teams they just tied. If there were more concrete proof, it may take the sting away. But as it is, the selection is just brutal.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
