The Ball State game is three days away, but it's looking more and more like NIU will be going to a bowl game somewhere - just as long as we don't leave it up to the chuckleheads at Sports.com (a division of the Fox Network - 'nuff sed) to decide where.
After last weekend, Western Michigan and Kent State pretty much choked themselves out of bowl contention (especially KSU, who apparently went out of their way to lose to Akron). That leaves MAC leader Central Michigan, Temple, NIU, and Ohio. Here are the most recent predictions:
CBS and Rivals.com is predicting that NIU will get offered the Eaglebank Bowl at RFK Stadium in DC on December 29 - as an at-large, as Army, unfortunately (depending on how you look at it) sucks again this year at 3-6 thus far, and will not be bowl eligible.
ESPN (Watson) and College Football Talk are predicting that NIU will be offered the January 2nd International Bowl in Toronto, Canada, as third place trailers in the MAC behind CMU and Temple. At first I thought, hell, Canada in January! Then I realized, closed dome - inside game. All in all, probably better than freezing my kiester off at RFK in late December at the Eaglebank Bowl.
NBC, Rogers Poll, and Operation Sports are predicting that NIU will be offered the GMAC Bowl, in Mobile, Alabama, on January 6th.
ESPN (Schlabach and Feldmann) is predicting NIU will be offered the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit on December 26th against Iowa State or Northwestern. Frankly, I don't see the bowl committee inviting two schools from northern Illinois located 70 miles away from each other. And even if technically bowl eligible, Northwestern doesn't have a good track record for a traveling fan base (hey, they have problems filling up home games). Iowa State, though, knows how to fill up a stadium.
On the outside, CycloneFanatic is predicting NIU will get a shot at the New Mexico Bowl on December 19th, to face Fresno State. BCS Watch has NIU tagged to play in the St Petersburg Bowl on 19 December against Houston. Finally, Stewart Mandel from SI.COM has NIU tagged for the Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho against Idaho. There are a couple of other bowls that may be up for grabs, particularly those that might draw from C-USA. I just don't see C-USA having six decent, bowl eligible teams this year.
Frankly, anything would be better than the Poinsettia Bowl again, which I went to, and while I will admit was very comfy to watch a bowl game in San Diego in late December. But, hey - the Poinsettia Bowl is practically a punch-line for bowl games(hey, does that make it a Punch Bowl? Argh. I kill myself). I can't believe that TCU (who creamed NIU in it in 2006, and then were dumb enough to return the year after that) would even consider going back.
Finally, Scout.com has shown they are indeed as accurate and thoughtful as its Fox Network parent, predicting on November 8th that while NIU would not get a bowl bid, Bowling Green would get an invite to the International Bowl (BSU's record as of 11/3 was 4-5, pretty much out of the mix).
So - Detroit, Toronto, Mobile, DC, St Petersburg, Albuquerque, or Boise. ROAD TRIP!
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