[NU Sports] 56 bowl participants! (fwd)

[Mike Nolan]

> This year there were 8 bowl-eligible teams left out of a bowl game
> (including our nearby neighbors NIU).  Last year was a strange year,
> with only 2 bowl-eligible teams left out of a bowl (6-5 Akron, who
> made it in one by virtue of a conference championship this year, and
> Clemson who got in that brawl with South Carolina and pulled
> themselves out).  It does take some of the luster off of the bowls,
> but it does give a lot more teams opportunities to show off their
> program and play teams they might not otherwise face.  It's all about
> the money for the bowls, but it's still a fun event for the school and
> the fans.

Last year NU and MSU both Hawaii'd themselves out of a bowl game.  

Next year will be interesting since officially the NCAA is still requiring
'6 wins against qualified teams plus more wins than losses'.  Each school
may count one win against a 1-AA school in their 6 wins (the rest must be
in 1-A) and conference champions are exempt from both requirements.

However, most schools will probably play a 12 game schedule, which means
there will be a fair number of 6-6 teams come December 3rd, possibly 
enough to reduce the pool of bowl-eligible teams below 56.

I think the NCAA Executive Committee has the authority to waive the 
'more wins than losses' rule and I suspect they will have to do just that.  
Whether the NCAA will make that a permanent change in their Bylaws is a 
separate matter.  

A few schools will play a 13 game schedule as there is still one pre-season 
classic game plus games in Hawaii and conference championships.  
--
Mike Nolan