College Football Question

[Grandpa Troll]

Ok, trying to learn and thanks to a few dedicated folks who also have learned much from my bud Slowwhand, can someone explain a few things:

1) What determines a "Big" football program?

2) It is (serious question) against the NCAA Rules to subsidize a recruits financing, why do theses big programs get so called top players?

3) How much bigger is say an Oregon or Wisconsin from say Florida or even Maryland?

3-a)These rankings (BCS) are basesd upon beating the so called best teams in the country, correct?

3-b)How would a team(school) thats not a major market have a decent chance against say a USC or Nebraska?(in making the BCS run)

All the various bowls, do certain bowls say go for the top ACC or Top Big east or is it more that a panel votes the (and I am just picking a number here) 32 teams for say the 16 bowl slots?

I ask above question because I have heard teams are "asked" to accept a bid to a certain bowl? (Then a team has to decide whether to hold out for another bowl slot or go for that one being offered)

Thanks

I ask because trying to learn how the whole selection process works!

Thanks

Gramps

[snoopy369]

1. Up to you, i'd say a team with a reasonable shot at a bowl game most years.

2. Players choose schools primarily due to either:
a) personal loyalty ("I'm a huge Michigan fan, so i'm going to UM")
b) program's chances to shine (and often, chances to have that player look good in the national spotlight)... ("I'm going to UM because they are on TV a lot, and might compete for a national title")
c) their likely position at the program ("I'm giong to UM because they will let me start at QB, and they have good WRs")

3. Florida is 'bigger' than any of the above as far as I'm concerned, the ranks would be Florida, Oregon, Wisconsin, Maryland, with 2&3 being quite close and sometimes in the other order (but not at this point in time).
3a. The BCS ranking is based on a complex formula, try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_championship_series for more specific information. It includes as part of the formula losses, schedule strength, and various voted rankings.
3b. They would have a harder time moving up the rankings because the voted rankings tend to have inertia (ie, tend to keep ranking teams around where they were unless they lose). It's possible to get there - Boise State played in and won a BCS game last year - but most of the time the difficulty is those teams don't play other "high quality teams" so the rankings assume their undefeated record is mostly due to their playing weaker teams. They have to start playing harder teams (or theoretically harder teams) in order to prove their ranking is justified.

Certain bowls have associations (ie, a contract) with certain conferences, and get a certain team from that conference (ie, the 3rd place team from the Big Ten and the second place team from the ACC, or whatever). Most bowls have at least one association, many have two. ("Second place team" usually means they get their choice of teams after one other bowl gets their choice, except that first place usually means the conference champion and is explicit). Bowls with unassigned slots (or with slots that were not specified) pick the team that they want independently (there is not a general bowl choosing panel - even the BCS bowls get to choose their teams on their own, albeit following very specific rules for who's allowed).

Teams do not have to accept bowl invitations (notably Notre Dame refused a "lesser" bowl game a decade or so ago, I think, or at least was going to); it doesn't usually happen though because it is clear where they'll go.

[Grandpa Troll]

Thanks Snoopy369, this is a big help

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by snoopy369
Certain bowls have associations (ie, a contract) with certain conferences, and get a certain team from that conference (ie, the 3rd place team from the Big Ten and the second place team from the ACC, or whatever). Most bowls have at least one association, many have two. ("Second place team" usually means they get their choice of teams after one other bowl gets their choice, except that first place usually means the conference champion and is explicit). Bowls with unassigned slots (or with slots that were not specified) pick the team that they want independently (there is not a general bowl choosing panel - even the BCS bowls get to choose their teams on their own, albeit following very specific rules for who's allowed).

Not exactly correct, for example : Holiday Bowl at San Diego, Pac-10 No. 2 vs. Big 12 No. 3, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

The Holiday Bowl get's the second choice of Pac 10 team and the 3rd of Big 12 teams. While usually that would be the 2nd and 3rd place teams respectively, they do not have to take those teams. They may take a lower place team because it travels better than the higher ranked team.

ACK!