Are the Wildcats Bound for the Music City Bowl?
by Glenn Logan on Dec 2, 2009 10:05 AM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Football
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PrintThere seems to be a lot of talk today about the Wildcats being picked by the Music City Bowl, which would be our third visit to Nashville in four years.
Driving this speculation is the rather strange choice of Auburn for the Outback Bowl. John Clay has more on that development:
Then Tuesday morning, the Outback pulled a fast one. Fearing the effects of the sagging economy, the New Year's Day bowl picked Auburn, if partially because it is a scant 483-mile drive from the Plains to Tampa, compared with 696 miles from Knoxville or 860 miles from Lexington. Or even 504 miles from Georgia.
Never mind that Georgia beat Auburn this season. Or that Kentucky beat Auburn this season. (At Auburn.) Or that the Tigers lost five of their final seven games and finished 3-5 in the SEC. Gene Chizik's team will still collect a $3 million payout check for playing Wisconsin come Jan. 1.
That surprise reshuffled the deck for the remaining bowls and presented the very real possibility Kentucky could be bounced all the way down to the Independence Bowl, Dec. 28 in Shreveport, La.
Sometimes the bowl selection process makes no sense -- often, in fact. Obviously, the economics are a big deal, and the logic that Auburn is energized over this season is, in a way, damnation by faint praise. 7-5 is not the kind of season Auburn fans are used to, but they do have a new head coach, which could drag more fans down to Tampa than the oh-so-well-traveled Kentucky fans. Maybe.
Anyway, it seems that the Chicken Bowl decided to bring the Vols, so now it's really between Georgia and us for the Music City, and the loser gets the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. According to Clay, it looks like it will be the MCB again for Kentucky, and according to others, the Pizza Bowl for South Carolina.
Strangely, this article from ESPN has the Wildcats-as-MCB contestant as a fait accompli:
1. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks spent Tuesday recruiting in Ohio, which is not the action of a guy who’s ready to turn the team over to coach-in-waiting hang up his whistle. But asked if that meant he had decided to come back in 2010, Brooks said, "No guarantees." He said he will sit down with the athletic administration in a couple of weeks to go over some things. But he doesn’t expect to make a decision until after the Music City Bowl.
So there we are. It looks like the Music City for UK, but we are awaiting confirmation.
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I was
iritate at Tennessee getting Atlanta instead of Tampa but I like that Tennessee is playing VT a ranked team instead of Wisconsin. Kentucky will most likely get a good team for the Music City Bowl instead of boring Wisconsin too so chin up everyone. SEC is going to kick some ACC tail :)
Kentucky bretheren united once again! Thanks Cal!
You know, if all I was getting out of it
after all of the hard work they had to do this year to get the Cats to 7-5 was the Music City Bowl(maybe) or Independence Bowl, I am not sure I would come back next year either. Maybe Brooks has had enough of the disrespect this whole system shows the teams year after year.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
If every coach that was disrespected by the system quit or retired,
there would be at least 30 job openings every offseason.
by mrmondaynite on Dec 2, 2009 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
You mean all coaches whose teams are disrespected should quit or retire
to prove a point?
by mrmondaynite on Dec 2, 2009 11:17 AM EST up reply actions
I mean that if enough of the guys that make a difference MADE
a statement, it might help get us closer to having a system that really works
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
how about south carolina?
not that i feel sorry for the ole ball coach, but i recall within the last 3 years, usc going 6-6 and not getting any invitation. also, the pizza bowl – imo – is much worse a reward for 7-5 team…
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 2, 2009 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah.
I was surprised, but again, it’s more about geography.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Bowl Bid
You can cut it any way you want, but UK has not beaten the teams it needs to, to get to the next level of bowls out there. Can they eventually do that? I think so, but it will take several years of steady recruitment. One could say, UK should be flattered that the Music City Bowl thinks so highly of them, that they may be asked back for the third time in 4 years. The players will get excited over any invitation, especially the seniors, who will definitely leave their mark. Kudos to the whole team.
you dont think that winning the thing every time we show up counts???
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
sure...
it does, no question. But don’t you think filling the stands with UK supporters matters a whole lot more to the bowl committee than who wins?
Auburn getting that bowl over UK is crap and fan attendance does count.
Thats why UC will get a sub par bowl even if they go undefeated.
Not sure how.
I don’t believe there is such a thing as a sub-par BCS bowl, is there?
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
All the rumors..
are here in Cincy is that the Orange Bowl doesnt want UC back because they only traveled 20,000 last year.
Does the Orange Bowl have a choice?
Forgive me if I’m wrong but isn’t the Orange Bowl obligated to take the BE champion?
I just read on scouts.com
that they predict UC in the Gator bowl. Excuse my ignorance, but is that a top BCS bowl? They predict UK in the papajohns. I dont know if the orange bowl can refuse. Just saying rumors here.
UC still has a game this Saturday against Pitt. I suppose they are predicting UC to lose.
Go Cats and Go Canes!
according to wikipedia
Unless their champion is involved in the BCS National Championship game, the conference tie-ins are as follows:
Rose Bowl – Big Ten champ vs. Pac-10 champ
Fiesta Bowl – Big 12 champ
Orange Bowl – ACC champ
Sugar Bowl – SEC champ
The Big East champion takes one of the remaining spots.
I dont know what remaining spots me, but this looks to me like the big east isnt guaranteed in these bowls.
The Big East champ is guaranteed a BCS bowl
They just aren’t locked to a specific bowl.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
by chirop1 on Dec 3, 2009 5:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
OK
I did some checking. It looks like only the ACC is tied into the Orange Bowl. They usually pick the BE champ but are under no obligation to.
And yes, if Pitt Beats Cincinnati they will have an even record in the BE with the tiebreaker obviously going to the h2h winner Pitt. That would put Pitt in the BCS and Cincy to the Gator.
Question
Which team, Auburn or Kentucky, is more of a perennial bowl team. through out the years? Think that invitation may be something they hope either of them considers down the years?
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
Might be time
to buy a condo in Nashville. In football, we play Vandy there every other year, MCB (renamed UK Bowl) every year then add on men and women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, soccer (?!), catch a couple Titans games,…..
Heh.
I expect we will be seeing the Music City Bowl more often than any other. In fact, I would not be surprised to find us there every couple of years from now until… a while from now.
It’s not a bad thing, IMO. Just an economic reality.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Ya
Just like the Dirty Birds played in the Liberty Bowl every year. We are at a certain level in the SEC that matches up with the Music City Bowl and they know we will pack the place. Thankfully the ACC is a little more fluid so we don’t keep getting the same team over and over.
I say that now, but watch us get Clemson again. I really hope we get North Carolina. That would be a great atmosphere. A couple of BBall schools going head to head on the gridiron.
Oh, I do hope to play the Tar Heels.
That would be great theater for both teams.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Daniel downer here.
Honestly, who gives a flying octopus? Cheering us on in the music city bowl is about the equivalent of getting excited over the NIT basketball run last year. Sure, you want to see them win but at the end of the day the bowl is mediocre and about the only thing it means is money. We’ve shown that winning the MCB doesn’t propel your team to great things the next year, nor does it really amount to squat in recruiting as evident by our sub par class so far next year. Think about it, if you went 18-14 in basketball most likely you’re not going to make the big dance. It’s just hard for me to get too giddy over something that’s pretty much neutral for our program — another mediocre bowl. It’s definitely better than nothing, but it’s not that great either.
we are talking uk FOOTBALL daniel downer...
not uk basketball.
once we hire your big name coach and spend money on a staff, go to a couple of music city bowls and then, then can get us to atlanta – not for the chicken bowl, but, you know, for the SEC championship game.
had we a long history in football (say with 7 national championships) then, yes, i would agree that going to the music city bowl was neutral. am i satisfied, no, but at least we have one streak in football that we can be proud of – i am guessing less than half of the sec teams have been to 4 bowls in a row
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 2, 2009 7:39 PM EST up reply actions
I give a flying octopus..
I’m planning to go to whatever bowl UK ends up playing. I live too far from Lexington to attend Cats games there so I look forward to seeing my team in a bowl game when I’ve got time to get to/from a game over the holidays. Its my only chance to see my team live and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Hopefully, we’ll turn it into an annual family trip to wherever – even Shreveport or Birmingham.
I’ve followed UK football long enough to know bowl games are pretty special, even for us when there’s a plethora of bowl games. When I was in school the whole state thought the heavens had opened and manna was pouring from the sky when we got to the Peach Bowl after a 25 year drought (and we beat North Carolina).
Rumors are also starting to point to my Miami Hurricanes being the opponent, seeing as FSU got the Gator Bowl just because Bowden’s retiring. While most people might think of this as a nightmare scenario, I’m actually pretty excited about it and hope for it. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be going to either bowl. I think UK might have their hands full when Miami rolls into town though…
Go Cats and Go Canes!
Miami is fine, I guess.
I’d much rather have the Tar Heels. But whatever.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Miami is fine!?!?
How dare you! haha I feel like UM is a better choice (yes I’m completely biased) because there is a much larger following for Miami in football nationally. A lot more people will watch this game on tv if the Canes are the opponent.
Go Cats and Go Canes!
True.
I just like the matchup of UNC and Kentucky because of the basketball tie-in. No other reason.
But if UK beat Miami, that would certainly be more significant, no doubt about it.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Clay erred on one point.
Auburn does not get the three million dollar pay out from the Outback bowl. All bowl proceeds go the conference which then splits them equally among teams (minus travel expenses)
by Thomas Hunt Morgan on Dec 2, 2009 2:07 PM EST reply actions
Gators' Strong First Choice For Cards
UF’s DC tops Cards’ list according to Pat Forde. Not good news for us UK fans but better than Mike Leach.
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
Not worried either way.
Our team has to stand on its own merits, not what the competition does.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
The Theory Of Non-Relativity?
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
Kelly Is Irish
Of course, the name is obvious. No, Brian Kelly is the new head coach of the Fighting Irish.
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
i say this is mildly positive for uk
the last thing we need is a strong UC program competing for what few players are in northern ky -
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 2, 2009 7:41 PM EST up reply actions
... says Irish Central?
I have my doubts and I am an Irish American! I just saw on ESPN today that he turned it down. I’m not saying your wrong. I am saying that a decision probably hasn’t been made yet as it would irresponsible to even entertain that notion while in the midst of an undefeated season…… plus, I am holding out an ever so slight hope that when Richy B hangs it up, UK has second thoughts about Mr. Phillips and we make a run at Brian Kelly. I grew up in Cincy and that would be about as sweet as it gets for me, at least since Rajon Rondo tore Jason Maxiell up in the tournament!
I left TN and now I am back in the Bluegrass... just in time for Football and Keeneland! Life is great!
by sleepytimetea on Dec 3, 2009 12:43 AM EST up reply actions
Hmm.
Well, I guess I was wrong about Meyer. There you go.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Don't know that you're wrong, yet...
Both Kelly and Meyer are in the middle of undefeated seasons, waaaaay too earlier to start talking to them about a new job… This question probably won’t be answered until late Jan., regardless of what “Irish Central” says!
If your wings don't sweep....
Martinez Unleashed In Athens
UGA has fired their defensive coordinator Willie Martinez. KSR compares Martinez and Steve Brown.
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
Finally..
Big day down here in Atlanta/Athens… personally this was a year to late. Will be interesting to see who Richt gets as his new DC and their philosophy.
I was right about this one, though.
But I admit, it was an easy one.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Brooks Return Not Assured
Rich Brooks will sit down with UKAA after MCB.
"Learn(ing) without thinking begets ignorance. Think(ing) without learning is dangerous."
-Confucius
70-30 he comes back.
I can’t imagine him leaving before Randall Cobb, unless there is some type of health crisis in his family.
Leaving Before Cobb
Yeah that would be bad. Then who would be around to decide when Cobb was “too gassed” to win a game for us?
It is not worth an intelligent man’s time to be in the majority. By definition, there are already enough people to do that.
by kentuckygirl0724 on Dec 4, 2009 9:15 AM EST up reply actions
Rumor has it
that Brian Kelly is not being considered for the Notre Dame job because of his pro choice stance on abortion. I’ll not comment further in deference to your “no politics” rule.
I don’t know if this is true or not, but I’ve heard it from a few different online sources.
by don'tshootmei'macard on Dec 4, 2009 1:51 AM EST reply actions
How has Kelly's stance on abortion even come up?
I certainly don’t know where any other coach stands on it.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
by chirop1 on Dec 4, 2009 6:41 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Other than Pitino that is...
Buh Dum Ching!
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
by chirop1 on Dec 4, 2009 6:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
But now
the guys on College Gameday are almost saying Kelly is a lock for Notre Dame. I guess we’ll see.
by don'tshootmei'macard on Dec 5, 2009 11:57 AM EST reply actions
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