GoBlueRaiders.com: Open letter from the Director of Athletics: Massaro provides insight into bowl omission, conference move
Interesting. I think the Sun Belt Conference has basically told their members “We will screw you next if we think you might leave”.
That’s about as dirty hard ball as it get’s. Wow! Hat’s off to MTSU.
LTech isn’t in a bowl game, which is a bigger travesty.
I’m wondering if it is more of the same.
I’m wondering if it is more of the same.[/quote]
Didn’t LaTech turn down the bid, though? Less sympathy for a team who turns a bid down than a deserving team who isn’t invited.
Why would someone feel sorry for LT when they screwed themselves, 2002? MTSU has a real beef. I wonder if they could sue the SBC.
Imagine the uproar if the Big East handed Louisville’s BCS Bowl to Cincy or UConn as punishment for UL going to ACC?
I’m wondering if it is more of the same.[/quote]
Didn’t LaTech turn down the bid, though? Less sympathy for a team who turns a bid down than a deserving team who isn’t invited.[/quote]
LaTech expected an invite to the Liberty Bowl, but the Liberty Bowl’s conference tie-ins run out this year so they threw a bone to Iowa State and the Big 12 to better position themselves for a tie-in next year. Then they blamed it on NIU making the BCS and causing a trickle down effect. It was all about a money grab.
I’m wondering if it is more of the same.[/quote]
Didn’t LaTech turn down the bid, though? Less sympathy for a team who turns a bid down than a deserving team who isn’t invited.[/quote]
La Tech is not happy.
I think both MTSU and the Sun Belt did what was in their best interest. MTSU made a good move forward, and the Sun Belt wants to send teams from their conference (that are still in the conference) to a bowl game.
This article says that the Pizza Bowl itself got to do the choosing, but I have a hard time believing that the Sun Belt had no inmput in the matter.
I would think that if it was the bowl that selected they would’ve taken the team going to CUSA over a Sun Belt team to get in good with CUSA. These bowls are always trying to move up as well. I feel that the Sun Belt had a lot of influence over the decision.
No doubt, but the bowl committees want to sell tickets. And if they believed that Western Kentucky fans would buy more tickets than MTSU fans would, then that’s who they’re going to choose. Unless forced to take a team due to automatic tie-in, the team that “travels” better is always going to get the nod.
Our only bowls ever will be tie-ins, because we are only going to travel 300 or less vs. everyone else’s 15-30K.
Ever is a long time. Depends on growth and fame of alumni. I’m helping out with the fame part 
I hope you meant to say 3000 or less. Not so sure about that though. If we took 7000+ to Alabama for the College Cup we can definitely do the same or better for a bowl game for the number 1 sport on campus. By the time we will be playing in bowls the alumni base will be significantly bigger and the student population will be at or over 30,000.