G5 Playoff

[GeauxCajuns]

What game got cancelled?

[Oiler]

If anyone thinks a 10-1 Cajun team is headed to NOLA they are out to lunch. If the Cajuns go 10-1 in 2017 we will play in one of the following: Access, Independence, Texas or any on that level.

No SBC team with a loss will ever play in the access bowl, and the Texas Bowl will always have plenty of AAC options to use before ever stooping so low as to have a SBC team soil its bowl.

Now the Independence Bowl IS always a possibility, but only after it has exhausted every possible avenue to put P5 teams in it. There were maybe 15,000 in the stands to watch NC State and Vanderbilt in it this year, but the I-bowl still prefers the 9th place SEC and 6th place ACC teams over the SBC or CUSA champions.

[Big Buds]

No SBC team with a loss will ever play in the access bowl, and the Texas Bowl will always have plenty of AAC options to use before ever stooping so low as to have a SBC team soil its bowl.

Now the Independence Bowl IS always a possibility, but only after it has exhausted every possible avenue to put P5 teams in it. There were maybe 15,000 in the stands to watch NC State and Vanderbilt in it this year, but the I-bowl still prefers the 9th place SEC and 6th place ACC teams over the SBC or CUSA champions.

I thought the Access bowl was the reward for the top G5 team...much like the Cotton Bowl this year. If we go 11-1 in 2017 I would think we would represent the G5.

[Big Buds]

If we go 10-1, something went wrong

This is true...I fixed it.

[jllanclos]

I thought the Access bowl was the reward for the top G5 team...much like the Cotton Bowl this year. If we go 11-1 in 2017 I would think we would represent the G5.

Just to clarify: the top G-5 conference champion. Small distinction, but it's the best out of the champions. Might not make any difference in practice, as a 12-0 or 11-1 team will likely always be the choice.

[CajunNation]

I thought the Access bowl was the reward for the top G5 team...much like the Cotton Bowl this year. If we go 11-1 in 2017 I would think we would represent the G5.

The way the rules are written now is for the highest ranked, G5 CONFERENCE CHAMPION to get the Access Bowl slot. Western Michigan got it this season, but this was a fluid situation till the end.

It could have been any of WMU, Navy, or Temple depending on who won their league, but things could easily have been different. With 3 losses this season, App got votes in the final poll. Troy was ranked mid-season. If either one had only one loss, they would have been right in that mix to be the replacement school had WMU loss their conference championship game.

It's not a matter of if an SBC school can make that Bowl, but when.

[Big Buds]

The way the rules are written now is for the highest ranked, G5 CONFERENCE CHAMPION to get the Access Bowl slot. Western Michigan got it this season, but this was a fluid situation till the end.

It could have been any of WMU, Navy, or Temple depending on who won their league, but things could easily have been different. With 3 losses this season, App got votes in the final poll. Troy was ranked mid-season. If either one had only one loss, they would have been right in that mix to be the replacement school had WMU loss their conference championship game.

It's not a matter of if an SBC school can make that Bowl, but when.

Thanks for the clarification. This is exactly my point. I appreciate you crystallizing it.

[CajunEXPRESS]

The way the rules are written now is for the highest ranked, G5 CONFERENCE CHAMPION to get the Access Bowl slot. Western Michigan got it this season, but this was a fluid situation till the end.

It could have been any of WMU, Navy, or Temple depending on who won their league, but things could easily have been different. With 3 losses this season, App got votes in the final poll. Troy was ranked mid-season. If either one had only one loss, they would have been right in that mix to be the replacement school had WMU loss their conference championship game.

It's not a matter of if an SBC school can make that Bowl, but when.

Lacking a championship game, a SBC team will have a hard time being the top G5 team. In addition that FCS game is a killer. Of course the Cajuns need to go undefeated to gain access to the Access bowl.

The Independence bowl will never be a better bowl for UL fans, but we might face a more formidable opponent provided every chip in the universe fell right. Remember we took the NOLA bowl a few back because we did not want to pull a LTU when NOLA offered early, and the Indy was flirting.

[ulXrunner]

A Sunbelt team would need to go undefeated and have major help from other G5 conferences top teams having multiple loses. IMO, the Sunbelt is looked as a joke compared to MWC, MAC, and AAC. For the past 5 or so years, we kept accepted FCS teams into the conference and had them in 1 year become favorites to win conference titles. That hurts our perception and will hurt if a sunbelt team is paired with any 1-2 lose teams in the AAC or MWC. I dont care what some say, we are looked at as a FCS conference by everyone I know who follows college football.

[CajunNation]

....For the past 5 or so years, we kept accepted FCS teams into the conference and had them in 1 year become favorites to win conference titles. That hurts our perception and will hurt if a sunbelt team is paired with any 1-2 lose teams in the AAC or MWC. I dont care what some say, we are looked at as a FCS conference by everyone I know who follows college football.

Really.

The CUSA champion was an FCS school 8 years ago.

The school tied for the best record in CUSA was an FCS 3 years ago.

The school that finished 2nd in CUSA West was an FCS 5 years ago.


Let me ask you. Would you rather we kick out App and re-invite Idaho? Do you think CUSA is dying to kick out WKU, ODU and UTSA?

[Oiler]

I don't think a team from the MAC, SBC, or CUSA will ever play in the access bowl unless one of them has an undefeated champion in a year when Boise, Houston, UCF, USF, and maybe a couple of other teams have one or more losses. A one loss MWC or AAC champion might still get in over our undefeated champ, but at least we'd have a shot.

I also don't think that being a recent FCS call up would affect a team one way or the other.

[MandevilleCajun]

I don't think a team from the MAC, SBC, or CUSA will ever play in the access bowl unless one of them has an undefeated champion in a year when Boise, Houston, UCF, USF, and maybe a couple of other teams have one or more losses. A one loss MWC or AAC champion might still get in over our undefeated champ, but at least we'd have a shot.

I also don't think that being a recent FCS call up would affect a team one way or the other.

I don't think that's an absolute. If, and this is a giant if, we go undefeated next year we will have beaten both Ole Miss and TX A&M. One of the big issues facing Western Michigan was they didn't play anyone.