2008 Bowl Season Louisiana Snubbed by Indi Bowl

[cjr3888]

After much debating with everyone, I decided to go ahead and look up the rule. I highlighted the parts that are important to the Cajuns. According to the NCAA Postseason Football Handbook:

A deserving winning team is defined as one that wins a minimum of six games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) competition and has a record that includes more wins than losses. [Exception: Each year, a FBS institution may count a victory against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent that has averaged 90 percent of the permissible maximum number of grants-in-aid per year in FCS over a rolling two-year period.] Per NCAA Bylaw 30.9.2.1 an institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be selected for participation in a bowl game if 1) the institution or its conference has a primary contractual affiliation, which existed prior to the first contest if the applicable season, with the sponsoring bowl organization. In the case of a conference contractual affiliation, all conference teams with winning records must be placed in one of the contracted bowl games before any institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be placed in a contracted bowl game; and 2) all contractual affiliations have been fulfilled and all institutions with winning records have received bowl invitations (either through a contractual affiliation or as an at-large selection).
In the case of a conference contractual affiliation, all conference teams with winning records must be placed in one of the contracted bowl games before any institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be placed in a contracted bowl game. There shall be no contingency agreements with other sponsoring bowl organizations intended to enable an institution with a record of six wins and six losses to become eligible for those contests.

Therefore, the secondary bowl ties in are useless to the Cajuns if there are 7-5 teams available. Wright Waters was wrong in saying that a 6-6 Sun Belt team must be selected before a 6-6 team from another conference. The end of this by-law pretty much says the contracts are no good.

Sunday can't get here fast enough. I just read up on NCAA by-laws. This bowl stuff makes people do crazy things.

[Arkstfan]

Wright Waters was wrong in saying that a 6-6 Sun Belt team must be selected before a 6-6 team from another conference. The end of this by-law pretty much says the contracts are no good.

No it doesn't.

It says they can't be used to place a 6-6 ahead of a 7-5. Absolutely silent on 6-6 vs. 6-6. I'm not saying that the contracts specify Sun Belt 6-6 ahead of other 6-6, but if it does, its valid under that rule.

[cjr3888]

_ No it doesn't.

It says they can't be used to place a 6-6 ahead of a 7-5. Absolutely silent on 6-6 vs. 6-6. I'm not saying that the contracts specify Sun Belt 6-6 ahead of other 6-6, but if it does, its valid under that rule. _

Good point. It looks like we need to get about 20 people together to make sure we fully understand all of these rules.

[RaginCajun77]

Do we have a lawyer here who specializes in NCAA laws.

[RaginFan2]

_ After much debating with everyone, I decided to go ahead and look up the rule. I highlighted the parts that are important to the Cajuns. According to the NCAA Postseason Football Handbook:

A deserving winning team is defined as one that wins a minimum of six games against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) competition and has a record that includes more wins than losses. [Exception: Each year, a FBS institution may count a victory against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent that has averaged 90 percent of the permissible maximum number of grants-in-aid per year in FCS over a rolling two-year period.] Per NCAA Bylaw 30.9.2.1 an institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be selected for participation in a bowl game if 1) the institution or its conference has a primary contractual affiliation, which existed prior to the first contest if the applicable season, with the sponsoring bowl organization. In the case of a conference contractual affiliation, all conference teams with winning records must be placed in one of the contracted bowl games before any institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be placed in a contracted bowl game; and 2) all contractual affiliations have been fulfilled and all institutions with winning records have received bowl invitations (either through a contractual affiliation or as an at-large selection).
In the case of a conference contractual affiliation, all conference teams with winning records must be placed in one of the contracted bowl games before any institution with a record of six wins and six losses may be placed in a contracted bowl game. There shall be no contingency agreements with other sponsoring bowl organizations intended to enable an institution with a record of six wins and six losses to become eligible for those contests.

Therefore, the secondary bowl ties in are useless to the Cajuns if there are 7-5 teams available. Wright Waters was wrong in saying that a 6-6 Sun Belt team must be selected before a 6-6 team from another conference. The end of this by-law pretty much says the contracts are no good.

Sunday can't get here fast enough. I just read up on NCAA by-laws. This bowl stuff makes people do crazy things. _

OK, maybe you're a lawyer and can decipher the legalese better than me. But I don't get the same interpretation as you from reading this. Please note I am NOT a lawyer, so I could be wrong. However, I don't read that as saying we can't contract for getting a priority for a SBC 6-6 team over another 6-6 team. I read it as saying we can't get a 6-6 SBC team over a team with a winning record. JMO

[KAjunRaider]

_ No it doesn't.

It says they can't be used to place a 6-6 ahead of a 7-5. Absolutely silent on 6-6 vs. 6-6. I'm not saying that the contracts specify Sun Belt 6-6 ahead of other 6-6, but if it does, its valid under that rule. _

Still surprised to hear that the SBC AD's did not get copies of the "agreement".

[GrenadaCajun]

I know a great lawyer who teaches at UL, I'll get him on it asap.

[cjr3888]

_ OK, maybe you're a lawyer and can decipher the legalese better than me. But I don't get the same interpretation as you from reading this. Please note I am NOT a lawyer, so I could be wrong. However, I don't read that as saying we can't contract for getting a priority for a SBC 6-6 team over another 6-6 team. I read it as saying we can't get a 6-6 SBC team over a team with a winning record. JMO _

You are correct. Arkstfan pointed it out also. My eyes must have been crossing when I got to that point lol.

[cjr3888]

_ Still surprised to hear that the SBC AD's did not get copies of the "agreement". _

I agree. I find copies of all kinds of contracts online but have not found a copy of this so called "agreement".

[GrenadaCajun]

Are these secondary bowl tie-ins dependent on SB teams being 7-5?