I'm trying to get an understanding about how the ACC's process works but it's still unclear in my mind. Some of the stuff I've found is a year old so it's like "Champs Sports Bowl picks, then Sun Bowl picks, etc." But I know it's done in Tiers now, so it's not like that anymore.
How come Pitt has to go to the Military Bowl with a 6-2 conference record? Why is NC State in a Tier I bowl? Why were people so sure we were going to the Belk Bowl? It's just not making sense, maybe y'all can break it down for me.
Thanks!
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Teel made an effort to explain it all.
Although it seems like Tech's decision to pick either Military or Independence Bowl, wasn't up to Frank Beamer.
VT got to pick between the Independence Bowl and Military Bowl?
Joe, FYI, the link is broken. Fixed link
Got a good laugh at this:
Nothing quite says "Duke football" like "we're counting on Wall Street bankers to buy tickets to a game against Indiana."
Step 1. CFP/NY6/Orange Bowl picks.
Step 2. Russell Athletic Bowl picks.
Step 3. The Tier 1 bowls get together and pick. There are four bowls (Belk, Sun, Pinstripe, and either TaxSlayer or Music City.)
Step 4. Tier 2 bowls pick. (Military, Independence, Quick Lane).
Now, a bowl can select a team that's within 1 win of the next eligible team. Meaning, if there is a 7-5 team and 6-6 team available, the 6-6 team can be taken. But, if there's an 8-4 team, the 6-6 team can't be taken first. Conference records have no bearing in bowl selection.
Clemson, UNC, FSU, and ND were all 10-2 or better, and were expected to go CFP/NY6 and RAB (which they did). Then, Pitt and Miami were 8-4. Duke, Louisville, and NC State were 7-5. VT was 6-6.
The expectation was that both 8-4 teams would get taken in Tier 1, and that would make VT eligible, as they could jump the 7-5 teams. However, the Tier 1 teams selected Miami and the three 7-5 teams. Therefore, Pitt got dumped into Tier 2.
I think worst case scenario was that only two of the good teams would go CFP/NY6, and then the third would go to RAB, and that would leave one for Tier 1. Even with both 8-4 teams, there was still one Tier 1 slot that we could have jumped into over the 7-5 teams.
Another part I forgot.
If this were a year that the Orange Bowl wasn't a semi-final, then things could have gotten real interesting. If the ACC opponent in the Orange Bowl was a Big Ten team, then the ACC gets the Big Ten slot in the Citrus Bowl. Then, the order of selection would be CFP/NY6, Citrus Bowl, RAB, Tier 1, Tier 2.
Also, the tier 2 bowls are ranked in a way, but only for eligibility purposes. If there are still 3 teams left after the Tier 1 bowls select, then the ACC will send teams to the Military, Independence, and Quick Lane Bowls. This year, there were only 2 teams left, which is why there is no ACC team in the Quick Lane Bowl. If there were only one team available, they would go to the Military Bowl.
Step 5. Make her open the box
I believe he was referring to this:
via GIPHY
Pitt has no fan support and, unfortunately, few actually care about Pitt football. ACC/Bowl Committee probably didn't want to lay an egg at a Tier 1 bowl game with a half empty stadium and a 0.5 t.v. rating.
Now explain 2010 Gator Bowl? ACC allowed 6-6 FSU team to jump GT, VT and Clemson.
Bowl selection using the structure from 5 years ago is irrelevant now that we've adopted the pool system. Bowden used leverage that is no longer possible.
Maybe irrelevant now , but I doubt it was so at the time to The loser of the ACC championship game. Bowden used influence say's it all.
GT won the conference and went to the BCS game.
Chick-fil-a had the next pick of ACC teams, and took 9-3 VT, instead of 8-5 Clemson who lost the ACCCG.
The rule at the time was that a team could be selected within two wins of the next available team. Gator Bowl had the third pick, and could take a 6-6 team instead of an 8-5 team.
So, there was no jumping of either Tech.
Thanks for the clarification, good to know someone understands the ACC 's bowl selection process. I will assume that Wikipedia 's statement that " under ACC rules at the time a team cannot be passed over for consideration by an ACC bowl partner for a team more than one loss behind in the conference standings" is incorrect. Nevertheless a 4-4 team was selected over a team with a 6-2 conference record and I cannot believe that the fact that it was Bowden's last game and he wanted it in Florida did not affect this selection.
Bowden didn't have any say in it - FSU's fanbase was the best-traveling fanbase available, so the gator bowl snagged them. This wasn't Bowden manipulating bowl selection.
Thanks!
A shame none of the Tier 1 bowls took Pitt. I think they deserved it way more than NC State, but I guess it really isn't about "deserve."
You are 100% correct. NC State deserved a Tier 2 bowl and Pitt deserved a Tier 1 game. NC State beat all the teams they were supposed to beat and no one else, including going 3-5 in conference play.
Maryland is the only non NC resident team with any sense. GTFO while you had the chance, we should have. Now we've signed off on indentured servitude if we want to leave. So they can wife-beat us some more.
Welcome to the club, Pitt!
What chance??? VT didn't have an offer to go to another conference. Would you be happy in he AAC??
We had an SEC offer
Really could you link to it.
This is all #sauces, but there was a pervasive rumor swirling that the SEC was prepared to extend an invitation to VT if they received assurances we would accept. Couple that with a few SEC execs mentioning VT by name as the type of program the conference would look for in future expansion and there was certainly at a bare minimum a high interest in our program by the conference. Had Weaver been receptive, I honestly believe we would be in the SEC East right now.
Whether or not we'd be better off is another question.
Unless the ACC splits in to North/South divisions, and puts us in the North, then I have no desire to go to the SEC.
Goodness, if we ever got an invitation to the SEC I personally hope we'd take it. If I remember correctly, one of the Greenberg bubble years (I think it was '10-'11), when most people seemed to think we'd done enough to get into the tournament, as the selections were coming in and as he was getting more and more nervous, he tried to call the league office and no one answered (someone help me with the #sauce on this, I couldn't find one so I hope I'm not remembering incorrectly). If our own league won't have our back, then who will?
Less to do with our program, more to do with Greenberg.
Grass is always greener....
If we had joined the SEC there is a good chance we would be complaining about how the northern school always gets the shaft because we are one of the southern bluebloods. Bowls selections committees only care about who is going to put butts in seats, NC State being a lot closer to the Belk bowl than Pitt likely the biggest driver, not some state bias.
Tech lost to ECU and Pitt at home. There is no excuse for losing to ECU 2 yrs in a row. If there was one game we should have been fired up to play it should have been ECU.............
At least we are not playing ECU for the next 27 years, oh er, dammit...
FWIW, the ACC bowl process now is less subjective than it was 5 years ago. The current structure is very much a compromise between bowls (who want the best traveling fanbase/team regardless of record) and teams (who believe a better record should guarantee a more prestigious bowl/opponent.
I am pretty sure it is something like this:
Dan Patrick: With the first nine months of the Baseketball postseason out of the way, the playoff picture is starting to emerge.
Kenny Mayne: So, with last night's victory over Boston, next week the Milwaukee Beers must beat Indianapolis in order to advance to Charlotte. That's in an effort to reduce their magic number to three.
Dan Patrick: Right, and then the Beers can advance to the National Eastern Division North to play Tampa.
Kenny Mayne: So, if the Beers beat Detroit and Denver beats Atlanta in the American Southwestern Division East Northern, then Milwaukee goes to the Denslow Cup, unless Baltimore can upset Buffalo and Charlotte ties Toronto, then Oakland would play LA and Pittsburgh in a blind choice round robin. And if no clear winner emerges from all of this, a two-man sack race will be held on consecutive Sundays until a champion can be crowned.
Deleted because I posted this on the wrong thread.