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Well, #6 Ark vs #8 Kansas State.

Well 12 teams make BCS bowls and #6, #7, and #8 all left out. Two of them are playing the Cotton Bowl.

I am a little upset that Ark was passed by the Cap One Bowl. That Bowl is supposed to be SEC #2 (or #3 if two teams in BCS games. Ark and SC same record and Ark beat SC soundly. Again, it's about money and SC would draw better in Cap One Bowl.

I do understand Cotton is better for Ark in many ways. It is a 5 to 6 hour drive from the Ark campus, largest collection of Ark Alum outside of Ark is in Dallas, Ark recruits Texas and many local recruits will go to Cotton, playing in Jerry World is nice (Ark has played in that stadium several times now due to the Southwest Classic each year vs Texas A&M), Ark will more than likely dominate the attendance at this game, and Ark gets a higher ranked opponent in the Cotton Bowl. A win in this game will mean a top 5 finish this year and a high preseason ranking for next year.

Its the 3rd best Match up in all the bowls based on BCS rankings ....1 vs 2 BCS NC game, 3 vs 4 Fiesta bowl, and 6 vs 8 in Cotton Bowl.

Cotton Bowl...the Non-BCS...BCS game.

The bowls are just labels, I would say. The Cotton Bowl is more prestigious this season than the Sugar Bowl and the Capital One Bowl. The Cap One bowl hates picking SEC West teams and the Cotton Bowl hates getting SEC East teams (I think there has been one West team in the Cap. One Bowl and one East team in the Cotton a piece dating back to 2003).

Eric wrote:The bowls are just labels, I would say. The Cotton Bowl is more prestigious this season than the Sugar Bowl and the Capital One Bowl. The Cap One bowl hates picking SEC West teams and the Cotton Bowl hates getting SEC East teams (I think there has been one West team in the Cap. One Bowl and one East team in the Cotton a piece dating back to 2003).

Exactly. I know the SEC #2 is supposed to get the Cap One, it's the highest paying bowl game there is except for the BCS.

But geographically they hardly ever pick #2 if it's in the West, it just doesn't make sense to them.

Eric wrote:The bowls are just labels, I would say. The Cotton Bowl is more prestigious this season than the Sugar Bowl and the Capital One Bowl. The Cap One bowl hates picking SEC West teams and the Cotton Bowl hates getting SEC East teams (I think there has been one West team in the Cap. One Bowl and one East team in the Cotton a piece dating back to 2003).

Correct, only if you take the money payout from that equation.

To heck with the Orange Bowl. The Cotton is my 4th premiere BCS bowl this year and Ark will probably make more money than if they had to travel farther and pay more accommodation costs. The only way a team traveling to a BCS bowl makes money is if another team from their conference also makes a BCS game. Ark should get a share of two BCS bids and cut on travel costs by being in the Cotton bowl.

Eric wrote:The bowls are just labels, I would say. The Cotton Bowl is more prestigious this season than the Sugar Bowl and the Capital One Bowl. The Cap One bowl hates picking SEC West teams and the Cotton Bowl hates getting SEC East teams (I think there has been one West team in the Cap. One Bowl and one East team in the Cotton a piece dating back to 2003).

I was just watching the Bowl rundown again...and logged in to comment similarly.

When you see WVU and Clemson in the Orange, and Va Tech and Michigan in the Sugar you have to look at a Bowl like the Cotton Bowl and say it is a better Bowl! Not defending the Orange Bowl because of my team, but at least they have Conference Champs. The Sugar can claim they have higher ranked teams than the Orange. (But I nearly foam in regret when looking at these teams, as I'd rather have WVU playing Michigan or Va Tech...much better hype...impossible with agreements or not.) My only drawback with the Cotton Bowl is Kansas State...in that they don't have the fire power you generally associate with a top 10 team. They plod and win in a team concept that reminds me of UConn (and they equally bore me.) What I note is that their style of play leans more on "time in" and rhythm and will likely show some corrosion with almost 5 weeks between games. But I think the throttling of K-State in the Cotton Bowl (site of A&M game, which will come up in game conversation) will greatly aid Arkansas recruiting.