Is a New Years 6 a possibility with a Conf. Champ?

[PawDawg]

I'll take 12-2, including a CUSA title, and a 6th straight bowl win, but this time over a P5.

I'll "take it" too. We've beaten a P5. Some say we've beaten a top 25 team. Title means a lot to the team, but not a big happening for the fans. Attendance would be less than 20K in perfect weather.

IMO, the only thing that will energize this fan base and sell more tickets is a 13-1 finish. Lose one of these games down the stretch and our fans are back to happy, but not running through walls to talk up the Dawgs. Especially with lsu doing well. So many of our graduates and alumni suck up to the enemy because it is cool to them. We do a horrible job of reaching out to that group

[dawg80]

Whether some of you will admit it or not (and you know who you are) the possibility...however remote...of "something more" than another ho-hum 8-5 year with a bowl win is starting to energize our sleepy fan base. This is what many of us have been saying. We have been "happy" with winning seasons and some of us have been delighted with the bowl wins...5 straight, baby!...to help erase the pain of all those years Tech got screwed out of bowl appearances. If you are truly a Tech fan with a little history behind you, you know exactly what I mean about our "bowl pain" history.

So, okay, great, thanks Coach Holtz for this measure of success. (I mean that sincerely). But if you're not moving forward, you're going backwards, as the rest of the world is passing you by. Many of us have been asking "Is there nothing more?" Well...

Do it Dawgs!

[Blue Dawg]

I'll "take it" too. We've beaten a P5. Some say we've beaten a top 25 team. Title means a lot to the team, but not a big happening for the fans. Attendance would be less than 20K in perfect weather.

IMO, the only thing that will energize this fan base and sell more tickets is a 13-1 finish. Lose one of these games down the stretch and our fans are back to happy, but not running through walls to talk up the Dawgs. Especially with lsu doing well. So many of our graduates and alumni suck up to the enemy because it is cool to them. We do a horrible job of reaching out to that group

I'm afraid we waited too long and let the opportunity slip to win those fans over. Not only is lsu "back" but they have an exciting offense for the first time in 150 years.

The time to strike was over the last 2-3 years and we dismally failed.

[Dawgpix]

Even in the years we lost the championships and the other 4 years we maxed out on CUSA bowl games. The next step up is the NYD G5 spot.

But, but the IBowl whisperer RLangIII has already written about Tech being a participant this year....

[HogDawg]

I'm afraid we waited too long and let the opportunity slip to win those fans over. Not only is lsu "back" but they have an exciting offense for the first time in 150 years.

The time to strike was over the last 2-3 years and we dismally failed.

[PawDawg]

But, but the IBowl whisperer RLangIII has already written about Tech being a participant this year....

maybe nlu will win 6 and we'll have the committee idiots dream bowl scenario

[champion110]

I'll take 12-2, including a CUSA title, and a 6th straight bowl win, but this time over a P5.

I agree! We DEFINITELY need a P5 matchup in a bowl. We can beat a G5 by 30 points and it doesn't mean as much as a 1 pt. win over a P5. That Illinois win was better for our national brand than any bowl game we have played in recent history. The disappointing tie game against Maryland was second years ago (it helped that the I Bowl hadn't completely melted into obscurity at the time too). The TCU loss (they were still G5, if my memory recalls) was even better than the current G5 wins.

Playing a P5 just ups the value of any game these days. Name recognition is EVERYTHING!

[brtransplant]

I agree! We DEFINITELY need a P5 matchup in a bowl. We can beat a G5 by 30 points and it doesn't mean as much as a 1 pt. win over a P5. That Illinois win was better for our national brand than any bowl game we have played in recent history. The disappointing tie game against Maryland was second years ago (it helped that the I Bowl hadn't completely melted into obscurity at the time too). The TCU loss (they were still G5, if my memory recalls) was even better than the current G5 wins.

Playing a P5 just ups the value of any game these days. Name recognition is EVERYTHING!

You are dead on correct about this. Name recognition is why we're receiving votes in both the AP and the Coaches polls again this week. Anyone that took the time to actually analyze who all we've beaten would not think we're worthy of a Top 25 vote. We received those votes based on some of our past performances against P5 competition.

A bowl win over even a ranked SBC champion would be dismissed as nothing, whereas a bowl win over a 6-6 North Carolina or Florida State would reap dividends for years to come. It's just the way things are.

[champion110]

You are dead on correct about this. Name recognition is why we're receiving votes in both the AP and the Coaches polls again this week. A bowl win over even a ranked SBC champion would be dismissed as nothing, whereas a bowl win over a 6-6 North Carolina or Florida State would reap dividends for years to come. It's just the way things are.

Exactly! In fact, a close loss to one of the teams you mentioned would STILL be better than a win against most G5 teams. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to beat them, which would be possible with Holtz's Bowl performances.

[dawg80]

Nah! losing to a 6-6 P5 in a bowl game damages our brand. Do y'all read any CFB blogs? Barely beating a 6-6 P5 is basically holding serve and neither damages nor helps us. Destroying a 6-6 P5 in a bowl helps a little.

What would playing a ranked G5 do? Well, beating any ranked G5, including Appy State helps, at least some. It will really depend on the hype. Yep! let's say Appy State is unbeaten, 13-0 and ranked in the Top 15, that means they would have won @ South Carolina (who whipped UGA). A ranked 12-1, 11-2 at worse, Tech team, also ranked about 23rd or so, you know ESPN will hype the game. Of course, the same can be said about a bowl vs. any ranked G5. And! a matchup with a ranked SMU....OMG! the whole former-coach and a rematch of the Frisco Bowl (disaster for them) would garner attention.

Our win over Navy was something like the 4th highest rated on TV of all 40 bowl games. It was the talk of the blogs. As is, still to this day, our 2012 regular season game vs. Johnny Football and aTm. All someone has to do is mention that game and that thread lights up with comments: I remember watching that game! It was a great game!

Anyway, our whipping a ranked G5 will do more good for our program than beating a weak 6-6 P5 team.

[PawDawg]

Anyway, our whipping a ranked G5 will do more good for our program than beating a weak 6-6 P5 team.

Yes, even if that team was ranked 3 weeks before the bowl game is played and loses two games between the final ranking and the bowl game.

[KSDAWG]

I will say this. If by some miracle from the Good Lord we lucked out and made it to the Cotton Bowl, the publicity alone would set us up for the next decade. No team from CUSA or the Sunbelt has ever made it and only two from the south ever. Its the equivalent of winning the lottery for a program like us. Our recruiting class is strong this year and attendance is moving in the right direction (albeit slowly), but a Cotton Bowl appearance would solidify and increase both numbers for years to come.

[olddog75]

I will say this. If by some miracle from the Good Lord we lucked out and made it to the Cotton Bowl, the publicity alone would set us up for the next decade. No team from CUSA or the Sunbelt has ever made it and only two from the south ever. Its the equivalent of winning the lottery for a program like us. Our recruiting class is strong this year and attendance is moving in the right direction (albeit slowly), but a Cotton Bowl appearance would solidify and increase both numbers for years to come.

Just like the success Northern Illinois has experienced since playing in the 2013 Orange Bowl.

[dawg80]

Just like the success Northern Illinois has experienced since playing in the 2013 Orange Bowl.

Ouch!

Actually, NIU did experience success in the immediate aftermath of that Orange Bowl appearance. They were considered the premiere team in the MAC. But they have squandered what they gained, in part, due to a 6-game bowl losing streak, which includes getting smashed by Boazy State in the Poinsetta Bowl, 55-7, and continuing through last year's smashing by UAB in Boca Raton. But just because NIU threw away the opportunity, doesn't mean we will.

[PawDawg]

Just like the success Northern Illinois has experienced since playing in the 2013 Orange Bowl.

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As you know things have been different since 2014 with the 4 team playoff and automatic G5 qualifier. People don't remember Western Michigan getting in at 13-0 (ranked #15 in the cfp) in 2016.

We missed great opportunities to make the bowl in 2014 and 2015. Not to mention what happened in 2012.