| Bowl | Years | Team 1 | Team 2 | Location | Payout | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Caesars | 10-13 | MAC #1 | BigTen #6 | Detroit | $750K | Primary |
| GMAC Bowl | 10-13 | MAC #2 | SBC | Mobile | $750K | Primary |
| Humanitarian | 10-13 | MAC #3 | WAC #1/2 | Boise | $750K | Primary |
| Papa Johnsl | 10-13 | BigEast #5/6 | SEC #8/9 | Birminham | $900K | Backup |
| Dallas Classic | 10,12 | Big Ten #7 | Big 12 #8 | Dallas | $1,200K | Backup |
| New Mexico | 11,13 | Army | MWC | Albuqeurque | $750K | Backup** |
* If Army fails to Qualify for the Poinsettia Bowl the WAC will skip the New Mexico Bowl (for the Poinsettia bowl) and the MAC will slide into their New Mexico Bowl Slot
So what does this mean?
Well kudos to the MAC front office for getting in front of the 6-6 rule. While we can't expect a guarantee that a 7-5 MAC team will go bowling backing up Army is pretty close. The fact the SEC is not expanding along with the fact they are usually a good bet to field two BCS teams makes the Papa Johns Backup a reasonable possibility.
From MAC-Sports.com
"MAC Announces Five Bowl Agreements
For the first time in its 64-year history, the MAC will have five bowl relationships-three primary and two secondary-for the next four football seasons (2010-2013).
Apr 23, 2010
The MAC announced five bowl agreements, including a secondary agreement with the Papajohns.com Bowl.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES BOWL AGREEMENTS
Five Bowl Relationships Set Through 2013 Football Season
For Immediate Release-Friday, April 23, 2010
Cleveland, Ohio -- For the first time in its 64-year history, the Mid-American Conference (MAC) will have five bowl relationships-three (3) primary and two (2) secondary-for the next four football seasons (2010-2013). The five agreements, approved by the MAC Council of Presidents, were granted licenses today by the NCAA.
The MAC's three primary bowl agreements are with the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl (Detroit, Mich.), GMAC Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) and Roady's Humanitarian Bowl (Boise, Ida.). The primary agreement with the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl replaces the International Bowl, which hosted the MAC's No. 3 selection the past four years (2006-09) in Toronto, Ont., Canada. The Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl will have the MAC's No. 1 selection in 2010 and 2012, with the GMAC Bowl having the No. 1 selection in 2011 and 2013. The Roady's Humanitarian Bowl will own the MAC's third selection of bowl eligible teams all four years.
In addition, the MAC has secured two secondary agreements over the next four years with the Papajohns.com Bowl (2010-2013), the Dallas Football Classic (2010 and 2012) and the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (formerly the Emerald Bowl)/San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl/New Mexico Bowl (2011 and 2013).
"I am very pleased with our bowl agreements for the next four seasons," said MAC Commissioner, Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. "We have a very solid relationship with our primary bowl partners and we look forward to continuing to expand these relationships. The addition of the secondary agreements provides our conference the opportunity to build on relationships with multiple bowl groups and ultimately give our member institutions an expanded platform for their programs and student-athletes to perform with other FBS conferences on a national stage."
The secondary agreement with the Papajohns.com Bowl, located in Birmingham, Ala., will see the MAC serve as the back-up to both the Southeastern Conference (SEC) No. 8/9 and Big East No. 5/6 selections. The MAC will serve as the second back-up in the Dallas Football Classic in 2010 and 2012, a new bowl game played in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The Dallas Football Classic's primary agreements are Big Ten No. 7 vs. Big 12 No. 8.
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl/Poinsettia Bowl/New Mexico Bowl secondary agreement for 2011 and 2013 is as follows: the MAC will back-up Army in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (2011) and Poinsettia Bowl (2013) with the understanding that if Army is not bowl eligible, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) will vacate the New Mexico Bowl and provide a team to the Kraft Fight Hunger and Poinsettia Bowl. The MAC will then provide a team to the New Mexico Bowl against a team from the Mountain West Conference (MWC).
Last year, the MAC placed five teams in bowl games for only the third time in conference history. In 2009, the MAC had three primary relationships (Ohio in Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl; Northern Illinois in the International Bowl; and Central Michigan in GMAC Bowl) and no secondary agreements. However, the conference was able to place both Temple (EagleBank Bowl against UCLA) and Bowling Green (Roady's Humanitarian Bowl against Idaho) as at-large selections. "