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College football bowl selection for mid majors can be likened to "horse trading". While there are contracted slots for a conferences teams based on rankings it's the Bowls, driven first by financial interest, who make the final picks. While the GoDaddy or Pizza bowl might have the first pick of MAC teams they don't have to pick the top ranked team.
There are only two MAC teams guaranteed a bowl game and this season those teams are Bowling Green and Northern Illinois. The MAC's other five Bowl eligible teams will be fighting for the conferences three other guaranteed bowls nad hoping for an at large. If NIU makes the BCS, and a win over Bowling Green would get them there, then there will be five teams fighting for four bowls.
Those Bowls are The GoDaddy.com Bowl, Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Poinsettia Bowl, and either the BBVA Compass Bowl or Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl. I'm a little fuzzy on the last two but I have heard one will likely go to the MAC and the other to Conference USA or the Belt.
So Ball State, Toledo, Buffalo, Ohio, and Central Michigan will be trying to sell themselves to the bowl committees, each hoping not to one of College football's mid major teams left home with six or more wins this season. Ball State is pretty much a given so that means Toledo, Buffalo, Ohio, and Central Michigan positioning themselves for one of three bowls
It appears that Buffalo's season has already garnered some interest from the Poinsettia Bowl.
N.M. or Texas SDSU's likely bowl slot | UTSanDiego.com
The Poinsettia Bowl’s Mountain West representative will play a team from the Mid-American Conference, and at this point Baber said the committee is strongly considering Buffalo (8-4). -- Hat Tip to BrooklyBull (Bull of all Bulls) for tracking this down.
Why be interested in Buffalo if you're a Bowl Committee?
Well for one this will be only the second ever Bowl game for UB so there may be enough interest in the fan base to inspire a good showing. Each school is given an allotment of tickets they have to sell, this allotment is usually why schools lose a bit of money on these games. The last time UB was in a Bowl they blew threw their required allotment and had to request more from the International Bowl, that is a very rare thing.
Then there is the possibility of seeing three or so potential NFL'ers on the field including a likely top ten draft pick.
Khalil Mack has been all over the news this season and he has already shattered one NCAA all time record. Mack is now tied for the all time Tackles for Loss record setting up a "Bowl Moment" for the senior should he get even a half TFL in the bowl game. Selling the game not just to fans of the team but also to television viewers.
If UB has to go far for a bowl game Sand Diego is nice. It's warm weather and a great place to visit plus the opponents being talked about right now Utah State, and Boise State are pretty good names.
