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Gary Stokan Outlines Peach Bowl Selection Criteria

During the ACC Football Kickoff, Chick-Fil-A Bowl CEO Gary Stokan sat down with the Globe's Mark Blaudschun to explain the selection criteria for the ACC's No. 2 bowl. As you are no doubt aware, the Eagles have finished as the ACC runner-up twice in their short five years in the conference but have never received a bid to the Peach Bowl. Not even Matt Ryan's boyish charm and devilish good looks could earn BC a spot in the 2007 Peach Bowl. That season, the Atlanta Sports Council selected a Clemson team that BC beat 20-17 just three weeks before bowl selection.

Stokan told Blaudschun that the bowl would consider a BC team which had a competitive record (read: forced to pick BC due to the "BC One-Loss Rule"), but a team's record was just one of a handful of selection criteria that the Atlanta Sports Council uses to select their ACC bowl participant.

"We look at lot of things involved,'' Stokan said this afternoon at the ACC football kickoff meetings. "I have about 15 different criteria on a grid I have in my office with all things being considered, such as record, injuries, how a team is playing and ticket sales. It's a factor, but not the overriding one."

I get it. A college bowl game is a business and you have to make decisions accordingly. But don't go and give BC fans a false sense of hope saying that "If you buy enough tickets, maybe we'll consider inviting Boston College." It's just not happening. Why? Because here is Stokan's real list of bowl selection criteria:

1. Under no circumstances should we invite Boston College
2. Must. Protect. Sellout. Streak. At all costs.
3. Ticket sales
4. Never invite a school north of Virginia
5. Restaurant and hotel sales
6. Never, ever BC
7. Fan travel reputation
8. Even Duke's Cutcliffe brings some ties to the SEC
9. How a team is playing
10. Head-to-head record
11. Injuries
12. The ACC has 11 teams 
13. Individual star power
14. Even Wake Forest would be preferable to BC
15. Overall record

I don't even think BCMike's upcoming nuptials can get BC an invite to the Peach Bowl. Normally I wouldn't sweat such intentional bias against BC from a wannabe BCS bowl game. (Trust me, we're used to not getting any love). But it's just a tad bit annoying when your program's non-BCS bowl game ceiling includes a game played in a stadium falling apart in the middle of the Orlando hood, a game played a stone's throw away from the murder capital of the world and a bowl named after a multivitamin dietary supplement.

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lol @ my wedding

It’s getting a lot of play today.

I do think there’s something to the fact that since we’ll both be out of the country after Jan 3rd that one or both of our teams will be playing then.

by BCMike22 on Jul 27, 2010 12:48 PM EDT reply actions  

As An Outsider

I understand how unfair it is and likely how frustrating getting shipped to Nashville, San Fran or Orlando must be.

As a southern guy I’d be lying if I said I envisioned a day where a team from above the Mason-Dixon would be playing in the Peach (can I call it that) Bowl. Personally I grew up with the Sugar, Orange, Cotton and Peach as my favorite four games and while Sugar & Orange have had plenty of non-southern participants the Cotton and Peach were where I always knew I’d see some of our best teams.

As an ACC guy I’ll be rooting for you guys to make it in but as a southern guy I just don’t see Atlanta; THE largest SEC hub, going for a team like BC over the 8 ACC schools that fit their standard profile (Wake, Duke: size and interest MD, BC: location).

In all sincerity good luck.

http://inthebleachers.net

by InTheBleachers on Jul 28, 2010 8:38 AM EDT via mobile reply actions  

I also think it’s much more than just BC’s own ticket sales that factor into this. It’s also an attempt to create a compelling matchup so that the SEC team’s fans get amped about playing the ACC team.

Like you said, I just don’t see Alabama, Tennessee, LSU or Ole Miss fans getting up for a game against BC. The two schools are just too different and I think not only would you see soft ticket sales from BC, but you’d also see a drop off from the SEC team’s fans attending the game.

That’s why I don’t think you’ll ever see BC in either the Peach Bowl of the Kickoff Classic.

BC Interruption, SBN's Boston College Eagles blog

by Brian @ BCI on Jul 28, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions  

BC in Peach? really?

Unfortunately for BC, the peach bowl people have figured out that the ACC does, in fact have a title game. BC has been able to make it several times. Unfortunately, the BC fans have not figured out how to get to it yet. Traveling with less than 5,000 fans to the title game isn’t a good selling point 1 week before selection. To be fair, the hokies haven’t travelled all to well to that game either.

by Brian2802 on Aug 2, 2010 8:58 AM EDT reply actions  


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