With the passing combination of Tyler Sheehan to Freddie Barnes, the 7-5 Bowling Green Falcons could be
an attractive team for a bowl committee looking to fill an at-large berth.
While the final scenarios still have to play out, the Falcons put themselves in position to go bowling
with a 38-24 victory over Toledo Friday. PHOTO
GALLERY
“I think it’s very likely,” BG head coach Dave Clawson said when asked if his team was going to a bowl
game. “There are going to be a couple of bowls that need at-large teams. There are not a lot of 7-5
at-large teams.
“We’ve set ourselves up as one of the top 7-5 at-large teams,” he continued. “We’ve won six out of our
last seven. We play an exciting brand of football … If they want a good show in their bowl, (it is)
with a lot of confidence we can say we’ll deliver on that.”
The Mid-American Conference has three confirmed bowl tie-ins – the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit
(Dec. 26); the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. (Jan. 6), and the International Bowl in Toronto (Jan. 2).
The two divisional champions – Central Michigan (10-2) and Ohio (9-3) — are guaranteed bowl berths with
the GMAC Bowl getting the first selection from the MAC this year.
Ken Hoffman, who represents both the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl and the International Bowl, was at Perry
Stadium Friday.
In addition to the two divisional champions, both Temple (9-3) and Northern Illinois (7-5) could be
attractive to a bowl committee.
“It’s pretty special. A lot of teams in the nation can’t say that they are still going to be playing for
another month,” BG quarterback Tyler Sheehan said. “It’s one of our team goals.”
Other bowls who could potentially need a team are the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico (Dec.
10); Eagle Bank in Washington, D.C. (Dec. 29); Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. (Dec. 28) ; and
Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho (Dec. 30).
“(Thursday) night, we had the seniors talk and one of their big motivations for winning was that they
wanted to stay a team for another month,” Clawson said.
