C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky has confirmed what we had been hearing for a while, that the C-USA champion will get first pick among the conference’s bowls. Now, that’s if the conference champ isn’t the Group of Five pick for the College Football Playoff access bowls, as a few pundits have picked Marshall to be this season.
Now that C-USA’s relationship with the Liberty Bowl is over, the conference is giving the champ it’s choice. Here are the contenders:
Bahamas — vs. Mid-American on Dec. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas
Boca Raton — vs. Mid-American on Dec. 23 in Boca Raton, Fla.
New Mexico — vs. Mountain West on Dec. 20 in Albuquerque, N.M.
Heart of Dallas — vs. Big Ten on Dec. 26 in Dallas, Texas
Hawaii — vs. Mountain West on Dec. 24 in Honolulu, Hi.
The conference also has a secondary agreement with the Independence Bowl, which normally is an ACC-vs.-SEC matchup, on Dec. 27 in Shreveport, La. That means if one of those conferences doesn’t have enough bowl-eligible teams to supply that game, C-USA can step in.
So if you’re Marshall, you win the conference, but watch someone else get the Group of Five bid, where do you go? If you want the most recognizable opponent, Dallas is a no-brainer. If you’re more interested in making it a vacation for Herd fans, it’s either Boca or you’re headed to either the Atlantic or Pacific. The drawback with Boca and the Bahamas: Marshall likely would play its fourth MAC opponent of the season, which might not be that tantalizing of a game for some folks.
All right, Herd fans, if you’re the C-USA champ and those are your choices, which would you pick?
