Dec. 2, 2003
Bowl Update
I have been asked many times over the last few weeks "What are our chances of going to a bowl game?" Right now (Dec. 2), the answer is that the chances are pretty good, but we will not know for certain until Sunday, Dec. 7, after all the remaining games have been played.
We do know for certain that, if we do go to a bowl game, we will play in the Motor City Bowl at 5 p.m. (ET) Friday, Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. We would likely play Bowling Green. Bowling Green hosts Miami (Ohio) in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship game Thursday night. Miami already has accepted an invitation to play in the GMAC Bowl. (They were offered an invitation in anticipation that we will represent the Big Ten in the Motor City Bowl-the MAC champion normally plays in the Motor City Bowl, but since we already have played Miami, they wanted to avoid a rematch.) Interestingly, we would be the first Big Ten team to play in the Motor City Bowl (last year there were not enough bowl-eligible teams for all the Big Ten bowls).
The Big Ten has contractual arrangements with seven bowls and we were the eighth Big Ten team to become eligible. We are the only team with six wins. In order for us to be invited to the Motor City Bowl, we need Ohio State to receive an at-large invitation to a BCS Bowl. In the most recent BCS rankings, Michigan is ranked fourth and Ohio State fifth. If Ohio State finishes in the top four of the BCS poll, they would be guaranteed an at-large bid. If Georgia beats LSU in the SEC championship game, there is a good change that Ohio State would move to fourth. Otherwise, Ohio State would have to receive an at-large invitation from either the Orange Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. As the defending national champions with a 10-2 record and a history of bringing many fans to bowl games, Ohio State should be very attractive to either of these bowls. It appears that Ohio State and Texas will receive the two at-large invitations (unless Kansas State beats Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game-then Oklahoma would receive the at-large bid. BCS rules limit conferences to two representatives in BCS bowls).
Many people are predicting that Ohio State will play Miami in the Orange Bowl-a rematch of last year's national championship game, which should be a very attractive match-up for fans and television. The only way that Ohio State could be left out of a BCS bowl is if the Orange or Fiesta selects an SEC team, but this is not likely.
Please keep checking our web site for the latest bowl information. We will provide updated information as soon as it is available. It is very important that you purchase your tickets to the Motor City Bowl through our ticket office. This ticket information will be posted on our web site soon after we receive an invitation from the Motor City Bowl. The reason we need you to buy tickets through our ticket office is two-fold-it is the only way that we can gauge the number of fans that travel to our bowl sites, and it helps us build a track record with the bowl committees. Although it may seem crass, the reality is that numbers talk (attendance, travel history, donations, television ratings, etc.) and your participation does make a difference. If we bring a lot of fans to Motor City this year, it will help us with bowl committees in the future.
It is a real tribute to Randy Walker and the team that our team is in this position now. They fought through some challenging times during the season and closed out the season winning four of the last six games. Let's hope that the well-deserved bowl invitation comes our way-it would be a real benefit for our program.
Welsh-Ryan Projects
Within the next few weeks, visitors to Welsh Ryan Arena will notice some significant changes to the facility. We recently contracted with Ze-Design, a graphics design company in Chicago, to put graphics and banners in the lobby of Welsh-Ryan. We think that these changes will provide an important facelift to the lobby area and make it look more like an athletic facility. Now, when people walk into the lobby you can't tell if it's the lobby of a hospital or an athletic facility. The graphics and banners should be in place by the first of the year.
The other change will occur within the arena. We recently purchased black curtains to seal off the upper deck for our volleyball, women's basketball and wrestling events. These curtains will help create a much more intimate atmosphere for these teams' events and will improve the acoustics in the arena. I've seen this type of curtain in other arenas, and they do improve the atmosphere. These curtains should also be installed by the first of the year.
Happy Holidays to all of our fans. I hope to see you in Detroit the day after Christmas.