Alamo Bowl exec says U still in mix
12-01-2009
KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune The San Antonio-based bowl passed over the Gophers in 2003 and 2006, however, so Insight Bowl bid is likely.Don't forget the Alamo.
Most bowl projections have the Gophers playing in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz., on New Year's Eve. That is still a very strong possibility. But, according to Rick Hill, the Alamo Bowl still is a distinct possibility for the Gophers.
Hill is the vice president of marketing and communications for the Alamo Bowl, which could end up choosing either Michigan State or the Gophers for the Jan. 2 game in San Antonio. That possibility became more likely over the weekend, with Oklahoma beating up on Oklahoma State 27-0, ending the Cowboys' hopes of being selected to the Bowl Championship Series as an at-large team.
It is more likely than ever that the Big Ten will get two teams into the BCS picture, which would keep a conference school out of the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in Detroit. That would mean the Alamo Bowl, which picks before the Insight Bowl, would have a choice of either Michigan State or Minnesota, two 6-6 teams.
History is not in Minnesota's favor. In 2006 the Alamo Bowl chose Iowa over Minnesota even though both teams had a 6-6 record and the Gophers beat the Hawkeyes in the regular-season finale. In 2003 the Alamo picked Michigan State even though the Gophers were 9-3 and the Spartans 8-4.
Hill said the next few days will be spent analyzing the two teams and potential matchups with Big 12 Conference teams.
"We're likely down to two teams, and Minnesota is still very much in the mix," Hill said. "We're going to focus on seeing what the best matchup is on the other side. Over the next five, six days, we'll try to get a feel for where the fan bases are at. ... Minnesota hasn't had a chance to play [in the Alamo Bowl]. The program is going the right way. We've talked with both the athletic director and the coach."
