2011 Bowl Game Selections: Never Forget and Never Forgive

[Peetz Pool Boy]

Please help refresh my memory of which bowls "passed over" PSU back in 2011 in favor of lesser teams. Based on the Week 14 standings at the time, it appears to me that the most egregious disses were:

• Tax Slayer Gator bowl which selected OSU over PSU
• Capital One bowl which selected Nebraska over PSU (PSU had a better conference record and was co-division champion)
• Insight Bowl which selected Iowa to face #14 Oklahoma.

What other bowls kicked PSU to the curb when we were down?

Here are the Week 14 Final standings (pre-B1G Championship Game and pre-bowl selections) along with the bowl game for each team and associated payout.

Legends Division
MSU 7-1 / 10-2 (#17 BCS) Outback ($3.4)
Michigan 6-2 / 10-2 (#13 BCS) Sugar ($17)
Nebraska 5-3 / 9-3 (#20 BCS) Capital One ($4.2)
Iowa 4-4 / 6-6 Insight ($1.2)
NW 3-5 / 6-6 Meineke ($1.7)

Leaders Division
Wisconsin 6-2 / 10-2 (#10 BCS) Rose ($17)
PSU* 6-2 / 9-3 (#22 BCS) Ticket City ($1.2)
Purdue 4-4 / 6-6 Little Caesars ($0.8)
O$U 3-5 / 6-6 Tax Slayer Gator ($2.5)
Illinois 2-6 / 6-6 Kraft Hunger ($0.8)
Indiana 0-8 / 1-11

* PSU was co-division champion

 

[Madsol]

Please help refresh my memory of which bowls "passed over" PSU back in 2011 in favor of lesser teams. Based on the standings at the time, it appears to me that the most egregious disses were from the Tax Slayer Gator bowl which selected OSU over PSU and the Capital One bowl which selected Nebraska over PSU (PSU had a better conference record and was co-division champion). What other bowls kicked PSU to the curb when we were down?

Here are the Week 14 Final standings (pre-B1G Championship Game and pre-bowl selections) along with the bowl game for each team and associated payout.

Legends Division
MSU 7-1 / 10-2 (#17 BCS) Outback ($3.4)
Michigan 6-2 / 10-2 (#13 BCS) Sugar ($17)
Nebraska 5-3 / 9-3 (#20 BCS) Capital One ($4.2)
Iowa 4-4 / 6-6 Insight ($1.2)
NW 3-5 / 6-6 Meineke ($1.7)

Leaders Division
Wisconsin 6-2 / 10-2 (#10 BCS) Rose ($17)
PSU* 6-2 / 9-3 (#22 BCS) Ticket City ($1.2)
Purdue 4-4 / 6-6 Little Caesars ($0.8)
O$U 3-5 / 6-6 Tax Slayer Gator ($2.5)
Illinois 2-6 / 6-6 Kraft Hunger ($0.8)
Indiana 0-8 / 1-11

* PSU was co-division champion

Given how we played in the bowl game that year, why would we have wanted to go to an even bigger bowl? I was in favor of the team going to a bowl game but they simply did not show up. Hard to blame them with everything that had happened/was happening. But also hard to blame the bowls for thinking that what ended up happening, i.e., PSU not showing up for the game, would happen and passing on them.

 

[Erial_Lion]

I won't forget how bad of a decision it was to accept any bowl invite that season. It was the perfect opportunity to "self-sanction", let the players move onto the off-season (as per their wish), and avoid having to play a 4th tier bowl game with a black cloud hanging over us at the time.

 

[PSUFBFAN]

Given how we played in the bowl game that year, why would we have wanted to go to an even bigger bowl? I was in favor of the team going to a bowl game but they simply did not show up. Hard to blame them with everything that had happened/was happening. But also hard to blame the bowls for thinking that what ended up happening, i.e., PSU not showing up for the game, would happen and passing on them.

The bowls didn't pass on PSU because they were concerned we wouldn't "show up" (to try and play a competitive game). They passed on PSU because in the words of mushmouf "we were toxic". The vile and hatred spewed towards Penn State was unprecedented. Just another stupid decision by Joyner to force the team to go to a bowl.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

I won't forget how bad of a decision it was to accept any bowl invite that season. It was the perfect opportunity to "self-sanction", let the players move onto the off-season (as per their wish), and avoid having to play a 4th tier bowl game with a black cloud hanging over us at the time.

Yeah, kind of don't blame anyone for not wanting to get involved with that mess fresh off of our BOT's firing of Joe; total sh*t show.

 

[Madsol]

The bowls didn't pass on PSU because they were concerned we wouldn't "show up" (to try and play a competitive game). They passed on PSU because in the words of mushmouf "we were toxic". The vile and hatred spewed towards Penn State was unprecedented. Just another stupid decision by Joyner to force the team to go to a bowl.

I definitely agree that was a part of it. Maybe a big part of it. But I also think they saw the result coming and didn't want a sleeper of a game because one team didn't show up.

 

[Cletus11]

PSU was toxic in 2011, so I don't blame any bowl committee. Blame the BOT if you want to blame somebody. And PSU got embarrassed by Houston.

 

[michnittlion]

Here was the 2011 B1G Bowl selection order (hit the link below):

1. Rose - took the B1G Champion, of course, which was Wisconsin.

(Michigan also went to a BCS Bowl, they slot in-between here)

2. Citrus - took 9-3 Nebraska.

3. Outback - took 10-3 Michigan State, who lost in the B1G Title Game.

4. Insight - THIS was the Bowl game which made "the biggest show" out of snubbing us. This was a logical place for us to go, but they decided to take a 7-5 Iowa over a 9-3 Penn State. This despite the fact that Iowa had played in the previous year's Insight Bowl. What made this a little hypocritical: the Insight Bowl was run by the same folk as the Fiesta Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl President was in trouble himself at the time, indicted for stealing a bunch of $$$ and spending it on junkets for himself. As I recall, he spent a couple years in jail for that.

5. Gator - yes, they took a 6-6 Ohio State team. As I recall, they weren't really snubbing us as much as they were setting up an "Urban Meyer Bowl" of "Ohio State vs. Florida."

6. Texas (Houston) - This Bowl ALSO made a rather big show out of snubbing us. Not as much as the Insight Bowl, but they did. They decided to take a 6-6 Northwestern over us. They had a local team in Texas A&M so they didn't worry too much about attendance, Northwestern not bringing many folk.

7. Ticket City - where, of course, we wound up going. I went to the Ticket City Bowl, it was a decent enough game. Houston was a pretty tough opponent.

8. Motor City - 6-6 Purdue went here.

6-6 Illinois also was Bowl eligible: they went to the San Francisco Bowl (now Foster Farms Bowl) as a fill-in opponent.

http://btn.com/2011/11/14/dienhart-weekly-bowl-projections-3/

 

[KCLion]

Given how we played in the bowl game that year, why would we have wanted to go to an even bigger bowl? I was in favor of the team going to a bowl game but they simply did not show up. Hard to blame them with everything that had happened/was happening. But also hard to blame the bowls for thinking that what ended up happening, i.e., PSU not showing up for the game, would happen and passing on them.

I believe we payed poorly because we were snubbed. No interest in playing a lower tier game when they deserved better.

 

[Art]

BFD. Yeah, PSU got snubbed and now what is it going to do? Tell a bowl that selects it that we're passing? Not gonna happen. Organize a fan boycott of a 2011 transgressor? That will stand it in good stead with all bowl committees in the future.

 

[Cletus11]

I believe we payed poorly because we were snubbed. No interest in playing a lower tier game when they deserved better.

didn't McGloin get in a fight and hurt his had so Bolden had to start. That team was in shambles emotionally and lost because of that.