+1

And given 4 more series NUI might have re-taken the lead. If Ohio lost to an inferior team then shame on Ohio for not putting the game away.

Update: With Ohio's win, there are now 72 bowl eligible teams with two that will make it this weekend, for a total of 74. Two slots to fill. Here are the five-win teams with who they play:

Temps (5-5): Cincy, @Tulane
Navy (5-5): @Sbama, vs. Army
Fresno (5-6): Hawaii
ODU (5-6): @FAU
UAB (5-6): @SMiss
Akron (5-6): @Kent
Tenn (5-6): @Vandy
Pitt (5-6): @MiamiF
Cal (5-6): BYU
OreSt (5-6): Ore
UK (5-6): @Lville
OklaSt (5-6): @Okla
Mich (5-6): @O$U

Winning is not always pretty; NIU/Ohio or Ohio/Miami, but, it need always be appreciated.

I forgot about ODU not being eligible.

Here's what I got:
-Navy likely to get to at least 6 wins.
-In AAC, Temple likely to get 1 win in it's last 2 and take the last AAC spot.
-In ACC, Pitt not likely to win. FSU wins out.
-In Big 12, Okie State not likely to win.
-In B1G, osu beats Wisconsin in conference championship, MSU wins out.
-In CUSA, UAB likely to win, WKU not likely to win, and MTSU/UTEP loser will be 6-6. CUSA has 2 eligible teams without primary tie-ins
-In MAC, Kron likely to win. MAC has 2 eligible teams without primary tie-ins
-In MWC, Fresno likely to win, Boise wins out.
-In Pac12, Cal not likely to win.
-In SEC, Tennessee likely to win. It's either Bama or Miss St vs. Georgia or Missouri in the conference title, and who wins doesn't matter.
-In Sun Belt, So. Alabama and Arky State likely to lose.
-Selection Committee takes in no particular order FSU, GaTech (ACC guaranteed a 2nd pick in Orange if FSU is in playoff), TCU, Baylor, osu, Mich State, Oregon, Boise [or CSU....the committee hates T'erd], Bama, and one other SEC team.

That would leave the 6-6 G5 teams as: loser of MTSU/UTEP, UAB, WKU, Ohio, Kron, So. Alabama, and Arky State. P5 conferences with extra teams are Pac 12 (1) and SEC (1). Conferences that didn't fill their primary bowl allotment would be ACC/ND (1), Big 12 (1), and Army's spot in the Armed Forces Bowl. Our secondary tie-in in Detroit just might still be in play, so long as FSU wins out and Pitt loses to Miami.

The other secondary tie-in might be triggered if Navy loses to So. Alabama. Would the Poinsettia Bowl wait until after the Army/Navy game to make a bid? If all the MWC and P5 eligible teams have homes, they might not.

Otherwise, I think we have to pull for Upset-A-Palooza with Vandy beating Tennessee, Hawaii beating Fresno State, Tulane beating Temple, Kent beating Kron, and both NW/Illinois and UVa/VaTech defying the rules of college football and ending in ties.

That number sounds right. I crunched the numbers today and things are on pace for Ohio, Akron, Texas State as the only at large teams in the field for 5 openings. What I did was I counted all of the slots each conference and everyone with 6 wins plus subtracted out schools headed to New Years Day games. That leaves the Big 12 and PAC 12 with two openings and one for Navy not making a bowl. Factored in to this was a look at all the 5-6 teams. Virginia Tech/ Virginia and Northwestern/Illinois play each other. Temple, Navy, Frsesno, Tennessee and Akron would be all favored to win. There are not enough potential upsets to dislodge Ohio from a bowl. Akron I would be sweating it but they probably make it too if they take out Kent State.

We will know our fate by Sunday. The only game the following weekend with any implications would be Temple, but I'd give them very good odds of a W.

Too many upsets and we may be in trouble, but I'm really liking our chances.

That beer bet at Jacki O's is still out there. Haven't heard your reply yet?

That's a good and fair question. Let me go at it in reverse order of what you have listed:

1) Our current free ad is horrible in my opinion. I can't think of an ad for a college off of the top of my head that I truly remember. However, throughout the bowl season, there will be a few that have that wow factor. The video for the Stroh Center at BG is/was a memorable marketing piece in my opinion. Our current ad could be any school, any place. I honestly believe six of us from this board could come up with a better video if we were provided the technical video and sound expertise. So for the free ad spots - very little value for OU at this point.

2) Mentions during the game are very important but what is equally important is the announcing team. If they are informed and have done their homework, they can make a school. If they aren't, there isn't much value. It's as if they are on for three hours until the next important game. If there is a good technical director who captures the OU experience in the stands and on the field, that's a big plus. So for in-game mentions, huge if we get a good broadcast team and technical director.

3) Mentions throughout the holiday season can very well get lost in all of the noise - you know the old Springsteen song, 57 Channels and Nothing On. On the other hand, having your school's team in a bowl leads to lots of discussions among family and friends ands fellow workers and probably leads to a much greater awareness by some of the existence of a school that they may not have known much about or ever heard of before. When we were on a roll in those two NCAA tournaments, many of my friends in the yearbook business who are scattered all over the country messaged me and emailed me quite often. That said, they are already sports fans. As to the number of new fans, converts or devotees that we pick up, that's very hard to measure. There is true value for a school's name recognition and the perception of said institution by playing in a bowl game. An effective school ad, high production values, and of course a well played game in which there are memorable plays and hopefully a win by your school, probably have as much as anything to do with the value that the school receives for the bowl appearance.

I would agree that it's a difficult job to assess the value of advertising, whether it is done for an institution of higher education, or whether it is done for a for-profit business. Particularly difficult to assess is the pure name mentions. Still, businesses pay for them (the Stop-and-shop weather minute, or Prudential College Scoreboard, or whatever), so they must have some value.

I don't disagree, either, that Ohio needs a better ad.

Only 76 spots, as two of those teams play in the championship game. So yes 39 bowls, but 76 teams I think.

I'm for everyone playing another game at the end of the year just for kicks. I'm just kidding, but we're getting closer.