Who Deserves The Third Bowl?

With the MAC East and West already crowning their respected champions, there still is a question about which team will receive the thrid bowl bid. In my mind, this is a two team race for the likely Toronto road trip in January. By losing to Ball State last week, I am eliminating Toledo from the discussion. Let's analyze this and figure out who deserves it more.

The contenders are Bowling Green and Ball State.

Bowling Green's case:
The Falcons have the best overall record in the MAC this year at 7-4. Considering this was widely viewed as a rebuilding year, 7 wins (with the potential for an 8th) is a major plus for the program. BG features the prolific passing of QB Tyler Sheehan and the steady hands of Freddie Barnes. They have been competitive out of conference with a win at Minnesota and respectable showings versus both Michigan State and Boston College. There is no doubt that they can put points on the board as they average over 31 per game. An entertaining offense is always attractive for bowl representatives. If the teams aren't that great, will they at least make a fun, interesting game.

The case against Bowling Green:
Like it or not, BG fans aren't the most supportive. They don't travel either. And that's a big negative to bowl reps. I saw the Falcons in person this year down in Oxford and they looked terrible. They played uninspired and were shredded by an offense that makes the 49ers look dynamic. The running game is also anemic. The big rivalry game this Friday with the Rockets will loom large for the Falcons' case.

The case for Ball State:
You could make a strong argument that Nate Davis is the best quarterback in the entire conference. He's a flat out stud. Although they are 6-5, you can't hate on the schedule. All 5 of their losses have come against bowl teams (if Nebraska beats Colorado this week). A one point loss in Lincoln to the then-ranked Huskers as well as losses to Indiana, Illinois, Miami, and Central Michigan is admirable. They've also beaten Navy. The Cardinals average 430 yards a game and 32 points which, like I said earlier, is attractive. WR Dante Love has a shot at a pro career as well.

The case against Ball State:
They NEED a win this weekend at Northern Illinois and a loss by the Falcons to help their cause. Like most MAC schools, the Cardinal faithful don't travel well but who knows, they haven't been excited about football for awhile. Ball State also lacks any semblance of a running game. Just looking at their schedule, they beat the teams that they should and lost to the teams that should have as well. They could have used a signature win (Nebraska).

Quit messing around, who's getting the third spot?
I still think this is up in the air. If Bowling Green beats Toledo on Friday to get to 8-4, the brown and orange can go get some passports. If they lose and Ball State takes care of business like they should up in DeKalb, Nate Davis gets another game on national tv. Personally, I would take Ball State regardless of this weekend's games and it has nothing to do with my hatred toward BG. Nate Davis is a guy that you can promote, Sheehan lacks that quality.