Bowl Games Logic

[DeskCoder]

Now I don't know how the Bowl Games are determined in real life, but in the game I got a "Huh?" kind of thing going on.

I am a Teambuilder team, and I won the MAC. I am now playing the #7 Big Ten team Minnesota (6-6 overall).

The #4 MAC team, Ohio, is playing the #3 ACC Team who is 9-3 overall.

The #3 place MAC, Central Michigan, is playing the #3 Big East Team, Louisville (9-3 overall).

Does that not seem wrong to anyone else?



SIDE NOTE: I went 13-0, won the MAC, and am ranked #9 going into the bowl game. I was hoping for an At Large bid into a BCS Bowl, but there are 4 other At Large teams ranked in front of me.

[pdiehm]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

Bowl games in real life make no sense save the national title game.

it's about matchups and who brings the most money.

[20Smash]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

If you won the MAC, but didn't go to a BCS game, you probably went to the Little Ceasars Bowl, which also reserves a spot for a Big Ten school. As long as the Big Ten has a team eligible for that slot (finish 7th in Big Ten and be bowl eligible), then that's who you'll play.

[mcpheje]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

If you won the MAC, but didn't go to a BCS game, you probably went to the Little Ceasars Bowl, which also reserves a spot for a Big Ten school. As long as the Big Ten has a team eligible for that slot (finish 7th in Big Ten and be bowl eligible), then that's who you'll play.

Correct. The other matchups are probably "At Large" selections. The game actually does a pretty good job of honoring the real life bowl game tie-ins.

[seasprite]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

Correct. The other matchups are probably "At Large" selections. The game actually does a pretty good job of honoring the real life bowl game tie-ins.

I am experiencing something completely different. In two years of OD, there hasnt been a single team from the Big Ten or the Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl hasnt had a team from the SEC in it either in those two years.

[Solidice]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

I am experiencing something completely different. In two years of OD, there hasnt been a single team from the Big Ten or the Pac 10 in the Rose Bowl. The Sugar Bowl hasnt had a team from the SEC in it either in those two years.

who was in the NC those years?

in all my simmed season, the BCS bowls looked correct. for the Rose Bowl it was always Big Ten vs. Pac-10, unless one of those teams were in the NC. same for the SEC in the Sugar Bowl.

[seasprite]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

who was in the NC those years?

in all my simmed season, the BCS bowls looked correct. for the Rose Bowl it was always Big Ten vs. Pac-10, unless one of those teams were in the NC. same for the SEC in the Sugar Bowl.

Does it matter who was in the NC? I am just asking. I thought that the #1 Pac 10 team or #2 if #1 was in the NCG, had the tie in with the Rose? Maybe I am wrong with that

[Solidice]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

Does it matter who was in the NC? I am just asking. I thought that the #1 Pac 10 team or #2 if #1 was in the NCG, had the tie in with the Rose? Maybe I am wrong with that

unless something has changed, the tie-ins are no longer applicable if one of them is in the NC.

for example: the #1 Big Ten is Ohio State, #1 Pac-10 is Oregon. Ohio State is #1 in the BCS, Oregon is not #2. Ohio State will be in the NC, Oregon in the Rose Bowl. the Rose bowl will have first choice for picking from the at-Large candidates since their tie-in went to the NC.

look at a few years ago, Michigan and Texas in the Rose Bowl in a non-NC game. some of the time, the conference tie-ins look to remain as another team in that conference is good enough to be an 'at-large' team.(or maybe if there is another conference team high enough, they have to? not sure)

[lanceroten]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

I know in some past versions(06-08) i'd see some odd matchups. Things like a MAC team(Toledo) in an Outback Bowl. An ACC slot would open up(Champs Sports Bowl) and you'd see a Sun Belt or Conf USA team take that spot. Seeing a Mac team get an sec jan 1st bowl was the strangest I ever saw. Anything like that on 11?

[DeskCoder]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

If you won the MAC, but didn't go to a BCS game, you probably went to the Little Ceasars Bowl, which also reserves a spot for a Big Ten school. As long as the Big Ten has a team eligible for that slot (finish 7th in Big Ten and be bowl eligible), then that's who you'll play.

You got it right, that's the bowl I am in.

I guess I need to get out of the MAC as soon as I can, or just make a BCS bowl from now on.

[paul allen]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

Bowl game logic for nd is broken. If nd is not going to a bcs bowl, the bowl matchup stinks. For ex., #13 nd vs unranked Ohio u. This didn't happen in prior versions to my memory.

[firesloth]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

Bowl game logic for nd is broken. If nd is not going to a bcs bowl, the bowl matchup stinks. For ex., #13 nd vs unranked Ohio u. This didn't happen in prior versions to my memory.

Yeah; I've played about 4 seasons as Notre Dame. I've gone to the GMAC bowl everytime.

[SA1NT401]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

NCAA logic for BOWL bids is silly IRL....I think the game reflects that part very well. There will be times when you wonder how (insert school) even had a shot at getting into the (insert Bowl) in the 1st place....Just like real life.

PLAYOFFS would fix EVERYTHING IRL and in the game.

[20Smash]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

You got it right, that's the bowl I am in.

I guess I need to get out of the MAC as soon as I can, or just make a BCS bowl from now on.

TELL me about it. My RTG player is a QB for Eastern Michigan, and that's the bowl we've gone to every season. I've got one more year to make a BCS game.

[Pogo27]

Re: Bowl Games Logic

If you guys think the bowl game logic is broke, then you don't pay much attention to real life.

Every season of dynasty I've played so far has looked all right in terms of what teams played in what bowls.


First "bowl game" to get its teams is the BCS National Championship game, which simply takes the #1 and #2 ranked teams per the BCS rankings.

Now, outside of this, for the other 4 BCS bowl games...
Rose Bowl, generally, gets the Pac-10 and Big Ten champs.
Fiesta Bowl, generally, gets the Big 12 champ and an at-large.
Orange Bowl, generally, gets the ACC champ and an at-large.
Sugar Bowl, generally, gets the SEC champ and an at-large.

Now, I say "generally" because if the conference champion in any of those examples is ranked #1 or #2 (and they almost always will be), then that slot is changed to an at-large.

If, for example Alabama finished ranked #1 and won the SEC and Ohio State finished ranked #2 and won the Big Ten.
Oregon won the Pac-10, Nebraska won the Big 12, and Clemson won the ACC.
First, the BCS game gets Bama/Fake-eyes.
Next, Rose Bowl gets Oregon, Fiesta Bowl gets Nebraska, and Orange Bowl gets Clemson.

Now, because Alabama won the SEC and finished ranked #1, the Sugar Bowl gets the FIRST at-large pick. Ohio State being ranked #2, the Rose Bowl gets the SECOND at-large pick. While history has shown that these bowls GENERALLY pick a team from the conference with the tie-in, they are by no means obligated. They pick the team that they think will give them the best draw. The last 4 Sugar Bowls picked the SEC runner-up, as the SEC champion was in the BCS NCG, and it's mostly because..well... look, the Sugar Bowl is in New Orleans, SEC fans will go see their team.

Rose Bowl picked Illinois not to long ago, when the Big Ten champ Ohio State was in the NCG. But again, these are not obligatory picks.

Once all of the tie-ins are either fulfilled or made up for with at-larges, then the other 3 at-large spots are filled. One of the 3 remaining at-large spots has to be filled with the Big East champion (unless they were picked to fill in for a team in the NCG).

Notre Dame makes themselves BCS eligible by finishing in the top 14, however they are only ELIGIBLE. If they finish in the top 8 however, they have an automatic BCS berth.

A team outside of ND and the BCS conferences receives an automatic BCS berth if they finish in the top 12 (I think, it may be 14 or 10 or something) AND are ranked ahead of one of the champions of one of the BCS conferences.


Outside of the BCS, no bowls have AT-LARGES except in the case that a conference fails to qualify as many teams as it has tie-ins. In the GMAC, for example, they get the 9th ACC pick and one of the top 3 MAC teams. Well, the ACC ends up with less than 9 bowl-eligible teams most of the time, so this is a really popular AT-LARGE bid.