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End Zone: BGSU Falcons

A win against Buffalo is crucial for BG's bowl aspirations

11/14/2013

Bowling Green has won on back-to-back Tuesdays, but not all wins are created equally. A week ago the Falcons crushed Miami to be bowl-eligible, and two days ago BG blitzed Ohio to set up a MAC East Division title game at Buffalo on Black Friday.

That's where the similarities of those two victories end.

In fact, the win over the Bobcats does more for BG's bowl aspirations than the Miami win, because it positions the Falcons as no worse than the fifth-best team in the league.

But is that good enough? Last year it certainly was, as seven MAC teams went bowling. That won't happen this season, though, because it looks as if the ACC and Conference USA will produce more bowl-eligible teams than those leagues have bids.

Most bowl predictors think the MAC will get five bowl bids, which means BG's win over Ohio was crucial to position the Falcons as one of the league's top five.

There is bad news: As things stand now, those ACC and C-USA teams may fill the vacancies that went to MAC teams last season. I've even seen bowl projections that include just four MAC teams.

The point is obvious: If BG wants to go bowling again, a win over EMU is important, but a win over Buffalo is the most important win of all.

Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481 or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.