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Message: [QUOTE="ScottVib, post: 5127434, member: 694"] Keep in mind for an at large bid the 7+ win teams (no bonuses for winning more than 7) have to be picked before the 6-6 teams. That is not true for bids that are following arranged contracts (also keep in mind former Pac-12 teams are in the Pac-12 bowl pool). Here is what I see (feel free to correct anything I might have mistaken): The ACC has 11 bids... but with 2 teams projected to playoff (SMU & Miami; plus Notre Dame) that leaves 9 eligible teams (Cal is in the Pac-12 pool) & one potentially eligible team for those bids. That should leave one bid open. Now the bid has a backup deal with the AAC.... The AAC has 8 bids... but with 7 eligible teams, they need their one potentially eligible team to fill their allotment; without considering the ACC deal (which would actually get filled first and leave a backup). Assume they fill there spots. The Big Ten has 7 bids... they have 4 teams projected into the playoff, leaving 6 teams eligible (remember Washington & USC are in the Pac-12 pool) and two potentially eligible. Assume one of the two potentials wins. Big XII has 7 bids... they have 1 team projected into the playoff, but they come out of the Pac-12 pool. That leaves 7 eligible teams for their 7 spots and two more potentially eligible. They're filled. CUSA has 7 bids (believe it or not). They only have 4 teams eligible this year. They will have 3 extras. Meaning we're at four open so far. MAC has 6 bids and will have 7 eligible teams. They're full. MWC has 6 bids and will have one team in the playoff field. That leaves 4 teams eligible with one potentially eligible. They will have at least one open bid. Five open bids. Pac-12 has 6 bids and one (Arizona State) projected to the playoff. That leaves them with 5 eligible teams for 6 spots with Oregon State needing to beat Boise on the road to fill it. Boise has something to play for, it's not happening. That puts 6 open bids so far. The SEC has 9 bids and 3 projected to the playoff. That still leaves them with 10 teams eligible and another (Auburn) potentially eligible. They're full. The Sun Belt has 5 bids and 7 teams eligible, with 3 more potentially eligible. They're full. So based on the alignment (that I dug out of the conference media guides, plus other sources) there should be 6 potentially open bids. UConn looks like one of only a few 7+ win teams that will be in the pool of at large selections... meaning UConn will most likely get a spot. One other thing I noticed, while many bowls have standings for the conferences they're aligned with the Boca Raton bowl, part of the G5 pool has something none of the others do. They have an Independent standing.... except that Independent Standing has only one team listed, UConn. Not Notre Dame, not UMass. Just UConn. I suspect Boca has their eye pretty strongly on the Huskies. [/QUOTE]

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