Heading into bowl season last year, SMU was 11-2, and Liberty was 13-0. The Flames earned the lone Group of Five spot in the New Year’s Six slate, losing 45-6 to Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. According to AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti, the Mustangs should’ve been the ones playing the Ducks.
Commissioner Tim Pernetti Rips NY6 at AAC Media Days
The NY6 games include the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Peach Bowl, and Fiesta Bowl. They are played annually on or around New Year’s Day and are six of the 10 oldest bowl games played at the FBS level. The contests comprised the Power Five conference champions and the highest-ranked champion from the Group of Five ranks.
In 2023, Liberty (23) outranked SMU (24) by one spot. If it were up to Pernetti, that wouldn’t have been the case. At AAC Media Days, the conference’s commissioner ripped the NY6 selection, saying, “What happened, from our perspective, speaks for itself. You have an institution (SMU) that had the guts to go out there and schedule and compete.”
To his point, the Mustangs’ only two regular-season losses came against Power Five teams Oklahoma and TCU. Meanwhile, the Flames’ out-of-conference schedule featured just one team that finished with a winning record: Bowling Green (7-6), ODU (6-7), Buffalo (3-9), and UMass (3-9).
The schedule discrepancy spread into conference play as well, as the CUSA was markedly less competitive than the AAC.
Despite having five more teams, the AAC had just one more program with a 4-8 or worse record (six) than the CUSA (five).
AAC final records:
- SMU (11-3)
- Tulane (11-3)
- Memphis (10-3)
- UTSA (9-4)
- USF (7-6)
- Rice (6-7)
- Navy (5-7),
- North Texas (5-7)
- Tulsa (4-8)
- UAB (4-8)
- FAU (4-8)
- Charlotte (3-9)
- Temple (3-9)
- East Carolina (2-10)
CUSA final records:
- Liberty (13-1)
- New Mexico State (10-5)
- Jacksonville State (9-4)
- Western Kentucky (8-5)
- Middle Tennessee (4-8)
- FIU (4-8)
- Sam Houston (3-9)
- Louisiana Tech (3-9)
- UTEP (3-9)
Even with SMU leaving for the ACC this year, the gap between the AAC and CUSA might not change all that much.
The AAC is adding the formerly independent Army Black Knights, who have had one losing season in the last eight years, while the CUSA brings in Kennesaw State, who has gone 8-12 over the last two years at the FCS level since leaving the Big South.
When asked about other Group of Five conferences potentially being rated ahead of the AAC, Pernetti responded confidently, “We’re going to do our talking on the field.”
KEEP READING: 2024 AAC Power Rankings
With the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams in 2024, the New Year’s Six will host the Quarterfinal and Semifinal rounds. One G5 team is practically guaranteed to make the dance after the Pac-12’s dissolution, as the five highest-ranked conference champions receive a place on the bracket.
According to FanDuel, the CUSA’s Liberty (+470) is the Group of Five favorite to enter the field, with the Mountain West’s Boise State (+490) and the AAC’s Memphis (+550) trailing.
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