This will be the third consecutive year that the Mid-American Conference (MAC) will have four teams in bowl games as the bids were announced on Sunday, however, Temple is not one of those teams. After playing in the Eagle Bank Bowl last year, the Owls were looking to go bowling in back-to-back years for the first time in their history. At 8-4, the Owls were one of two MAC teams – and the only teams in all of FBS – that were bowl eligible but didn’t receive a postseason invitation; Western Michigan (6-6) was the other MAC team.

The Owls had high expectations for 2010 – they were the preseason favorite to win the league championship – but failed to beat a MAC team that finished with a winning record. They did beat Connecticut which won the Big East and will play in a BCS game.

 It appears that the Owls may have been done in by Middle Tennessee which came from 14-0 deficit to beat Sun Belt Conference champion FIU 28-27.  The win gave the Blue Raiders a record of 6-6, made three Sun Belt teams bowl eligible and  allowed the conference to fulfill a secondary tie-in with the Little Caesars Bowl in Detroit.

E-mail Rock Hoffman at Rdvsports@yahoo.com