National speculation about the No. 12 Ball State University football team playing No. 9 Boise State University in the Humanitarian Bowl was put to an end Wednesday.
The Humanitarian Bowl announced in a press release at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday that Ball State informed the bowl it was no longer a candidate to play in the Dec. 30 bowl game. There had been speculation - including in USA Today, the Washington Post and the Sporting News - about matching up Ball State and Boise State, two of the nation's four remaining undefeated teams.
"It's unfortunate for college football that we are not able to put together these two unbeaten and nationally ranked teams in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl," Kevin McDonald, executive director of the Humanitarian Bowl, said in the press release. "There was some good creativity, flexibility and enterprise among all the potential participants to try to make this thing happen but in the end it couldn't be worked out. Invitations will be made for the 2008 Roady's Humanitarian Bowl in the next few days."
Representatives from the Humanitarian Bowl and Boise State and Ball State athletics director Tom Collins could not be reached for comment Wednesday after the official announcement was made by the Humanitarian Bowl.
Collins said Tuesday he was not sure it was fair for the Cardinals to play the Broncos on their home field for a bowl game as the Humanitarian Bowl is played at the Broncos' stadium. He also said the university wants to find a bowl location that Cardinals' fans would be able to travel to.
"I think it would be great for television, but I'm not sure its fair to our student athletes to ask them to go out and play on Boise State's home field," Collins said Tuesday about the possibility of playing Boise State in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Louisiana Tech University accepted an invitation Wednesday to the Independence Bowl - which had been mentioned as a potential neutral meeting site for Ball State and Boise State - ending the possibility of the teams meeting at that venue.
In an article on the Washington Post Web site Wednesday, Mid-American Conference Commissioner Rick Chryst said it appears any chance of a Ball State-Boise State bowl game is dead, as all possible options have been exhausted.
Collins said Tuesday Ball State is committed to the three bowl games that have affiliations with the MAC - the Motor City Bowl in Detroit, the International Bowl in Toronto and the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
Motor City Bowl Executive Director Ken Hoffman said Tuesday the bowl would love to have the Cardinals no matter if they win or lose in the Friday's MAC Championship Game against the University at Buffalo. The Motor City Bowl, which is played Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit, has the first selection of MAC team's among the three bowls.
"We want to create the best possible matchup in the Motor City Bowl for the Mid-American Conference and the bowl itself," Hoffman said Tuesday.
The Motor City Bowl features a team from the MAC and the Big Ten. However, if two Big Ten teams make BCS bowls, the Motor City Bowl could have an open spot and the MAC representative could face an at-large team from another conference.
Collins said Tuesday Ball State hopes to announce Sunday which bowl game it will play.
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