LSU-We leave nothing to chance!!!
QUOTE
Taking a flier on Cotton
LSU makes special trip to convince officials it'd outrank Tide, Dawgs
08:09 PM CST on Friday, December 2, 2005
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
AT&T Cotton Bowl executives have been inundated with phone calls, e-mails and even slick, eight-page marketing plans from Georgia and Alabama as the two teams jockey to represent the Southeastern Conference in Dallas this January.
LSU, however, has taken bowl campaigning to a new, personal level.
LSU coach Les Miles and athletic director Skip Bertman flew to Dallas on Thursday night to persuade Cotton Bowl officials to pick the Tigers if they lose today's SEC championship game, according to a source who was at the meeting.
Dan Petty, chairman of the Cotton Bowl selection committee, would neither confirm nor deny the meeting took place.
But he said school officials have made an exemplary effort to outline why No. 3 LSU (10-1) would make a better selection than No. 13 Georgia (9-2) or No. 14 Alabama (9-2).
The matchup for the 70th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be formally announced Sunday.
"They clearly don't intend, in my view, to lose the championship game," Petty said Friday. "But they are doing a prudent practice to develop a plan B or an alternative strategy if things don't work out."
LSU would clinch a spot in the more lucrative Bowl Championship Series with a win against Georgia at 5 p.m. today at the Georgia Dome. The Sugar Bowl, the most likely destination for the winner, has a $14.4 million team payout compared to the Cotton's $3 million payout.
An LSU spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment.
"I have not really given a lot of thought to the bowl scenario, to be honest with you," Miles said at a news conference Friday to promote the SEC title game. "I am more concerned about this game, that we're playing Georgia. Hopefully, we'll take care of our own bowl scenario."
Assuming LSU wins today, Alabama is the leading candidate to face the Big 12's representative, No. 18 Texas Tech, in the Cotton on Jan. 2.
That would change if LSU loses, and if Miles and Bertman's passionate –and unusual – plea swayed the bowl's selection committee.
The pair arrived at Love Field on a private plane about 8:20 p.m. Thursday and reached the Cotton Bowl's offices about 20 minutes later. Miles and Bertman detailed how much the team had overcome in dealing with the effects of two hurricanes while winning the SEC West title, the source said.
Five members of the Cotton Bowl selection committee and two staff members were present, the source said.
Miles and Bertman left the Cotton Bowl offices, which are located off Mockingbird Lane near Interstate 35, about 10 p.m. and returned to Baton Rouge, La. LSU coaches and players flew to Atlanta on Friday.
"I had not heard about that, no," Alabama president Robert Witt said when told of the meeting. But he expressed confidence in athletic director Mal Moore's ability to present the Crimson Tide in the best possible light.
"What I'm staying focused on is what we can do of a positive nature," said Witt, who spent 35 years in the University of Texas system before going to Tuscaloosa, Ala. "I have great confidence in their judgment, and I'm very hopeful that we'll get the call on Sunday."
LSU fans may be wondering why Miles and Bertman would leave their team less than 48 hours before the SEC championship.
Miles said in the meeting that Thursday nights are reserved for family time, the source said. Miles told those present that he was not missing any team-related functions by flying to Dallas.
E-mail brdavis@dallasnews.com
70th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, No. 3 SEC vs. No. 2 Big 12 (matchup will be announced Sunday)
For a bowl none of the fans want to go to, they put up a pretty good fight.
QUOTE
Taking a flier on Cotton
LSU makes special trip to convince officials it'd outrank Tide, Dawgs
08:09 PM CST on Friday, December 2, 2005
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
AT&T Cotton Bowl executives have been inundated with phone calls, e-mails and even slick, eight-page marketing plans from Georgia and Alabama as the two teams jockey to represent the Southeastern Conference in Dallas this January.
LSU, however, has taken bowl campaigning to a new, personal level.
LSU coach Les Miles and athletic director Skip Bertman flew to Dallas on Thursday night to persuade Cotton Bowl officials to pick the Tigers if they lose today's SEC championship game, according to a source who was at the meeting.
Dan Petty, chairman of the Cotton Bowl selection committee, would neither confirm nor deny the meeting took place.
But he said school officials have made an exemplary effort to outline why No. 3 LSU (10-1) would make a better selection than No. 13 Georgia (9-2) or No. 14 Alabama (9-2).
The matchup for the 70th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be formally announced Sunday.
"They clearly don't intend, in my view, to lose the championship game," Petty said Friday. "But they are doing a prudent practice to develop a plan B or an alternative strategy if things don't work out."
LSU would clinch a spot in the more lucrative Bowl Championship Series with a win against Georgia at 5 p.m. today at the Georgia Dome. The Sugar Bowl, the most likely destination for the winner, has a $14.4 million team payout compared to the Cotton's $3 million payout.
An LSU spokesman did not return phone calls seeking comment.
"I have not really given a lot of thought to the bowl scenario, to be honest with you," Miles said at a news conference Friday to promote the SEC title game. "I am more concerned about this game, that we're playing Georgia. Hopefully, we'll take care of our own bowl scenario."
Assuming LSU wins today, Alabama is the leading candidate to face the Big 12's representative, No. 18 Texas Tech, in the Cotton on Jan. 2.
That would change if LSU loses, and if Miles and Bertman's passionate –and unusual – plea swayed the bowl's selection committee.
The pair arrived at Love Field on a private plane about 8:20 p.m. Thursday and reached the Cotton Bowl's offices about 20 minutes later. Miles and Bertman detailed how much the team had overcome in dealing with the effects of two hurricanes while winning the SEC West title, the source said.
Five members of the Cotton Bowl selection committee and two staff members were present, the source said.
Miles and Bertman left the Cotton Bowl offices, which are located off Mockingbird Lane near Interstate 35, about 10 p.m. and returned to Baton Rouge, La. LSU coaches and players flew to Atlanta on Friday.
"I had not heard about that, no," Alabama president Robert Witt said when told of the meeting. But he expressed confidence in athletic director Mal Moore's ability to present the Crimson Tide in the best possible light.
"What I'm staying focused on is what we can do of a positive nature," said Witt, who spent 35 years in the University of Texas system before going to Tuscaloosa, Ala. "I have great confidence in their judgment, and I'm very hopeful that we'll get the call on Sunday."
LSU fans may be wondering why Miles and Bertman would leave their team less than 48 hours before the SEC championship.
Miles said in the meeting that Thursday nights are reserved for family time, the source said. Miles told those present that he was not missing any team-related functions by flying to Dallas.
E-mail brdavis@dallasnews.com
70th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 2, No. 3 SEC vs. No. 2 Big 12 (matchup will be announced Sunday)
For a bowl none of the fans want to go to, they put up a pretty good fight.
