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By KELLY BEATON
Waterloo (IA) Courier
Alright, Iowa State football fans. Before you get all paranoid about the 6-6 Cyclones’ lack of bowl options, check out the thoughts of an Independence Bowl rep (the Insight and Houston Bowls are also interested in ISU, by the way).
Here’s a Q-and-A with Independence Bowl rep Jerry Anderson, who pressed the flesh in Columbia, Mo. in the regular-season finale …
The Courier: ARE TV RATINGS TRULY A HUGE FACTOR WHEN BOWLS SELECT TEAMS?
Jerry Anderson: “That’s always important — TV ratings are very important, obviously. And we look for matchups which might (garner) TV ratings.
“Sometimes you have players that stand out, and that kind of stuff.
TC: SO STORYLINES MATTER, LIKE IF IOWA STATE PLAYED AUBURN, AND GENE CHIZIK HAD COACHED AT ISU BEFORE?
JA: “There’s a lot of interest in that. And, obviously, we would think that if we had that matchup that there’s a possibility there would be more media attention than there would, you know, with some other matchup that didn’t involve any personalities or didn’t involve any controversy.
“It’s like back when we had South Carolina when they just had hired their new coach from Florida; there was a lot of talk about (Steve) Spurrier, we got a lot of media attention. … That was one of our higher-rated bowls.”
TC: WHEN’S THE EARLIEST YOU COULD MAKE YOUR TEAM SELECTIONS?
JA: “We’re not gonna make a pick until after the (conference) championships. We make it that Sunday after the championship games.
We will wait. Because what happens is, it goes by the pecking order. And the only way it could be (done) unofficially is if everyone ahead of us told us who they were gonna pick.”
TC: WHAT MAKES IOWA STATE AN INTRIGUING POSSIBILITY FOR YOUR BOWL GAME?
JA: “A new coach. Always when you have new coaches that’s always an (interesting) thing. … It’ll be an item for discussion.”
TC: HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON YOUR DECISION DOES IT MAKE WHEN YOU’RE COMPARING TRADITION-RICH CLUBS WITH TEAMS LIKE IOWA STATE, THAT OFTEN DRAW JUST LIKE 42,000 TO HOME GAMES?
JA: “Well, we have a history with Iowa State, and we’ve been pleased with Iowa State’s travel in the past. We were pleased with Iowa State’s response to our game.
“If we don’t have Auburn, would they travel? You know, one year (Iowa State) played Alabama, and then another year they played Miami of Ohio — which was not necessarily a great draw. So, whether that would impact it or not, we’re obviously going to look at it from a historical (perspective), from what they’ve done in the past.”
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