I'm a little ticked right now. On the heels of my question regarding UConn and a Big East bowl bid comes an ESPN.com article that notes that Notre Dame, if they go 6-6, can get the Big East's last bid assuming that no other team wins seven games.

Miami, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh are all in, taking three of the five Big East berths. Of BC, Syracuse, and West Virginia, BC is most unlikely to hit 7 wins given their last game is against Virginia Tech. Syracuse has a tough drive to 7 as two of their remaining three games are against West Virginia and Notre Dame. The Mountaineers just have to beat Temple.

The NCAA rule specifically covers teams who play 12 games and win 6 and are in a conference that has agreements with bowls, and UConn would more than qualify there with their 9-3 mark and their Big East membership (which, unlike Notre Dame, will soon include football).

What it comes down to (assuming we ignore money, which of course will dictate the outcome) is whether or not the conference wants to promote an up and coming team that had a good season, or a traditional team that will never be a football member of the conference (and who had to stage a major turnaround just to get to 6-6). I'm a Notre Dame fan, but I can't root for a .500 Irish team to box out the Huskies.