Topic: Best bowl win percentage

[jn330]

For teams who've played more than three bowls, Marshall is tops. 
This hasn't been updated to reflect last night's game, but even before last night Marshall had the highest win percentage for teams that have been to more than three.  Now we've gone from 80% to 82%.  Next best is Utah at 78%
9-2 in bowl games is a really impressive mark!

Go Herd!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_Division_I_FBS_football_bowl_records

[bbcard1]

If you count the tangerine bowl loss against Catawba we have lost three. Those bastards! Of course no one counts ancient history ( except wvu fans). How times have changed. Not only did head coach Cam Henderson not travel to the bowl but he also kept several key players from travelling in order to play in a basketball tournament.

[chris88]

If you count the Catawba loss, Utah is best at 14-3....we are 2nd

[bbcard1]

I don't think it counts as somehow it was before the modern bowl structure was in place. Somebody explained it to me once, but I lost those brain cells somewhere.

[WoodyWoodrum]

NCAA did not certify the Tangerine Bowl until the 1960s, and it was largely a game of NAIA and College Division (i.e. schools like Marshall, Morris Harvey, Catawba, Ohio Valley Conference) through 1968 (when NCAA certified bowl), when MAC and SoCon began matching up teams. Went away from MAC in mid-1970s, and has continued with mostly major conference teams since then until it became the Florida Citrus Bowl (1983), later the Capital One Bowl and now Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.
Old bowl, coming along with Gator and Sun in post-war America.
Marshall will always count they bowl, they were about third choice for Orlando to face defending champs Catawba, who won the first game in 1947 against Maryville. Donnie Gibson of Herd was MVP, moving to guard to replace Bob Wright and Norm Willey, who went with Cam Henderson to Helms Foundation LA Invitational (due to Herd being NAIB, now NAIA, champs in March of '47). Cam left long-time assistant Roy Straight to coach 7-0 loss to Catawba, although Herd had more rush, pass yards and first downs (a few flags went against the Herd, according to '47 players).
Cam and Herd hoopers won Los Angeles Tournament, beating Idaho, West Texas State and Syracuse, 46-44, on Dec. 30 of 1947.

[pdunn]

Marshall will always count they bowl, they were about third choice for Orlando to face defending champs Catawba, who won the first game in 1947 against Maryville.

I'm curious, who were the teams that were being considered ahead of the Herd?

There were only about five bowl games really before the war.  If you look at the official NCAA records guide there are about a gazillion nonsanctioned postseason events that are listed.  Once upon a time--pre-war, really--it was not that unusual for a team in the south, especially Florida, to invite a team from somewhere to come play them in their town or on their campus after the season was finished.  The Tangerine Bowl was not that kind of game of course but these games were often designated "Bowls" and called the Tampa Bowl or the Cigar Bowl or something like that. 

The NCAA would absolutely have a fit if that was tried in this day and age.  During the early years of the Great Depression games such as this were actually encouraged in an effort to stimulate some type of economic activity, including some intersectional games--kind of uncommon in the days before air travel--added during the regular season itself.