96 team

[calpoke25]

Anybody else feel it is a crime that there is no way to recognize how great the 96 team was in the stadium, simply because they were screwed and didn't get a bowl invite?

The 1996 Cowboy team finished ranked in both polls and featured a national award winner, something we don't do very often.

I'm not advocating for anything specifically, I just think its too bad that when you look up on the stadium, you don't see that teams name anywhere, even though they were arguably the best Cowboy team of the past 20 years, and surely better than most bowl teams from that same time frame, yet there are 7-6 teams immortalized on the stadium (No offense to the NM Bowl, it should be remembered also).

[fromolwyoming]

Anybody else feel it is a crime that there is no way to recognize how great the 96 team was in the stadium, simply because they were screwed and didn't get a bowl invite?

The 1996 Cowboy team finished ranked in both polls and featured a national award winner, something we don't do very often.

I'm not advocating for anything specifically, I just think its too bad that when you look up on the stadium, you don't see that teams name anywhere, even though they were arguably the best Cowboy team of the past 20 years, and surely better than most bowl teams from that same time frame, yet there are 7-6 teams immortalized on the stadium (No offense to the NM Bowl, it should be remembered also).

Obviously, yes. I suppose this came about because of what that Moose's Ass guy said, right?
Anyways, that was BS back in 96. Wyoming certainly deserved to go to a bowl (and weren't the Cowboys 2nd in the WAC since they played in the CCG?). Probably could have won it too.

[WYCowboy]

Absolutely, that was one of the biggest travesties in college football. The 96 team and the University of Wyoming got robbed.

[Wyokie]

Anybody else feel it is a crime that there is no way to recognize how great the 96 team was in the stadium, simply because they were screwed and didn't get a bowl invite?

The 1996 Cowboy team finished ranked in both polls and featured a national award winner, something we don't do very often.

I'm not advocating for anything specifically, I just think its too bad that when you look up on the stadium, you don't see that teams name anywhere, even though they were arguably the best Cowboy team of the past 20 years, and surely better than most bowl teams from that same time frame, yet there are 7-6 teams immortalized on the stadium (No offense to the NM Bowl, it should be remembered also).

Obviously, yes. I suppose this came about because of what that Moose's Ass guy said, right?
Anyways, that was BS back in 96. Wyoming certainly deserved to go to a bowl (and weren't the Cowboys 2nd in the WAC since they played in the CCG?). Probably could have won it too.

Wyoming won the Pacific Division title that year. It consisted of AFA, CSU, Wyoming, UNLV, San Diego State, Fresno State, Hawaii, and San Jose State. We lost a very winnable Conference title game against the basterds from Provo!

BTW, I'm 100% convinced that had Nebraska beaten Texas for the first ever Big 12 Championship, Wyoming would've been playing in either the Holiday Bowl (vs. either Colorado or Washington) or the Cotton Bowl vs. Kansas State who beat the living crap outta us in the 1993 Copper Bowl which was in my mind part of why we never got a 1996 bowl invite. Our attendance figures for both Copper Bowls (1990 & 1993) stunk.

[laxwyo]

yeah, didn't they send Utah to the Copper bowl to get destroyed by Wisconsin?

96 was my freshman year in laramie. boy did i get spoiled. That Hawaii beatdown sure was fun. 66-0. I guess I know how BYU has been feeling playing us the last few years.

[Wyokie]

yeah, didn't they send Utah to the Copper bowl to get destroyed by Wisconsin?

Yep. Badgers won, 38-10.

96 was my freshman year in laramie. boy did i get spoiled. That Hawaii beatdown sure was fun. 66-0. I guess I know how BYU has been feeling playing us the last few years.

I love quoting the Hawaii score for that season to my buddies who live in the Hawaiian Islands. Great way to shup them up whenever they get all "superior" thinking the WAC is better than the MWC.

[Aaron]

I remember that game fondly. I was a 12 year old driving silage truck for the family that day

[OrediggerPoke]

I agree. It definitely makes sense to recognize them somehow...as the 96 team was clearly better than the Las Vegas and New Mexico Bowl teams.

[fromolwyoming]

Anybody else feel it is a crime that there is no way to recognize how great the 96 team was in the stadium, simply because they were screwed and didn't get a bowl invite?

The 1996 Cowboy team finished ranked in both polls and featured a national award winner, something we don't do very often.

I'm not advocating for anything specifically, I just think its too bad that when you look up on the stadium, you don't see that teams name anywhere, even though they were arguably the best Cowboy team of the past 20 years, and surely better than most bowl teams from that same time frame, yet there are 7-6 teams immortalized on the stadium (No offense to the NM Bowl, it should be remembered also).

Obviously, yes. I suppose this came about because of what that Moose's Ass guy said, right?
Anyways, that was BS back in 96. Wyoming certainly deserved to go to a bowl (and weren't the Cowboys 2nd in the WAC since they played in the CCG?). Probably could have won it too.

Wyoming won the Pacific Division title that year. It consisted of AFA, CSU, Wyoming, UNLV, San Diego State, Fresno State, Hawaii, and San Jose State. We lost a very winnable Conference title game against the basterds from Provo!

BTW, I'm 100% convinced that had Nebraska beaten Texas for the first ever Big 12 Championship, Wyoming would've been playing in either the Holiday Bowl (vs. either Colorado or Washington) or the Cotton Bowl vs. Kansas State who beat the living crap outta us in the 1993 Copper Bowl which was in my mind part of why we never got a 1996 bowl invite. Our attendance figures for both Copper Bowls (1990 & 1993) stunk.

Could that have had anything to do with the losses in the Holiday Bowls?

[Wyokie]

Could that have had anything to do with the losses in the Holiday Bowls?

It's possible but we did send 10,000 fans both years so.....

Had Nebraska won the Big 12 that year in 1996, here's my best guess ats to what should've happened....

Nebraska would've gone on to play for the National Title in the Orange Bowl.
BYU would've gone on to the Fiesta Bowl as the best at-large in the Bowl Alliance (precursor to the BCS)

Now, the WAC contract with both the Holiday Bowl AND the Cotton Bowl REQUIRED that one of the two bowls had to take the best available WAC team, in this case Wyoming, with the Cotton Bowl getting first choice. If the Cotton Bowl said we'll pass on Wyoming then the Holiday Bowl would've been required to take Wyoming, nn questions asked!!!!

All the bowl arrangements were set up with the power-that-be thinking an 10-1 Nebraska squad would easily beat a Texas Lonhorn team that went 7-4 in the regular season. But a funny thing happened on the way to forum........

[fromolwyoming]

Could that have had anything to do with the losses in the Holiday Bowls?

It's possible but we did send 10,000 fans both years so.....

Had Nebraska won the Big 12 that year in 1996, here's my best guess ats to what should've happened....

Nebraska would've gone on to play for the National Title in the Orange Bowl.
BYU would've gone on to the Fiesta Bowl as the best at-large in the Bowl Alliance (precursor to the BCS)

Now, the WAC contract with both the Holiday Bowl AND the Cotton Bowl REQUIRED that one of the two bowls had to take the best available WAC team, in this case Wyoming, with the Cotton Bowl getting first choice. If the Cotton Bowl said we'll pass on Wyoming then the Holiday Bowl would've been required to take Wyoming, nn questions asked!!!!

All the bowl arrangements were set up with the power-that-be thinking an 10-1 Nebraska squad would easily beat a Texas Lonhorn team that went 7-4 in the regular season. But a funny thing happened on the way to forum........

So, either Nebraska can be blamed for screwing it up for us, or Texas can (and the Cowboys have the oppurtunity to get revenge on both in the next few years).

[Wyokie]

Could that have had anything to do with the losses in the Holiday Bowls?

It's possible but we did send 10,000 fans both years so.....

Had Nebraska won the Big 12 that year in 1996, here's my best guess ats to what should've happened....

Nebraska would've gone on to play for the National Title in the Orange Bowl.
BYU would've gone on to the Fiesta Bowl as the best at-large in the Bowl Alliance (precursor to the BCS)

Now, the WAC contract with both the Holiday Bowl AND the Cotton Bowl REQUIRED that one of the two bowls had to take the best available WAC team, in this case Wyoming, with the Cotton Bowl getting first choice. If the Cotton Bowl said we'll pass on Wyoming then the Holiday Bowl would've been required to take Wyoming, nn questions asked!!!!

All the bowl arrangements were set up with the power-that-be thinking an 10-1 Nebraska squad would easily beat a Texas Lonhorn team that went 7-4 in the regular season. But a funny thing happened on the way to forum........

So, either Nebraska can be blamed for screwing it up for us, or Texas can (and the Cowboys have the oppurtunity to get revenge on both in the next few years).

EXACTLY!!!!!

BTW, you can blame the Big 12 for the entire WAC-16 fiasco!

[Wyokie]

One quick correction....

Had Nebraska won the Big 12 title that year, they would've gone to the Fiesta Bowl (it was the 1st year the Big 12 champs were contracted to go there). I had posted they would've played in the Orange Bowl had they won. In actuality, the Huskers did play in the Orange Bowl that year and beat Virginia Tech.

Sorry for the goof, guys.