Speculation was rampant among Western Michigan University and University of Buffalo fans, who, with identical 6-6 records, were on the fringes of bowl contention. Each had hopes of landing one of the lesser bowls on the schedule, most notably the Quick Lane Bowl, held in Detroit.
By 3 p.m., most of the obvious selections were made: MAC champion Toledo to the Dollar General Bowl, runner-up Akron to the Boca Raton Bowl, and Ohio to the Bahamas Bowl. This led to even more speculation that the Broncos, who by some projections were on the outside looking in, would actually make it to a bowl.