Bowl bid open thread: Boise State accepts invite to play Utah in MAACO Bowl Las Vegas

Update: Boise State is officially going to Vegas. Coach Pete holding a press conference now.

With Nevada accepting an invite to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl last night, the Broncos appear headed to the MAACO Bowl in Las Vegas to face Utah. Unless something weird happens, which would be totally like college football.

Keep checking this post for bowl bid updates throughout the day, including commentary on Boise State's whereabouts and confirmation once the invite comes down. Also, chat about the BCS selections, WAC teams, Human Bowl participants, and more.

Happy bowl season, Bronco fans.

Update:

Your BCS bowl pairings

• National Championship: Auburn vs. Oregon
• Rose Bowl: Wisconsin vs. TCU
• Sugar Bowl: Ohio State vs. Arkansas
• Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Stanford
• Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. UCONN
  

Kraft Bowl chooses Nevada over Boise State. How is this supposed to make me feel?

At first, I was quite jealous because I never like someone to choose any team over the Broncos, least of all a Chris Ault-coached team. And then there was this quote from bowl director Gary Cavalli:

"With the No. 1 pick in the WAC, we were fortunate to have two very attractive options - Nevada and Boise State," executive director Gary Cavalli said in the press release. "These are two exciting, high-scoring teams, both ranked in the top 15 in the country. But Nevada won it on the field, and they were clearly more excited about coming to San Francisco."

Thanks for rubbing in the "on the field" part, jerko!

But really, what this decision came down to - at least what I'm telling myself this decision came down to - was that Boise State did not really want to go to the Kraft Bowl. And Nevada did. Cavalli was smart in choosing a team that desires to be there, for the game itself, ticket sales, excitement, and what have you.

So now I'm not so much viewing it as the Kraft Bowl choosing Nevada over Boise State as I am Boise State not choosing the Kraft Bowl.

Utah cannot escape Boise State after all

Remember, the Utes canceled their future series against the Broncos earlier this year because of scheduling conflicts with a move to the Pac-10 ... and the fact that why lose to Boise State once a year for the next three years?

Well, funny how things turned out then. Karma gods 1, Utah 0.

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas details

For your consumption:

• Yes, that is its real name.
• The game is played Wednesday, December 22, at 6:00 p.m.
• The game is aired on ESPN.
• The game is the fifth bowl game of bowl season.
• The game is played in Sam Boyd Stadium, home of UNLV. Boise State plays at UNLV in a Mountain West game next year.