Every rule can be bent. Every deal can be brokered. Except when it comes to a bowl like the Peach who WANTS Mississippi State, they'll be the one that is forced to swallow what they don't want. The Outback can select a 7-5 Florida over 9-4 South Carolina. The Gator can take 6-6 Tennesee over 8-4 teams. But ohhhhh noooooo, the Peach MUST take South Carolina. There can be no debate. The sanctity of the SEC Bowl selection process is at stake! What a steaming pile of crap.
I also know they haven't travelled well to bowl games, just got their *** handed to them in Atlanta, and I could see a lot of USC fans not roaring to go back to Atlanta in four weeks. It's a hunch, not crack pipe.
a screw job? Technically, that's a better bowl on par with the Cotton, even if it's not the location we want. This is assuming that Florida really is in the Gator and we don't get screwed into Nashville some other way.
There isn't a rule saying that a conference champ game participant can't fall past the ChicBowl. The idea that USC wouldn't travel to Atlanta is based off the idea that they wouldn't want to go back 3 weeks later.
I've heard that several members of the ChicFila Bowl committee would like to see USC fall to the Gator, especially since all of this is semi their fault for passing on the Outback.