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Kent State could find themselves in line for a BCS bowl if they emerge victorious against No. 21 Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game on Friday. According to Jeremy Guy, the MAC Director of Communications, via Twitter, representatives from the Orange Bowl will attend Friday's game.
Kent State head coach Darrel Hazell was quoted on FanMonster.com saying, "We'll worry about where we go bowl-wise after Friday night." But it's still an exciting possibility. The Golden Flashes haven't played in a bowl game since 1972, and haven't had a winning season since 2001. They're now 11-1, facing the 11-1 Huskies on Friday.
The BCS qualification rules state that the highest-ranked team from a non-BCS conference earns automatic qualification if it finishes in the top 16 and a conference champion from a BCS conference finishes lower than No. 16. At No. 17, they're right on the edge, especially given that No. 16 UCLA plays late Friday night against Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game.