What If BYU Is Too Good For The Independence Bowl?

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The 2021 Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl is set up for a HUGE return to the field in Shreveport. After missing 2020, due to various issues that can all be tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indy Bowl will get a prime date, time slot, and network for 2021.

This year's Indy Bowl will be played on Saturday, December 18th, at 2:30pm on ABC Network. That's right, a pre-Christmas Saturday on ABC. Independence Bowl Executive Director Missy Setters commented on the date and time when it was first released, saying in a statement:

“This game date and time allows us to not only showcase Radiance Technologies, our city and region to millions of viewers across the country, but also gives us the flexibility to plan a great bowl week lineup of events that will appeal to both fans traveling in to follow their teams and locals looking for entertainment options for the whole family in mid-December."

For 2021, the Indy Bowl is set to have BYU take on a team from Conference USA. Getting Conference USA to have enough "bowl eligible" teams is always something to keep an eye on. But BYU will almost certainly be bowl eligible after their 2021 start...in fact, they might be too good.

Right now, BYU are 3-0 after knocking off two ranked teams two weeks in a row. They have wins over Arizona, Utah (who was ranked when they beat them), and Arizona State (who were also ranked when BYU won) in their last three games.

Now BYU does have some tough games ahead, but really their schedule helps them out in a lot of spots. For the next three weeks, they don't have to leave the state of Utah. They have a home game with South Florida (that's a big trip), then an "away" game at Utah State, then back home to face Boise State.

After that, they have to go to Waco, Texas to play Baylor, then a jump over to Washington State, but after those two, they bring Virginia all the way across the country to play in Provo, Utah. Then back to back games with Idaho State and Georgia Southern before they have to travel to USC at the end of November.

I say all of that to say this, BYU is pretty well set up to be staring down a College Football Playoff spot.

All of their home games seem to be likely wins, and when they do go on the road they're traveling to teams with a lot of questions surrounding their programs or the games themselves. Baylor lost to Texas State this year, Utah State is barely an away game, Washington State currently has a losing record, Georgia Southern was beat by Florida Atlantic, and USC just fired their coach.

So what happens if BYU is in the College Football Playoff? Obviously they won't be coming to Shreveport, but where does that leave the Indy Bowl? I'm sure there's a plan in place, and it will be great still. But how weird is it that these type of things keep happening to Shreveport's Bowl Game...