Jack Del Rio was asked at Wednesday's press conference about the we-don't-get-no-respect claims by Jaguars fans. This was his answer:

"Fortunately for us, we don't operate in the NFL under a poll or BCS. We have the opportunity to earn our way into the tournament. I really don't buy into the whole guys-aren't-talking-about-us-enough stuff," Del Rio said.

There's nothing earth-shattering about those remarks, but they sparked a thought in my head: What if the Jaguars were a college team whose esteem and championship hopes depended on polls and the BCS rankings and bowl invitations?

Well, we'd know one thing for sure: The Jaguars wouldn't be getting an invitation from the Gator Bowl.

Here's what else we might know:

• The Jaguars' soft schedule would probably cause Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Mark May and even Desmond Howard to engage in long debates about the merits of the Jaguars' record. Corso would ask, "How can you justify putting the Jaguars in the BCS rankings when they haven't played a team at .500 or above since the middle of October?"

• Attracting a major bowl would be a big problem for the Jaguars because they'd be a small-market team that wouldn't deliver much in the way of TV ratings and they don't travel well, either. That would immediately cause Chris Fowler to question the integrity of a system that was designed by chambers of commerce in southern towns that wanted to fill their hotel rooms and get back some of the money the South lost in the Civil War. Corso and the other talking heads would look at Fowler as though he didn't get the memo.

• The Jaguars and Colts would be playing in the conference title game and the TV network broadcasting the game would be perfectly satisfied with a one o'clock start.

• Jaguars fans would circulate a petition to keep a certain in-state team with five losses out of a bowl game Jaguars fans think the Jaguars should be in. They'd say, "We have five quarterbacks better than theirs and one of ours is a wide receiver."

• Those same Jaguars fans would appeal to their hometown Gator Bowl to give the Jaguars a bid, claiming that the "U" doesn't have any fans and Louisville's fans have already turned their attention to basketball.

• The Gator Bowl would agree to extend the Jaguars a bid, but only if the Jaguars agree to wear a Toyota logo on one side of their helmet and a Dr. Pepper logo on the other side.

• The Jaguars would agree to accept the bid, but only if they get a cut of the electronic signage.

• The Jaguars and Titans would play in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day and the Gator Bowl would be delighted.

No thanks.