Steve Earhart, the director of the Liberty Bowl, was on the radio today from CUSA media days. The 2005 Liberty Bowl will be CUSA vs. Best Available. In other words he is rolling the dice and seeing what happens but most of the talk was MWC or WAC. Now in the 2006, he said no deal is done and they are in no hurry to sign one. Talks have been with the SEC, CUSA, ACC, and Big East. The most prominent talk has been procuring the SEC. Most people in the city want the SEC vs. CUSA however Mike Slive said that wasn't going to happen. Not a lot of Big East talk hear in Memphis, although that is the only BCS conference that really needs bowls.

liljrs Wrote:Steve Earhart, the director of the Liberty Bowl, was on the radio today from CUSA media days. The 2005 Liberty Bowl will be CUSA vs. Best Available. In other words he is rolling the dice and seeing what happens but most of the talk was MWC or WAC. Now in the 2006, he said no deal is done and they are in no hurry to sign one. Talks have been with the SEC, CUSA, ACC, and Big East. The most prominent talk has been procuring the SEC. Most people in the city want the SEC vs. CUSA however Mike Slive said that wasn't going to happen. Not a lot of Big East talk hear in Memphis, although that is the only BCS conference that really needs bowls.

We will see how things shake out. I dont know if the terminology "needs bowls" is correct. There are plenty enough bowls to go around. The bowls need attractive teams more than the BE needs bowls. The BE has some attractive teams with some national appeal. When all is said and done, the BE will have 5 bowls, and be in a better situation monetarily than it was before. The way things have taken shape so far, we are already in a better situation than before, and it will only get better with, or without the liberty bowl.

cuseroc Wrote:

liljrs Wrote:Steve Earhart, the director of the Liberty Bowl, was on the radio today from CUSA media days.  The 2005 Liberty Bowl will be CUSA vs. Best Available.  In other words he is rolling the dice and seeing what happens but most of the talk was MWC or WAC.  Now in the 2006, he said no deal is done and they are in no hurry to sign one.  Talks have been with the SEC, CUSA, ACC, and Big East.  The most prominent talk has been procuring the SEC.  Most people in the city want the SEC vs. CUSA however Mike Slive said that wasn't going to happen.  Not a lot of Big East talk hear in Memphis, although that is the only BCS conference that really needs bowls.

We will see how things shake out. I dont know if the terminology "needs bowls" is correct. There are plenty enough bowls to go around. The bowls need attractive teams more than the BE needs bowls. The BE has some attractive teams with some national appeal. When all is said and done, the BE will have 5 bowls, and be in a better situation monetarily than it was before. The way things have taken shape so far, we are already in a better situation than before, and it will only get better with, or without the liberty bowl.

Better than before when?

Better than the bowl ties before the raid.

Show me.

Tigeer Wrote:Show me.

The only thing that really changes is the Gator which we will get every 2 years now and then we go to the Sun bowl during other years. The Gator and the Sun are both increasing their payouts to around 2 mill. The Continental bowl is also willing to increase its payout to get BE #3 instead of BE #4. The BCS bowls are increasing this year as well. Based on these bowls increasing their payouts, we have already done better than before the raid. Now If all is true with the Liberty Bowl being affiliated with the BE, That puts the BE even farther ahead, especially when they also are increasing their payout to at least 2 mil.

Tigeer Wrote:Show me.

See?

Now take the info back to GA and maybe he'll become more pro BE as far as what affiliation Memphis should go after in the future instead of the cusa status quo.

Yeah...take Louisville's attitude...screw everyone else...have no loyalty....and see what's best for me.......

O.G. Eagle Wrote:Yeah...take Louisville's attitude...screw everyone else...have no loyalty....and see what's best for me.......

Sorry C-USA pal but in the end it is unfortunately about money and what is best for the school(s) you align yourself with atheletically and in turn what it will do economically to yes, improve academically. This is what big time college sports has become. Someday the money may be its downfall (cheating, gambling, corruption, etc.) but today it is what it is.

L-yes Wrote:Now take the info back to GA and maybe he'll become more pro BE as far as what affiliation Memphis should go after in the future instead of the cusa status quo.

I do not know who GA is but I thank cuseroc for setting me straight. We shall all see what happens to the Liberty Bowl, of course, this one for me is again doubled-edged as the UofM is my alma mater and my lifer team - the Mounties.

The Gray Avenger (GA) on the Memphis site. The guy pushed hard for Memphis to the Big East when realignment was occurring to the point of starting a web site focused on promoting Memphis to the BE. When his efforts failed he had some sort of mental collapse and has become a CUSA myopian preaching the unending benefits of being aligned with Tulsa, SMU and UCF claiming that associations with those programs are better for Memphis than a move to a BCS conference (i.e. Big East). I believe his brain was injured by the rejection because of his repetitive praises of CUSA as a whole. It’s a hoot.

L-yes Wrote:The Gray Avenger (GA) on the Memphis site. The guy pushed hard for Memphis to the Big East when realignment was occurring to the point of starting a web site focused on promoting Memphis to the BE. When his efforts failed he had some sort of mental collapse and has become a CUSA myopian preaching the unending benefits of being aligned with Tulsa, SMU and UCF claiming that associations with those programs are better for Memphis than a move to a BCS conference (i.e. Big East). I believe his brain was injured by the rejection because of his repetitive praises of CUSA as a whole. It’s a hoot.

I am a Tiger fan but I am not delusional. The UofM, however, must make best of what it has been dealt.

i would still like to see The Big East #3 or #4 get matched up with Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. Give Memphis a chance to fill it up with 55,000 fans and impress the Big East A.D.'s.

Memhis vs. Notre Dame would be too ccool for the Tigers. Just to put a little extra pressure on them tell them if they win they can be the 9th school. If they lose, then ECu gets the invite.

I think you unintentionally mad a good point Yule. I don't care one way or the other whether the #3 goes to the Liberty or Charlotte. I think most Big East fans feel the same way. However, I believe Notre Dame feels differently. I would slot them with the SEC in believing that they are too good to play a CUSA team in a bowl game. The #3 slot still has a great chance of taking Notre Dame a couple times. The #4, not so much.

Reading between the lines a little bit...

I believe that the Liberty Bowl wants a CUSA-SEC matchup, and they're trying to work something out with the SEC. Slive doesn't seemed opposed to it, but his bosses (the 12 ADs) are telling him otherwise.

If the Liberty Bowl really wanted to drop CUSA in favor of a SEC-BE matchup, it would be a done deal by now. The fact that it's not says something. That fact that it's still an issue frustrates the hell out of me.

The Liberty Bowl has shown recently that it's not quite as attached to the hip of the city/university as it has stated in the past...but they also depend on operating revenue from the U of M playing in the stadium to pay for operatios of the LB (to some extent). That's not something easily severed without the loss of local goodwill.

I think the BE just may slide into the bowl, whether it be against the SEC or CUSA...but it would be as the 3rd (and maybe even 4th) choice.

I would have to believe that you would tend to get better TV matchups with CUSA #1 vs. MWC #1 instead of BE #3/4 vs. SEC #8. Not trying to be critical, but there's a better chance of getting the "just outside the BCS" teams with the former and not the latter.

...the soap opera continues...I have to go pick up dry cleaning.

I used ND intentionally to give them a well deserved little "shot". Can you imagine their overblown egos playing in the Liberty Bowl against Memphis?

I intentionally gave Memphis a little praise in assuming they would make it to the Liberty Bowl and then turned around and gave them a little "shot" by saying they would have to win the game to get an invite.

I intentionally used ECU's name and implied their chances of an invite depend more on Memphis' abilities rather than their own.

These little digs are meant to "catch" in the back of your mind. Too much time on the smack board I guess. :angel:

Thanks for the explanation. I'll just have to read you posts like I watch a David Lynch movie or Vanilla Sky. Layers upon layers and it gets better everytime you watch it until you wise up and realize it just sucks and you've wasted your time.

More info about the Liberty from the Cusa board.






C-USA, Liberty Bowl relationship tenuous

League hopes deal can be worked out; bowl seeks SEC tie-in
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
By Ted Lewis
Staff writer

MEMPHIS, TENN. -- Since its inception in 1996, Conference USA has sent its champion to the Liberty Bowl. But that won't necessarily happen in 2005, and the league's ties with the Memphis game may not continue past this season.

Liberty Bowl officials have made no bones about wanting to be affiliated with the SEC, but SEC commissioner Mike Slive said his league has no desire to play an opponent other than one from a BCS league.

"All of our other games are against the original BCS conferences," Slive said. "We just want to be consistent."

That doesn't sit well with C-USA, which wants to hang on to the biggest payout bowl ($1.5 million) in the stadium where one of its original members plays.

"We want to continue our relationship," said Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson. "The Liberty Bowl has been good for Conference USA and vice versa. We've also reminded the Liberty Bowl that the Pac-10, the Big 10 and the Big 12 don't mind playing games against the Coalition conferences. But we also know there are a lot of other factors involved."

The league isn't adamant about its champion being in the game, however. "Year-in and year-out it might be better for our champion to play in one of our other bowls," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said. "Bowls come down to matchups, and some cases, travel consideration for our fans."

Tulane coach Chris Scelfo said he sees winning the conference championship game, which debuts this year, becoming bigger than which bowl game that team winds up in.

"That championship game is going to become every team's goal," he said. "After that, it's not our call and something I don't think will bother our players either way."

Banowsky said he sees C-USA staying at five bowl tie-ins after this season, including the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. If the league loses the Liberty, the Houston Bowl is the most likely alternative.

This season, the final one of the current contract, the Liberty Bowl is not obligated to take the winner of the championship game, but will have first pick among any bowl-eligible team from the league.

Quote: Show me.

Before the raid...

BCS - 15 mil we'll say
Gator 1.5 we'll say
Insight 750k
Tire 750k
Walnut 750k

After the raid...
BCS - Same
Gator/Sun - Increase due to both bowls raising payouts.
Liberty if we get it - 1.something mil, bottom line it's more than the minimum payout.
Tire 750k

All we need is another minimum payout bowl to reach 5(Toronto Bowl for example) and our bowl payout will increase overall.

Yuleofell Wrote:i would still like to see The Big East #3 or #4 get matched up with Memphis in the Liberty Bowl. Give Memphis a chance to fill it up with 55,000 fans and impress the Big East A.D.'s.

Memhis vs. Notre Dame would be too ccool for the Tigers. Just to put a little extra pressure on them tell them if they win they can be the 9th school. If they lose, then ECu gets the invite.

Yeah thats the ticket! Lets boot Notre Dame for a program that has 3 wins in 2 years!