<a href='http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-befoot0715.artjul15,0,2465293.story?coll=hc-headlines-sports-college' target='_blank'>http://www.courant.com/sports/college/hc-b...-sports-college</a>


Big East, Gator Bowl Renew Ties

By KEN DAVIS
Courant Staff Writer

July 15 2005

Just weeks after the Big East's agreement with the Gator Bowl appeared to be in jeopardy, the conference announced Thursday it has salvaged that relationship and formed a partnership that includes Notre Dame, the Big 12 Conference and the Sun Bowl.

The collaboration, unprecedented in Division I-A football, assures the two Bowl Championship Series conferences participation in the Toyota Gator Bowl and Vitalis Sun Bowl over a four-year period, beginning with the 2006 regular season.

After each conference's representative to the BCS has been determined, the Gator Bowl or Sun Bowl will have the first pick from the Big East's No. 2 team, Big 12's No. 3 or Notre Dame. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said plans for the selection rotation have not been finalized but it is likely one bowl will get the Big East in the first and third years, and the other bowl in the second and fourth.

Notre Dame, which remains a part of the Big East's bowl pool, will have the opportunity to play in each bowl once. The Atlantic Coast Conference will continue to provide the opponent in the Gator Bowl, and the Pac-10 Conference will do the same in the Sun Bowl.

"Making certain we had a good second spot in our bowl lineup was absolutely imperative," Tranghese said Thursday. "We wanted to play teams from the power conferences and with the ACC and Pac-10 obviously we've got that."

The Big East is entering the final year of its bowl agreements, which include the Gator Bowl, the Insight Bowl in Phoenix and Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. The Big East also has an agreement with the Motor City Bowl in Detroit if the Big Ten cannot fill its slot against the Mid-American Conference.

"We're close to making three more deals," Tranghese said. "I think we'll have it all done within the next two weeks."

Tranghese would not comment on negotiations with other bowls, but the Big East is expected to renew its agreement with the Continental Tire Bowl. In a move that would raise the conference's postseason visibility, a deal to play a Southeastern Conference team in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., is close to being finalized.

Possibilities for the final agreement include the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the Motor City Bowl, and a new bowl in Toronto that is awaiting certification from the NCAA. The Big East and the Insight Bowl end an eight-year relationship after this season.

"Two years ago when the ACC took our three schools [Miami, Virginia Tech, Boston College], everybody was saying, `The league's going to go away. You're going to lose your BCS bid, you're not going to be on TV anymore and you're going to lose all your bowl games.' It was this doom and gloom scenario," Tranghese said. "I think what we've been able to do is get ourselves re-established."

This season, the Gator Bowl will be played Jan. 2 in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Sun Bowl Dec 30 in El Paso, Texas.

"Four years ago, [Gator Bowl president] Rick Catlett and I tried to make similar deals with other [conferences] and couldn't get anywhere," Tranghese said. "This year, I think Rick was getting a little push from his board [to remove the Big East], but I don't think Rick wanted us to go away."
Copyright 2005, Hartford Courant

isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



Jackson

The Liberty's contract with CUSA ends after this year and they've been shopping around.

C-USA looks good to bowl executives

Jack Bogaczyk
Daily Mail Sports Editor



Friday July 15, 2005
In the Conference USA offices in Dallas, as the football bowl futures begin to solidify, administrators aren't exactly paraphrasing Patrick Henry's "Give me Liberty, or give me $1.5 million for Music City."

Nor, are they taking the words right out of the Apollo 13 capsule: "Houston, we have a problem."

Conference USA, retooled to 12 all-sports programs with divisional play in football, will finish the 2005 season with five bowls (Liberty, GMAC, Hawaii, Fort Worth and New Orleans).

It also is likely to finish 2006 and beyond with the same number -- but at least one different game. C-USA would love to be in the Independence or Houston bowls -- or both.

C-USA will come out better financially where ever the future games are because not only are most bowls bumping up their payouts, but two of last season's C-USA games didn't reach the $750,000 minimum payout.

Those were Hawaii ($600,000) and New Orleans ($700,000). They'll make it in the future, or they won't make it period. The NCAA has bowls waiting in the wings as replacement players. See Toronto.

You can talk with bowl executives, conference administrators and university athletic directors, as I did Thursday on the subject, and what you can end up with is a bowl of confusion.

However, here is what's real about C-USA's bowl future and Marshall's postseason potential destinations in 2006 and beyond.

C-USA is locked into the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., until 2008.

However, the Liberty Bowl, hosted by the C-USA champ past and present and with hometown Memphis in the league, has been an anchor.

The league wants to keep the Liberty and an executive of another bowl says the conference "believes they can keep it, although it's not yet done."

The Big East and ACC both are talking to the Liberty Bowl and the Southeastern Conference is in the mix, too. The Liberty, if it has the chance for a Bowl Championship Series conference matchup, may jump at it.

The Music City, in Nashville, Tenn., is playing in this same arena. It has the better stadium (home of the NFL Titans) but it doesn't have the Liberty's history, or payout ($1.5 million).

What the Liberty has to decide is whether it wants a C-USA champ or two low-rung teams from the ACC and SEC. The Big East has its third slot available, left from the Insight's coming change.

It could be C-USA No. 1 against Big East No. 3 (OK, forget a Marshall-West Virginia rematch some year), but it remains a fluid situation.

C-USA has helped itself in the eyes of bowl executives by retooling its membership. Yes, it has lost Big East favorite Louisville, but with four Texas schools (including UTEP) and Marshall, it has added teams that bowls and TV like.

C-USA stretches from El Paso to Orlando, Fla., to Greenville, N.C., to Huntington and back to the Rio Grande. C-USA would love to be in the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando -- the hometown of Central Florida -- but that's an ACC-Big Ten deal waiting to be made.

Texas-El Paso took 20,000 fans to the Houston Bowl last season, before the Mike Price-coached Miners moved to C-USA. That's significant in current lobbying.

With Alabama-Birmingham, Southern Mississippi and Tulane in C-USA, a deal with the Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.) makes sense. The GMAC, New Orleans and Hawaii seem destined to remain with C-USA.

With Texas Christian having left C-USA for the Mountain West (which seemingly has lost its champion's berth in the Liberty), the Frogs' hometown Fort Worth Bowl is no lock to stay with C-USA.

However, with Houston, Rice, SMU and UTEP in the league, the Fort Worth makes geographic sense. The Houston Bowl makes more sense. The Independence and Houston bowls pay more ($1 million minimum last year) than Fort Worth, which also is in need of a sponsor.

The SEC or Big 12 -- or both -- may bail from the Independence and/or Houston. Sources say C-USA would take either one over Fort Worth and may have a choice among the pair. The league seems to be staying in Mobile (GMAC), Hawaii and New Orleans.

The alterations in C-USA membership are dramatic. The changes in the conference's bowl destinations don't figure to be stunning, but there will be renovations there, too.

Jackson1011 Wrote:isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



Jackson

Jackson...you are "on target". Memphis and this area would never support an arrangement that did not include a conference in which UM participated. It is a fact of life that the LB goes with UM. Have a good day. :)

bengltgrs Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackson

Jackson...you are "on target". Memphis and this area would never support an arrangement that did not include a conference in which UM participated. It is a fact of life that the LB goes with UM. Have a good day. :)

Yet...why are there so many reports of the game being up for grabs?

CyberBull Wrote:

bengltgrs Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Jackson

Jackson...you are "on target". Memphis and this area would never support an arrangement that did not include a conference in which UM participated. It is a fact of life that the LB goes with UM. Have a good day. :)

Yet...why are there so many reports of the game being up for grabs?

It's the C-USA "opponent" that is up for grabs. Not hard to understand.

Bambu Wrote:

CyberBull Wrote:

bengltgrs Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



                                            Jackson

Jackson...you are "on target". Memphis and this area would never support an arrangement that did not include a conference in which UM participated. It is a fact of life that the LB goes with UM. Have a good day. :)

Yet...why are there so many reports of the game being up for grabs?

It's the C-USA "opponent" that is up for grabs. Not hard to understand.

That would support my theory on the C-USA board that the article meant that either the Big East or SEC would get the spot against the C-USA champion or that they would alternate the opponents, one year and SEC team the other year a Big East team.

Cat's_Claw Wrote:

Bambu Wrote:

CyberBull Wrote:

bengltgrs Wrote:

Jackson1011 Wrote:isn't the Liberty going to be tied with CUSA? Perhaps the author is getting the music city and the Liberty mixed up



                                            Jackson

Jackson...you are "on target". Memphis and this area would never support an arrangement that did not include a conference in which UM participated. It is a fact of life that the LB goes with UM. Have a good day. :)

Yet...why are there so many reports of the game being up for grabs?

It's the C-USA "opponent" that is up for grabs. Not hard to understand.

That would support my theory on the C-USA board that the article meant that either the Big East or SEC would get the spot against the C-USA champion or that they would alternate the opponents, one year and SEC team the other year a Big East team.

No one has disccussed any particulars with me but I think the the LB will take the CUSA champion and then leave the second slot open.Because of their existing bowl commitments, it would be very difficult to get a quality SEC team. The selection of a second team could become a very sensitive issue for the LB officials.

I am not trying to make up the news.

The article discussed a potential BE vs SEC match up. I would assume that the reporter has good sources for him to publish this somewhat surprising report. I for one was really surprised that C-USA could lose the game.

CyberBull Wrote:I am not trying to make up the news.

The article discussed a potential BE vs SEC match up. I would assume that the reporter has good sources for him to publish this somewhat surprising report. I for one was really surprised that C-USA could lose the game.

Believe what you wish.

Quote:It's the C-USA "opponent" that is up for grabs. Not hard to understand.

-- I'm not so sure about that...the article specifically says in the Daily Mail that it is possible that two BCS leagues could gobble up the Liberty bowl and that it was a fluid situation...myself and most on the board think it is unlikely but from what I have read it is possible

-- If its about money for the bowl...I guess there officials could look at it like this....the SEC school will bring more fans then a CUSA school (other then perhaps Memphis itself...but most Tiger fans won't be buying Hotel rooms etc)....and the BE will bring more then the MWC....in yrs West Virginia and Louisville are available the LB could be looking at a huge crowd...and ND can fall to the BE #3 bowl like they did this past yr if they are medicor yet bowl elgiable...just trying to justify the LBs thinking if this is true

--BTW...take this for what its worth....a long time poster on the WVU board said a couple days ago that there would be a matchup between the SEC and Big East in the LB....but it seemed so farfetched at the time I don't think anyone paid the post any attention

Jackson1011 Wrote:

Quote:It's the C-USA "opponent" that is up for grabs. Not hard to understand.

-- I'm not so sure about that...the article specifically says in the Daily Mail that it is possible that two BCS leagues could gobble up the Liberty bowl and that it was a fluid situation...myself and most on the board think it is unlikely but from what I have read it is possible

-- If its about money for the bowl...I guess there officials could look at it like this....the SEC school will bring more fans then a CUSA school (other then perhaps Memphis itself...but most Tiger fans won't be buying Hotel rooms etc)....and the BE will bring more then the MWC....in yrs West Virginia and Louisville are available the LB could be looking at a huge crowd...and ND can fall to the BE #3 bowl like they did this past yr if they are medicor yet bowl elgiable...just trying to justify the LBs thinking if this is true

--BTW...take this for what its worth....a long time poster on the WVU board said a couple days ago that there would be a matchup between the SEC and Big East in the LB....but it seemed so farfetched at the time I don't think anyone paid the post any attention

The Big East vs SEC game in the Liberty Bowl seems to be picking up some steam for whatever reason. And remember, a year or so ago everyone in Memphis was up in arms because the Liberty Bowl would give a full commitment to C-USA and openly discussed picking up BCS opponents. We'll see. I think Memphis gives C-USA the all important trump card. Memphis to the Liberty Bowl might = ND to the Gator Bowl.

Is a deal being work for Memphis to join the Big East?

Wilkie01 Wrote:Is a deal being work for Memphis to join the Big East?

I doubt it.

If the Liberty Bowl ends up being the Big East against the SEC some kind of deal involving Memphis has had to been made behind closed doors. There is now way they would screw over their home city like that.

I agree and i think something is going to be announced soon.

Nothing would suprise me after everything that has happened the last few yrs....but the timing just isn't right for Memphis now unless they'll take a football only....and it would be foolish for the BE to make a pledge to Memphis without knowing how good or bad the Tiger football program is in 5 yrs

-- It seems to me that if the BE gets the LB without Memphis....it hurts the Tigers chances to join us...it certainly doesn't help


Jackson

Wilkie and Jackson:

I just heard from a source close to the SEC headquarters that a press conference will be held in a couple of weeks announcing Memphis as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The tigers will apparently replace Vanderbilt.

The inclusion of Memphis removed all obstacles to the BE vs. SEC bowl matchup. My source said both conferences are happy with the arrangement.

After Vanderbilt was voted out, Arkansas, Mississippi State and LSU were finally convinced at the last minute that taking Memphis would be good for the conference.

It's Memphis to the SEC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:laugh:

Wilkie01 Wrote:I agree and i think something is going to be announced soon.

As much as I would like to see our hoops team parked in the BE, I think you guys are
reaching a bit here. Yes, the LB has always shown a lot of loyalty to the U of Memphis,
often to the displeasure of our conference mates. And there is no way they'll sign a deal
that excludes us or hurts our chances of gaining bcs status. Memphis, the city, school,
and metro residents are too important in regards to the bowls success. Even if we don't
get to play in it come December. :bang:


I tend to agree that this writer is confusing the LB with another TN bowl game.


But I guess we can always hope about the "deal" scenario. :angel: And our leadership
has started looking way more proactive recently. I would love to see us reunited with
Cincy and Louisville, and getting to play 'Cuse every year would be a blast for me personally.
For a lot of fans, that game has turned into a nice, easy rivalry.

Quote: Nothing would suprise me after everything that has happened the last few yrs....but the timing just isn't right for Memphis now unless they'll take a football only....and it would be foolish for the BE to make a pledge to Memphis without knowing how good or bad the Tiger football program is in 5 yrs

-- It seems to me that if the BE gets the LB without Memphis....it hurts the Tigers chances to join us...it certainly doesn't help

Exactly.