This is going to be simple. The Huskies' bowl lineup won't be complete until the Meineke Car Care Bowl chooses its team. They are meeting at 2 p.m., and they are choosing between Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
Huskies could be landed anywhere, though I am betting St. Pete if Rutgers goes Car Car, or Birmingham if Pitt goes Car Care.
Car Care wants Rutgers, but they actually try and put on a decent game and I am not sure they can turn down a Top 20 caliber Pittsburgh team for a mediocre Rutgers one. Pitt is 9-3, and was No. 8 two weeks ago and 5-2 in the conference. Rutgers is 8-4, played two FCS teams, is 3-4 in conference, got destroyed by lowly Syracuse and then lost to West Virginia to end the conference season 3-4. That on top of the weakest major conference non-conference schedule in the country.
Tickets and travel is No. 1 for bowls, but the bowl also has to think about the integrity of the game. They have to think about the ACC and what they feel about playing a 3-4 Rutgers team. That's an angle no one is exploring, and why Rutgers isn't a done deal if reports that Pitt prefers Birmingham is to be believed.
We'll see. You think the ACC wants to play 8-4, 3-4 Rutgers in a bowl game in Charlotte with a Top 20 Pitt team a possibility?
They meet at 2 p.m. to decide.
Showing posts with label Big East bowl annoucement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big East bowl annoucement. Show all posts
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Bad news for Big East
Not even a day for the Big East to feel good about the Champs Sports. Sun Bowl goes ACC according to the Tampa Tribune. Big East needs another bowl.
More thoughts: This is a devastating blow to the conference. The vibe I got from coaches and the Big East is that they felt good about the Sun coming aboard again. They felt they made a compelling case. If the Big East doesn't replace the Sun with another game, then the agreement is worse than the one that was put together four years ago.
I am sure there is a Plan B, but if they just traded the Champs for the Gator/Sun hybrid, that isn't really that strong a move. That also doesn't protect the Big East No. 2 team as commissioner John Marinatto was adamant in doing. Imagine next year a 10-2 Big East team ranked No. 12 in the country is bumped from the Champs by 9-3 Notre Dame and the alternative is the ACC No. 6 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Not good. The Charlotte game is a terrific game, but in a year the champs selects Notre Dame, the Big East No. 2 won't have a top opponent to play.
From the Sun Bowl's side I don't get it. The ACC No. 5 isn't a great spot to be. Essentially they would have had Boston College the last two years. In two of the four years it's likely the Sun would get Notre Dame or the Big East No. 2. In the other two years it would get the Big East No. 3. The bowl seems to be run democratically, and whatever the board votes it goes. To each its own.
Perhaps the Music City is available now against an SEC team. Or, does Music City accept ACC No.6 and take it from Meineke? It's a difficult spot for the Big East and a day after they felt they were back on their way, the rug was taken out.
Kind of feels like Charlie Brown kicking the field goal.
-- Post From My iPhone
More thoughts: This is a devastating blow to the conference. The vibe I got from coaches and the Big East is that they felt good about the Sun coming aboard again. They felt they made a compelling case. If the Big East doesn't replace the Sun with another game, then the agreement is worse than the one that was put together four years ago.
I am sure there is a Plan B, but if they just traded the Champs for the Gator/Sun hybrid, that isn't really that strong a move. That also doesn't protect the Big East No. 2 team as commissioner John Marinatto was adamant in doing. Imagine next year a 10-2 Big East team ranked No. 12 in the country is bumped from the Champs by 9-3 Notre Dame and the alternative is the ACC No. 6 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Not good. The Charlotte game is a terrific game, but in a year the champs selects Notre Dame, the Big East No. 2 won't have a top opponent to play.
From the Sun Bowl's side I don't get it. The ACC No. 5 isn't a great spot to be. Essentially they would have had Boston College the last two years. In two of the four years it's likely the Sun would get Notre Dame or the Big East No. 2. In the other two years it would get the Big East No. 3. The bowl seems to be run democratically, and whatever the board votes it goes. To each its own.
Perhaps the Music City is available now against an SEC team. Or, does Music City accept ACC No.6 and take it from Meineke? It's a difficult spot for the Big East and a day after they felt they were back on their way, the rug was taken out.
Kind of feels like Charlie Brown kicking the field goal.
-- Post From My iPhone
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Another domino to drop
There is still work to do for the Big East and just replacing Champs with a Gator/ Big 12 hybrid is a good start, but far from finished.
The key now is lining up the No. 3 and No. 4 in the lineup. ESPN's Big East blogger Brian Bennet reported last week that the Champs and Sun are close to signing with Big East. Now, with the Champs official, the Sun can't be far behind.
Here is where Commish John Marinatto is going to make his money. The target is a class of the Sun Bowl for the Big East No. 3. This is where the Big East can use Notre Dame also. If the agreement is similar to Champs, then the Sun gets Big East No. 3 or Notre Dame once in the cycle.
Marinatto told a group of us reporters in Newport that protecting the Big East No. 2 is paramount to the new tie-ins. The conference is not going to have its No.2 team slide down to Meineke Car Care Bowl against an ACC No. 6 if Notre Dame takes a spot. Adding the Sun to the mix as No. 3 would mean at worse, the Big East is going to have a team in the Sun or Champs every year of the cycle. That is important.
No. 4 would be Charlotte, and I don't see why either the Big East or Charlotte would want to change the affiliation. It's a perfect East Coast game and a good bowl. I don't think the Big 10 or SEC could give the bowl a good enough team to make them want to switch.
I know there are other reports that the Sun is in talks for the Big 12, but the chance to get Notre Dame once in the next four years, and likely the Big East No. 2 in another year may be too enticing for the Sun to pass up. I would expect a Sun Big East agreement soon.
If that's the case you can count the Big East coaches as ecstatic. I would be curious what the bottom tier bowls are going to look like. I like the Toronto Bowl after UConn's experience last year. I don't think I am alone in that. Perhaps Big East-Big 10 in Toronto. That would be a terrific game.
The key now is lining up the No. 3 and No. 4 in the lineup. ESPN's Big East blogger Brian Bennet reported last week that the Champs and Sun are close to signing with Big East. Now, with the Champs official, the Sun can't be far behind.
Here is where Commish John Marinatto is going to make his money. The target is a class of the Sun Bowl for the Big East No. 3. This is where the Big East can use Notre Dame also. If the agreement is similar to Champs, then the Sun gets Big East No. 3 or Notre Dame once in the cycle.
Marinatto told a group of us reporters in Newport that protecting the Big East No. 2 is paramount to the new tie-ins. The conference is not going to have its No.2 team slide down to Meineke Car Care Bowl against an ACC No. 6 if Notre Dame takes a spot. Adding the Sun to the mix as No. 3 would mean at worse, the Big East is going to have a team in the Sun or Champs every year of the cycle. That is important.
No. 4 would be Charlotte, and I don't see why either the Big East or Charlotte would want to change the affiliation. It's a perfect East Coast game and a good bowl. I don't think the Big 10 or SEC could give the bowl a good enough team to make them want to switch.
I know there are other reports that the Sun is in talks for the Big 12, but the chance to get Notre Dame once in the next four years, and likely the Big East No. 2 in another year may be too enticing for the Sun to pass up. I would expect a Sun Big East agreement soon.
If that's the case you can count the Big East coaches as ecstatic. I would be curious what the bottom tier bowls are going to look like. I like the Toronto Bowl after UConn's experience last year. I don't think I am alone in that. Perhaps Big East-Big 10 in Toronto. That would be a terrific game.
Champs agreement
The Champs Sports Bowl -- played in the old Citrus Bowl -- will take the Big East No. 2 in a four year agreement. Notre Dame may be able to take the bid once in a 4 year cycle.
There is a condition of Notre Dame taking the bowl: The Irish must be 7-5 and the can't be anymore than two wins away from a Big East team. That would mean at 7-5, the Irish could take a 9-3 Big East team's spot but not a 10-2 team.
There is no opponent yet for the Champ Sports but the bowl is talking with the ACC officials and others. Opponent announcement will come in about 10 days.
Payout for the bowl is $2.4 million and the game will be either the 27, 28 or 29th of December.
As far as other bowls, there were no other agreements to announce but Big East Commissioner John Marinatto did say that the Sun Bowl and the Big East are in talks. Notre Dame may also be a party to other bowl contracts.
Plenty more later including quotes.
There is a condition of Notre Dame taking the bowl: The Irish must be 7-5 and the can't be anymore than two wins away from a Big East team. That would mean at 7-5, the Irish could take a 9-3 Big East team's spot but not a 10-2 team.
There is no opponent yet for the Champ Sports but the bowl is talking with the ACC officials and others. Opponent announcement will come in about 10 days.
Payout for the bowl is $2.4 million and the game will be either the 27, 28 or 29th of December.
As far as other bowls, there were no other agreements to announce but Big East Commissioner John Marinatto did say that the Sun Bowl and the Big East are in talks. Notre Dame may also be a party to other bowl contracts.
Plenty more later including quotes.
Big East bowl announcement
Reports are the Champs Sports bowl is the new No. 2 for the Big East. Conference call at 2 planned. No word yet if the rest of the bowl alignment is going to be announced.
-- Post From My iPhone
-- Post From My iPhone
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