C-USA Announces Agreement With EV1.net Houston Bowl

Conference Adds Sixth Bowl Partner Beginning in 2006

Nov. 15, 2005

Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky has announced that the league has entered into an agreement with the EV1.net Houston Bowl to be a part of that bowl for four years, beginning with the 2006 season. The announcement gives C-USA arrangements with six postseason bowl games beginning next season.

On September 27, the league announced that it had renewed commitments with all five of its current bowl partners, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, New Orleans Bowl and the Fort Worth Bowl, beginning in 2006.

In this agreement, Conference USA is guaranteed to play in the EV1.net Houston Bowl at least one time in the four-year period and has the opportunity to make multiple appearances during that time. C-USA will face an opponent from the Big 12 Conference in the game.

"We are pleased to add another postseason opportunity to our other bowl relationships," said Banowsky said. "We have been involved with the Houston Bowl previously and are glad to be renewing our ties with it. We look forward to sending a C-USA team to play in the game on at least one occasion during this period."

Conference USA played in the first three Houston Bowls from 2000-02 (known the first two years as the galleryfurniture.com Bowl). East Carolina defeated Texas Tech at the legendary Astrodome in the bowl's inaugural contest in 2000, while Southern Miss was the last league school to play in the game, falling to Oklahoma State in 2002, the first year that the bowl was played at the state-of-the-art Reliant Stadium.

It is important to note that beginning in 2006, a Conference USA champion may qualify for the Bowl Championship Series if ranked in the final BCS Top 12 or, in the BCS Top 16 and ranked higher than a team which receives automatic qualification.

While Conference USA now has agreements in place with six bowls for future years, the league will continue to explore additional postseason opportunities for its teams.
C-USA Announces Agreement With EV1.net Houston Bowl

Lets compare now:

MWC- a) Las Vegas Bowl(min payout); b)Ponsietta Bowl(min payout); c)Emerald Bowl(again min payout)-Wow! the goats sure have an impressive bowl lineup.

As compared to:

CUSA-a)Liberty Bowl(1.5 mill payout); b)GMAC Bowl(min payout); c)Houston Bowl(1.1 million); d)Hawaii Bowl(min payout); e)Fort Worth Bowl(min payout); f)New Orleans Bowl(min payout)-Not too bad for a mid major uh? Yeah, right UTEP will leave CUSA for the mwac.

Benjiminer Wrote:In this agreement, Conference USA is guaranteed to play in the EV1.net Houston Bowl at least one time in the four-year period

Congrats, but that's a pretty big asterisk. It would be more appropriate to say CUSA has 5 1/4 tie-ins, as opposed to 6.

Here's wording from the <a href='http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/fb/fbc/3461321' target='_blank'>Houston Chronicle</a>:

The Houston Bowl will match the No. 5 or No. 6 selection from the Big 12 against either the Big East's No. 2 or No. 3 team or Notre Dame. C-USA would provide a representative in the event the Big 12 did not have enough bowl-eligible teams.

Houston Bowl has a clause for TCU as well, so the MWC sort of can get in with that bowl...(although UTEP has a clause in with the Sun Bowl...it's much harder for UTEP to qualify, than for TCU)

PAC-10's 6th place team will be in the Hawaii Bowl in 2006.

LINK: <a href='http://starbulletin.com/2005/09/28/sports/story5.html' target='_blank'>PAC-10 team in Hawaii Bowl in 2006.</a>

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
signs C-USA, Pac-10 deal
Star-Bulletin staff
The Sheraton Hawaii Bowl announced it has signed a four-year contract extension with Conference USA to play a Western Athletic Conference team in the postseason game, beginning with the 2006 season.

The announcement, made yesterday by Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Executive Director Jim Donovan, also opened the door for the Pac-10.

As part of the agreement, C-USA will step aside and allow the Pac-10’s sixth-place finisher to play in the 2006 contest. C-USA will then return to participate in 2007. A Pac-10 representative might play in 2008 or ’09.

“In my estimation, this is the best of both worlds given the competitive and exciting outcome of previous C-USA, WAC games,

If I'm not mistaken, somebody mentioned that the Emerald Bowl has dumped the MWC.

...and I find it hard to believe that TCU as a MWC school has an "in" with the Houston Bowl.

Bowls usually sign agreements with a conference. Not an individual school in the conference. So, I'm not expecting to see TCU in the Houston Bowl anytime soon.

With the Hawaii Bowl, I think they, along with ESPN Regional are laying the ground work to perminently replace C-USA as the WAC's apponent. The Pac-10 is a better fit for a Bowl in the Western timezone...or Pacific timezone.

From the Houston Chronicle:

"The EV1.net Houston Bowl has reached a four-year agreement with the Big East Conference, Conference USA and Notre Dame to pair a team against the Big 12, officials said Monday.

The agreement covers the 2006-09 seasons.

The game will match the No. 5 or No. 6 selection from the Big 12 against either the Big East's No. 2 or No. 3 team or Notre Dame. C-USA would provide a representative in the event the Big 12 did not have enough bowl-eligible teams".

Who knew the WAC was on the cutting edge with their "tie-in" with the GMAC Bowl? (i.e., a tie-in that doesn't mean much, but allows the conference to claim one). I guess this makes 3 of CUSA's 6 bowl agreements where they'll only play some years (Hawaii, Houston, Ft. Worth). It'll be interesting to see how many teams they actually get in bowls each year.

Also, it's the Ft. Worth Bowl (not Houston) that has the agreement with TCU. I think it's similar to Hawaii's arrangement for the Hawaii Bowl, but not as concrete.

Benjiminer Wrote:C-USA Announces Agreement With EV1.net Houston Bowl

Conference Adds Sixth Bowl Partner Beginning in 2006

Nov. 15, 2005

Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky has announced that the league has entered into an agreement with the EV1.net Houston Bowl to be a part of that bowl for four years, beginning with the 2006 season. The announcement gives C-USA arrangements with six postseason bowl games beginning next season.


It is important to note that beginning in 2006, a Conference USA champion may qualify for the Bowl Championship Series if ranked in the final BCS Top 12 or, in the BCS Top 16 and ranked higher than a team which receives automatic qualification.

While Conference USA now has agreements in place with six bowls for future years, the league will continue to explore additional postseason opportunities for its teams.
C-USA Announces Agreement With EV1.net Houston Bowl

Do somer homework first Benji

<a href='http://wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2005111528' target='_blank'>http://wvgazette.com/section/Sports/2005111528</a>

This is not a big deal for CUSA after all and they jumped the gun on their release