nothing really new...but outlines our sitution pretty well
Jackson
Mitch Vingle
Bowl shuffle hinges on Capital One
THERE’S A NEW granddaddy of the bowls.
At least temporarily.
According to Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, the Capital One Bowl, not the Rose, is the one that will send dominos flying across college football’s landscape.
“When it comes to the bowl situation,’’ Tranghese said in a phone interview, “everything is still in limbo. The [Capital One Bowl] is in the process of negotiating with the SEC and Big Ten. I don’t think anything will happen until that’s resolved. That has incredible implications to the whole line of bowls.’’
Tranghese said, despite a report last week, ABC, the SEC and Big Ten have not agreed on a deal that would keep intact an exclusive Capital One window. No other Big Ten or SEC teams have been able to play bowl games during that New Year’s Day slot.
That impacts the Big East because the Gator Bowl, the league’s heretofore non-BCS jewel, has been shopping around. If the Capital One Bowl cements that window, the Gator’s options will be limited.
The SEC would almost certainly be out of the Gator picture. The Capital One, Cotton, Outback and Peach bowls are strong enough to hold off the Gator. So Rick Catlett, director of the Gator Bowl, would have to go after the Big Ten’s No. 4 team (now in the Alamo) or the Big 12’s No. 3 (Holiday).
“Catlett, the Gator bowl, no one will do anything until [the Capital One situation] is resolved,’’ Tranghese said. “I think the Gator has interest in the SEC and Big Ten. Our primary focus, though, has been dead-on the Gator. We talk daily. I’m hopeful. It’s been a partnership that’s been very good and we’re working very hard.’’
Tranghese has met with the Gator Bowl’s board. He’s met with Catlett “on three or four occasions’’ and phones the director almost daily. What Tranghese is fighting, however, is perception. In the case of the Big East, bad perception.
“When I went to visit the Gator folks, the perception is that we’ve been damaged [by defections],’’ Tranghese said. “I pointed out that we’re as strong as before. The Gator never took Boston College. Miami went once during its probationary period. The only loss that hurt was Virginia Tech.
“But West Virginia is very attractive. We added a school like Louisville that will fill a stadium. There are new coaches at Pitt and Syracuse. Connecticut is building. And Notre Dame continues to be a great partner.
“Rick Catlett has always understood. But, too, we’re dealing with a board.’’
A board and its egos. Which might just get in the way of a smart deal.
Think about it. Apparently, the Gator’s main target is the Big Ten. If those in Jacksonville can bump the Alamo Bowl, which they probably can, they’ll land the Big Ten’s No. 4 team. (Keep in mind that would be instead of the Big East’s No. 2 or Notre Dame.)
Seems embarrassing enough for a once-proud bowl. A No. 4 team? But here’s the kicker: Much of the time the Gator won’t get the Big Ten’s No. 4 team.
See, the current Bowl Championship Series has eight slots. However, the new contract provides 10 openings or two more at-large berths. Now, which conferences do you think will fill those slots in most years? Exactly. The Big Ten. The SEC. The power conferences.
Meaning the Gator could end up with the Big Ten’s No. 5 team. And, even for a Gator, that would be tough to swallow.
So Tranghese keeps calling. He keeps trying to get those in Jacksonville to look at the big picture, past what he hopes is the Big East’s temporary black eye.
“A lot of it is perception,’’ said the commissioner. “We got bludgeoned last year, and a lot of it unfairly. We didn’t have a conference last year. ... You couldn’t even explain our conference last year.’’
Temple and Boston College were leaving, Louisville, South Florida and Cincinnati were incoming and in basketball ... Oh, you see what he means.
“All I can say in regard to the Gator is I’m hopeful,’’ Tranghese said. “I’m very hopeful. If we can put together a good slate of bowls for the coaches, I’ll feel we’ve done everything we can to make this conference successful
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