With today's official announcement of Colorado to the Pac10 conference and the expected announcement of Nebraska to the Big10 conference (which officially makes it a Big12, don't you think?)... it would seem that the summer realignment-ageddon has officially begun.
Here's a quick what we know, what we can surmise....
- Colorado is officially joining the Pac10. It's unclear as to whether the Pac10 intends to hold at 11 teams, but we should expect the Pac10 to seek to add at least one additional member. For years the argument against expansion centered around the round-robin schedule format and - with 11 schools - that format is officially out the window for college football. Adding one more school would give the conference the option to conduct a CFB championship game in some of the largest television markets in the country. Does the Pac10 stop at 12 (Texas??) or expand further with Big12/MWC/WAC teams???
- The Big10 will have 12 teams with the addition of Nebraska. Will they stand pat at 12 teams or expand to 16 as had been rumored?
- The SEC has said that they will not sit idly by if the Big10 expands. Sports Illustrated has confirmed that the SEC has held discussions with Texas A&M. Is that prelude to further SEC expansion? Who, in addition to the Aggies, are on the SEC radar?
- The ACC & Big East seem to be awfully quiet. Are they targets or could a merger be on the table for the two conferences?
- The MWC will not offer membership to Boise State at this time, setting themselves up to be the home of any Big12 refugees. Is the MWC destined to become a BCS conference by default?
DISCUSS!!!
Comment on Fanblogs Open Thread: Realignment-ageddon Edition...
Week 4 only saw one game against a BCS opponent by a MWC team that no one expected to put up a fight. With several games against the WAC this was a chance for the MWC to separate themselves from the rest of the conferences begging for BCS scraps.
And they failed.
Using the emulated BCS automatic qualification standards the WAC leads the MWC from 2006-2008. 2008 was the only year in the past 3 where the MWC outperformed the WAC. Currently the gap between Boise State and TCU is roughly equal to the value of the MWC having a second team in the top 25. This week will help shape how they rank in the third criteria, average ranking of all teams in teh BCS computeres.
Top: TCU handled their historic SWC rival SMU, as is the norm this decade. Few questions were answered in this game and TCU remains as big a question mark at this point this year as Utah was at this point last year.
Utah was off so we gained little new information, hough Oregon continued to redeem themselves.
BYU handled their instate rival Utah State by the exact score Utah beat them to open the season. Like the weekends for TCU and Utah we know about as much as we did last year.
Middle:Air Force looks to have lost the commander in cheif trophy to Navy again this year. The possibility remains that Army could surprise everyone and claim it, adding a loss in the MWC only remaining OOC game of the regular season.
CSU lost a close battle to a surprising Idaho team.
UNLV got destroyed by Nevada, who looked like they spent the first four weeks looking ahead to this one game.
Bottom:SDSU prevented New Mexico State from upending two MWC teams in as many weeks.
Wyoming also secured a win in a close game at Florida Atlantic.
New Mexico showed up and got payed by Texas Tech.
SummaryThe MWC is 5-9 vs. BCS opponents. This gives them a PCT of 0.357, less than the 0.400 required by their own standards for a BCS automatic qualification.
Their 6-4 record over the WAC should give them a slight lead in the BCS computers for the third criteria, but prevent them from being anywhere near warranting a BCS automatic qualification at this time.
So what now?The MWC's case for this season will ride on whether they can again get 3 teams into the top 25, or one into a BCS bowl. TCU could make for an interesting race with Boise State, but more than likely Boise State would have to lose one to open the door.
If Boise State goes to a BCS bowl, this would give the WAC 3 years of BCS participation to the MWC's 2. If they are selected over an undefeated TCU, who beat them in last years Poinsettia Bowl, this would help atone for Boise State being left out for Utah in 2004 and 2008, a team they have beat the last three meetings.
Utah can not lose to both TCU and BYU and getinto the top 25. A loss in the final week to Utah likely puts BYU out of the top 25 as well, unless they beat TCU first. The only way three MWC teams finish ranked is if they split and all beat every other MWC team.
Not much more will change until the bowls are announced. At that time I will continue with round 6, followed by the final count after the bowls.
Comment on Round 5: MWC - Put up or Shut up: WAC...
When a team starts to struggle on one side of the ball fans begin to call for the coordinators on that side to be replaced. If the problems are more widespread or a run of bad coordinators exists the head coach comes under fire.
When I can, with a straight face, state that a loss this week would raise questions about whether Colorado is as good as Weber State, the Buffs fans have fallen far from their hopes of making a run this year for the Big 12 North.
When years of questionable decisions bankrupt an athletic department and the team tanks to unimaginable levels the fans call for the athletic director to resign. AD's can also be let go mid season with far less disruption.
Bohn continues to stand by Hawkins.
I'm as frustrated and disappointed as anybody, I believe in Dan....It's the nature of the business. I'd prefer not to have all those negative thoughts channeled into a negative direction, He's frustrated and he understands that he's responsible for what's going on. He's looking at the mirror and trying to figure out new ways to present his program and put new things in. I salute that competitive spirit....I don't feel under attack, but I also understand we're not meeting the expectations of our fans, We're not providing a sense of accomplishment at a level we expect ourselves. The outside attacks are really not driving us as much as our competitive spirit. We're competitive people and we have a great resolve to improve.
...
It's the nature of the business. I'd prefer not to have all those negative thoughts channeled into a negative direction, He's frustrated and he understands that he's responsible for what's going on. He's looking at the mirror and trying to figure out new ways to present his program and put new things in. I salute that competitive spirit.
I don't feel under attack, but I also understand we're not meeting the expectations of our fans, We're not providing a sense of accomplishment at a level we expect ourselves. The outside attacks are really not driving us as much as our competitive spirit. We're competitive people and we have a great resolve to improve.
Hawkins is taking heat for his statements this off season that he thought he had a 10 win season, which now looks to be closer to his eventual loss total. If they don't win this week I am not sure they have a 1 win season.
The plain fact is Colorado might not have the funds to buy out Hawkins contract. At $850,000 per year through January 2013 it could cost upwards of $3 million to release him.
www.buffzone.com reports more on Colorado's desperate financial situation.
The athletic department remains in deeply in debt with the majority of an $8 million loan from the campus and the CU system in 2006 still to be paid off. Part of that debt was caused by the last coaching change when Bohn fired Gary Barnett at the end of the 2005 season and hired Hawkins....The department would have to borrow money to buyout Hawkins and it would be hard-pressed to do so in the current economic climate in which state funding is being significantly trimmed and some CU employees have already lost their jobs.
If Bohn is not feeling the heat he is not listening to his fans. The Ralph Report is hot on his trail. The descriptions of anger and frustration at the CSU results turning to despair after the Toledo game are painful to read for any fan. We can all be thankful this did not happen to our team this year ... unless our team is Colorado.
This Bohn quote is featured promonently in their writeup:
"We maybe have been guilty of building a facade that maybe didn't reveal the hole that we were in and the severity of the situation we were in associated with the program."
Using this quote and the fact that Hawkins contract was extended past 2010 in 2008 they reach this conclusion:
If the University wanted to make a change even after the 2010 season when the original contract would have expired, it would cost them 25 extra months of the buyout clause at $70,833 a month or a total of $1,770,833. Simply put, the athletic department may have made a $1.8 million dollar mistake based on little results on the field back in 2008....What does this all mean? I think you can put away the coaching wish lists and the thoughts about getting the next guy in Boulder. If the Buffs go 1 - 11 or 2 - 10 this year and a buyout was necessary, buying out a contract that ended in 2010 compared to 2013 would obviously be easier to discuss. But I struggle to find a logical thought for the administration approving $2.9 million of additional debt plus whatever a new coach costs on top. I don't blame them either considering the financial times we are in. I do blame the parties involved for allowing an extension after two years that would have the potential to cost the University an extra $1.8 million especially considering they were judging success on a "facade", as Mike Bohn puts it....[Ending in a touch of class, we get:]So where do we go from here? We support the players of this team. Coming from a guy who played a little ball in his day and lost the opportunity in college because of injury, the ability to play collegiate sports is very short. You have only so much eligibility and time to play before it is over. The kids deserve the support of the fans even if you don't support how the operation is being run. They chose Colorado to use their four years of eligibility here when they could have gone a multitude of other places.
What does this all mean? I think you can put away the coaching wish lists and the thoughts about getting the next guy in Boulder. If the Buffs go 1 - 11 or 2 - 10 this year and a buyout was necessary, buying out a contract that ended in 2010 compared to 2013 would obviously be easier to discuss. But I struggle to find a logical thought for the administration approving $2.9 million of additional debt plus whatever a new coach costs on top. I don't blame them either considering the financial times we are in. I do blame the parties involved for allowing an extension after two years that would have the potential to cost the University an extra $1.8 million especially considering they were judging success on a "facade", as Mike Bohn puts it.
[Ending in a touch of class, we get:]
So where do we go from here? We support the players of this team. Coming from a guy who played a little ball in his day and lost the opportunity in college because of injury, the ability to play collegiate sports is very short. You have only so much eligibility and time to play before it is over. The kids deserve the support of the fans even if you don't support how the operation is being run. They chose Colorado to use their four years of eligibility here when they could have gone a multitude of other places.
What I would doI think it is time for Colorado to fire Mike Bohn. Miss representing the state of his department has lead to a serious problem for the Universities image.
The decision to remove Hawkins is complicated financially. I would expect a new AD to demand an action plan from him for what steps he will take to improve his team and hold him accountable for them.
If Hawkins does not perform according to these plans and goals, likely to focus on winning a game or two this year and getting to a bowl game next year, he should be fired then for being derelict. If he is fired with cause then the buyout does not come into play.
This assumes Hawkins does not take the initiative to resign after this season.
Comment on On the Hot Seat: Mike Bohn...
The NCAA committee that oversees rules changes has approved a measure brought forward by Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe allowing bowl committees to give equal consideration to teams with 6-6 records when evaluating at-large bids.
At first glance, it would seem to reward teams that played a tougher schedule rather than padding their record with cupcakes. The change would also give bowls more flexibility to create the most interesting matchup, potentially boosting revenues for struggling bowl committees.
Matt Sanderson, co-founder of Playoff PAC, told the San Diego Union Times that the rule could allow bowls with open slots for at-large teams to select power-conference teams with 6-6 records over smaller-conference teams with winning records.
Sanderson points to this season's GMAC Bowl, which took 9-3 Troy as an at-large team. Under the revised rules, the GMAC Bowl could have offered the at-large slot to 6-6 Notre Dame.
While the new provision still needs an OK by the greater NCAA, most rule revisions that make it out of committee are approved.
Suffice to say... no one wants to see a bad 6-6 team stink it up in a marquee bowl game. The reality is that - with new bowls coming on in Yankee Stadium and the Cotton Bowl - there are going to be 70 teams in bowl games this year. If a bowl needs to dig deep and get an at-large team, I would prefer them to create the most interesting game they can.
No disrespect intended, but I would *much* rather see a hypothetical 6-6 Southern Cal as an at-large against Alabama, for example, over a 7-5 Louisiana Monroe.
Just sayin.
Comment on New bowl rules to open more doors to 6-6 teams...
Week 4 went saw the MWC recover somewhat from a horrible week 3 performance but lacked any big surprises. Several opponents that have been used to measure MWC teams have had serious perception changes that might influence MWC team's perception.
TopTCU secured another win in the MWC's marque game of the week. Clemson is a solid team but at this point looks to be close to Georgia Tech who could not manage Miami. TCU climbs into the top 10 in Coaches Poll and narrowed its gap behind Boise State in all polls.
Utah got some credibility back when Oregon manhandled California. A solid win over Louisville did not hurt. Losing RB Matt Asiata for the season might limit their ability down the stretch. Utah should be ranked in the top 25.
BYU handled their first conference game by ending CSU's undefeated season. Their loss to FSU looked more critical with FSU's loss to USF. Oklahoma has not faced any stiff competition since BYU and their game against Miami this week could bring some clarity to this picture. If Miami wins big it could indicate that BYU looks to be behind TCU and Utah again this year.
MiddleUNLV lost a road trip to Wyoming in their conference opener. This raises questions about where these two teams stand, as Wyoming had been looking like a team the MWC would rather keep solidly in the bottom by OOC play.
Air Force took care of business against SDSU.
BottomNew Mexico lost to their in state rival New Mexico Statein what looks like a sinking ship.
Summary2-0 vs. BCS opponents is never a bad week. While this season has taken a step back from the levels achieved by the MWC in 2008, it is still better than where they were any year prior. All in all, i'd say the MWC has not lived up to their claims in 2009, and will need a good showing in the bowls to change this.
So far the MWC is 5-8 vs. BCS opponents. The MWC's proposal required conferences to maintain a record above 0.400 to determine automatic qualifications. With one game remaining this will require a win for this year, or a winning record vs. BCS opponents in the bowls. From 2006-2009 the MWC is 27-32. The MWC would have to lose the next 8 games to fall below 0.400 over a four year window.
PreviewWeek 5 features the last round of significant OOC play before all teams settle into the conference schedules. Only one OOC game remains after this week (Army at Air Force). Anything worse than 2 losses would be bad for week 5, but 5 games will be close and one loss appears certain.
This week starts with BYU vs. Utah State on their traditional Friday game time. This game is held on Friday because the LDS church has general conference this Saturday.
Air Force will play Navy in a game that should determine the Commander in Chief trophy.
New Mexico faces Texas Tech in the MWC's last regular season game against BCS opponents. New Mexico is not Houston.
UNLV travels to Nevada to face their in state rival, who will be hungry to regain credibility at their expense.
Wyoming gets to travel to Florida Atlantic for a chance to build their claim to join the middle of the MWC.
TCU hosts rival SMU in what should be a solid win.
SDSU hosts New Mexico State, who would love to secure two consecutive wins vs. MWC opponents.
CSU travels to Idaho for an unexpected battle of 3-1 teams. Could the Vandals be a challenger for Boise State this year? The winner of this game might even get a vote or two in the ORV section of the polls.
Utah plays the mighty BYE, who manages to play dozens of teams each week.
Comment on Round 4: MWC - Put up or Shut up: MWC...
This week the top MWC teams took a step back from the spotlight and gave an opportunity for the middle of the pack to step up and earn a share of the spotlight. They failed. At least the MWC was spared any catastrophic losses. Last week also helped clarify the middle from the bottom of the MWC.
Top:BYU soundly handled Tulane. TCU took care of a Virginia team that was nothing like the team they had been anticipating playing all summer. Utah managed to look strong in the 4th quarter after San Jose State brought them through the first 3 tied 7-7. All summer long I thought this looked like a possible trap game, and Utah managed to survive. Al in all, nothing exceptional and Utah might reasonably lose a spot or two in credibility.
Middle:Air Force lost to Minnesota 20-13. This game was a close fought game between two teams likely to finish in the middle of their conferences. This game was expected to be close but if the MWC want to prove they belong at the next level they need to win these kind of games.
UNLV lost to Oregon State 23-21, having taken their first lead of the game late in the 4th, only to have Oregon State kick a game winning field goal. Oregon State was expected to win so a close game helps this first year coach's reputation but this is another close game the MWC needs to win to take the next step.
CSU beat Weber State 24-23. I still include CSU in the middle due to their win over Colorado, which is now suspect thanks to Toledo.
Bottom:Wyoming lost big to Texas 41-10. I was surprise both by the fact they were able to score 10 and that they were able to limit Texas to 41. This was no surprise to anyone, though I don't think Texas covered the 33 points.
SDSU beat Southern Utah 35-19. This is an improvement from last year when they lost to Cal Poly. This would have been a catastrophic loss.
New Mexico lost to Tulsa 44-10. This game featured a top C-USA team vs. a middle to bottom MWC team. These are the kinds of games the MWC has been on the other side of to build their impressive stats vs. BCS conference members. It is not so fun on the other side of the table.
Summary:The MWC went 1-3 vs. BCS teams this week and their middle was exposed to legitimate questions about their soundness. A loss to C-USA did not help and allowign FCS teams to keep the game close is not going to cut it. Not a good week for the MWC, though I still give them the lead on the season.
Many of the critical OOC games are over the next 2 weeks and the MWC is no exception. In two weeks the polls will shake out and we will have a far better idea how strong each conference really is.
Expected wins:BYU hosts FSU in a game that looked evenly matched this summer, but now looks one sided in the MWC's favor. BYU needs a convincing win to maintain their current favor in the polls.
TCU plays Texas State-San Marcos. Uhm, yeah...
Utah travels to Oregon with the Ducks in do or die mode. Utah has played sloppy in their first games and needs to come out firing this week.
Wyoming at Colorado is an interesting game. Both CSU and Wyoming allowed Weber State to hang close. CSU (and Toledo) make Colorado look silly. If Wyoming does the same I think it is safe to say that Colorado is not as good as Weber State.
Close calls:CSU hosts a Nevada team I was hot on to start the season until they got decimated by Notre Dame. I expect this game to be close and a win would help raise the credibility of the middle of the MWC.
SDSU travels to Idaho in a game between the bottom of the MWC vs. the bottom of the WAC. SDSU has a history of losing these games and if they want to show they are ready to move up from the bottom of the conference they need to win this game.
Hawaii travels to UNLV in a game I am anxious to see the results of. Hawaii struggled to beat Western Carolina and UNLV hung with Oregon State. A win this week puts UNLV squarely in the middle pack of the MWC.
New Mexico hosts Air Force in the first MWC game of the season. I am looking for Air Force to demonstrate that New Mexico belongs in the bottom of the conference, otherwise the middle is weaker than I had hoped.
Comment on Round 2: MWC - Put up or Shut up: BCS...
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Wow.
For a MWC fan this weekend was devastating. While not the end of the world, the MWC's bite has failed to live up to its bark in week 3. The top of the MWC, its alleged strength, took serious loses and the middle and bottom did nothing to mitigate these losses.
While last week was a minor set back, this week set the MWC back beyond the gain for BYU's upset of Oklahoma and started to cut into the credibility from Utah's Sugar Bowl win.
TopBYU hosted FSU as a 7 point favorite and lost 54-28. As a result, a chunk of their turf will now reside in Tallahassee. They also drop from the top 10 to near #25. Somehow they got a bit of a USC effect and remain above the team that beat them in the coaches poll. This year BYU's defense began shifting their focus to increase speed. This game showed they still have a lot of work to do here.
Oregon was favored to beat Utah by 4 and covered with a 31-24 win. Utah struggled in the second quarter to get any kind of momentum but managed to close the 14 point gap in the second half. This game made both teams look like they had some serious work to do before going into their conference slate.
TCU came out sloppy against Texas State and allowed them to stay within 14 until TCU went on a 21 point run in the fourth quarter. I can only hope they were looking towards this weeks game at Clemson.
MiddleUNLV scored one of the bright moments for the conference by coming back to beat Hawaii 34-33, helping to verify that the middle of the MWC is better than the middle of the WAC.
Air Force won their first conference game against New Mexico 37-13. Frankly, if New Mexico wins a game in conference this year it will be bad for the conference. They took this spot from SDSU this year.
At the start of the season CSU and Nevada looked like it might be a good test for CSU, but Nevada has struggled mightily since then and the 35-20 win by CSU is diminished. This does solidify their place in the middle of the conference, which was questionable to start the year.
BottomSDSU lost their road trip to Idaho 34-20. Apparently the bottom of the WAC is competitive with the bottom of the MWC.
Wyoming was shut out by Colorado 24-0, and Toledo put up 50+ on them? Wyoming is almost right with New Mexico
SummaryThe MWC went 0-3 against BCS conference members. While last week brought the middle into question, this week took a bite out of the top of the conference. The MWC has lost the credibility it earned the opening week.
It appears the MWC was enjoying a housing market like bubble which has now burst. The result is that rankings, like housing prices, have restored to their proper market value.
I compared this years week 3 simulated BCS standings with those of the past 2 years. The non-AQ conferences went from 2 to 4 to 4 teams in the top 25 while the MWC went from 0 to 2 to 2. The MWC appears to be near where it sat last year after TCU lost to Oklahoma, which is still far better than they were any year prior.
They will need to finish strong and have a solid bowl season to avoid being dismissed completely.
Must winsThe MWC only has 3 out of conference games this week and really needs to win them all to gain credibility.2 out of three will maintain the current meh. None of these games will come easy.
TCU travels to the much anticipated game against Clemson.
Utah hosts Louisville in the only game between the Big East and the MWC this season. This game will draw far too much attention in the MWC vs. Big East debate, no matter how the game goes.
New Mexico host in state rival New Mexico State in a largely one sided rivalry. New Mexico is way down as they break in a new coaching staff and should make a game of it. A win here would reduce how bad New Mexico, the likely bottom of the MWC, is perceived.
Conference playUndefeated CSU is getting a few points in the polls and could make a significant jump with a win over BYU, at the cost of knocking BYU out of the top 25. Getting a fourth team into top 25 striking distance would be a huge plus for the MWC.
Air Force and UNLV should handle SDSU and Wyoming respectively.
ClosingThe next installment will be next Tuesday night with the final regular season installment the following week, as only one game out of conference remains after that point.
Once bowl schedules are announced an installment will follow, and the concluding installment will come after the bowls are finished.
P.S. TE and WEA, we need some more SEC and ACC threads. What gives? ; )
Comment on Round 3: MWC - Put up or Shut up: BCS...
Last year the MWC ended the season with a conference record 3 teams in the final BCS standings and capped off the season with a stunning upset in the 2009 Sugar Bowl over an Alabama team that spent half the season at the top of the polls.
If they had left it at that 2009 would be simply be about whether they could maintain their success over an extended period of time. The BCS has procedures in place to periodically evaluate the conferences to determine future automatic qualifications. According to Bill Hancock, the BCS administrator, the Mountain West has a solid leg up for 2012. (To be evaluated based on 2008-2011 data.)
Instead they petitioned to be included presently and offered a proposed playoff to allow them access to the championship game. They took their case before congress and threatened to bring an anti-trust case against them. They rose the banter to a point that forces the issue in 2009.
If the MWC fails to follow up with a solid year like 2009 they are left looking silly from their talk and would have left a stain for any other conference attempting to garner a spot in the future. A failure in 2009 will not only diminish their hope for 2012 but will cloud any future hope as well. Success and the media cry will reach an unprecedented level.
Round 1 is complete and the MWC has done well.
Solid wins:#20 BYU 14 #3 Oklahoma 13 at Dallas Texas
This game shows the growing respect the MWC is earning by having a MWC team selected to participate in the first collegiate game at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. This game is discussed elsewhere, including the injury sustained by Sam Bradford.
CSU 23 at Colorado 17
Three of the last 4 times CSU has defeated Colorado, CSU has won a share of the MWC championship, 2 outright. The other time saw Colorado go 2-9. While this win does not put CSU into the middle of the MWC title picture yet, it certainly lines them up for the #4 spot, ready to move up to #3 is TCU, Utah of BYU stumble down the stretch.
Other wins:Utah 35 Utah State 17
This defensive game saw Utah score 2 safeties in an unusual path to 35 points. The game was not as close as the score indicates as Utah State scored one TD on a 96 yard rush with two blown assignments and the other after an interception gave them the ball with 5 yards to go. Utah has some work to do, and their schedule got a bit of a down-grade, courtesy of Boise State, this week.
Air Force 72 Nicholls State 0
Is this more or less impressive than 62-3 over Charleston Southern? You be the judge.
UNLV 38 Sacramento State 3
This one is less impressive, but really, WHY!!!
Wyoming 29 Weber State 22
At least Weber State is nearly as good as Appalachian State, who gave East Carolina a run for their money. Was Wyoming simply looking past them at a chance to host Texas? Remember back 4-5 years ago when 2 for 1 deals were hot?
Losses:Texas A&M 41 vs. New Mexico 6
I was anticipating this game thinking New Mexico would get the ambush. I was wrong.
UCLA 33 vs. SDSU 14
SDSU was up 14-0 at one point. Then UCLA, as expected, took control of the game.
OFFTCU
ResultsThe MWC went 2-2 vs. the BCS conferences in week 1 and 6-2 over all. This includes a 2-1 record vs. the Big 12. BYU should be close to, if not in, the top 10. Utah and TCU should slide up past a few teams dropping below them with losses. CSU and Air Force might pick up some points at the bottom of the ORV column.
MWC vs. BCS in round 2:
TCU at Virginia: TCU starts the season against a team that lost its opener to William and Mary.
Air Force at Minnesota: Minnesota played Syracuse to an OT win while Air Force easily handled their scrimmage. This should be a good test for both teams.
Oregon State at UNLV: Both teams ran over FCS teams. Oregon State should help avenge the PAC 10 vs. the MWC in this one.
Texas at Wyoming: If Wyoming wins this I will LMAO.
Tulsa might win at New Mexico, but other than that the MWC should win the rest. I am nervous about Utah's trip to San Jose State.
Comment on Round 1: MWC - Put up or Shut up: MWC...
After months of wrangling and having the ACC reject the bowl's latest proposal, the Gator Bowl is finalizing a four-year agreement that will pit an SEC team against a Big 10 team in the 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons.
Officials from the SEC have already confirmed their participation to The Birmingham News. Under the terms, the Gator will get "at least" the sixth pick of bowl-eligible SEC teams. The pick position could vary on a year-to-year basis, but more details would be announced once the Big 10 announces its bowl agreements next week.
The Gator Bowl is also in final talks to become part of a broadcast deal with ESPN, leaving CBS, in a move that could signal the end of the exclusive broadcast window that has been previously negotiated for the Capital One Bowl.
With the Cotton Bowl moving to January 2nd, the result of the Gator Bowl agreement means that all three non-BCS games on New Years Day will feature SEC vs Big 10 matchups.
With the end of the ACC / Big East relationship in the Gator Bowl, the ACC and Big East have signed an agreement with the Champs Bowl which will essentially recreates the conferences past Gator relationship in Orlando.
Under the terms to begin with the 2010 season, the ACC will send its #3 selection to the Champs Bowl to face the Big East's #2 selection or Notre Dame. The Champs can select Notre Dame once over the four year agreement if the Irish have seven wins and are within two wins of the #2 Big East school.
With the Gator Bowl now aligned with SEC, the Independence Bowl finds itself as odd-man out in the SEC bowl mix after 15 years with the conference. Instead, the Independence Bowl will look to sign a new bowl matchup between the ACC and Mountain West.
Comment on Gator Bowl to match SEC vs Big Ten; more bowl shakeups ensue...