BIG EAST Announces Two New Bowl Game Tie-Ins

[Joe]

How is a bowl in Houston not profitable?? It seems like a great city to have a bowl in and plus they play in the Texans stadium dont they?? I cant imagine how BIRMINGHAM and LEIGONS FIELD can get a bowl game and possibly produce more revenue than Houston...

In reality almost all of the bowl games lose money directly. They are merely set up to help the hotels and local attractions more than the stadium and local sports organizers. There are a few exceptions all the BCS bowls made money, as did the Capital One and Outback (at least for 2005 they did, i haven't seen 2006 numbers)

But the main point of bowls is to stimulate local tourism. That is why you'll often see the local tourist organizaer on the list of sponsers.

Lemme add one more reason. To a school like Michigan, Texas, or Nebraska; playing in a lower bowl game means squat to them. Usually it can hurt a bowl game a lot.

Bowl planning is almost a year round job, it costs a lot of money and requires a lot of organization for a one week event. Unfortunatley this is why so many bowls have failed over the last 10 years.

Note: The Houston Bowl failed in 2001 lost it's NCAA license and started a new org and started a "new" game using the same bowl staff members with a few more added.

[Joe]

Don't know about the Gator. Houston is aligned with The BE, Big 12, Con USA, and Notre Dame, IF they get a sponsor. If they don't improve, again, they will be gone!

I think six chances, eight teams...

"Hey recruit, wanna play in a bowl game on national tv? The Bulls have six chances every year you play for us, right up to the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP."

Think positive and quit whining.

I understand what your saying, but in reality every conference now has a chance for a team with a 6-6 record to get into a bowl with the exception of the Sun Belt.

The problem is the quality. I guarentee a Pittsburgh team that was the ONLY team in the history of the BCS to not sell its allotment to a BCS game will not send fans to those locations(b-ham, toronto), they've been in PLENTY of bowl games and it's not a novelty to them anymore. They want to see their team take on a top team from another conference.

To a school like USF and Rutgers a bowl is still a novelty we hadn't been to one and rutgers hadn't been in 30 years. Playing in a bowl game is exciting to them.

To schools like WVU, Pitt, Syracuse bowls were an almost annual event in their history. Playing against a team from the MAC or CUSA mean doo doo to them.

In the end their attendance is going to reflect on the conference as a whole. In fact it already has...the Gator Bowl is phasing us out. The ND agreement has always been there, which is fine. However they have added the fact that they can choose a Big 12 team 2 out of the 4 years. What that says to me is unless your WVU your not invited (Louisville did not sell it ticket allotment last year and it was the 1st Gator Bowl to not sell out in 5 years)

There is no doubt in my mind our 2nd best bowl game is trying to kick us out and it sucks.

[T-Man]

Legion field will destroy us... That place is a freaking hole...  I promised I would never go again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course if it is a bowl I will be there!

[smazza]

bowl tie ins are a good thing

it is a positive thing

[SRQ]

Call an ambulance for smazza.  He's not himself.  

No, cancel the ambulance and hope this is the new, kinder and positive smazza.

[Cubanbull]

I tell you what i would much rather go to Toronto in January and see us play a MAC school than be poor BC or other ACC team and have to go to Boise in December and play a WAC school.

Toronto vs Boise? no contest there

[Guest Sprtsfn627]

It's a freaking joke. They had their chance to align themselves with better bowls and they didn't outside the BCS and MCCC Bowl or bowl situation is a joke.

I'm with Joe on this one...Big East lost a lot of ground in the bowl package.  Houston had potential, but that bowl is all but dead now.  If Toronto were against the Big 10 or Birmingham against the SEC, then it would have been better.  But matching up against the MAC and CUSA is a bad situation for us.  Losing in those games will seriously damage the rep of the conference.  Just look at the Ohio-Pittsburgh game.

[Cubanbull]

What did you expect the Big East lost 3 schools that were top 25 last year ansd two that were the perennial BE BCS players. It will take time for the Big East to build up and it starts by winning BCS Bowl games like WV did last year, winning other bowl games and having fans follow their teams to bowl games.

We as Bull fans have nOTHING to complain about when we had our first bowl game ever vs an ACC school and couldnt take 10,000 fans there.

You want the BE to get the Gator and other bowls then we as fans need to show that we will be there in big numbers otherwise dont expect the BE to ever get those big bowls ever again

[USFan]

What did you expect the Big East lost 3 schools that were top 25 last year ansd two that were the perennial BE BCS players. It will take time for the Big East to build up and it starts by winning BCS Bowl games like WV did last year, winning other bowl games and having fans follow their teams to bowl games.

We as Bull fans have nOTHING to complain about when we had our first bowl game ever vs an ACC school and couldnt take 10,000 fans there.

You want the BE to get the Gator and other bowls then we as fans need to show that we will be there in big numbers otherwise dont expect the BE to ever get those big bowls ever again

Amen.. If the team goes, I go!

[ChiTownBull]

What did you expect the Big East lost 3 schools that were top 25 last year ansd two that were the perennial BE BCS players. It will take time for the Big East to build up and it starts by winning BCS Bowl games like WV did last year, winning other bowl games and having fans follow their teams to bowl games.

We as Bull fans have nOTHING to complain about when we had our first bowl game ever vs an ACC school and couldnt take 10,000 fans there.

You want the BE to get the Gator and other bowls then we as fans need to show that we will be there in big numbers otherwise dont expect the BE to ever get those big bowls ever again

that is the TRUTH I and many others on the board were there but lets be real we only have 16k season tix holders and i think BE teams avg around 40k for home attendance. Major bowls want big 10, 12 , sec , and acc teams where most of the perenial top programs draw 60k +