Big East television returns still unknown

[Brad]

August 06 2004

Big East television returns still unknown

Jack Bogaczyk

Daily Mail Sports Editor

WEST Virginia and its Big East brethren begin the football season with similar television opportunities to past seasons, but still in the dark about the sum total of the exposure.

At last week's Big East preseason media session at Giants Stadium, Commissioner Mike Tranghese said the conference's football TV negotiations with the Disney Co. (ABC/ESPN) remain in binding arbitration, and no decision is expected "until perhaps late in the fall."

In the 2004 season, with early-season games and weeknight prime-time and holiday dates announced, it's apparent the Big East -- even without Miami and Virginia Tech -- will reach past minimums for home game appearances in the contract.

The conference will have at least five dates apiece on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. In each of the past two seasons, it has received the ABC quota, but reached 14 home games (four above the minimum) on ESPN and ESPN2 combined.

WVU has four appearances (Maryland, Connecticut, Syracuse, Pitt) already on the ESPN and ESPN2 schedules in '04. The Mountaineers are likely to have at least two more network dates, at Virginia Tech (Oct. 2) and at Mountaineer Field against Boston College (Nov. 13).

Tom Odjakjian, the Big East associate commissioner who handles conference TV scheduling, said that in addition to three Big East home games already announced by ABC, the network targeting BC-WVU and Syracuse-BC (Nov. 27) as its other two games, under the regular 12 days-prior selection process.

ESPN/ESPN2 has chosen eight of 10 required Big East home dates. Odjakjian said the two remaining are likely to be Florida State-Syracuse and BC-Pitt, although team performance can always change network thinking.

WVU's game at Virginia Tech, an ACC home game, is likely an ESPN date at noon or 7:30 p.m. The ABC selection on Oct. 2 from the ACC should be Miami-Georgia Tech. The Mountaineers also have potential noon Big East regional dates against Rutgers and Temple (no more than one of the two).

What the above means financially is in the arbitrator's hands. The arbitration could also lower the number of required Big East telecasts in future seasons.

Big East football has been paid a $15 million rights fee by the Disney networks in recent seasons. A lower rights fee for ABC/ESPN could mean reduced appearance payouts for conference games and home non-league games, or the Big East could limit the leftover pool dollars each football member shares equally from the bowl and TV revenue.

With one ABC, four payable ESPN/ESPN2 dates and one Big East regional appearance, history says West Virginia would be looking at a $1.1 million TV take to match last season.

However, until the Big East decides its distribution plan after the arbitrator rules, the Mountaineers and six other programs will wonder about diminished returns.

* * *

IT'S HARD to figure how Louisville and South Florida can improve on their national football telecast appearances when they switch from Conference USA to the Big East next season.

C-USA announced the Cardinals have five dates this season on ESPN or ESPN2, while USF already has three, plus a certain date with Memphis that hasn't been announced.

Louisville's five is more than has been announced for any Big East team, although West Virginia and perhaps Pitt could get to that number with expected picks during the season.

Cincinnati, the other Big East 2005 football entrant, has no ABC or national cable dates, although the Bearcats play Ohio State and Syracuse.

* * *

THE DOMINOS for the next Bowl Championship Series negotiations have started to fall, with an eight-year, 10-game Rose Bowl telecast renewal by ABC Sports. The deal, worth a reported $300 million, was announced Wednesday.

The contract, which runs from 2007 through 2014, also paves the way for ABC to keep its exclusivity with the BCS, which is expanding with a fifth game and potential access for five non-BCS conferences starting with the 2006 season ('07 bowls).

In the current contract, ABC is paying an average of $25.5 million annually for a Rose Bowl. The hike means the payout to schools -- usually the Big Ten and Pacific 10 -- will increase similarly. For the Southern Cal-Michigan game last January, the BCS per-team distribution was $17.53 million.

The two extra games in eight years will be in 2010 and ‘14, when the Rose will stage the extra BCS game, in rotation with the Orange, Fiesta and Sugar bowls.

* * *

THE ROSE deal with ABC wasn't going to be completed until the bowl's questions about access for schools from outside the BCS family were answered. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany dropped the plan for that on the league's media this week.

How does Marshall -- and its other future Conference USA foes, plus Mid-American, Sun Belt, Mountain West and Western Athletic teams -- reach the "Granddaddy of Them All?"

The Rose must take a Marshall, Miami (Ohio) or TCU a maximum of once in eight years, starting with the 2006 postseason (‘07 BCS games), but only if one of the traditional Rose Bowl teams (Pac-10 or Big Ten) is ranked Nos. 1 or 2, and is playing in the BCS title game and vacating a Rose berth.

A team from one of the five so-called "coalition" conferences must be ranked 12th or higher in the final BCS standings or be higher than the lowest-ranked BCS conference champ to get Rose access. However, if no Boise State or UTEP qualifies, the Rose can replace a Nos. 1-2 team it loses with another Big Ten or Pac-10 BCS-eligible team (minimum nine wins, top 12 ranking).

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[bulls96go]

rose bowl bound in 2008 yeah

[smazza]

big east should have figured a way to bring in cusa teams this year