Well, there goes the Belk Bowl

[BaltoBull]

"League officials have discussed a multisite, rotational bowl partnership of the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC to maximize matchups over six years, according to two sources with knowledge of those discussions."

 

"The Music City Bowl in Nashville, Belk Bowl in Charlotte and Alamo Bowl in San Antonio are among the sites being mentioned."

 

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/jeremy-fowler/21826498/sec-big-12-acc-big-ten-discuss-power-bowl-alliance

 

To me, this is just more evidence that the 'power 5' are going to control everything of value in CFB. Granted it's not the 'greatest' bowl by any means, but what about the Pinstripe Bowl? Given where the vast majority of our teams are now geographically located, with only UConn and Temple being close by, who else can see the bowl going to the B10 (Rutgers, Penn St., Maryland & possibly Virginia) & the ACC after our contract expires?

 

I don't know, I could see the Russell Athletic Bowl switching allegiances sooner or later as well. Orlando would be a great consolation prize for 'power 5' fans who wont be traveling to a marque bowl.

 

As the 'power 5' conferences continue to expand, they should have enough teams to fill the spots. Imagine being able to offer almost all the teams in your conference a bowl bid of one sort or other. It might not be the sexiest matchup and you might not get great attendance to all of them, but you will take the payout for the bowl and add that to your conference's coffer as well, not to mention more t.v. exposure for practically all of your teams and the extra practices that come along with it. ESPN who owns the majority of these bowls certainly would mind this either, I would think.

 

By my count, that leaves us with potentially only 3 bowls (Beef O' Brady's, the Compass and the Liberty). Follow my logic here, if the 'power 5' gets wrapped up and starts playing their teams exclusively in their bowls, does anybody else see our bowl opponents becoming more ridiculous? I think the 'power 5' will laugh at sending any teams to St. Petersburg, Birmingham or Memphis. Maybe we pick up the R&L Carriers, Military (if we can hold onto Navy) and Independence bowls? I don't know. 

 

Who will the opponents to these games be? CUSA? Sun Belt? MAC? What do you think the payoffs for these games will be? Either way, get ready for AXII's bowl season to be over by Christmas.

 

Sorry to be a downer. But this is what I'm thinking our future. I would prefer to just dump the bowl concept and just go to a Championship Series with MWC, C-USA and the MAC. Each of our best teams playing one another with home field advantage to boost money and help attendance followed by a championship game in a neutral location. Sell the concept to the highest bidder. The AXII is going to be laughed at and locked out eventually anyways, we might as well do something different.

 

I am ready for the onslaught of people telling me I am completely wrong and ridiculous for suggesting this (again).

 

 

[ScherdinNine18]

And Big12 wants the Russell Athletic Bowl too...

[Mission9]

Well, there is always the toilet bowl! 

[Bova Fett]

"League officials have discussed a multisite, rotational bowl partnership of the SEC, Big 12, Big Ten and ACC to maximize matchups over six years, according to two sources with knowledge of those discussions."

 

"The Music City Bowl in Nashville, Belk Bowl in Charlotte and Alamo Bowl in San Antonio are among the sites being mentioned."

 

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/jeremy-fowler/21826498/sec-big-12-acc-big-ten-discuss-power-bowl-alliance

 

To me, this is just more evidence that the 'power 5' are going to control everything of value in CFB. Granted it's not the 'greatest' bowl by any means, but what about the Pinstripe Bowl? Given where the vast majority of our teams are now geographically located, with only UConn and Temple being close by, who else can see the bowl going to the B10 (Rutgers, Penn St., Maryland & possibly Virginia) & the ACC after our contract expires?

 

I don't know, I could see the Russell Athletic Bowl switching allegiances sooner or later as well. Orlando would be a great consolation prize for 'power 5' fans who wont be traveling to a marque bowl.

 

As the 'power 5' conferences continue to expand, they should have enough teams to fill the spots. Imagine being able to offer almost all the teams in your conference a bowl bid of one sort or other. It might not be the sexiest matchup and you might not get great attendance to all of them, but you will take the payout for the bowl and add that to your conference's coffer as well, not to mention more t.v. exposure for practically all of your teams and the extra practices that come along with it. ESPN who owns the majority of these bowls certainly would mind this either, I would think.

 

By my count, that leaves us with potentially only 3 bowls (Beef O' Brady's, the Compass and the Liberty). Follow my logic here, if the 'power 5' gets wrapped up and starts playing their teams exclusively in their bowls, does anybody else see our bowl opponents becoming more ridiculous? I think the 'power 5' will laugh at sending any teams to St. Petersburg, Birmingham or Memphis. Maybe we pick up the R&L Carriers, Military (if we can hold onto Navy) and Independence bowls? I don't know. 

 

Who will the opponents to these games be? CUSA? Sun Belt? MAC? What do you think the payoffs for these games will be? Either way, get ready for AXII's bowl season to be over by Christmas.

 

Sorry to be a downer. But this is what I'm thinking our future. I would prefer to just dump the bowl concept and just go to a Championship Series with MWC, C-USA and the MAC. Each of our best teams playing one another with home field advantage to boost money and help attendance followed by a championship game in a neutral location. Sell the concept to the highest bidder. The AXII is going to be laughed at and locked out eventually anyways, we might as well do something different.

 

I am ready for the onslaught of people telling me I am completely wrong and ridiculous for suggesting this (again).

 

The Big10 can have the Pinstripe Bowl... that bowl is ****.

 

Now losing the Belk Bowl would hurt.

[BaltoBull]

And Big12 wants the Russell Athletic Bowl too...

 

Honestly, I'm just thinking aloud, but, what if this is a subtle indicator of the B12 coming into Florida with one or more geographically close teams?

 

Easy travel and high attendance for FSU/Miami -or- USF/UCF fans if selected. If one of the FL teams doesn't get the spot, then it's excellent exposure to possible recruits on 1-4 and elsewhere in the state for the other B12 teams AND they can tell recruits they would be playing close to home at least once a year.

 

I could be completely full of s*** about this, but it does make me wonder if the B12 is being proactive, playing chess and setting up some pieces.

[E.T.]

Class Action Lawsuit!

Then these 5 conferences will drop the NCAA and there will be two leagues.

Then we'll battle like the old AFL / NFL .

THEN ...

[ScherdinNine18]

I don't think you're way off, but I don't see the Big12/USF-UCF thing happening for a while.  So if this is there way of getting their foot in the door fine.

 

But still leaves our "AKA" conference with nothing but weak bowl games.

 

 

And Big12 wants the Russell Athletic Bowl too...

 

Honestly, I'm just thinking aloud, but, what if this is a subtle indicator of the B12 coming into Florida with one or more geographically close teams?

 

Easy travel and high attendance for FSU/Miami -or- USF/UCF fans if selected. If one of the FL teams doesn't get the spot, then it's excellent exposure to possible recruits on 1-4 and elsewhere in the state for the other B12 teams AND they can tell recruits they would be playing close to home at least once a year.

 

I could be completely full of s*** about this, but it does make me wonder if the B12 is being proactive, playing chess and setting up some pieces.

[BaltoBull]

Class Action Lawsuit!

Then these 5 conferences will drop the NCAA and there will be two leagues.

Then we'll battle like the old AFL / NFL .

THEN ...

 

I think that is what has been in the works and is the end game of all of this. Honestly, I think if the 'power 5' (and I still think it will be the 'power 4' eventually) are making the exorbitant amount of money this set-up will provide, it will make sense for them to split and give up their tax-exempt status. It will be worth it for them to regulate and only worry about themselves.

 

Imagine being able to change the rules to make 'better' and 'more exciting' games. Imagine not having to be tied down by 'stringent' academic requirements. Imagine being able to pay players in the open. Imagine being able to license and sell players images.

 

As far as the old AFL/NFL concept - unless you are referring to the two leagues potentially different policies and rules, the budgetary, facility and ultimately, athletic difference between the 'power schools' and the 'Gang of Five' schools won't even be close. Also, there will be absolutely no chance of a merger as the moves being made now are ensuring the 'power' conferences presence geographically close important media markets, the accumulation of 'brand schools' not to mention the schools that would potentially be part of leaving the NCAA are doing so, in large part, because they've decided there is nothing to gain by playing the 75+ other schools in Div. 1.

Edited March 8, 2013 by BaltoBull

[mviusa]

And Big12 wants the Russell Athletic Bowl too...

 

Honestly, I'm just thinking aloud, but, what if this is a subtle indicator of the B12 coming into Florida with one or more geographically close teams?

 

Easy travel and high attendance for FSU/Miami -or- USF/UCF fans if selected. If one of the FL teams doesn't get the spot, then it's excellent exposure to possible recruits on 1-4 and elsewhere in the state for the other B12 teams AND they can tell recruits they would be playing close to home at least once a year.

 

I could be completely full of s*** about this, but it does make me wonder if the B12 is being proactive, playing chess and setting up some pieces.

The Big Eight (now B12) had ties to the Orange Bowl (B8 Champs played there) that began in 1968.  They never added any Florida teams, so why now?

[GaUSFBull]

 

And Big12 wants the Russell Athletic Bowl too...

 

Honestly, I'm just thinking aloud, but, what if this is a subtle indicator of the B12 coming into Florida with one or more geographically close teams?

 

Easy travel and high attendance for FSU/Miami -or- USF/UCF fans if selected. If one of the FL teams doesn't get the spot, then it's excellent exposure to possible recruits on 1-4 and elsewhere in the state for the other B12 teams AND they can tell recruits they would be playing close to home at least once a year.

 

I could be completely full of s*** about this, but it does make me wonder if the B12 is being proactive, playing chess and setting up some pieces.

The Big Eight (now B12) had ties to the Orange Bowl (B8 Champs played there) that began in 1968.  They never added any Florida teams, so why now?

 

The landscape from the time of the Big Eight compared with the current landscape isn't exactly an apples-to-apples comparision now, don'tcha think?