Hale: Sun Belt Needs Another Bowl Tie-in

[MeanGreen61]

Off the Muts board.

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http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../803280323/1006

[Arkstfan]

Off the Muts board.

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http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?A.../803280323/1006

Keep hearing 09 for sure with a maybe third bowl when contracts start expiring.

[H-towngreen]

the 13 teams in the Sun Belt Conference, 10 will be playing football in the near future with Western Kentucky and South Alabama moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) ranks.

So, do you think the league merits another bowl game? By then, teams will be playing nine conference games and just three non-league opponents.Of

Ok WKU will be in the Belt in 2009, but won't South Alabama have to wait untill 2012 or 2013? I wouldn't call that the near future.

[Eagle1855]

Keep hearing 09 for sure with a maybe third bowl when contracts start expiring.

how? With C-USA adding more (that they will inevitably be unable to fill every year), where is the demand for MORE bowl games?

[Guest 97and03]

Many pundits and analysts suggest there are too many bowl games, but if you have a winning record, your players and fans deserve the opportunity to enjoy the bowl experience.

This is the problem. Bowl games should not be a "hey we won 6 games we deserve a bowl" situation. They are too diluted already and undeserving teams are playing in bowl games.

[Arkstfan]

This is the problem. Bowl games should not be a "hey we won 6 games we deserve a bowl" situation. They are too diluted already and undeserving teams are playing in bowl games.

Time to get philosophical here.

I have yet to make my mind up about the bowl situation.

On one hand I remember quite bitterly when 11-0 might not get you a bowl, hasn't been that long that 10-2 was no guarantee. We saw this year that 8 wins wasn't a guarantee. I have a hard time saying there are too many bowls when schools win 8, 9, 10, 11 and can't find a spot especially when 6 and 7 win teams were getting slots those years. I don't see that a bowl for every .500 or better team hurts the game. Sucks for the folks having to dig in their pockets to pay for them but if they didn't think the money was worth it, I doubt they would pay. If anyone is hurt it is the mid-tier bowls the ones paying $1 million or more the bowl proliferation hurts their product, but they wouldn't talk to us any way so I don't know that I care that it hurts their product. A ton of post-season exhibitions for the benefit of as many fans and schools as possible is positive.

On the other hand raising the bar for bowl games to conference champion or winning 75% of your games (8 on a 12 game schedule) with maybe a waiver for 7 wins culls the herd and makes the remaining games more valuable.

I guess I'm fatalistic. I think that the pressure for success on the richest leagues is such that the 6 win waiver will remain and as long as it does, having enough bowls so no 7 win or better team gets left out is a good thing.

[fauowls44]

Keep hearing 09 for sure with a maybe third bowl when contracts start expiring.

I hope that this is true. I only see the Belt getting stronger and stronger, so we definately need at least one more tie-in. We can't have more 7 or 8 win teams sitting at home when 6-6 teams are playing in the postseason. According to the MTSU board the even name which bowl the 2nd tie-in will be, but of course that is posted in their "premium" area. If anyone knows, please post that info.

[Arkstfan]

I hope that this is true. I only see the Belt getting stronger and stronger, so we definately need at least one more tie-in. We can't have more 7 or 8 win teams sitting at home when 6-6 teams are playing in the postseason. According to the MTSU board the even name which bowl the 2nd tie-in will be, but of course that is posted in their "premium" area. If anyone knows, please post that info.

For the first time we can negotiate with bowls with some cash in hand instead of promises that we think we can sell tickets.

[ShopMeanGreen]

I am opposed to adding more bowls just so the SBC will have 2-3 tie ins because the other side of the ball will be a lower ranked team from an already thinly spread conference. I do believe the SBC teams are improving and so the games will likely get even more one sided and more difficult to promote. I think the current bowls need to be re-contracted to make sure the best teams play in those bowl...I just don't thibk the SBC would ever get a fair shake. Why would C-USA not look to the conference with the least bowl tie ins for the current potential bowl addition.

[UNTflyer]

I am opposed to adding more bowls just so the SBC will have 2-3 tie ins because the other side of the ball will be a lower ranked team from an already thinly spread conference.

Agreed. We need to steal away one those bowl tie-ins for a #5 or 6 team by getting better.

[MeanGreen61]

Post by Arkstfan on the muts board.

Re: Hale: Sun Belt needs another bowl tie-in Reply

The Sun Belt got the change it needed last week.

MONEY

CUSA and the MAC have been taking their NCAA basketball revenue and buying up bowl berths. For example GMAC Bowl in Mobile. The GMAC requires the purchase of 7500 tickets at $45 each plus an unknown "marketing fee" at least from the MAC to "promote the conference in the Mobile area". The Liberty marketing fee for the MWC was $750,000 several years ago.

The MAC teams have been selling 1,500 sometimes less, a few times more tickets for the GMAC. The conference picks up all of the marketing cost and maybe part of the unsold tickets.

The Sun Belt UNTIL THIS YEAR, got the smallest BCS payout by being ranked 5th of the 5 non-auto leagues and got the minimum NCAA payout by being one and done.

The BCS money this year doubled by placing ahead of the MAC. The NCAA money just increased more than 50% thanks to USA and WKU.

At the end of this fiscal year the Sun Belt will receive more money than it ever has made in its history. Total league revenue should be up at least 50%.

The Sun Belt finally has the money to buy its way into games. Before we could talk to a bowl and say we believed we could sell a good number of tickets, but we could never sign a contract obligating our teams to those numbers, now we can. It's coming too late for this year but it is coming at the perfect time.

Most bowl contracts expire in 2009 and for the first time we can walk to the negotiating table with money in the checking account.

[NT80]

The Sun Belt finally has the money to buy its way into games. Before we could talk to a bowl and say we believed we could sell a good number of tickets, but we could never sign a contract obligating our teams to those numbers, now we can. It's coming too late for this year but it is coming at the perfect time.

Most bowl contracts expire in 2009 and for the first time we can walk to the negotiating table with money in the checking account.

The Sunbelt may be doing better $-wise but travel-wise we are still lagging. Any new SBC bowl tie-in will have to be well placed to encourage travel from a SBC school/fans. Few spots offer the tourist advantages and central SBC locale that New Orleans does. I would vote for a bowl tie-in to Shreveport; otherwise possibly Houston, Memphis or Mobile.

Edited March 31, 2008 by NT80

[Arkstfan]

The Sunbelt may be doing better $-wise but travel-wise we are still lagging. Any new SBC bowl tie-in will have to be well placed to encourage travel from a SBC school/fans. Few spots offer the tourist advantages and central SBC locale that New Orleans does. I would vote for a bowl tie-in to Shreveport; otherwise possibly Houston, Memphis or Mobile.

Based on what the MT folks are saying, there will be a new bowl for 2009 in state starting with the letter T. The delay is because a new game this year would interfere with a big anniversary this year. Doesn't take much checking to see that this year the Liberty celebrates its 50th game. So I think you can pencil Memphis in for 2009.

Memphis is:

70 miles from ASU

245 miles from MT

275 miles from WKU

326 miles from Monroe

380 miles from Troy

393 miles from USA

438 miles from Lafayette

487 miles from Denton

1010 miles from FAU

1053 miles from FIU

The MAC has struggled to sell tickets for the GMAC in Mobile. I'm sure the GMAC will make a run at a name conference first but you have to think we will be in the mix.

Mobile is:

Home field of future member USA.

174 miles from Troy

256 miles from ULL

303 miles from ULM

451 miles from MT

462 miles from ASU

515 miles from WKU

623 miles from UNT

681 miles from FAU

724 miles from FIU

CLOSEST MAC SCHOOL 758 MILES