Sun Belt Included In Gmac Bowl Talks

MeanGreen61 · May 13, 2008

GMAC Bowl in discussions with other leagues, and a new look to Ladd-Peebles could only help

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

By GARETH CLARY

Sports Reporter

The GMAC Bowl is exploring a new combination of conference tie-ins, and proposed enhancements to Ladd-Peebles Stadium that could help attract a relationship with a high-profile league.

The bowl's contracts with Conference USA and the Mid-America Conference expire after the 2009 contest, which is set for Jan. 6.

GMAC Bowl officials have been in talks about new tie-ins beginning in 2010 with several conferences, including the Southeastern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Western Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt.

"Where we stand is we're talking to a lot of people and we'll probably make some changes," said GMAC Bowl President Jerry Silverstein. "It looks like that. It's positive that the city is going to do some things to the stadium that's going to really help a lot and bring some interest to it with everything that's going on in Mobile with the economy and businesswise.

"We hope to have some announcements to make probably in the next 60 days of what our future is. We're still working on it. We're not dotting 'I's' and crossing 'T's' yet, but we're real close."

Silverstein declined to reveal which conferences were providing the most serious interest in hooking up with the GMAC Bowl.

He noted the WAC has Louisiana Tech in the Central Standard Time zone and that Troy of the Sun Belt was 8-4 last year, but didn't receive a bowl bid.

Silverstein also pointed out that the SEC's new tie-in with the Papajohns.com Bowl at Legion Field in Birmingham, announced last week, is only a two-year deal. That new contract represents the SEC's ninth bowl tie-in.

"That leaves the door open for some things in the future," Silverstein said. "That would be the ultimate if you could get in the rotation where you're guaranteed a team."

Silverstein acknowledged there would be obstacles to overcome for that scenario to unfold.

"We're a mid-major bowl and we want to do the best we can," he said. "We have limited resources with the size of our stadium and what we have to deal with. We have only 40,000 seats instead of the 72,000 they have in Birmingham. We would have to raise our ticket prices probably double from what they are to be comparable, which is not the Mobile market.

"That's not to say that between spon sorship and TV contracts in situations that could come about that it's impossible to do."

The GMAC Bowl nearly pulled an SEC team through a loophole in its contract with the MAC last year. That clause allowed the game to choose an SEC team that went 7-5 and was not selected to fill one of the league's tie-ins.

Steve Spurrier's South Carolina squad was 6-6 and not invited to a bowl game. An appeal to the NCAA to waive the 7-5 requirement was rejected, so the GMAC Bowl was unable to invite the Gamecocks to town with their legendary coach and legions of traveling fans.

Silverstein said the size of Ladd-Peebles Stadium hasn't been a major issue in discussions with some of the major conferences.

"There's not really a size limit," said Silverstein, adding that it would be a nice carrot if the stadium had another 10,000 seats. "They want tickets and they want their payouts. A lot of bowls are going more regionally instead of sending teams from the Northeast to California or something.

"We're in a great spot here in Mobile. It's just making it all work out and making the numbers work."

Silverstein said the game has a little bit of an edge because its contracts come up a year earlier than many comparable bowls with four-year arrangements.

"It allows us to know what the landscape is and we've been working for a couple of years," he said. "We couldn't really make any of those moves being under contract and where things are. We're out of sequence and that started several years ago with some renewals and things like that. It probably can be an advantage for us in a lot of things."

UNTflyer · May 13, 2008

It's good that the bowls are looking at the Belt, but I think if they would prefer a 6-6 SEC team to an 8-4 Belt team.

May 13, 2008

It's good that the bowls are looking at the Belt, but I think if they would prefer a 6-6 SEC team to an 8-4 Belt team.

True, but what if they could've had both....South Carolina vs. Troy. Troy, being less than 100 miles away, and South Carolina, with the Spurrier aura would've packed the place.

One other small advantage is that South Alabama is supposed to become a FBS team within five years.

UNTflyer · May 13, 2008

True, but what if they could've had both....South Carolina vs. Troy. Troy, being less than 100 miles away, and South Carolina, with the Spurrier aura would've packed the place.
One other small advantage is that South Alabama is supposed to become a FBS team within five years.

Indeed. SC vs Troy would have been a great bowl game.

MeanGreen61 · May 13, 2008

MAC board thread.

http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=298398

UNTflyer · May 13, 2008

One thing that have to do with the GMAC bowl is move it earlier. Who wants to watch the MAC vs C-USA after most of the BCS games have played?

Eagle1855 · May 13, 2008

One thing that have to do with the GMAC bowl is move it earlier. Who wants to watch the MAC vs C-USA after most of the BCS games have played?

Well, I'll watch just about any football if it's the only thing that is on. I've watched a lot of MAC games the past couple years because of all their zany (yeah I said ZANY) schedules. Tuesday night football? Yes, please.

LongJim · May 13, 2008

Well, I'll watch just about any football if it's the only thing that is on. I've watched a lot of MAC games the past couple years because of all their zany (yeah I said ZANY) schedules. Tuesday night football? Yes, please.

No kidding. I'm down with it as well. The GMAC would be a perfect second bowl for the SBC, and a perfect location as well. There are much worse destinations during bowl season than New Orleans and Mobile. I would love to see an ACC/Big East opponent against an SBC school in a bowl down there.