August 6, 2009

Gator Bowl holding firm, may drop Big East for SEC

The Big East Conference has put the Gator Bowl on notice - it has grown tired of the hybrid arrangement with the Big 12 conference that was established for the 2006 season. Under the current deal, the Gator Bowl may choose a Big 12 team twice every four years or select Notre Dame once every four years, instead of taking a Big East team for the New Year's Day bowl.

The contract between the Gator Bowl and the Big East is in its final season, and the new Big East commissioner expects changes.

"We want an exclusive deal," Marinatto said, "and we've remained firm. And if (a deal) is not going to be with the Gator Bowl, then it will be with someone else."

Gator Bowl President Rick Catlett called the Big East's position "disappointing" but made clear that the hybrid model is in the best interest of fans and the bowl game, for now.

The Gator Bowl, which picks the third in the ACC selection, has traditionally chosen first from the bowl-eligible pool of Big East teams, but the bowl is making it known that it would like a future agreement with the SEC.

"We have had a lot of conversations with the SEC," Catlett said. "It's a natural tie-in. We sit in their geographic footprint. We would very much like to be a part of the SEC's bowl picks. The problem is they've got some awfully good partners."

While the Gator Bowl would be a nice fit for the SEC, the current arrangement with ABC and the Capital One Bowl guarantees that no other SEC team will play in their early afternoon time slot (which is shared by the Gator Bowl) on New Year's Day. The Gator is not interested in moving its time slot, so a new arrangement would be required before the bowl could select an SEC team.

So is the Gator barking up the wrong tree? Maybe not. The Gator Bowl's gestures to the SEC come during the exact time that the Capital One Bowl is negotiating with ABC... who - by the way - just signed a huge deal with the SEC.

The Gator is hoping it's prime television slot and $2.5 million payout will prompt the SEC to work on its behalf, provided the bowl can pick within the first five slots of the conference.

In other words, stay tuned. This might get interesting.

But the Gator Bowl isn't putting all it's eggs in one basket. It has also held talks with the ACC, Big 10 and Big 12 conferences in hopes of reaching a long-term arrangement for the Jacksonville game.

Comments:

Gator Bowl holding firm, may drop Big East for SEC
The Big East Conference has put the Gator Bowl on notice - it has grown tired of the hybrid arrangement with the Big 12 conference that was established for the 2006 season. Under the current deal, the Gator Bowl may choose a Big 12 team twice every four years or select Notre Dame once every four years, instead of taking a Big East team for the New Year's Day bowl. The contract between the Gator Bowl and the Big East is in its final season, and the new Big East commissioner expects changes.
"We want an exclusive deal," Marinatto said, "and we've remained firm. And if (a deal) is not going to be with the Gator Bowl, then it will be with someone else."
Gator Bowl President Rick Catlett called the Big East's position "disappointing" but made clear that the hybrid model is in the best interest of fans and the bowl game, for now. The Gator Bowl, which picks the third in the ACC selection, has traditionally chosen first from the bowl-eligible pool of Big East teams, but the bowl is making it known that it would like a future agreement with the SEC.
"We have had a lot of conversations with the SEC," Catlett said. "It's a natural tie-in. We sit in their geographic footprint. We would very much like to be a part of the SEC's bowl picks. The problem is they've got some awfully good partners."
While the Gator Bowl would be a nice fit for the SEC, the current arrangement with ABC and the Capital One Bowl guarantees that no other SEC team will play in their early afternoon time slot (which is shared by the Gator Bowl) on New Year's Day. The Gator is not interested in moving its time slot, so a new arrangement would be required before the bowl could select an SEC team. So is the Gator barking up the wrong tree? Maybe not. The Gator Bowl's gestures to the SEC come during the exact time that the Capital One Bowl is negotiating with ABC... who - by the way - just signed a huge deal with the SEC. The Gator is hoping it's prime television slot and $2.5 million payout will prompt the SEC to work on its behalf, provided the bowl can pick within the first five slots of the conference. In other words, stay tuned. This might get interesting. But the Gator Bowl isn't putting all it's eggs in one basket. It has also held talks with the ACC, Big 10 and Big 12 conferences in hopes of reaching a long-term arrangement for the Jacksonville game.