http://wvgazette.com/Sports/MitchVingle/200905070938

Gator Bowl in no hurry to commit to Big East

By Mitch Vingle
Sports Editor

GATOR BOWL president Rick Catlett took in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Thursday afternoon.

He was spoiling sponsors and advertisers with a little golf. Next week, he'll begin jetting off to conference meetings in other prime locations. ("Yes,'' Catlett admitted, "it's not a bad job this time of year.'')

However, when all the traveling is over, when all the meetings are completed, the Big East is hoping Catlett lands in a familiar spot.

Taking the league's No. 2 team once again.

Bowl negotiations are moving slowly as conferences approach the last season on their current deals. But the Big East has made its desire clear to Catlett. Forget the future. The league wants to get back to the past.

"We met with [outgoing Big East commissioner] Michael [Trangehese] in Los Angeles about 10 days ago,'' Catlett said. "We were out there for the [Football Bowl Association] meetings. We met with him and a couple of his staff members.''

Their message to him: Forget the complicated tie-in with the Sun Bowl, Big 12, ACC and Pac-10 and get back to simpler days when the bowl took the Big East's runner-up.

"That's what they want,'' Catlett confirmed. "What [Tranghese] would like is a straight-up deal for No. 2.''

Catlett is hesitant to make such a commitment. First, he loves the idea of flexibility. And he sure flexed the last couple of seasons with Texas Tech and Nebraska playing ACC teams in Jacksonville.

Now, the terms of the expiring contract say the Gator must take either a Big East team or bowl partner Notre Dame at the end of this coming season. Which is fine with Catlett.

The bowl president is just wary of signing a new contract solely with the Big East and revisiting old problems.

"How many times is West Virginia going to play in the Gator Bowl before the team and the fans get tired of it?'' he asked.

It's a question that's been faced in the past. But odds are the Sun won't sign as a partner again after getting stiff-armed in its attempt to land a 6-6 Notre Dame team last season and wound up with Pittsburgh, a 3-0 loser to Oregon State.

So we'll have to see. Maybe the Big East is in a good position. If other bowls don't wish to partner, maybe its stand will take. Most understand the Gator only likes to see tradition-rich Notre Dame and fan-crazy WVU coming to town out of the Big East group.

But the Gator's options seem limited. Would it stoop to taking the Southeastern Conference's No. 5 or 6 team? The SEC, after all, will many times send two teams to the Bowl Championship Series round. It then sends a team to the strong Capital One Bowl. Then there's the Outback, Chick-fil-A and Cotton bowls.

Yet Catlett is proceeding slowly. For many reasons.

"Until we get a TV deal done, we can't get anything done,'' he said. "And before that gets done, the Capital One Bowl has to get its deal done. I know [Tranghese] wants a decision a little quicker, but we've laid out our timeline. I think we'll know by mid-summer.''

Catlett and others are waiting for the Capital One Bowl because of conference rules forbidding SEC and Big Ten league teams from overlapping, etc. The Gator could move from Jan. 1.

In sum, though, it's a tangled mess Tranghese is hoping to simplify.

"In the past, [contract negotiations] were pretty simple,'' Catlett said. "You'd roll everything over. But this year, with the economy, sponsors are hesitant to sign on the dotted line.

"It's a time to be cautious.''

Reach Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827, mitchvin...@wvgazette.com or http://twitter.com/MitchVingle.

kind of a tangled web... the good thing for the BE is they have pretty limited options available.

I told you guys. Notice the line about a date change. The problem with the stadium, is what causing the SEC to look at this bowl. They are serious about this bowl. The SEC will travel no matter the date. I told you to beware of your so called power. From what I understand the Sun bowl is basically a done deal with the Big 12 and Pac 10. Of course the contracts arent sign but I hear that the agreement is pretty much done. Good luck in your bowl search or renewal.

(05-08-2009 07:08 AM)gdayre Wrote:  I told you guys. Notice the line about a date change. The problem with the stadium, is what causing the SEC to look at this bowl. They are serious about this bowl. The SEC will travel no matter the date. I told you to beware of your so called power. From what I understand the Sun bowl is basically a done deal with the Big 12 and Pac 10. Of course the contracts arent sign but I hear that the agreement is pretty much done. Good luck in your bowl search or renewal.

The thing is, splitting or expansion would not help in this matter. The Gator Bowl wants flexibility and adding Memphis, ECU, etc. wouldn't change a thing.

I think the Gator Bowl might improve over time if it sticks with the Big East #2...as unlike some other #2 bowl tie ins (i.e Big 10 and SEC's #2 tie-ins with the Cap One Bowl), many times, those 2 conferences get TWO teams into the BCS...which means the 3rd team in said conf falls into that #2 bowl slot.

#2 in Big East should be very consistent as it might be a long-shot for the big east to get two teams into BCS Bowls...especially if they remain with just an 8 team football conf.

Most years, Big East #2 will probably be ranked in the Top 20 heading into bowl games (i.e. in '06...UL was ranked #6 and RU was ranked #13)...and for the Gator Bowl...thats still a pretty good spot.

Conference tie-ins are one of the many things wrong with the bowl system. It sucks any way you look at it...

Frankly, I think we should just say to hell with the Gator Bowl. They obviously don't want us. And if they try to invite one of us this fall, we should decline the invite. I'd rather stay home to make a point, than allow people to dictate unfavorable terms...

And if we really wanted to make a point, the entire conference could decide not to play any bowls - including the BCS game - just prior to the start of the first bowl to be played which includes a team invited from The BEast as a protest to the bowl system. With all the dissatisfaction currently around for the BCS, a BCS conference refusing to participate would add considerable weight to a playoff push...

(05-08-2009 08:06 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Frankly, I think we should just say to hell with the Gator Bowl. They obviously don't want us. And if they try to invite one of us this fall, we should decline the invite. I'd rather stay home to make a point, than allow people to dictate unfavorable terms...

My sentiments exactly. I am sick of hearing how BE officials keep groveling at the feet of this guy. As long as his payout is so low, he will not do any better than BE #2. He needs to fully understand where his bowl is in the feeding process.

I wish we could tell him to take it or leave it. The Charlotte Bowl folks really like the BE. Let them raise their payouts (there were some rumers that they want to do just that) and play after New years or on new Years and let them take BE #2. It would be a hit to the BE's prestige, but at least they would be singing praises about the BE. The league is already taking a big hit to its prestige as long as this guy keeps publicly taking shots at the BE. And he has been taking shots for years now.

(05-08-2009 08:06 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Frankly, I think we should just say to hell with the Gator Bowl. They obviously don't want us.

Well...when some of your conference tie-in bowls are with some bowls that are at the bottom of the barrel (i.e. St Pete bowl played INDOORS, Birmingham and Toronto) and usually vs non-BCS teams....playing on January 1 vs a BCS Team in the Gator Bowl looks pretty darn good.

Big East has zero clout to tell the Gator Bowl to "F" off.

"How many times is West Virginia going to play in the Gator Bowl before the team and the fans get tired of it?'' he asked.

A subtle shot at WVU.

(05-08-2009 06:19 AM)MichaelSavage Wrote:  Most understand the Gator only likes to see tradition-rich Notre Dame and fan-crazy WVU coming to town out of the Big East group.

Never understood that. Louisville took 23,000 - 25,000 to Jacksonville when we played in the Gator while VT had only 15,000-17,000. Despite that, Catlett complained about Louisville not sending enough fans and not traveling well to the bowl game. Pardon my language, but that dude seems like a major