I know this isn't part of the BE bowls but thought it was interesting. It's a nice setup between the Cotton and Sugar Bowls.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_...wl-mo.html

The 50th annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl will be played in January for the first time in its history, bowl officials announced Tuesday.

The game will be played at 5 p.m. on January 2, 2009 this upcoming bowl season at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis and be sandwiched between the AT&T Cotton Bowl bowl’s 2 p.m. start and BCS Allstate Sugar Bowl’s 8:20 p.m. kickoff.

The Liberty Bowl will again pit the Conference USA champion against a team from the Southeastern Conference and be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN Radio.

“The January 2nd date adds to the national prominence of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl as we celebrate the Bowl’s 50th Anniversary,” Liberty Bowl Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said in a release. “We’re thrilled to be able to showcase two great teams, the city of Memphis and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital on January 2nd.”

Said Kurt Dargis, Senior Manager for Programming and Acquisitions for ESPN: “We look forward to celebrating 50 years of the AutoZone Liberty Bowl with SEC and Conference USA fans in Memphis and a nationwide audience on ESPN.”

Last year’s game attracted an all-time record crowd of 63,816 as Mississippi State defeated UCF 10-3. The Liberty Bowl was one of ESPN’s highest rated games of the 2007-08 bowl season.

This is a pretty big deal for CUSA. Assuming the new St pete bowl is approved.. having a fla bowl vs BE and A new years type bowl vs Sec, puts it way ahead of the other non bcs gang. I don't think anyone cracks into the BCS soon but if over the next few years CUSA can seperate itself from the other non bcs and become the solid #7, it would put it in a pretty sweet spot.

This game belongs during the day when the sun is out, but TV and money talk.

3601 Wrote:This game belongs during the day when the sun is out, but TV and money talk.

Agreed but it being a Friday might help out a few locals who have to work that day. Regardless the game should be good for Beale Street.

goodknightfl Wrote:This is a pretty big deal for CUSA. Assuming the new St pete bowl is approved.. having a fla bowl vs BE and A new years type bowl vs Sec, puts it way ahead of the other non bcs gang. I don't think anyone cracks into the BCS soon but if over the next few years CUSA can seperate itself from the other non bcs and become the solid #7, it would put it in a pretty sweet spot.

In the eyes of the NCAA, C-USA is already the solid #7. We are the only cartel conference which is officially designated as an "Equity Conference", meaning C-USA sits at the decision-making table.

Seating at the Equity table doesnt mean much. CUSA needs to break thru and crash a BCS Bowl.
The WAC has done it twice
The MWC has done it once.

Cubanbull Wrote:Seating at the Equity table doesnt mean much. CUSA needs to break thru and crash a BCS Bowl.
The WAC has done it twice
The MWC has done it once.

I disagree about the importance of being an equity conference, but certainly we need to crash the BCS Bowls. I think that is only a matter of time. In the meantime, due being located in the more populus eastern USA and having more & better bowls and TV contract, C-USA doesn't need to worry too much about the WAC and MWC. Notice Hawaii's coach left to take the job at SMU, a C-USA bottom-feeder?

Im not saying that those conferences are better. CUSA is certaintly better situated but the reality is that IF ANY CUSA team becomes really good they would probably be poached by the Big East.So in reality the chances of becoming a BCS conference is not as high as most of your board might think. CUSA has many dead weights and that will hurt them.
As it happened this last time around when CUSA lost programs to BE. You will see it happen again. There is a HIGHER chance of 1-3 of your teams moving into BCS automatic bid by being added to BE than your whole league moving up.
Its the reality of the situation.

Cubanbull Wrote:As it happened this last time around when CUSA lost programs to BE. You will see it happen again. There is a HIGHER chance of 1-3 of your teams moving into BCS automatic bid by being added to BE than your whole league moving up.

Were it not for the BE's parasitic "tail" wagging the "dog", and the basketball-oriented, incompetency of your commissioner, I would agree.

I made a post a few months ago that the Big East needs the Liberty Bowl if Memphis is invited. And if Memphis is invited it needs to be moved to sometime after Jan. 1st so it could be considered a New Year's Bowl.

Cubanbull Wrote:Seating at the Equity table doesnt mean much. CUSA needs to break thru and crash a BCS Bowl.
The WAC has done it twice
The MWC has done it once.

It will happen but may be awhile.. and it may be a CUSA west school that breaks thru.. the WAC schools scheduled fairly light.. And outside MWC utah had it fairly easy.. CUSA east schools almost always have 2 or 3 games where they play mid to upper BCS teams..

What's the Libery Bowl going to pay?

Cubanbull Wrote:Seating at the Equity table doesnt mean much. CUSA needs to break thru and crash a BCS Bowl.
The WAC has done it twice
The MWC has done it once.

I agree... Whether the team is Rice, TCU, Louisville, ECU, and Southern Miss... We have had runs to crash the BCS but no bites.

I think Southern Miss's defeat of TCU was the last time C-USA had a chance to crash the BCS.

(fingers crossed) ECU...this year?

Wilkie I'm not sure about next year.. 1.7 mil maybe.. I know the new contract was supposed to boost it to 2mil over the life of the deal.

This brings this bowl equal to the Gator, Capital One, Outback and Cotton. CUSA #1 gets this bowl and that just sweetened the stakes of the CUSA title game.

I don't think its on the level of those games.. but isn't to far behind them. as i stated earlier, It's by far the best bowl of the non bcs gang.

OUBOBCATJOHN Wrote:This brings this bowl equal to the Gator, Capital One, Outback and Cotton. CUSA #1 gets this bowl and that just sweetened the stakes of the CUSA title game.

Does that mean that the International Bowl is also equal to these bowls since it is also played in early January?

goodknightfl Wrote:I don't think its on the level of those games.. but isn't to far behind them. as i stated earlier, It's by far the best bowl of the non bcs gang.

I agree and congratulations to Cusa on this bowl with the SEC. I'LL bet the reason for the switch though comes from the power of the SEC.

cuseroc Wrote:

OUBOBCATJOHN Wrote:This brings this bowl equal to the Gator, Capital One, Outback and Cotton. CUSA #1 gets this bowl and that just sweetened the stakes of the CUSA title game.

Does that mean that the International Bowl is also equal to these bowls since it is also played in early January?

It will be when the International Bowl gets its payment up to $2.25 million dollars or HIGHER. And I am sure they can do that with a MAC team involved.

goodknightfl Wrote:I don't think its on the level of those games.. but isn't to far behind them. as i stated earlier, It's by far the best bowl of the non bcs gang.

Any bowl with the SEC is a great bowl in my opinion. You are playing the top conference.