(08-21-2009 07:00 AM)buckaineer Wrote: This statement MAY have been true a decade ago, but ND has not delivered any bowls to the BE in recent history. The fact the BE just lost the Gator and the SUN shows this to be true. Also the fact that as reported ND wasn't necessary for the CHAMPS deal. I find it sad that someone reports this who has direct knowledge of the deals and yet people come on here and say "oh well that can't be true". Why, because some don't want it to be true that the BE can get bowls all on it's own without ND?
I am not saying the Notre Dame/Big East deal brought in bowls this time, but I am saying that the reason they are included in negoications is because it was thought that they would. Last time, it was unlikely the Gator would have been included without Notre Dame (and since the bowl might not even get ND, that worked out pretty well for the Big East, at least when you take into consideration where the league was 4 years ago). If the Sun Bowl's vote had gone a little differently, everyone would be signing a different tune.
Once again, if the league decides Notre Dame is no longer bringing anything to the table, I don't doubt that they'll drop the Irish from the next round of bowl negociations as they should.
(08-21-2009 07:00 AM)buckaineer Wrote: People should realize just as I and others have said numerous times here that bowls have to take somebody. They need 2 teams in their game. Given a choice between a BCS league-even the downtrodden BE or some of the non-BCS level leagues, they would rather take the BCS league. ND won't be asked to these bowls on their own because then what do the bowls do when ND is taken or not available to them? Then they would need to come begging and crawling to get the league that they just dissed or some low level program out their not already tied in. That isn't going to happen and the BE must call that bluff.
Somebody will want them though and I don't understand why everyone assumes they need to be in a conference for that to be true. Some league will be just short of what it needs for a bowl game or two and if offering up ND a time or two is what it takes to move up, they will. If the Big Ten could move into the Cotton Bowl some years with ND (and maintain the Capital One and Outback bowls), if the PAC-10 could play the Big 12 #2 some years, if the ACC could get the Big Ten #3 some years, they'd all be willing to include ND to get those deals.
Even if you are right and no conference will take them, bowls will. It will be more work for ND, but they already have a deal with the Cotton Bowl where they can replace the the SEC once (that one is unlikely to be used though). They may not be able to do this with any bowl, but I could imagine several bowls that would be willing to work with the Irish, particurally ones that had just been downgraded. I can't imagine that the Big 12 would leave the Holiday Bowl if it agreed to take ND once instead of them for instance.
