(12-03-2012 12:47 PM)MTowho Wrote: If I am not mistaken, bowl agreements expire after the 2013 season. Does anyone have insight into what CUSA bowl ties will look like for 2014 forward? A few of you have said it looks like the Liberty Bowl tie will be gone.
I'm sure the GoDaddy will have an opening if CUSA wants to jump on it. Benson and the SBC pissed them off this go round.
You are correct that the Go Daddy wasn't happy with the New Orleans bowl's decision to pick early. Again. But, I think overall, the Go Daddy is able to work with the Belt. The New Orleans bowl will not be picking first next year. And besides, the NO Bowl is required to take the Sun Belt champ next year (the SBC champ must play in the NO Bowl once every 3 years) so ULL will have to earn their way back there next year.
But the biggest "F-U" that has ever been directed at the Go Daddy came from....drumroll.... CUSA, who had teams refuse to take bids when they were contracted to do so, instructed their fans to stay in the casinos in Biloxi instead of in Mobile, and demeaned the bowl greatly. That was one of the reasons why the Belt got the CUSA's slot.
For the payout that the Go Daddy has, the Belt makes sense for them. Its also played in a Sun Belt stadium. Generally, the MAC folks have been pretty good about keeping up their part of the bargain. Although, this year, it looks like correction had to be given to them over Kent State to Boise rumors.
People will show up in Mobile to support the Sun Belt team because its a conference mate of USA. I shudder to think of the attendence for a matchup involving FIU, FAU, UNT, UNCC, Old Dominion, UTSA, Rice, or UTEP. At least with the Belt, they'll get a first or second place team and some interested locals in the game.
In other words, if you'd like to put the Go Daddy in as rotation for the CUSA champion, they'd be interested in talking to you (but probably as a replacement for the MAC team). But I'm not so sure they're interested in CUSA number 6. You guys don't have the kind of depth you once did. No hate, but that's how we see it in Mobile.
Its also highly unlikely that the Go Daddy will ever have an unfilled bowl slot so long as they get 1st/2nd pick from the MAC/Belt. A contingent from the bowl is kind of pointless.