(05-14-2013 11:24 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:19 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:16 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 10:49 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 09:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Do you "get" that our "#1 Team" means...less than squat...to these bowls. Really seriously. The Bowl games are commercial enterprises, beyond the Championship game they really, really, really DO NOT CARE if we are offering our "#1 Team" or not. IF Tulane is our "#1 Team" but doesn't sell their ticket allotment or bring TV interest, the Liberty or Sun Bowl DOES NOT CARE.

The Bowls want:
-to sell tickets and bring fans into their city.
-to sell advertising on TV sets.

Beyond those things THEY REALLY DO NOT CARE IF WE ARE OFFERING OUR "#1" TEAM. If the SEC #14 team produces a game against the Pac12 #12 team that MORE people will watch than a game with the AAC #1, that's what the bowls will do.

Yes. I "get" that. What you fail to grasp is that if the Sun Bowl selects an AAC tie in---it will be because they think they can make more money with us than any other choice AVAILABLE to them. Have you notced the eastern power confernecs falling over themselves in a rush to land the Sun Bowl? Yeah, me neither. They are not going to be choosing us because we are their first choice. The Sun is looking at a very low P-5 picks or a top non-AQ selection. Thats a battle we have a shot at with 5 schools within driving distance of El Paso.

Second, do you think a conference would make more money if they have the first pick of a conference's teams or the last? Go on, dont be afraid. Just shout the answer right out. Correct. The first pick is the best to have for a bowl.

One more thing about the Sun Bowl. The city is isolated and few cities are very close. The Sun Bowl relies primarily on local residents to buy tickets. So unlike most bowls, the television matchup is actually more important than the traveleing fan base. Dont get me wrong, they love traveling teams, but they know they are in the middle of BFE and El Paso is not a tourist town. A championship team thats been on national TV 9-10 times already that year could be an interesting opponent for the Pac-12 entry.

As for the backup idea, I like it. But whats keeping the P-5 from just backing each other up. Then what? We are right back to square one.

We have 5 schools within driving distance of el paso? You must think 600 miles is driving distance.

I consider anything less than 10 hours a drivable distance.

Not sure you can get to EP from either Houston or Dallas within 10 hours. Probably more like 12 hours.

lol...well, then we certainly have 5 schools that are a hell of alot closer than any ACC school. I guess you could drive 12 hours in a pinch--but it certainly doesnt sound very exciting.

(05-14-2013 10:28 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  **** it just sign no bowl tie ins. Why even bother with the **** that's being tossed around right now.

tissue?

El Paso is closer to more Pac-12 and MWC schools than AAC ones. El Paso is closer to L.A than Houston, closer to Phoenix than Dallas and closer to Denver than Tulsa and New Orleans. That should really tell you the AAC's chances of getting the Sun are almost impossible. That and the fact that it won't play well with the locals giving the Sun Bowl tie in to the champ of the conference that it's made of schools that left UTEP behind in C-USA. If the MWC with Utah, BYU and TCU couldn't get the Sun, the AAC's chances are very slim. Also CBS will make sure it's still P5 vs P5 for rating purposes.

I wish you guys well in getting the best possible bowls for your fans and players.

The heart of Dallas matches big ten vs big 12 on odd years and vs cusa on even years. Has that changed ?

CUSA now owns that bowl. So my guess would be yes it will change.

I still think the first pick from the AAC vs The ACC in the Pinstripe sounds like something the bowl would go for.

Seriously complaining aside at this point it might be best if there's no respectable bowl for our champ to go to then just don't designate a bowl for the champion to go to. Just do it on a year by year basis and if the champ isn't in the access bowl try to make trades/fill openings to ensure they play someone decent somewhere decent. If the champ makes the access bowl then all is well and the rest can just deal with the likely horrific tie ins, but this league can not consistently send it's champ, which would likely be ranked or real close to ranked, to play Sun-Belt/C-USA/MAC teams.

(05-15-2013 05:27 AM)Cubanbull Wrote:  The heart of Dallas matches big ten vs big 12 on odd years and vs cusa on even years. Has that changed ?

Not yet, because when C-USA bought the bowl (then called the TicketCity Bowl) it still had to honor the TicketCity tie-in contract, which runs through 2014. After that, they can change the tie-ins.

Still better bowl options than what Temple had in the MAC...

(05-15-2013 07:48 AM)TUVideoGuy Wrote:  Still better bowl options than what Temple had in the MAC...

The number of bowls isn't the issue though. The league will end up with at least 6 bowl slots, just because there are so many of them and someone has to fill them, but there needs to be something that would actually be considered a reward for the champion if they don't make the access bowl. The MWC has the Las Vegas Bowl which is in a great destination and against a decent opponent. C-USA is going to have the Heart of Dallas which is a good destination and if the B1G remains a semi decent opponent. This league has to have something in a good destination and against a good opponent or what's the point? It has to get something after Christmas, in a city fans would like to go to, and against an opponent fans want to see their teams play. If Aresco can't get 1 bowl like that when the MWC and C-USA already have then he's a failure.

(05-14-2013 11:24 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:19 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:16 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 10:49 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 09:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Do you "get" that our "#1 Team" means...less than squat...to these bowls. Really seriously. The Bowl games are commercial enterprises, beyond the Championship game they really, really, really DO NOT CARE if we are offering our "#1 Team" or not. IF Tulane is our "#1 Team" but doesn't sell their ticket allotment or bring TV interest, the Liberty or Sun Bowl DOES NOT CARE.

The Bowls want:
-to sell tickets and bring fans into their city.
-to sell advertising on TV sets.

Beyond those things THEY REALLY DO NOT CARE IF WE ARE OFFERING OUR "#1" TEAM. If the SEC #14 team produces a game against the Pac12 #12 team that MORE people will watch than a game with the AAC #1, that's what the bowls will do.

Yes. I "get" that. What you fail to grasp is that if the Sun Bowl selects an AAC tie in---it will be because they think they can make more money with us than any other choice AVAILABLE to them. Have you notced the eastern power confernecs falling over themselves in a rush to land the Sun Bowl? Yeah, me neither. They are not going to be choosing us because we are their first choice. The Sun is looking at a very low P-5 picks or a top non-AQ selection. Thats a battle we have a shot at with 5 schools within driving distance of El Paso.

Second, do you think a conference would make more money if they have the first pick of a conference's teams or the last? Go on, dont be afraid. Just shout the answer right out. Correct. The first pick is the best to have for a bowl.

One more thing about the Sun Bowl. The city is isolated and few cities are very close. The Sun Bowl relies primarily on local residents to buy tickets. So unlike most bowls, the television matchup is actually more important than the traveleing fan base. Dont get me wrong, they love traveling teams, but they know they are in the middle of BFE and El Paso is not a tourist town. A championship team thats been on national TV 9-10 times already that year could be an interesting opponent for the Pac-12 entry.

As for the backup idea, I like it. But whats keeping the P-5 from just backing each other up. Then what? We are right back to square one.

We have 5 schools within driving distance of el paso? You must think 600 miles is driving distance.

I consider anything less than 10 hours a drivable distance.

Not sure you can get to EP from either Houston or Dallas within 10 hours. Probably more like 12 hours.

At least the speed limit is 80 out on those west Texas freeways!

(05-14-2013 09:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Do you "get" that our "#1 Team" means...less than squat...

That's pretty much what your "opinions" mean to me.

(05-15-2013 07:56 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 07:48 AM)TUVideoGuy Wrote:  Still better bowl options than what Temple had in the MAC...

The number of bowls isn't the issue though. The league will end up with at least 6 bowl slots, just because there are so many of them and someone has to fill them, but there needs to be something that would actually be considered a reward for the champion if they don't make the access bowl. The MWC has the Las Vegas Bowl which is in a great destination and against a decent opponent. C-USA is going to have the Heart of Dallas which is a good destination and if the B1G remains a semi decent opponent. This league has to have something in a good destination and against a good opponent or what's the point? It has to get something after Christmas, in a city fans would like to go to, and against an opponent fans want to see their teams play. If Aresco can't get 1 bowl like that when the MWC and C-USA already have then he's a failure.

Well, the remaining possibilities are fairly slim. In terms of a #1 bowl on a par with the MW the list pretty much begins and ends with the Sun Bowl. We may just have to resign ourselves to the fact that we will not have a line up that is as good as the Mountain Wests. More embarassing, the B1G appears likely to keep Heart of Texas Bowl. That means that CUSA may very well have a better #1 bowl that the AAC as well. Hard to believe that's where we are, but it does appear that could be the final outcome if we don't catch a big break somewhere in the next week or so. If the Sun is not attainable, we are almost forced to start our own bowl just so we have a vehicle to possibly rectify the problem 6 years from now when the bowls re-bid.

(05-15-2013 08:05 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 07:56 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 07:48 AM)TUVideoGuy Wrote:  Still better bowl options than what Temple had in the MAC...

The number of bowls isn't the issue though. The league will end up with at least 6 bowl slots, just because there are so many of them and someone has to fill them, but there needs to be something that would actually be considered a reward for the champion if they don't make the access bowl. The MWC has the Las Vegas Bowl which is in a great destination and against a decent opponent. C-USA is going to have the Heart of Dallas which is a good destination and if the B1G remains a semi decent opponent. This league has to have something in a good destination and against a good opponent or what's the point? It has to get something after Christmas, in a city fans would like to go to, and against an opponent fans want to see their teams play. If Aresco can't get 1 bowl like that when the MWC and C-USA already have then he's a failure.

Well, the remaining possibilities are fairly slim. In terms of a #1 bowl on a par with the MW the list pretty much begins and ends with the Sun Bowl. We may just have to resign ourselves to the fact that we will not have a line up that is as good as the Mountain Wests and that CUSA has a better top bowl than we do. Hard to believe that's where we are, but it does appear that could be the final outcome if we don't catch a big break somewhere in the next week or so. By that time, the top opponents will be gone.

Which is why I suggested above if that actually becomes a reality this league needs to set no destination for the champion to go and work on it on a year by year basis in the short term. Basically just tell whatever junk bowls we sign with that the champ will be unavailable, whether that team makes the access bowl or a deal gets struck to put it in the best available location that's open. Every year something semi respectable would be left open due to some power conference not filling all it's requirements, so just work it out where the champ can go to the spot with the best opening. It's a horrible option, but better than sending the champ to the Independence, whatever that crap in Birmingham is called, the Beef, or whatever else is left on the scrap heap.

(05-15-2013 08:03 AM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 09:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Do you "get" that our "#1 Team" means...less than squat...

That's pretty much what your "opinions" mean to me.

If Memphis can deliver the Liberty Bowl and a big pile of Fed-Ex dollars for sponsorship, that would help!

(05-15-2013 07:58 AM)Bull Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:24 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:19 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 11:16 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 10:49 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Yes. I "get" that. What you fail to grasp is that if the Sun Bowl selects an AAC tie in---it will be because they think they can make more money with us than any other choice AVAILABLE to them. Have you notced the eastern power confernecs falling over themselves in a rush to land the Sun Bowl? Yeah, me neither. They are not going to be choosing us because we are their first choice. The Sun is looking at a very low P-5 picks or a top non-AQ selection. Thats a battle we have a shot at with 5 schools within driving distance of El Paso.

Second, do you think a conference would make more money if they have the first pick of a conference's teams or the last? Go on, dont be afraid. Just shout the answer right out. Correct. The first pick is the best to have for a bowl.

One more thing about the Sun Bowl. The city is isolated and few cities are very close. The Sun Bowl relies primarily on local residents to buy tickets. So unlike most bowls, the television matchup is actually more important than the traveleing fan base. Dont get me wrong, they love traveling teams, but they know they are in the middle of BFE and El Paso is not a tourist town. A championship team thats been on national TV 9-10 times already that year could be an interesting opponent for the Pac-12 entry.

As for the backup idea, I like it. But whats keeping the P-5 from just backing each other up. Then what? We are right back to square one.

We have 5 schools within driving distance of el paso? You must think 600 miles is driving distance.

I consider anything less than 10 hours a drivable distance.

Not sure you can get to EP from either Houston or Dallas within 10 hours. Probably more like 12 hours.

At least the speed limit is 80 out on those west Texas freeways!

Lol...I love Texas!

I look at the American's bowl lineup possibilities like this:

Overly optimistic: Sun, Pinstripe, Houston

Optimistic: Liberty (had to move this here, but not ready to give up the ghost on this one), Independence, Military, New Orleans, Birmingham

Locks: Beef O'Brady's

I think secondary tie-ins would also be a good idea. If the SEC, ACC, B1G and XII each have 8-10 bowls, there's no way they fill them all, especially in years they get 3-4 teams into the CFP (FYI - the SEC would have had 5 teams in the system based on 2012 BCS rankings). If the American put in secondary tie-ins to any bowl that has SEC #6 or worse (or B1G, etc.), then chances are the American would get those spots in some years (probably more than 1/4 of the time).

As for adding bowls, there are 34 bowl games as of 2014 (the BCS NCG being moved out to a playoff game removes one game and 2 spots from the current system) and rules are being relaxed to fill them all. There will be 130 FBS schools by 2015. That's still more than half of FBS that would have to be bowl-eligible to fill all 68 spots.

And almost all of this news this week is coming from the ACC, B1G, and XII meetings which are this week. The American's meetings are next week. I expect we will hear more about bowls for The American then.

(05-15-2013 08:12 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 08:05 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 07:56 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(05-15-2013 07:48 AM)TUVideoGuy Wrote:  Still better bowl options than what Temple had in the MAC...

The number of bowls isn't the issue though. The league will end up with at least 6 bowl slots, just because there are so many of them and someone has to fill them, but there needs to be something that would actually be considered a reward for the champion if they don't make the access bowl. The MWC has the Las Vegas Bowl which is in a great destination and against a decent opponent. C-USA is going to have the Heart of Dallas which is a good destination and if the B1G remains a semi decent opponent. This league has to have something in a good destination and against a good opponent or what's the point? It has to get something after Christmas, in a city fans would like to go to, and against an opponent fans want to see their teams play. If Aresco can't get 1 bowl like that when the MWC and C-USA already have then he's a failure.

Well, the remaining possibilities are fairly slim. In terms of a #1 bowl on a par with the MW the list pretty much begins and ends with the Sun Bowl. We may just have to resign ourselves to the fact that we will not have a line up that is as good as the Mountain Wests and that CUSA has a better top bowl than we do. Hard to believe that's where we are, but it does appear that could be the final outcome if we don't catch a big break somewhere in the next week or so. By that time, the top opponents will be gone.

Which is why I suggested above if that actually becomes a reality this league needs to set no destination for the champion to go and work on it on a year by year basis in the short term. Basically just tell whatever junk bowls we sign with that the champ will be unavailable, whether that team makes the access bowl or a deal gets struck to put it in the best available location that's open. Every year something semi respectable would be left open due to some power conference not filling all it's requirements, so just work it out where the champ can go to the spot with the best opening. It's a horrible option, but better than sending the champ to the Independence, whatever that crap in Birmingham is called, the Beef, or whatever else is left on the scrap heap.

I'm fine with that. Truth be told, a lot of that type of horse trading occurrs every year--at least it occurred in CUSA Bowls. However, if our line is all trash bowls vs nonAQs then my preference was the suggestion that every bowl tie-in we sign is conditional and then we sign a backup agreements with every good P5 bowl in our footprint.

One reason we don't have any bowls to choose from is due to the virtual certainty that the eastern P5 (as a group) has over scheduled thier conferences. That have signed bowl agreements as if they will never receive an access bowl or playoff invitation. There should be at least 5 slots (4 playoff slots and one access bowl slot) that are filled by bowl qualified Power conference schools. That means they will be unable to fill all thier bowl slots. With back up agreements, those bottom P5 conference slots could become our defacto top bowls. We just won't know where we are going in any given year and will have no target bowl that is "ours". We will be gypsies so to speak. But such an arrangement would give us an effective line up far better that the MW or CUSA.

(05-15-2013 08:03 AM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(05-14-2013 09:35 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Do you "get" that our "#1 Team" means...less than squat...

That's pretty much what your "opinions" mean to me.

Believe me, the feeling is pretty much mutual.

If the options are as bad as it appears they might be I wouldn't want this league to sign anymore than 4 tie ins and then position itself as the top backup to every pick 5 or worse of the SEC, ACC, B1G and B12. I agree Coog they can't possibly fill all the spots they are signing, and in some years where the top of those leagues are very good and the bottom isn't you could be looking at a #4 or 5 pick out there without a team to fill it. There is no reason for this league to lock itself in to 6+ bowls if they are all going to be on the level of the Beef, Military, and New Orleans.