I am told that the MAC, Sun Belt, CUSA and MWC have agreed in theory to create a "bowl pool" with the AAAAAAAAACK now expressing interest.

Each conference would be guaranteed a minimum number of bowl participants though the pool might not include all the bowls of the leagues.

Each bowl would nominally have a pre-assigned pairing over an extended period (I've heard six years) but would not be guaranteed a specific league more than four of those years (they might get them all six but that's another matter).

The bowl directors and commissioners then would wheel and deal to create pairings.

Example 1. Take last year. GoDaddy had #25 Kent State vs. Arkansas State, Military had #24 SJSU vs. Bowling Green, Armed Forces had AFA vs. Rice. AFA might have been swapped to Military, SJSU to GoDaddy, and Arkansas State to Armed Forces. Military wins because they get AFA who has a huge DC presence, Armed Forces gets a strong ticket sale from Arkansas State who is more accessible to Fort Worth than Mobile, and GoDaddy gets a pairing of Top 25 teams as the lead-in to the title game.

Example 2. New Orleans might be Sun Belt vs. AAAACK. Tulane is bowl eligible. Southern Miss is looking at a probable Beef O'Brady appearance. An eastern Sun Belt team goes to Beef O'Brady so USM and Tulane can renew their rivalry.

The downside being that when you start swapping to get good match-ups the geography is never going to work out perfectly and there will likely be a clunker every year but part of the goal is to make sure a pool bowl never gets a clunker twice in six year or at least never twice in a row.

What about a "draft" by the conferences... Every year rotate the draft order..

Do you see this bowl pool for existing games or the new ones?

To me it makes sense to try to do this with the proposed bowls in Orlando and the Bahamas. Pick from the 4 conferences not represented in a New Year's Six bowl.

Have the games broadcast on Fox with a January 1st timeslot attractive for viewers who want to tune out a New Year's 6 game.

(07-25-2013 03:19 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  What about a "draft" by the conferences... Every year rotate the draft order..

Sounds more like a teleconference with a negotiated outcome is where it is going.

(07-25-2013 03:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  The downside being that when you start swapping to get good match-ups the geography is never going to work out perfectly and there will likely be a clunker every year but part of the goal is to make sure a pool bowl never gets a clunker twice in six year or at least never twice in a row.

I've said it for a while, but the "International" bowl (Bahamas, whatever) should employ this method. Not sure it would be a good thing in the long-term for that many bowls, too many conflicting agendas.

Also, the downside is that geography will rarely, if ever, favor the MAC.

What I'd like to see is the NCAA relax their rules of having two conferences signing officially for a bowl and allow the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl to move to the Bahamas with a guaranteed MAC tie on one side and a "Pool" (MWC, CUSA, SBC, AAC) on the other side. This would probably be a good idea to do with the MWC and the Hawaii Bowl as well.

(07-25-2013 03:27 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Do you see this bowl pool for existing games or the new ones?

To me it makes sense to try to do this with the proposed bowls in Orlando and the Bahamas. Pick from the 4 conferences not represented in a New Year's Six bowl.

Have the games broadcast on Fox with a January 1st timeslot attractive for viewers who want to tune out a New Year's 6 game.

I've already confirmed that the agreement is all but in place for New Orleans to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and most likely the AAAACK and Independence to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and MWC (presuming the SEC goes ahead and tells Shreveport they aren't coming back which they've not done as yet).

If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

(07-25-2013 03:44 PM)TARDledo Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  The downside being that when you start swapping to get good match-ups the geography is never going to work out perfectly and there will likely be a clunker every year but part of the goal is to make sure a pool bowl never gets a clunker twice in six year or at least never twice in a row.

I've said it for a while, but the "International" bowl (Bahamas, whatever) should employ this method. Not sure it would be a good thing in the long-term for that many bowls, too many conflicting agendas.

Also, the downside is that geography will rarely, if ever, favor the MAC.

What I'd like to see is the NCAA relax their rules of having two conferences signing officially for a bowl and allow the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl to move to the Bahamas with a guaranteed MAC tie on one side and a "Pool" (MWC, CUSA, SBC, AAC) on the other side. This would probably be a good idea to do with the MWC and the Hawaii Bowl as well.

C-USA is a strong advocate for the Bahamas Bowl. I'm told if you can afford to get to Ft Lauderdale/Miami it's a cheap trip from there (bring your passport).

(07-25-2013 03:47 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:44 PM)TARDledo Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  The downside being that when you start swapping to get good match-ups the geography is never going to work out perfectly and there will likely be a clunker every year but part of the goal is to make sure a pool bowl never gets a clunker twice in six year or at least never twice in a row.

I've said it for a while, but the "International" bowl (Bahamas, whatever) should employ this method. Not sure it would be a good thing in the long-term for that many bowls, too many conflicting agendas.

Also, the downside is that geography will rarely, if ever, favor the MAC.

What I'd like to see is the NCAA relax their rules of having two conferences signing officially for a bowl and allow the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl to move to the Bahamas with a guaranteed MAC tie on one side and a "Pool" (MWC, CUSA, SBC, AAC) on the other side. This would probably be a good idea to do with the MWC and the Hawaii Bowl as well.

C-USA is a strong advocate for the Bahamas Bowl. I'm told if you can afford to get to Ft Lauderdale/Miami it's a cheap trip from there (bring your passport).

There is also quite a bit "out there" that has the LCPB representation talking up this bowl. The LCPB has the certification, why not just make this a MAC vs CUSA bowl?

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

That's new. Why is the MAC the "lead" for the Orlando bowl? Is the bowl using the LCPB certification?

EDIT: Ahhh, I think I see now. So, Orlando was the "more desirable" location?

:)

If that's the case, the MAC should just sign either the Boca or Bahamas bowl vs. CUSA with them getting it "off the ground" and then use the LCPB certification to start the Orlando Bowl and bring in MWC or AAC (preferable MWC).

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:27 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

I've already confirmed that the agreement is all but in place for New Orleans to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and most likely the AAAACK and Independence to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and MWC (presuming the SEC goes ahead and tells Shreveport they aren't coming back which they've not done as yet).

If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

So just to clarify, the pairings you mentioned above are really nothing more than a way to skirt the NCAA rule, right? In reality if this happened, all of those bowls would then become free to negotiate their respective matchups? Example being eventhough MAC signed on for Orlando, they could end up New Orleans?

(07-25-2013 04:01 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:27 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

I've already confirmed that the agreement is all but in place for New Orleans to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and most likely the AAAACK and Independence to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and MWC (presuming the SEC goes ahead and tells Shreveport they aren't coming back which they've not done as yet).

If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

So just to clarify, the pairings you mentioned above are really nothing more than a way to skirt the NCAA rule, right? In reality if this happened, all of those bowls would then become free to negotiate their respective matchups? Example being even though MAC signed on for Orlando, they could end up New Orleans?

Or nowhere at all or a crappier location.

I don't like this for the MAC.

As I mentioned above, geography is NOT the MAC's friend. If the MAC (technically, the LCPB) gets the certification for Orlando, FLORIDA then the MAC should have a team there EVERY YEAR.

As i said above, MAC should just sign Boca/Bahamas vs CUSA and start up the Orlando vs MWC (they wanted a "southeast" bowl, right?). Solved.

That would take the MAC to 4 bowls, just need to pick up 1 or 2 more (Ft. Worth/Detroit/Shreveport) and all is well.

(07-25-2013 04:01 PM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(07-25-2013 03:27 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

I've already confirmed that the agreement is all but in place for New Orleans to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and most likely the AAAACK and Independence to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and MWC (presuming the SEC goes ahead and tells Shreveport they aren't coming back which they've not done as yet).

If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

So just to clarify, the pairings you mentioned above are really nothing more than a way to skirt the NCAA rule, right? In reality if this happened, all of those bowls would then become free to negotiate their respective matchups? Example being eventhough MAC signed on for Orlando, they could end up New Orleans?

It sounds like it and that is why the SBC is being earmarked for both the Independence and New Orleans just to hold down the bowls since they only have Mobile as of right now. With so many FCS upgrades plus NMSU and Idaho the SBC can only certify 3-4 bowls.

CUSA and the AAC are going more of the route of starting a set of Tropical Bowl games since they can both certify 6-7 bowls. The MAC can certify 6 and is involved here as a filler conference.

Boca: MAC vs. CUSA
Miami: AAC vs. PAC #8
Bahamas: CUSA vs. AAC

BYU and Army could also be involved in the bowl pool somehow which would be nice from an attendance perspective.

(07-25-2013 03:16 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I am told that the MAC, Sun Belt, CUSA and MWC have agreed in theory to create a "bowl pool" with the AAAAAAAAACK now expressing interest.

Each conference would be guaranteed a minimum number of bowl participants though the pool might not include all the bowls of the leagues.

Each bowl would nominally have a pre-assigned pairing over an extended period (I've heard six years) but would not be guaranteed a specific league more than four of those years (they might get them all six but that's another matter).

The bowl directors and commissioners then would wheel and deal to create pairings.

Hmmm...how many bowls? Six?

Hmmm...Sure sounds a lot like a "non-Cartel" version of the new CFB postseason. Maybe as a means to facilitate a full separate when the current system expires or gets renegotiated (in maybe as few as 4-6 years)?

This fails the "smell test." The more I sniff, the more it stinks.

MAC (5 Bowls)
1) CFP/at-large pool
2) LCPB (vs. AAC)
3) Mobile (vs. SBC)
4) Boca Raton (vs. CUSA)
5) Boise (vs. MWC)

This would not be bad for the MAC....one fixed tie-in with each G5 conference plus no less than a bowl pool game (Shreveport, Orlando, New Orleans) for our champion. That would mix things up for a MAC dynasty type team that wins 3 MACC's in a row.

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  I've already confirmed that the agreement is all but in place for New Orleans to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and most likely the AAAACK and Independence to be a "pool bowl" with Sun Belt and MWC (presuming the SEC goes ahead and tells Shreveport they aren't coming back which they've not done as yet).

So the Independence Bowl is the MWC's "southeast" bowl?

What happened to the Marlins Park AAC vs MWC bowl?

Your Shreveport bowl info has to be wrong or you neglected/forgot to include the MAC in that mix.

(07-25-2013 03:45 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  If the financings arrives, Cure Bowl in Orlando will almost certainly be a pool bowl with the MAC there and opponent not yet nailed down.

Why is financing still a question mark if Orlando seemingly has a sponsor (Cure Bowl)?

Every league will be guaranteed their number of bowls just not the locations but even then they will get their locations four of six years.

Any updates on the bowl pool stuff?

Hate the Bahamas.