* * *
LIBERTY BOWL Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said Tuesday that the Memphis. Tenn.-based game continues to weigh its future affiliations, with this season's game open-ended on one side and the Conference USA champ on the other.
C-USA hopes to keep that slot, and the Liberty continues talking with the Big East (about a No. 2 or 3 team, depending on where Notre Dame goes), the Southeastern Conference and the Mountain West, a past partner.
Ehrhart said the move of Louisville from C-USA (where it played in three of the last five Liberty Bowls) to the Big East boosted stock in the latter, and West Virginia's solid bowl fan travel is a selling point for the Big East, too.
"There's something else about West Virginia," Ehrhart said, beginning to laugh.
"In the 1964 Liberty Bowl, Ed Pastilong (now the mountaineer athletic director) was a West Virginia quarterback."
That WVU loss to Utah was played indoors, at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, site of a famous pageant.
"You can quote me," Ehrhart said, "that Ed Pastilong was the Miss America of that Liberty Bowl that year."
Ehrhart said the Liberty would "like to make a decision (on future affiliations) before the start of the season, but it's not necessary that we do that ... We just want to try to measure what opportunity we have to get breakthrough teams, and go from there."
* * *
<a href='http://dailymail.com/news/Jack+Bogaczyk-20050727' target='_blank'>Charleston Daily Mail</a>
L-yes Wrote:* * *
LIBERTY BOWL Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said Tuesday that the Memphis. Tenn.-based game continues to weigh its future affiliations, with this season's game open-ended on one side and the Conference USA champ on the other.
C-USA hopes to keep that slot, and the Liberty continues talking with the Big East (about a No. 2 or 3 team, depending on where Notre Dame goes), the Southeastern Conference and the Mountain West, a past partner.
Ehrhart said the move of Louisville from C-USA (where it played in three of the last five Liberty Bowls) to the Big East boosted stock in the latter, and West Virginia's solid bowl fan travel is a selling point for the Big East, too.
"There's something else about West Virginia," Ehrhart said, beginning to laugh.
"In the 1964 Liberty Bowl, Ed Pastilong (now the mountaineer athletic director) was a West Virginia quarterback."
That WVU loss to Utah was played indoors, at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, site of a famous pageant.
"You can quote me," Ehrhart said, "that Ed Pastilong was the Miss America of that Liberty Bowl that year."
Ehrhart said the Liberty would "like to make a decision (on future affiliations) before the start of the season, but it's not necessary that we do that ... We just want to try to measure what opportunity we have to get breakthrough teams, and go from there."
* * *
<a href='http://dailymail.com/news/Jack+Bogaczyk-20050727' target='_blank'>Charleston Daily Mail</a>
Smart move by the Liberty Bowl....keeping it's options open...all bowls do that.....it will be a C-USA vs one of those three...most likey the Big East...in the future....but C-USA will be there.....
O.G. Eagle Wrote:L-yes Wrote:* * *
LIBERTY BOWL Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said Tuesday that the Memphis. Tenn.-based game continues to weigh its future affiliations, with this season's game open-ended on one side and the Conference USA champ on the other.
C-USA hopes to keep that slot, and the Liberty continues talking with the Big East (about a No. 2 or 3 team, depending on where Notre Dame goes), the Southeastern Conference and the Mountain West, a past partner.
Ehrhart said the move of Louisville from C-USA (where it played in three of the last five Liberty Bowls) to the Big East boosted stock in the latter, and West Virginia's solid bowl fan travel is a selling point for the Big East, too.
"There's something else about West Virginia," Ehrhart said, beginning to laugh.
"In the 1964 Liberty Bowl, Ed Pastilong (now the mountaineer athletic director) was a West Virginia quarterback."
That WVU loss to Utah was played indoors, at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, site of a famous pageant.
"You can quote me," Ehrhart said, "that Ed Pastilong was the Miss America of that Liberty Bowl that year."
Ehrhart said the Liberty would "like to make a decision (on future affiliations) before the start of the season, but it's not necessary that we do that ... We just want to try to measure what opportunity we have to get breakthrough teams, and go from there."
* * *
<a href='http://dailymail.com/news/Jack+Bogaczyk-20050727' target='_blank'>Charleston Daily Mail</a>
Smart move by the Liberty Bowl....keeping it's options open...all bowls do that.....it will be a C-USA vs one of those three...most likey the Big East...in the future....but C-USA will be there.....
If CUSA is there it will not be BE #3 bowl.
L-yes Wrote:O.G. Eagle Wrote:L-yes Wrote:* * *
LIBERTY BOWL Executive Director Steve Ehrhart said Tuesday that the Memphis. Tenn.-based game continues to weigh its future affiliations, with this season's game open-ended on one side and the Conference USA champ on the other.
C-USA hopes to keep that slot, and the Liberty continues talking with the Big East (about a No. 2 or 3 team, depending on where Notre Dame goes), the Southeastern Conference and the Mountain West, a past partner.
Ehrhart said the move of Louisville from C-USA (where it played in three of the last five Liberty Bowls) to the Big East boosted stock in the latter, and West Virginia's solid bowl fan travel is a selling point for the Big East, too.
"There's something else about West Virginia," Ehrhart said, beginning to laugh.
"In the 1964 Liberty Bowl, Ed Pastilong (now the mountaineer athletic director) was a West Virginia quarterback."
That WVU loss to Utah was played indoors, at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center, site of a famous pageant.
"You can quote me," Ehrhart said, "that Ed Pastilong was the Miss America of that Liberty Bowl that year."
Ehrhart said the Liberty would "like to make a decision (on future affiliations) before the start of the season, but it's not necessary that we do that ... We just want to try to measure what opportunity we have to get breakthrough teams, and go from there."
* * *
<a href='http://dailymail.com/news/Jack+Bogaczyk-20050727' target='_blank'>Charleston Daily Mail</a>
Smart move by the Liberty Bowl....keeping it's options open...all bowls do that.....it will be a C-USA vs one of those three...most likey the Big East...in the future....but C-USA will be there.....
If CUSA is there it will not be BE #3 bowl.
You are right...no way would C-USA stoop to take Big East # 3...it will be #2 or nothing.....
I agree, if the LB can sign BE #2 that would be fine. BE #3, realistically, would be a good bit below MWC #1. Keep in mind that the LB now does not have to take CUSA #1, it may well take #2 or #3 depending on how many tickets they can sell.
TopCoog Wrote:I agree, if the LB can sign BE #2 that would be fine. BE #3, realistically, would be a good bit below MWC #1. Keep in mind that the LB now does not have to take CUSA #1, it may well take #2 or #3 depending on how many tickets they can sell.
Big East #2 goes to the Gator or Sun (depending on the year.
As has been stated many times, Big East #3 is only being ofered to the Liberty if it's Big East vs SEC.
If it's CUSA vs Big East, Liberty gets Big East #4 and Charlotte (ACC vs Big East) gets Big East #3.
Granted, bowl payouts will also have a say in the pecking order.
Also keep in mind that in years when ND steals a bowl spot, bowls like Liberty and Charlotte get an even higher ranked Big East team.
Like I have said before. we should not be sending our #3 team to play a C-USA team in a bowl game. That will look bad in the eyes of the rest of the nation. The only way we should settle playing a C-USA team in the Liberty Bowl is sending our #4 or maybe even #5.
A #3 BCS team against a Non BCS team in a Bowl game??? Ummmm no way.
Murph, If what you say is true the BE will not be in the Liberty Bowl.
MWC #1 is almost always a top 15 team, hardly ever less that 20, BE #4 will not be a ranked team.
The question is whether or not the Big East #3 or #4 brings more fans to the Liberty Bowl than the MWC. We already know that the TV audience has the potential to be much bigger with a Big East team, so if the Liberty Bowl decides that bringing in teams from out west that don't travel well is not as good as a Big East team that travels the same or only marginally better you will see the Big East 3 or 4.
The Bowls are not looking at next year but down the road while going through this latest round of negotiations. The #4 BE team next year probably will not be ranked, but in a very few years, it is likely that the BE will have four teams ranked every year. Pitt and Louisville will probably be locks this year. Louisville, Pitt, and WVU will probably be locks next year. After that you can add a forth of SU, UConn, or Rutgers...with So Florida adding itself to the list not long after that. Cincy is my only concern, but they are just as capable. I don't think every team will be ranked, but I deeply believe in the near future, four ranked teams every year will not only be possible, but expected. :D
Cardtopper, you are putting the best possible spin on your situation. Thats fine as a fan but it is not likely to happen. Year before last NONE of the NBE teams were in the top 25. While I agree that is not likely to happen very often ,saying you will have 4 is way out of line. #4 would by average math have at least 3 losses, if they lost any games out of confrence they would have 4 OR MORE. No, realistically, you will average two ranked teams with three now and then and only one now and then.
You guys are getting silly here. The LB will take a #11 Colorado State, BYU or Utah ahead of a # 4 BE team. You also don't have 4 teams that draw any better than the MWC. We played Syracuse in the '96 Liberty bowl and outdrew them by a considerable amount.
What I think AutoZone really wants is: SEC vs. Big East #3
What I think AutoZone will settle for is: Big East #3 vs. MWC #1 -- if possible
What I think AutoZone's fallback is: C-USA #1 vs Big East #4
---
Regardless, I think AutoZone is interested in having a BCS conference tie-in and since Louisville (a great draw in the past for the LB) is moving to the BCS-affiliated Big East, that conference is suddenly attractive.
In short: The Big East will be affiliated with the Liberty Bowl in 2006 and beyond.
I totally disagree.....BE vs SEC is the least likely matchup for a number of reasons. For one thing it is unlikely the LB will drop CUSA. When the smoke clears the BEST matchup they have avilable will be to continue the CUSA vs MWC #1. The MWC people certanily think that will happen.
Quote:I totally disagree.....
No surprise there
Quote:BE vs SEC is the least likely matchup for a number of reasons.
Waiting...
Quote:For one thing it is unlikely the LB will drop CUSA.
If it was "unlikely", then the LB rep (Graeter) wouldn't be making all these appearances, selling the merits of "Memphis in December".
Quote:When the smoke clears the BEST matchup they have avilable will be to continue the CUSA vs MWC #1. The MWC people certanily think that will happen.
Only as a fallback. They have the money to command a better matchup than C-USA #1 vs. MWC #1.
MongoSlade Wrote:Quote:I totally disagree.....
No surprise there
Quote:BE vs SEC is the least likely matchup for a number of reasons.
Waiting...
Quote:For one thing it is unlikely the LB will drop CUSA.
If it was "unlikely", then the LB rep (Graeter) wouldn't be making all these appearances, selling the merits of "Memphis in December".
Quote:When the smoke clears the BEST matchup they have avilable will be to continue the CUSA vs MWC #1. The MWC people certanily think that will happen.
Only as a fallback. They have the money to command a better matchup than C-USA #1 vs. MWC #1.
But nothing the#6 SEC or #3Big East will offer will be better that C-USA#1 vs MWC#......end of story......as long as they are getting 55,000 or better with that matchup....nothing will change....they will easily drop the MWC over the C-USA entry now that the Conference playoff chapionship winner doe not automatically go....great move by the Liberty Bowl........It's C-USA vs whomever...no doubt.....next .......
hey mongoslade, were you talking about autozone as short hand for the liberty bowl or just as autozone the company. if you were talking about autozone the company, then i would have to disagree with you. pitt hyde, ceo and president of autozone, is a major contributor to both the university of memphis and to the city of memphis. he was instrumental in getting the grizzlies to memphis. he helped finance autozone park and he has contributed millions and millions of dollars to the university of memphis. while i dont think he/autozone would have a problem with the fore-mentioned matchup possiblities, i dont think he/autozone is going out of his/their way to proactively limit the U of M's access to the bowl. just my two cents.
Considering the LB was in serious talks with the SEC I'm guessing that it would be the Big East vs the SEC.
TopCoog Wrote:Murph, If what you say is true the BE will not be in the Liberty Bowl.
MWC #1 is almost always a top 15 team, hardly ever less that 20, BE #4 will not be a ranked team.
Really? Based on the final AP polls:
2004 MWC Champ - Utah - Final Ranking #4
2003 MWC Champ - Utah - Final Ranking #21
2002 MWC Champ - Colorado State - Final Ranking unranked
2001 MWC Champ - BYU - Final Ranking #25
2000 MWC Champ - Colorado State - Final Ranking #14
1999 MWC Champ - Utah - Final Ranking unranked
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think twice in the 6 years of conference existence counts as "almost always" and I also don't think that 4 times in six years really qualifies as "hardly ever."
Now, as for whether the Big East # 4 will be ranked, it's not very likely (that would mean half of the conference were ranked, and it's exceedingly rare when half of any conference finishes the season ranked). Working in our favor is that Notre Dame would be lumped in, and it's NOT unlikely that 3 Big East teams PLUS Notre Dame will all be ranked. So, if the Liberty Bowl is given the fourth choice from among Big East teams and Notre Dame, meaning that they have a legitimate chance at Louisville, West Virginia or Notre Dame on an annual basis, I'd think that would be more attractive than a #20 ranked team (which is better than the MWC has provided in 5 of the 6 years the league's been in existence) that has to bring fans from Utah or Colorado.
USFFan
Good work usffan! :laugh:
You are truly delusional people, desparate wannabes who haven't played a down in the "vaunted" NBE, and already your schools shouldn't "stoop" to having your freakin #3 team (out of the likes of Cincy, Rutgers, Lou-uh-vull, Pitt, Syracuse, and best of all South Florida) play the first pick of CUSA. Are you guys trying to compensate for something. I guess it's great to be an American, where everyone can express their opinion, even you folks. Notre Dame's back must be killing them from having to single-handedly carry you through the bowl negotation process, wherever you wind up landing. You guys are like the limo driver, who opens the door for the rock star, hears the roar of approval, shuts your eyes, and imagines they're cheering for you.