Who is most likely to make a run this season....

[mountainman]

It's not very hard to figure why Syracuse and BC were in the mix. The ACC wanted the TV dollars that the northeast television markets bring.

According to the TV guys 25% of all the TV's in the entire country are in the northeast. That means ratings and ratings mean dollars to the TV guys and dollars to the TV guys mean more dollars to the schools they broadcast.

The Big East has similar motives. They wanted access to the Florida athletes (a.k.a. speed). That's the reason they invited Miami to join the conference and the same reason there remains a Big East presence in Florida. That and there's a whole bunch of people from the northeast and are Big East fans that retire to Florida ...... they don't have to shovel any more snow.

[Spence]

Yes, Coach Rodriguez made those remarks. And was then told that his job was to coach football and it was in his best interest to stay out of conference politics. There's a bunch of people in the Big East that feel that way though.

I cheered Rodriguez for making those remarks

[ktffan]

Tell me more about West Virginia refusing to go to San Francisco. I don't recall reading or hearing anything about that. The details please. :?

I don't either and usually I don't miss that stuff. I remember UCLA, I think, turning down a bowl.

[billybud]

As reported in Hokiesports.com....The Gator Bowl had the right to the first selected Big East team or Notre Dame...Notre Dame exercised their right to play in the Gator Bowl. Miami at 12-1 was champ and took BCS...West Virginia would have gone to the Gator if Notre Dame hadn't taken the slot. WVU wanted the Continental Tire Bowl (wih a $50,000 smaller payout than the San Francisco Bowl) and cited travel costs for team and fans.

Boston College and VT were tied in the standings but VT had the head to head win...the BE held a conference call, without the AD's of BC or VT present, and assigned the Motor City Bowl ($750,000 and a MAC opponent) to BC and the San Francisco Bowl ($800,000) to VT.

Beamer's diplomatic take on Notre Dame...

"Barrett in Blacksburg asked Coach Beamer’s opinion of Notre Dame’s affiliation with the Big East. Coach stated that the Notre Dame relationship is a double edged sword. On one hand, Notre Dame can be given a BCS game or any Big East game it chooses due to its national following. They do not share bowl money with the conference or its member schools. However, the Big East would not have some of the bowl alliances it enjoys, namely the Gator Bowl, if Notre Dame hadn’t been affiliated in some way with the Big East."

[ktffan]

Boston College and VT were tied in the standings but VT had the head to head win...the BE held a conference call, without the AD's of BC or VT present, and assigned the Motor City Bowl ($750,000 and a MAC opponent) to BC and the San Francisco Bowl ($800,000) to VT.

It's always been my understanding that the bowls choose their team, not the conference. Is this different in the Big East?

[billybud]

yep..or was...according to the news at the time...in the case of VT and BC...the conference made the decision.

[ktffan]

yep..or was...according to the news at the time...in the case of VT and BC...the conference made the decision.

I'd like to see that sourced some where. It makes no sense so I don't believe it.

[billybud]

Thanks for your kind words. Our entire ISP Sports team works very hard on our radio and TV productions each week. To answer your questions, as you know, West Virginia finished second in the BIG EAST this past season. Had West Virginia gone to the Gator Bowl, then Virginia Tech would have played Georgia Tech in the Continental Tire Bowl.

However, when the Gator Bowl selected Notre Dame to play N.C. State in the Gator Bowl, WVU officials made it very clear that they did not want to travel across the country to play the Insight Bowl or the San Francisco Bowl because of the expenses involved and the dates. The Continental Tire Bowl made the most sense for WVU, and since the Mountaineers finished ahead of Tech in the standings - and beat the Hokies in Blacksburg - they clearly deserved their choice in this issue.

The Big East recently had a conference call to decide where Virginia Tech and Boston College would play, since both schools ended the season tied in the conference. Although the Hokies won the game straight up, both schools’ athletic directors did not participate in the conference call vote to see which team played in which bowl. The Hokies head to San Francisco, while the Eagles play MAC champ Toledo in the Motor City Bowl. Coach Beamer felt there was an air of democracy in settling the matter in this fashion.

Going from what I read...info as good as the reporter....HokieSports

[ktffan]

Derek,

Thanks for your kind words. Our entire ISP Sports team works very hard on our radio and TV productions each week. To answer your questions, as you know, West Virginia finished second in the BIG EAST this past season. Had West Virginia gone to the Gator Bowl, then Virginia Tech would have played Georgia Tech in the Continental Tire Bowl.

However, when the Gator Bowl selected Notre Dame to play N.C. State in the Gator Bowl, WVU officials made it very clear that they did not want to travel across the country to play the Insight Bowl or the San Francisco Bowl because of the expenses involved and the dates. The Continental Tire Bowl made the most sense for WVU, and since the Mountaineers finished ahead of Tech in the standings - and beat the Hokies in Blacksburg - they clearly deserved their choice in this issue.

The Big East recently had a conference call to decide where Virginia Tech and Boston College would play, since both schools ended the season tied in the conference. Although the Hokies won the game straight up, both schools’ athletic directors did not participate in the conference call vote to see which team played in which bowl. The Hokies head to San Francisco, while the Eagles play MAC champ Toledo in the Motor City Bowl. Coach Beamer felt there was an air of democracy in settling the matter in this fashion.

Going from what I read...info as good as the reporter....HokieSports

I can see The Big East smoothing things over with the bowl, but it's not the Big East's choice to make. They are contractual obligated to let the bowls select.

[billybud]

http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:BH ... =clnk&cd=5

[billybud]

It looks like, in this case, the conference had the ability to make the decision about which team would play...and had a conference call vote.

[ktffan]

It looks like, in this case, the conference had the ability to make the decision about which team would play...and had a conference call vote.

Again, I don't believe it as it doesn't make sense. I can see the Big East smoothing things over, which is what probably happened, but they way contracts are written, it's the Bowl game's choice.

[billybud]

Well....since Beamer is quoted as saying that the matter was handled by the vote of the conference...I'll accept that as "the best available evidence"...(what I had to use when conducting administrative hearings).

Whether or not contracts spell out the rights of the bowl organization to choose (and I agree, the contracts are specific)..it does appear that the conferece must have had some leeway in these two bowls...probably by a friendly noncontractual agreement .

[Spence]

Boston College and VT were tied in the standings but VT had the head to head win...the BE held a conference call, without the AD's of BC or VT present, and assigned the Motor City Bowl ($750,000 and a MAC opponent) to BC and the San Francisco Bowl ($800,000) to VT.

It's always been my understanding that the bowls choose their team, not the conference. Is this different in the Big East?

The bowls do choose their teams, but most have alliances with conferences, provided the conference teams meet certain criteria.

[ktffan]

Boston College and VT were tied in the standings but VT had the head to head win...the BE held a conference call, without the AD's of BC or VT present, and assigned the Motor City Bowl ($750,000 and a MAC opponent) to BC and the San Francisco Bowl ($800,000) to VT.

It's always been my understanding that the bowls choose their team, not the conference. Is this different in the Big East?

The bowls do choose their teams, but most have alliances with conferences, provided the conference teams meet certain criteria.

Yes, they choose within the conference. The amount of money they pony up gives them the right to choose earlier. That's why I'm dubious on reports that they let the Big East choose for them. The Big East may have chosen and checked with the bowls that it was ok, but the Big East could not have chosen without the bowl's ok.