BYU Bowl, Big Implications

All the talk these last couple of days concerning the possibility of BYU establishing its own bowl (specifically the BYU bowl issue article in the Mercury News: http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2011/04/26/bcs-football-the-brigham-young-bowl-issue/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)has left me with a couple of questions:



Is BYU really trying to establish its own bowl? and if so,



Does this have bigger implications for the future of college football?



Let me explain. BYU is going independent this year, but it seems like they are attempting to do so in a way that hasn't been done before. Primary TV with ESPN, secondary TV with its own HD network, website with HD streaming online, mobile apps for viewing on the go, throw in a BYU sponsored bowl and they are truely pioneers. Reading between the lines indicates that Texas is positioning itself to do something similar in the near future and I wonder if other big programs aren't considering it themselves. I like the thought of a handful of marquee, independent programs (Notre Dame, Texas, Army, Navy, USC? etc.) playing each other in October and November in quasi-conference games. Long rant, sorry...thoughts?

Texas will not go indy because they do not have to. They will get a conference deal and money with the option of their own network and that money too. They get best of both worlds, so do not see them doing it.



To be honest, only thing that surprises me is that Notre Dame has taken no steps to put their own network in place. They are the university that could leverage that better than any other. They are indy already, and have a network deal, but I am sure a 24-hour Notre Dame sports network could make good $$$. The YES Network does.

Lawboy wrote:
Texas will not go indy because they do not have to. They will get a conference deal and money with the option of their own network and that money too. They get best of both worlds, so do not see them doing it.



To be honest, only thing that surprises me is that Notre Dame has taken no steps to put their own network in place. They are the university that could leverage that better than any other. They are indy already, and have a network deal, but I am sure a 24-hour Notre Dame sports network could make good $$$. The YES Network does.

What would Notre Dame be able to show on their own network? They only have rights to their home football games and those are already on ABC (or is it NBC...). They are included in the Big East contracts for all of their other sports so is there even anything that they currently have the rights to air if they did start their own network?

I agree that Texas (and other big programs) do not HAVE to, but I wonder if they might want to. Could they benefit from it financially without having to share bowl profits? Would they enjoy the scheduling freedom?



I can't help but wonder if the big marquee programs see Notre Dame do it for so long and as recently as last year turn down the Big 10 in order to remain independent and start crunching the numbers. And then see all of the additional perks (if it all works as planned) that BYU has implemented and start seriously considering it.



If it's better, financially, for ND to remain independent, then why wouldn't it be for Texas and other big, national prorgams?

Lawboy wrote:
Texas will not go indy because they do not have to. They will get a conference deal and money with the option of their own network and that money too. They get best of both worlds, so do not see them doing it.



To be honest, only thing that surprises me is that Notre Dame has taken no steps to put their own network in place. They are the university that could leverage that better than any other. They are indy already, and have a network deal, but I am sure a 24-hour Notre Dame sports network could make good $$$. The YES Network does.

My guess is that it has something to do with the provisions in their nbc agreement.

Any hint about where this bowl would be played? can't be Provo in late December...Los Angeles? LA has a big Mormon population, and not too many bowls down there. How about playing in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl a few days before the Rose Bowl?

bball wrote:
Any hint about where this bowl would be played? can't be Provo in late December...Los Angeles? LA has a big Mormon population, and not too many bowls down there. How about playing in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl a few days before the Rose Bowl?

How about in rice chex? Then Y fans can drop deuce's on the benches and clean up crew will just assume a utah game must have just finished.

The independent Notre Dame national HD TV channel is called NBC. Why would ND ever need to start their own channel?



And Texas? They get independent treatment for TV all the while keeping the benefits of Big XII conference membership and scheduling. This seems like the best of both worlds.



BYU is out front on this because they have the facility already built.



Still waiting for my iPad app though. Must not be too many Apple Developers at BYU at the moment. :)

bball wrote:
Any hint about where this bowl would be played? can't be Provo in late December...Los Angeles? LA has a big Mormon population, and not too many bowls down there. How about playing in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl a few days before the Rose Bowl?

Hold the bowl game in Provo...call it the Ski Utah! Bowl and everyone will expect it to be cold and snowy



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crazycougar84601 wrote:

Any hint about where this bowl would be played? can't be Provo in late December...Los Angeles? LA has a big Mormon population, and not too many bowls down there. How about playing in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl a few days before the Rose Bowl?

Hold the bowl game in Provo...call it the Ski Utah! Bowl and everyone will expect it to be cold and snowy



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What's the closest stadium to the mwc offices?



Denver Broncos stadium?

NCAA is imposting up to a 3 year moratorium on new bowl games while the process is reviewed.

Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

CAFB_04-12 wrote:
Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

More college football is a good thing.

SpiffCoug wrote:

Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

More college football is a good thing.

If anything, the NCAA should limit the amount of tie-ins a conference can have to 1 per conference. That would at least make the market for bowl teams more efficient. The better paying bowls will be more likely to get the matchups they want. The worse paying bowls will get crappy matchups and will eventually die.



Even if desirability from a bowl invite standpoint doesn't equal quality, I think we'd still get better matchups than the pre-existing tie-in set up we have now.

Mingjai wrote:

CAFB_04-12 wrote:
Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

More college football is a good thing.

If anything, the NCAA should limit the amount of tie-ins a conference can have to 1 per conference. That would at least make the market for bowl teams more efficient. The better paying bowls will be more likely to get the matchups they want. The worse paying bowls will get crappy matchups and will eventually die.



Even if desirability from a bowl invite standpoint doesn't equal quality, I think we'd still get better matchups than the pre-existing tie-in set up we have now.

Mingjai, this is the best idea yet, if we have to keep bowl games.



How about this for an idea? Since we are going the Notre Dame route, why don't we try and work a deal with the Pac-10 and/or Big 12 similar to what ND has going with the Big East. For example: Sun Bowl, you can have the choice of the Pac-10#3 this year or BYU; or Holiday Bowl, you can have the choice of the Big 12 #3 or BYU this year. Work out some sort of compensation deal with the conferences, and BYU still comes out with more money than playing in the next 3 bowl games that they have scheduled combined.

SpiffCoug wrote:

Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

More college football is a good thing.

More better (also pronounced mo' betta') college football is a good thing. A 6-6 versus a 6-6 is not really interesting (unless one of the 6-6 teams happens to be BYU), especially if there will be a dozen other games on during that week.

CAFB_04-12 wrote:

CAFB_04-12 wrote:
Good. And they should eliminate about half of the existing ones.

More college football is a good thing.

More better (also pronounced mo' betta') college football is a good thing. A 6-6 versus a 6-6 is not really interesting (unless one of the 6-6 teams happens to be BYU), especially if there will be a dozen other games on during that week.

Bowls are for the players and the fans of the teams playing. Very few bowls have broad national interest, but they still hold a place for that team andits fans. Many seniors finish their careers there.



I don't have a Problem if every team in America went to a bowl including the loser bowl as long as they are evenly matched. I would only watch a handful myself, however. BYU was in a 2010 bowl that had to be a contender for teams least deserving of a bowl appearance - and I enjoyed every minute of it.