ESPN College Football

If Notre Dame beats Pittsburgh on Saturday, it could be a double-dose of bad news for the Big East.

Not only would the league take another high-profile nonconference loss on the chin, but the Irish would gain bowl eligibility at 6-2. And that could pose problems for the rest of the Big East bowl hopefuls.

Notre Dame is included in the Big East's contract with the Gator and Sun bowls, which combine to pick the league's No. 2 finisher. The Irish haven't been a factor in those games the last two years, because they went to the BCS in 2006 and finished with a losing record last season. This year, though, the Big East is likely to feel the price of its partnership with the Irish, who look destined to have a winning record yet fall short of BCS qualification.

According to league officials, the Irish must finish within two wins of the Big East team's second-best team in order to qualify for the Gator Bowl. So if, say, South Florida were to go 10-2 and finish second, Notre Dame would have to be at least 8-4 to be picked over the Bulls. Ironically, the Irish could gain two of its wins this season over Big East teams, because they play Pitt on Saturday and Syracuse at home Nov. 22.

If Notre Dame does qualify, the Gator Bowl is likely to snatch the school up faster than you can say "Touchdown Jesus."

"There is not a team that has the national appeal of Notre Dame," Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett told the South Bend Tribune. "If we get an opportunity to get them, I don't know how you could pass on them."

Another possibility is that the Gator Bowl could take a Big 12 team instead of the Big East this year as it's contractually allowed to do. Then the Sun Bowl would almost assuredly take Notre Dame instead of a league school.

What does this all mean for the Big East? If your favorite team finishes second this year, don't invest in sun block. With the Gator/Sun options off the table, the top non-BCS bowl for the Big East would become the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Charlotte on Dec. 27. Nothing against the host city, but that's not quite the sunny New Year's Day game that most league runners-up look forward to enjoying.

Notre Dame eating up a Big East slot also spells possible danger for any teams finishing 6-6 or even 7-5.

Without the Gator/Sun spot, the conference only has five bowl tie-ins: the BCS automatic bid, plus the Meineke, Papajohns.com, International and St. Petersburg bowls. Six Big East teams already have at least five wins, and a seventh -- Rutgers -- could conceivably gain bowl eligibility. Last year, Louisville finished 6-6 but stayed home because the league didn't have enough bowls.

Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said league officials are aware of the situation and have begun looking at other bowl games which might have an at-large spot because their tie-in conferences won't qualify enough teams.

"Every Monday, we fill out a big board with all the possibilities," Tranghese said. "We've already had talks with some of those bowls."

The obvious question is why the Big East includes Notre Dame in its bowl contracts when the school is not a football-playing member of the conference. Tranghese said the Irish were also involved in the league's previous two bowl agreements.

"What we've found is that, by bringing Notre Dame into the mix, that gave us an opportunity to make much better deals," Tranghese said. "When we made our last agreement, people didn't even know who was going to be in our league, because Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami had just left. If we didn't include Notre Dame in our contract, the games that we currently have don't exist. I know fans and sometimes our own coaches don't want to hear that, but it's true."

Tranghese, who's in his final season as commissioner, has made improving the Big East bowl tie-ins is a top priority going forward. He said the league is in a much better position now because of its recent success, which includes three consecutive BCS victories. Asked if Notre Dame would be included in future agreements, however, Tranghese said, "our membership is definitely leaning toward" doing that again.

As for his second-place team possibly going to the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Tranghese said, "I know this business is all about perception. But all I know is, all of our teams who have gone to the Charlotte have had a great experience."

One way for this year's Big East bowl jam to work itself out is if Notre Dame lands elsewhere. The Cotton Bowl is in the third year of a four-year cycle that allows it to swap out an SEC team for Notre Dame once during that time frame. The Irish have a young team that should be a BCS contender next season, so many people speculate that the Cotton Bowl will jump at the chance to take Notre Dame while it still can.

But Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker said that would not influence the game's selection.

"We look at it as, this year is this year, and we'll worry about next year next year," he said. "For us, it's all about the best matchup and the best national story line."

The Cotton Bowl has the potential for many great matchups between the Big 12 and the SEC, which are widely considered the two best conferences this year. Instead of Notre Dame, the Cotton Bowl could have access to teams like SEC teams LSU, Alabama or Georgia and their rabid fan bases, depending on how that league shakes out.

But Baker did note Notre Dame's long history with the Cotton Bowl, and its national appeal cannot be denied. So what happens if both the Cotton and Gator bowls want the Irish?

"Basically, then Notre Dame would get to pick," Baker said.

In case you're wondering, the Cotton Bowl is scheduled to pay out $3 million per team, while the Gator will shell out $2.5 million to each participating school. Those deals, of course, could always be sweetened.

If the Gator Bowl reels in the Irish, then the rest of the Big East could be left feeling sour.