Lots of uncertainty in Big East bowl picture
December, 2, 2009
12/02/09
10:00
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
While other conferences are nailing down their bowl destinations, the Big East remains almost totally up in the air heading into the final week. In fact, the league's bowl arrangements might not be settled until Sunday morning, the day when all postseason lineups are announced.
Part of the reason is how smartly the league scheduled for the final weekend. On Saturday, all six bowl eligible teams are playing each other with, as of now, No. 1 facing No. 2, No. 3 vs No. 4 and No. 5 vs. No. 6. So much can change depending on what happens in those games.
The one near certainty seems to be West Virginia to the Gator Bowl, regardless of whether the Mountaineers beat Rutgers this weekend. The Gator Bowl, like any postseason game, wants to sell tickets and wants the Mountaineers' dependable traveling fan base. That sets up the potentially awkward situation of Cincinnati falling past the Gator Bowl should it lose to Pittsburgh and finish 11-1.
It's not a situation the Big East would like to see happen and it's one to which conference officials would probably object privately. But the league does not expect the Gator Bowl -- which is in its final year of alliance with the Big East -- to cut it any favors.
The precipice is even steeper for Pitt. Should the Panthers -- who were ranked in the Top 10 last week -- lose to Cincinnati, they could fall all the way to the Papajohns.com or St. Petersburg Bowl. The Meineke Car Care Bowl appears to have little interest in Pitt and would rather take Rutgers, which it believes will bring more fans.
The fates for UConn and South Florida are just as uncertain. The St. Petersburg Bowl is not very interested in having the Bulls back, even in a rivalry game against Central Florida. While the International Bowl makes no sense geographically for South Florida, that game took UConn last year and could wind up with Ohio as the MAC representative. UConn and Ohio played earlier this season.
The International and Little Caesars Pizza Bowl could also pull off a swap and send the Big East representative to Detroit instead of Toronto.
As one league official told me, "anything is possible at this point."
And don't expect much firm information on the Big East's bowl lineup until Sunday.
Part of the reason is how smartly the league scheduled for the final weekend. On Saturday, all six bowl eligible teams are playing each other with, as of now, No. 1 facing No. 2, No. 3 vs No. 4 and No. 5 vs. No. 6. So much can change depending on what happens in those games.
The one near certainty seems to be West Virginia to the Gator Bowl, regardless of whether the Mountaineers beat Rutgers this weekend. The Gator Bowl, like any postseason game, wants to sell tickets and wants the Mountaineers' dependable traveling fan base. That sets up the potentially awkward situation of Cincinnati falling past the Gator Bowl should it lose to Pittsburgh and finish 11-1.
It's not a situation the Big East would like to see happen and it's one to which conference officials would probably object privately. But the league does not expect the Gator Bowl -- which is in its final year of alliance with the Big East -- to cut it any favors.
The precipice is even steeper for Pitt. Should the Panthers -- who were ranked in the Top 10 last week -- lose to Cincinnati, they could fall all the way to the Papajohns.com or St. Petersburg Bowl. The Meineke Car Care Bowl appears to have little interest in Pitt and would rather take Rutgers, which it believes will bring more fans.
The fates for UConn and South Florida are just as uncertain. The St. Petersburg Bowl is not very interested in having the Bulls back, even in a rivalry game against Central Florida. While the International Bowl makes no sense geographically for South Florida, that game took UConn last year and could wind up with Ohio as the MAC representative. UConn and Ohio played earlier this season.
The International and Little Caesars Pizza Bowl could also pull off a swap and send the Big East representative to Detroit instead of Toronto.
As one league official told me, "anything is possible at this point."
And don't expect much firm information on the Big East's bowl lineup until Sunday.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
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Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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