FIRST AND GOAL AT THE ONE: CONFERENCES REACH "UNDERSTANDING"

     The Big East and Big 12 must now decide if they can live
with the new Bowl Alliance "largely as ABC announced it in July,"
according to Ivan Maisel of NEWSDAY.  The Big East will meet via
conference call today and the Big 12 tomorrow to decide whether
to sell their postseason marketing rights and TV rights to ABC in
a seven-year, $385M deal.  The contract has an out after the 2001
season, and the Big East and Big 12 originally thought that meant
the whole alliance could be put out to bid with other networks,
but ABC has an extended deal with the Rose Bowl through 2004,
meaning if the contract is opted out, the system will return to
what it is today (NEWSDAY, 9/18).
     DETAILS: No formal agreements were announced, but members of
the college football "Super Alliance" have "apparently" reached a
"general understanding," according to Mark Blaudschun of the
BOSTON GLOBE.  The following was "tentatively agreed to": The
Rose Bowl will be allowed to have the Big Ten and Pac 10 champs
meet as long as they are not ranked No. 1 or 2; each of the other
bowls (Fiesta, Sugar, Orange) have the options of taking a
conference champ.  Likely choices Big 12/Fiesta, SEC/Sugar, and
ACC and Big East alternate with the Orange; eliminated was the
plan to give the Rose Bowl the option of hosting the national
championship in any of the first three years if a Pac-10 or Big
Ten team were ranked No. 1.  The Rose Bowl will host the National
Championship in January 2002 (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/18).