Dallas Football Classic At Cotton Bowl To Host Big Ten, C-USA

Cotton Bowl Stadium Hopes To Host New Bowl Game Beginning January '11, Pending Approval

Cotton Bowl stadium officials yesterday announced a "new game to replace the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic" at the stadium, according to Gary Jacobson of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The Dallas Football Classic at the Cotton Bowl will host teams from the Big Ten and Conference USA beginning on January 1, 2011, "pending approval by the NCAA." Dallas Football Classic Exec Dir Tom Starr said that he "hopes to have a TV deal completed within a week," and added that "each participating team will receive at least" $1M. The new game "faces hurdles, including necessary approval in the spring by the NCAA postseason licensing subcommittee," as it would be the 36th bowl game. However, Starr said that "as many as five existing bowls could face trouble receiving approval." He added that for the Dallas Football Classic to get NCAA approval, the game "must provide a $2[M] letter of credit, which his group of local backers is working on." The Cotton Bowl game is moving to Cowboys Stadium beginning this January (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/14).

THE TEN SPOT: The Big Ten yesterday formally unveiled their bowl affiliations for the '10-13 college football seasons, including four-year extensions with the Capital One, Outback and Insight bowls and new four-year deals with the Konica Minolta Gator and Texas bowls in addition to the aforementioned game in Dallas (Big Ten). In Orlando, Andrea Adelson reported the average annual payout from the Capital One Bowl "will increase to just over $4.7[M] per participating school under the new agreement." No agreement between the bowl and the SEC "has been announced but that partnership is expected to continue" (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 10/13). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits reports which SEC team plays in the Gator Bowl "has not yet been established, pending negotiations with Konica Minolta to renew the title sponsorship contract and possibly increase the payout" for the game. However, the bowl "would pick no worse than sixth in the SEC." TV negotiations "have not been completed, but indications remain that the Gator Bowl will be involved in a rotation with the Capital One Bowl in Orlando and the Outback Bowl in Tampa to be on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2" at 1:00pm ET on January 1 (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 10/14). In Detroit, Mark Snyder notes the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl was not included in the Big Ten bowl schedule, but bowl Exec Dir Ken Hoffman said that he "has no concerns about that." Hoffman: "It's just a matter of dotting in the I's and crossing the T's" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/14).

BOWL	BIG TEN TEAM	OPPONENT
Rose Bowl/BCS	No. 1	Pac-10/BCS selection
Capital One	No. 2	SEC*
Outback	No. 3	SEC
Konica Minolta Gator	No. 4/5	SEC
Insight	No. 4/5	Big 12
Texas	No. 6	Big 12
Dallas Football Classic	No. 7	Conference USA
Little Caesars Pizza**	No. 8	MAC
NOTES: * = SEC has yet re-sign with the bowl; ** = A deal has yet to be reached between the bowl and the Big 10

BIG 12 ALSO ANNOUNCES DEALS: The Big 12 Conference yesterday announced it has renewed its affiliation with the AT&T Cotton, Valero Alamo, Insight, Pacific Life Holiday and Texas bowls for the '10-13 seasons, while officially adding the new bowl game at Yankee Stadium (Big 12). In San Diego, Brent Schrotenboer reports the Holiday Bowl instead of getting the "Pac-10 runner-up and a third choice from the Big 12, as it has since 1998, ... will have a third choice from the Pac-10 and a fifth choice from the Big 12." The bowl was "outbid by the Alamo Bowl" for Pac-10 No. 2 and Big 12 No. 3 (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/14). Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe: "It's hard to have that for a bowl we've worked with as long as we have with the Holiday Bowl. But the Alamo Bowl was able to get the commitment from their sponsors where they were able to attract those teams" (ESPN.com, 10/13). Meanwhile, in Dallas, Chuck Carlton reports as part of the "reshuffling of bowl contracts," the Big 12 ended deals with Gator, Sun and Independence bowls. As a result, the Big 12 saw its "annual non-BCS bowl payouts increase 33[%] on contracts for 2010-13, though it lost one tie-in." Beebe said the Big 12 is "exploring the possibility of adding an additional game." Carlton notes with the Big 12 "pursuing exposure on the Eastern seaboard, one possibility is the EagleBank Bowl" in DC (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/14).

BOWL	BIG 12 TEAM	OPPONENT
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl/BCS	No. 1	BCS
AT&T Cotton	No. 2	SEC
Valero Alamo	No. 3	Pac-10
Insight	No. 4	Big Ten
Pacific Life Holiday	No. 5	Pac-10
Texas	No. 6	Big Ten
Yankees	No. 7	Big East