NCAA football's Bowl Alliance "has reached agreement to
continue its relationships" with the Fiesta, Orange and
Sugar Bowls when the Rose Bowl joins the Alliance after the
'98 season, setting up a guaranteed annual championship game
between the nation's two highest-ranked teams, according to
Mark Asher of the WASHINGTON POST. Sources say the three
bowls will pay about $2M each to the Alliance in revenues
from ticket sales and local sponsorships, bringing the
payout per team to $11.5M annually, up "slightly more than"
35% above the current payout. The Alliance is handling
talks with title sponsors and TV networks, with the bowls
responsible for ticket sales and local sponsorships. ABC
Sports holds TV rights for the four Alliance bowls for the
'98-2001 seasons. Asher adds that the Alliance "never
opened the process to bidding -- as it did for the initial
Alliance -- after extending the exclusive negotiating
periods" for the three bowls (WASHINGTON POST, 7/23). USA
TODAY's Steve Wieberg, who puts ABC rights fees at over
$500M, reports that each bowl offered $3-4M a year for seven
years, the last three under an option (USA TODAY, 7/23).
