Bids to college bowl games
The teams that participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision earn the right to compete in a series of post-season games called bowl games. For all 35 bowl games in the 2010-11 NCAA college football bowl season, bowl games are contractually obligated to offer bids to specific conferences, a situation known as a "tie-in". The top five bowl games in the nation select their teams as part of a coalition known as the Bowl Championship Series. The remaining 30 bowl games have individual contracts with the conferences to offer preferential bids to teams from those conferences. As long as teams are bowl eligible, they may be selected by these bowls to meet these contracts.
BCS games
The Bowl Championship Series consists of 5 games, the Rose Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and Sugar Bowl, as well as the BCS Championship Game. A composite system of computer rankings and human polls is used to rank the teams in the Division I–Football Bowl Subdivision. At the end of the season, the top two ranked teams meet in the championship game; the remaining eight slots are filled by the champions of six conferences (the Big Ten Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Big East Conference) and up to four "at-large" selections who finished the season ranked in the top 14 in the BCS rankings. These at-large selections can be granted to any FBS team, even those that aren't members of the six BCS conferences, though no conference may have more than two BCS teams in any given year with the sole exception being if two at-large teams from a BCS Conference finish No. 1 and No. 2 in the BCS Poll, they will qualify for the National Title Game while their Conference Champion will play in another BCS Game.
Even in the five BCS bowls, consideration is given to historic associations between the conferences and the bowl games themselves. Tie-ins still apply, unless a team obligated to a certain bowl game is selected for the BCS Championship Game. In that case, their slot is filled by an at-large school. Any bowl that loses a contracted team to the Championship Game gets first pick of the eligible at-large schools.
BCS Games | Conference | Conference |
---|---|---|
Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio | Pac-10 | Big Ten |
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl | Big 12 | At-Large |
Discover Orange Bowl | ACC | At-Large |
Allstate Sugar Bowl | SEC | At-Large |
BCS Championship Game | BCS #1 | BCS #2 |
NOTE: The Big East is in the "At-Large" pool.
2010-11 Non-BCS bowl games
The 30 bowls that are not part of the BCS have contractual ties to specific conferences. For the 2010-11 bowl season, all 30 bowls have at least two tie-ins, meaning that there are no at-large spots open in these bowls, assuming that all conferences produce enough bowl eligible teams. Many bowls also have contingency contracts to offer spots to other specific conferences should their first choice not be eligible. If any slot cannot be filled by a contracted conference at all, then the spot becomes open, and the bowl can offer the slot to any eligible team.
To be eligible, a team must not have a losing record in the FBS. If a school plays 12 games, they must have at least six wins to qualify. If a school plays 13 games, they must then have at least seven wins to qualify. Additionally, bowls may not tender a bid to any team with a 6-6 record as long as there are eligible seven-win teams to choose. The contracts specify that the bowl receives a certain choice of teams, and this choice is typically not predicated on end-of-season rankings. For example, the Alamo Bowl has the third choice of Big 12 schools. That means that they may choose any eligible team after the first two bowls (in this case the BCS and the Cotton Bowl Classic) have chosen their teams from the Big 12. However, some conferences have special selection parameters written into their contracts with specific bowls—for example, the Capital One Bowl is contractually obligated to select the winningest Big Ten and SEC teams that do not make a BCS game, or a team within one win of the winningest in its conference, and the MAC's bowl contracts require that both division champions, if eligible, receive bids to one of its three contracted bowls.
Order of selection
Teams must be bowl eligible to be selected for a bowl game. Should a conference not have enough eligible teams to meet their obligations, the bowls at the end of the selection process are free to choose a replacement team from among any remaining bowl eligible teams that are not already committed to bowl game. Bowls must select from teams with winning records when choosing a replacement team, unless there are no such teams left, then they may choose a 6-6 team. Should less than 68 teams be bowl eligible, all bowl eligible teams must be placed in bowls before non-eligible teams may be selected.
If a conference provides an "at-large" selection to the BCS, the remaining bowls still select in the same order. Should a conference like the Big 12 receive an "at-large" bid from the BCS, their remaining bowl tie-ins would be affected. The Cotton Bowl Classic would then have the third (and not second) selection from the Big 12, and all remaining bowls would be shifted accordingly. This increases the likelihood that the last bowls will have eligible teams to choose from.
Atlantic Coast Conference
2010-2013:[1]
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. The winner of the ACC Championship Game receives an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, almost always to the Discover Orange Bowl.
- #2 The Chick-fil-A Bowl receives the second choice of ACC teams.
- #3 The Champs Sports Bowl receives the third choice of ACC teams.
- #4 The Hyundai Sun Bowl receives the ACC Championship Game runner up or the fourth choice of ACC teams.
- #5 The Meineke Car Care Bowl
- #6 The Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl
- #7 The Advocare 100 Independence Bowl
- #8 The Military Bowl receives the eighth choice of ACC teams.
- #9 The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in the event that the ACC has nine bowl eligible teams, the Conference has made a conditional arrangement to send its eighth selection after the BCS to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco, if either of that Bowl's primary partners are not bowl eligible.
Big 12 Conference
2010-2013:[2]
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. In 2010 the winner of the Big 12 Championship Game receives an automatic berth in a BCS Bowl game, preferentially the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Effective with the 2011 season, the Big 12 regular season champion will receive said berth.
- #2 The Cotton Bowl Classic receives the second choice of Big 12 teams.
- #3 The Alamo Bowl receives the third choice of Big 12 teams.
- #4 The Insight Bowl receives the fourth choice of Big 12 teams.
- #5 The Holiday Bowl receive the fifth choice of Big 12 teams.
- #6 The Texas Bowl receives the sixth choice of Big 12 teams.
- #7 The Pinstripe Bowl receives the seventh choice of Big 12 teams.
- #8 The Dallas Football Classic receives the eighth choice of Big 12 teams following the 2010 and 2012 seasons, while the Military Bowl receives the eighth choice of Big 12 teams following the 2013 season. In addition the Dallas Football Classic or the Military Bowl will have the eighth choice of Big 12 teams if the bowl's primary partners are not available following the 2011 season.
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference has seven bowl tie ins, up to six of which choose a Big East school in any given year.[3]
2010-2013:
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. The Big East Champion receives an automatic bid to one of the BCS Bowls
- #2 The Champs Sports Bowl receives the second pick of the Big East teams, after the BCS participant is determined.
- #3 The Meineke Car Care Bowl receives the third selection of the Big East teams.
- #4 The New Era Pinstripe Bowl receives the fourth selection of the Big East teams.
- #5 Birmingham Bowl / AutoZone Liberty Bowl . The #5 selection from the Big East will face either the #8 or 9 team (shared pick) from the SEC in the Birmingham Bowl or the C-USA champion in the Liberty Bowl.
- #6 The Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl receives the sixth Big East selection.
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference has eight bowl tie-ins.[4]
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. In the 2010 season, the Big Ten regular season champion gains an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, preferentially the Rose Bowl. Effective with the 2011 season, the winner of the Big Ten Championship Game will receive said berth.
- #2 The Capital One Bowl receives the second choice from the Big Ten, but must choose from remaining teams with the best overall record, or within one win of the best overall record. Starting in 2011, they may choose to take the runner up of the Big Ten Championship Game should their record be better than the league champion.
- #3 The Outback Bowl receives the third choice of Big Ten teams.
- #4-5 The Gator Bowl and the Insight Bowl receive the fourth and fifth choice of Big Ten teams.
- #6 The Texas Bowl receives the sixth choice of Big Ten teams.
- #7 The Dallas Football Classic receives the seventh choice from the Big Ten.
- #8 The Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl will take the eighth choice from the Big Ten; if no remaining teams are available, the bowl will choose a Sun Belt team.
Conference USA
Conference USA has five regular bowl tie-ins, with a contingency to fill a spot in two more games.[5]
- #1 The Liberty Bowl receives the first choice of C-USA teams, though it is not required to take the C-USA champion.
- #2 The Hawaiʻi Bowl will have the second choice of C-USA teams for the 2009-10 bowl season.[6][7]
- #3 The Armed Forces Bowl receives the third choice of C-USA teams.
- #4 The Beef 'O' Bradys Bowl receives the fourth choice of C-USA teams.[8]
- #5 The New Orleans Bowl receives the fifth choice of C-USA teams.
- #6 The Military Bowl will receive the sixth choice of C-USA teams if Army is not bowl-eligible.
- #7 The Texas Bowl will receive the seventh choice of C-USA teams if the Big 12 is unable to provide a bowl-eligible team.
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference has three regular bowl tie-ins, with a contingency to fill a spot in a fourth game. The champions of the two MAC divisions are guaranteed to go to one of the three bowl games.[9]
- #1 The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl receives the first choice of MAC teams, though it is not required to take the MAC champion.
- #2 The GoDaddy.com Bowl receives the second choice of MAC teams.
- #3 The uDrove Humanitarian Bowl receives the third choice of MAC teams.
- #4 The Military Bowl normally has the eighth choice from the ACC, however in years where there are not eight eligible ACC teams, they may select a MAC team (and did so in 2009).
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference has five bowl tie-ins.[10]
- #1 The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas receives the first choice of Mountain West teams, unless that team is selected by the BCS.
- #2 The Poinsettia Bowl receives the second choice of Mountain West teams.
- #3 The Independence Bowl receives the third pick.
- #4 The Armed Forces Bowl has the fourth pick.
- #5 The New Mexico Bowl has the fifth pick.
Pacific-10/12 Conference
The Pacific-10 Conference (to be renamed the Pacific-12 as of the 2011-12 season with the addition of University of Utah and University of Colorado) has six bowl tie-ins.[11]
2010 (as Pacific-10); 2011-2013 (as Pacific-12):
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. In 2010, the Pac-10 champion gains an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, preferentially the Rose Bowl. Starting in 2011, that berth will go to the winner of the Pacific-12 Championship Game.
- #2 The Alamo Bowl receives the second choice of Pac-10 teams.
- #3 The Holiday Bowl receives the third choice of Pac-10 teams.
- #4 The Sun Bowl receives the fourth choice of Pac-10 teams.
- #5 The Maaco Bowl receives the fifth choice of Pac-10 teams
- #6 The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl receives the sixth choice of Pac-10 teams.
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference has nine bowl tie-ins.[12]
- #1 Bowl Championship Series. The winner of the SEC Championship Game gains an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game, preferentially the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
- #2 The Capital One Bowl must select the team with the best overall record among non-BCS playing SEC teams, or a team within one game of the best record.
- #3-4 The Cotton Bowl Classic has first pick of remaining teams from the Western Division, and the Outback Bowl typically picks a remaining team from the Eastern Division.
- #5 The Chick-fil-A Bowl selects after those two bowls.
- #6 The Gator Bowl receives the sixth pick.
- #7-8 The Music City Bowl and the Liberty Bowl work with the SEC office to determine the seventh and eighth picks.
- #9 The Birmingham Bowl receives the ninth choice of SEC teams. In years where the SEC does not have nine bowl eligible teams, the Birmingham Bowl will select from the Sun Belt Conference instead.
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference has two guaranteed bowl tie-ins, with a contingency to fill up to three additional bowl slots.[13]
- #1 The New Orleans Bowl plays host to the champion of the Sun Belt conference.
- #2 Starting in 2011, the GoDaddy.com Bowl will host the second selection from the Sun Belt.
- #3-5 The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl, Birmingham Bowl, and Independence Bowl have agreed to give precedence to a Sun Belt Conference team should the conferences that normally send teams to those bowl games not have enough bowl eligible teams. In years where more than one of these bowls has available slots, they may select teams from the Sun Belt conference in the order given.
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference has three regular bowl tie-ins, with a contingency to fill a spot in a fourth game.[14]
- #1 The Humanitarian Bowl will host the WAC champion, unless that team is selected by the Bowl Championship Series. In that case, the bowl will get the first selection among the remaining WAC teams.
- #2 The New Mexico Bowl receives the second choice of WAC teams.
- #3 The Hawaiʻi Bowl will host the University of Hawaiʻi team if it has at least seven wins, and is not selected by the BCS (which happened in the 2007 season). In years where Hawaiʻi does not qualify, the bowl will receive the third choice of the remaining eligible WAC teams.
- #4 The Poinsettia Bowl will select a top WAC team for 2011 & 2012.
- #5 The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will have the first or selection from the WAC in 2010 & 2013 unless that team is selected by the Bowl Championship Series.
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl Partners Poinsettia Bowl Partners
Division I FBS Independents
Of the three independent Football Bowl Subdivision teams, there are contractual agreements to play in certain bowl games should they become bowl eligible. All three of these teams remain eligible for selection as a replacement team when the conferences do not have enough eligible teams to meet their obligations.
Notre Dame
- Is eligible for selection by the BCS if they finish in the top 14 of the final BCS standings, and automatically qualifies as an at-large selection in the BCS in years where it finishes in the top 8 of the BCS rankings.[3][15]
Navy
- 2010: Poinsettia Bowl[16]
- 2011: Military Bowl [17]
- 2012: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl [17]
- 2013: Armed Forces Bowl [17]
Army
- 2010: Armed Forces Bowl[18]
- 2011: Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl[19]
- 2012: Military Bowl[19]
- 2013: Poinsettia Bowl[20]
Deviations for the 2008-09 season
Because several conferences were unable to meet their contracted obligations as they did not have enough bowl eligible teams, several bowl games selected "at-large" replacements for the 2008-09 season. These were:
- The Hawaiʻi Bowl was contracted to take either the sixth selection from the Pac-10 or the seventh selection from C-USA. Neither conference was able to meet their obligation, so the bowl selected Notre Dame instead.
- The Motor City Bowl was contracted to take the seventh selection from the Big Ten. However, as Ohio State was chosen as an at-large BCS selection, the conference was not able to provide a team. The bowl selected Florida Atlantic out of the Sun Belt instead.
- The Independence Bowl was contracted to take the seventh selection from the Big 12 and the eighth selection from the SEC. However, as Texas and Alabama were both chosen as at-large BCS selections, neither conference was able to provide a team. Though an agreement had been reached to choose an eligible team from the Sun Belt conference,[13] they selected Louisiana Tech out of the WAC and Northern Illinois out of the MAC as replacements instead. Louisiana Tech, which ended the regular season 7–5, was selected because NCAA rules prohibit the use of contingency agreements to give a 6–6 team access to a bowl over an otherwise eligible team with 7 or more wins. No additional 7-win teams were available by the time the Independence Bowl filled its second slot.
- The PapaJohns.com Bowl was contracted to take the ninth selection from the SEC, however they did not have enough bowl eligible teams. Though an agreement had been reached to choose an eligible team from the Sun Belt conference,[13] they selected NC State out of the ACC instead. In this case, there were no 7-win teams available to that bowl.
- The Texas Bowl was contracted to take the eighth selection from the Big 12. As the Big 12 did not have enough bowl eligible teams, the bowl selected Western Michigan out of the MAC instead.
Changes for the 2010-11 season
Several bowls and conferences are negotiating new bowl contracts, which take effect beginning with the 2010-11 bowl season:
- The Alamo Bowl and the Pacific-10 Conference (to be renamed the Pacific 12 in 2011) finalized a four-year deal for the Pac-10/Pac-12 #2 selection, which previously competed at the Holiday Bowl, in an apparent replacement of the Big Ten selection. The Alamo Bowl's payout will increase to $3 million per year.[21]
- The Champs Sports Bowl finalized a four-year deal with the Big East Conference, which will see the bowl have the #2 selection of Big East teams. The Champs Sports Bowl will be able to select Notre Dame once during the four-year agreement, so long as Notre Dame has at least a 7-5 record and is within two wins of an eligible Big East team.[22] The bowl also agreed to bring back the Atlantic Coast Conference, and will get the #3 pick of ACC teams.[23]
- The Emerald Bowl, which would become the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in 2010, reached an agreement with the Western Athletic Conference, Navy, Army, and the Pacific-10/12 Conference. The Pac-10/12 will give its #6 selection to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in each of the four years. Army will play in the game in 2011 if it is eligible, and Navy will play in 2012 if it is eligible. The WAC will send its #1, #2 or #3 team in 2010 and 2013, and will provide alternate selections in 2011 and 2012.[24]
- The GoDaddy.com Bowl has agreed to allow the Sun Belt Conference to send a team from that conference and give them a second permament berth in the bowl season, joining the New Orleans Bowl as games with berths for the SBC.
- The Gator Bowl finalized an agreement with the Southeastern Conference and the Big Ten Conference. The Gator Bowl will alternate with the Insight Bowl for the Big Ten's #4 and #5 picks, while the bowl will have no lower than the #6 pick of SEC teams.[25]
- With the closing of the International Bowl, the Humanitarian Bowl finalized an agreement with the Mid-American Conference to send a team to that game starting in 2010.
- The Independence Bowl agreed to a deal with the MWC and the ACC. The Independence Bowl will have the #3 selection of Mountain West teams and the #7 selection of ACC teams.[26]
- The Poinsettia Bowl reached an agreement with the WAC, Navy, Army, and the MWC, as they will continue to send their #2 team to San Diego. The other tie-in will be shared by the WAC, Navy, and Army, mirroring the Emerald Bowl deal. Navy will participate in 2010 if they are eligible, and Army will participate in 2013 if they are eligible. The WAC will send its #1, #2 or #3 team in 2011 and 2012, and will provide alternate selections in 2010 and 2013.[27]
- The Sun Bowl reached an agreement with the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pacific-10/12 Conference. The Sun Bowl will have the fifth selection of ACC teams and the fourth selection of Pac-10/12 teams.[28]
- The Texas Bowl finalized agreements with the Big 12 Conference and the Big Ten. The Texas Bowl will continue its relationship with the Big 12 and will now have the Big 12 #6 selection[29], and will also have the Big Ten #6 selection.[30]
- Three tentative new bowl games were scheduled for 2010-11; two of them were approved by the NCAA in April 2010 and will become part of that season's bowl schedule. The first of the approved bowls, called the Pinstripe Bowl, was announced on September 30, 2009. The new contest will pit the Big East against the Big 12 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. The Pinstripe Bowl will have the third or fourth selection of Big East teams and the seventh selection of Big 12 teams.[31] The other approved bowl game, tentatively called the Dallas Football Classic, was announced on October 14, 2009. It will give the Big Ten and Conference USA a shot at another bowl. The game will be played in the Cotton Bowl Stadium, as the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic has been moved to Cowboys Stadium. This game is tentatively scheduled for January 1, 2011. The Cure Bowl was scheduled to be played at Bright House Networks Stadium on the Orlando, Florida campus of the University of Central Florida, but did not receive NCAA approval. It would have featured members of Conference USA and the Sun Belt Conference, and would have given the SBC a permanent third bowl tie-in.
References
- ^ "ACC bowl tie-ins". Atlantic Coast Conference. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ "Big 12 Announces Bowl Agreements". Big 12. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ^ a b "Big East Bowl Lineup". BigEast.org. Retrieved 2010-10-15. [dead link]
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam. "Big Ten Announces Bowl Lineup for 2010-13". ESPN. Retrieved 2010-07-05.
- ^ "2009 C-USA Bowl Synopsis". The Official Site of Conference USA. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ "Few changes for 2009-10 college football bowl schedule -- OrlandoSentinel.com". Retrieved 2009-06-26.
- ^ "SHERATON HAWAII BOWL". Retrieved 2009-06-26.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Bowl FAQ's". The Official Site of the St. Petersburg Bowl. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ Carle, Jack (2008-07-28). "MAC's Bowl Alliances Set...For Now". Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ "MWC Bowl Synopsis". TheMWC.com. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ Miller, Ted (2008-12-01). "A look at Pac-10 bowl possibilities, take 3". ESPNU Blog Network: Pac-10. ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ "SEC Bowl Tie-Ins". SECsports.com. Retrieved 2008-12-03. [dead link]
- ^ a b c "Sun Belt Conference Enters Agreements with St. Petersburg Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl, and PetroSun Independence Bowl". SunBeltSports.org. 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ Wilner, Jon. "WAC football: The Poinsettia Bowl signs up". College Sports Hotline. San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ "Notre Dame Attractive to BCS". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
- ^ "Poinsettia Bowl Secures Naval Academy for 2010". The Official Site of the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl. 2008-09-25. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
- ^ http://www.armedforcesbowl.com/?p=1373
- ^ a b "Emerald Bowl Announces Agreement With Army". goarmysports.com. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ "San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl Announces Agreement With Army". goarmysports.com. 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
- ^ "Pac-10's No. 2 team to go to Alamo". ESPN.com. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
- ^ "Big East switches from Gator to Champs Sports Bowl in 2010". The Tampa Tribune. 2009-08-18. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ "ACC Signs Deal With Champs Bowl". The North Carolina News Network. 2009-10-08. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "WAC Adds Emerald Bowl Tie-In". SJSUSpartans.com. 2009-09-10. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
- ^ "Big Ten Finalizes deal with Gator Bowl". The Florida Times-Union. 2009-10-14. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
- ^ "I-Bowl announces conference agreements". Shreveport Times. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2009-10-22. [dead link]
- ^ "Poinsettia Bowl secures mid-major heaven with Mountain West, WAC deals". San Diego Sports Examiner. 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
- ^ "Big East loses Sun Bowl to ACC starting in 2010". The Tampa Tribune. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
- ^ "Big News, Big Change for the Texas Bowl". texasbowl.org. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-27. [dead link]
- ^ "Big Ten announces new bowl lineup". The State News. 2009-10-13. Retrieved 2009-10-27.
- ^ "BIG EAST Part Of New Football Bowl Game At Yankee Stadium". uconnhuskies.com. 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-09-30.