Automatic Bids To College Bowl Games - Changes For The 2010-11 Season

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-12 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.
• The Russell Athletic 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 Russell Athletic 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. The bowl also agreed to bring back the Atlantic Coast Conference, and will get the #3 pick of ACC teams.
• 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.
• The GoDaddy.com Bowl has agreed to allow the Sun Belt Conference to send a team from that conference and give them a second permanent 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• The Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas 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, and will also have the Big Ten #6 selection.
• Three tentative new bowl games were scheduled for 2010-11; two of them were approved by the NCAA in April 2010 and became 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. The other approved bowl game, the TicketCity Bowl, 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, as the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic was moved to Cowboys Stadium. 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.